United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

Committee information

• Date created: Dec. 10, 1816
• Members: Twenty-two in the 119th Congress (2025-2027)
• Subcommittees: Africa and Global Health Policy; East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy; Europe and Regional Security Cooperation; Multilateral International Development, Multilateral Institutions, and International Economic, Energy, and Environmental Policy; Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism; State Department and USAID Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International Development; Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues

Role

The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations provides oversight of the foreign policy of the United States. This includes setting the official boundaries of the nation, foreign assistance, international relations, international treaties and laws, and interventions in other countries, including declarations of war.

The committee handles all dealings with the United Nations and affiliated organizations, and ensures the United States is up to date on the requirements of the international organizations to which it belongs. Additionally, the committee monitors and oversees all activities of the American National Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and is in charge of US involvement in humanitarian aid and relief efforts.

Throughout its history, the committee has worked very closely with the State Department, a department of the executive branch of government responsible for foreign relations. The Committee on Foreign Relations has legislative oversight of the State Department. This includes the power to approve all presidential nominations related to US diplomatic relations, including the Secretary of State, Deputy Secretary of State, Under Secretary of State, all foreign ambassadors, as well as multiple positions within the State Department itself.

The committee fosters American commercial and business interests abroad and safeguards American companies and individuals working within the global community. It also monitors and administers foreign loans and oversees the International Monetary Fund and other organizations handling international funds. However, it does not include proposed legislation related to these issues. That responsibility falls on the shoulders of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

The committee provides oversight on international aspects of nuclear energy and transfer and foreign policies relating to those issues. It is also responsible for the ongoing review and study of all matters of national security policies, foreign policies, and international economic policies as they relate to US foreign policy. In addition, the committee provides ongoing review and study of matters of food, nutrition, and food instability in all foreign countries.

History

The US Constitution places responsibility for foreign affairs on both the president and the Senate. The president spearheads the nation’s foreign policy, discussing issues with foreign leaders, negotiating treaties, and appointing ambassadors. The Senate advises the president and must approve his decisions and appointments. The Constitution did not explicitly mention the formation of committees to oversee legislative issues in Congress. Instead, the Founding Fathers took a cue from the British system of government and established a number of committees in the first Congress to handle specific legislative business. These temporary, or select, committees were created through legislation and lasted as long as deemed necessary to complete their mandate before being dissolved. In 1795, the House of Representatives established the first permanent, or standing, committee in Congress. It would be another two decades before the Senate would follow suit.

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations was one of the original eleven standing committees established by the Senate in 1816. Prior to 1816, the Senate called more than two hundred select committees to deal with international issues. These committees went by many names. The term foreign affairs was not used by the legislature until 1812, when it first appeared in legislative journals. From 1789 to 1797, twenty-four senators rotated between sixty-eight seats on these committees, largely because the same senators were getting elected to committees for which they held interest. In the wake of the War of 1812 (1812–1815), the Senate realized the nation’s defense priorities needed to be updated. The size of the Senate had grown as well. On December 10, 1816, the Senate passed a resolution by Virginia senator James Barbour establishing the Committee on Foreign Relations and ten other standing committees. Barbour served as the committee’s first chair and was one of five committee members. Senate rules normally allowed senators to serve on multiple committees; however, the rule also stipulated that members of ranking committees—Foreign Relations, Finance, Armed Services, and Appropriations—can only serve on one committee.

Historically, the Committee on Foreign Relations has been a powerful Senate committee and attracted a variety of well-known congressional leaders. Nineteen secretaries of state and six future presidents have served on the committee. These included Andrew Jackson, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Benjamin Harrison, Warren Harding, and John F. Kennedy. At times, the committee has become embroiled in conflict with the executive branch of government and the president and has often opposed the president’s policy initiatives. In the nineteenth century, two notable committee chairmen who used their position to defy the president were Senator Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina and Charles Sumner of Massachusetts. Macon served from 1825 to 1829 and was fiercely opposed to any measure put forth to expand the powers of the federal government. Some accounts claim Macon cast more “no” votes in the Senate than any other ten members combined. Sumner served from 1861 to 1871 and took advantage of the presidential focus on the Civil War (1861–1865) to exert his influence over US foreign policy. In doing so, he angered fellow Republicans, who voted to remove him from the chair position. At the time, Sumner was only the second committee chair in Senate history to be removed against his will.

The Committee on Foreign Relations often wielded its power between 1860 and 1897, rejecting multiple international treaties, including four with Great Britain. In the aftermath of World War I (1914–1918), committee chair Henry Cabot Lodge clashed with President Woodrow Wilson over the came the Treaty of Versailles—the peace agreement ending the war. The treaty twice came before the Senate for approval and was defeated both times, largely because of Wilson’s unwillingness to concede to provisions demanded by Cabot.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the committee’s votes reflected the isolationistic view of the nation. The Senate staunchly opposed allowing the United States to join the League of Nations and pushed to keep America from getting involved in European conflicts. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 drew the United States into World War II (1939–1945), the committee shifted more toward internationalism. During this time, multiple important documents and treaties related to foreign policy were approved in the Senate. These included the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine, measures meant to support post-war Europe and battle communism overseas. In 1946, Congress passed the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, which provided the committee with a professional staff for the first time.

During the Cold War (1947–1991), presidential power over foreign policy expanded considerably, which prompted the committee to address what it saw as an “imbalance of powers.” Although there were clashes prior to the 1960s, the committee often worked with presidential leadership to keep the interests of the country at the forefront. However, during the Vietnam War (1954–1975), the Committee on Foreign Relations attempted to assert its power in regard to foreign affairs and policies. The Senate adopted a resolution that required the approval of both houses of Congress for any future treaties, weakening the president’s power on this front. This gave Congress the opportunity in 1971 to repeal the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, a measure passed in 1964 that gave President Lyndon Johnson the power to escalate the war. In 1973, Congress also passed the War Powers Resolution, which further weakened the president’s power to declare war and helped end US involvement in Vietnam.

During the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the committee continued to play a direct role in major foreign policies. These include the development of nuclear proliferation policies and laws and increased US involvement in the United Nations. Additionally, during the late 1990s, the committee was fundamental in legislation that shut down the United States Information Agency and the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. The functions of these agencies, along with the Agency for International Development, were combined under the umbrella of the Department of State.

Subcommittees

The Committee on Foreign Relations was comprised of twenty-two members and seven subcommittees in the 119th Congress, which began its session in 2025. Subcommittees are smaller divisions within a committee structure to allow for a focus on more specific issues. Some Foreign Relations subcommittees have regional jurisdictions, while others focus on trade, assistance, health, or security issues.

United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African and Global Health Policy

This subcommittee is responsible for relations with most African countries, with the exception of some North African nations that fall under the jurisdiction of other subcommittees. The subcommittee handles issues concerning terrorism, crime, US assistance programs, and US trade and exports. The subcommittee also holds jurisdiction over global health policies, such as the US response to disease outbreaks.

United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity

This subcommittee has jurisdiction over US policies concerning nations in East Asia and the Pacific region. This includes intergovernmental organizations such as the Association of South East Asian Nations and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum. In addition, the subcommittee also holds jurisdiction over international matters related to cybersecurity and space policy.

United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation

This subcommittee oversees foreign relations with most countries in Europe, the European Union (EU), members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and several regional intergovernmental organizations, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The subcommittee is also responsible for managing regional security issues with other nations.

United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Multilateral International Development, Multilateral Institutions, and International Economic, Energy, and Environmental Policy

This subcommittee holds jurisdiction over all issues concerning US multilateral development policies, foreign assistance, mandatory participation in and contributions toward international organizations and oversight of all international financial and trade organizations. It also holds jurisdiction over matters related to intellectual property, technology transfer, international energy and environmental policies, and matters related to the Arctic and the world’s oceans.

United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism

This subcommittee is responsible for relations with the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and Central Asia. It also oversees US policies concerning counterterrorism.

United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the State Department and USAID Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International Development

This subcommittee’s responsibility includes oversight of the Department of State. It also manages the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—the government agency tasked with administering foreign civilian aid—the Peace Corps and the Millennium Challenge Corporation—another agency that handles foreign financial assistance. The annual budget requests of the State Department and USAID are reviewed by this subcommittee.

United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues

This subcommittee oversees relations with the nations of the Western Hemisphere—Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Cuba, and the countries of the Caribbean. It also deals with the nations of the Organization of American States. The subcommittee also holds jurisdiction over issues concerning transnational crime, human trafficking, global narcotics, civilian security, democracy, human rights, and women’s issues across the globe.

Bibliography

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