Do your elected representatives serve on one of these important transportation committees? As the late Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill famously said, “All politics is local”—a phrase he used to describe the connection between a politician’s success and his or her capacity to advance issues that are important to local and state voters.

While federal legislation is debated and ultimately set in the halls of Congress, it can be significantly influenced in congressional districts and at the state level. Here’s a summary of key House and Senate committees and their members. (To find and contact your elected leader, go to APTA’s advocacy-related website and click on Advocate.)

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
This committee, one of the largest in Congress, has jurisdiction over all modes of transportation, including public transit and railroads.

Majority Members (Republicans)
Chairman: Bill Shuster, PA
Don Young, AK; Thomas E. Petri, WI; Howard Coble, NC; John J. Duncan Jr., TN; John L. Mica, FL; Frank A. LoBiondo, NJ; Gary G. Miller, CA; Sam Graves, MO; Shelley Moore Capito, WV; Candice S. Miller, MI; Duncan Hunter, CA; Andy Harris, MD; Eric A. “Rick” Crawford, AR; Lou Barletta, PA; Blake Farenthold, TX; Larry Bucshon, IN; Bob Gibbs, OH; Patrick Meehan, PA; Richard L. Hanna, NY; Daniel Webster, FL; Steve Southerland, II, FL; Jeff Denham, CA; Reid J. Ribble, WI; Thomas Massie, KY; Steve Daines, MT; Tom Rice, SC; Markwayne Mullin, OK; Roger Williams, TX; Trey Radel, FL; Mark Meadows, NC; Scott Perry, PA; Rodney Davis, IL

Minority Members (Democrats)
Ranking member: Nick J. Rahall II, WV
Peter A. DeFazio, OR; Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC; Jerrold Nadler, NY; Corrine Brown, FL; Eddie Bernice Johnson, TX; Elijah E. Cummings, MD; Rick Larsen, WA; Michael E. Capuano, MA; Timothy H. Bishop, NY; Michael H. Michaud, ME; Grace F. Napolitano, CA; Daniel Lipinski, IL; Timothy J. Walz, MN; Steve Cohen, TN; Albio Sires, NJ; Donna F. Edwards, MD; John Garamendi, CA; André Carson, IN; Janice Hahn, CA; Richard M. Nolan, MN; Ann Kirkpatrick, AZ; Dina Titus, NV; Sean Patrick Maloney, NY; Elizabeth H. Esty, CT; Lois Frankel, FL; Cheri Bustos, IL

T&I Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
This subcommittee’s foremost priority is the reauthorization of MAP-21, the federal surface transportation authorization bill.

Majority Members
Petri, chairman; Young, Coble, Duncan, Mica, LoBiondo, Miller, Graves, Capito, Hunter, Crawford, Barletta, Farenthold, Bucshon, Gibbs, Hanna, Southerland, Ribble, Daines, Rice, Mullin, Williams, Perry, Davis
Minority Members
DeFazio, ranking member; Nadler, Johnson, Capuano, Michaud, Napolitano, Walz, Cohen, Sires, Edwards, Carson, Hahn, Nolan, Kirkpatrick, Titus, Maloney, Esty, Frankel, Bustos

T&I Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
Majority Members
Denham, chairman; Duncan, Mica, Miller, Graves, Capito, Miller, Barletta, Bucshon, Gibbs, Meehan, Hanna, Webster, Massie, Williams, Radel, Perry
Minority Members
Brown, ranking member; Lipinski, Nadler, Cummings, Michaud, Napolitano, Walz, Sires, Esty, DeFazio, Capuano, Cohen, Titus

Committee on Ways and Means
The committee, the oldest in Congress, is the chief tax-writing body of the House.

Majority Members
Chairman: Dave Camp, MI
Sam Johnson, TX; Kevin Brady, TX; Paul Ryan, WI; Devin Nunes, CA; Pat Tiberi, OH; Dave G. Reichert, WA; Charles W. Boustany Jr., LA; Peter J. Roskam, IL; Jim Gerlach, PA; Tom Price, GA; Vern Buchanan, FL; Adrian Smith, NE; Aaron Schock, IL; Lynn Jenkins, KS; Erik Paulsen, MN; Kenny Marchant, TX; Diane Black, TN; Tom Reed, NY; Todd Young, IN; Mike Kelly, PA; Tim Griffin, AR; Jim Renacci, OH

Minority Members
Ranking member: Sander Levin, MI
Charles B. Rangel, NY; Jim McDermott, WA; John Lewis, GA; Richard E. Neal, MA; Lloyd Doggett, TX; Xavier Becerra, CA; Mike Thompson, CA; John B. Larson, CT; Earl Blumenauer, OR; Ron Kind, WI; Bill Pascrell Jr., NJ; Joseph Crowley, NY; Allyson Schwartz, PA ; Danny Davis, IL; Linda Sánchez, CA

Committee on Appropriations
This committee is responsible for setting the specific expenditures of money by the federal government.

Majority Members
Chairman: Harold Rogers, KY
C.W. Bill Young, FL; Frank R. Wolf, VA; Jack Kingston, GA; Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, NJ; Tom Latham, IA; Robert B. Aderholt, AL; Kay Granger, TX; Michael K. Simpson, ID; John Abney Culberson, TX; Ander Crenshaw, FL; John R. Carter, TX; Rodney Alexander, LA; Ken Calvert, CA; Jo Bonner, AL; Tom Cole, OK; Mario Diaz-Balart, FL; Charles W. Dent, PA; Tom Graves, GA; Kevin Yoder, KS; Steve Womack, AR; Alan Nunnelee, MS; Jeff Fortenberry, NE; Tom Rooney, FL; Chuck Fleischmann, TN; Jaime Herrera Beutler, WA; David Joyce, OH; David Valadao, CA; Andy Harris, MD

Minority Members
Ranking member: Nita M. Lowey, NY
Marcy Kaptur, OH; Peter J. Visclosky, IN; José E. Serrano, NY; Rosa L. DeLauro, CT; James P. Moran, VA; Ed Pastor, AZ; David E. Price, NC; Lucille Roybal-Allard, CA; Sam Farr, CA; Chaka Fattah, PA; Sanford D. Bishop Jr., GA; Barbara Lee, CA; Adam B. Schiff, CA; Michael M. Honda, CA; Betty McCollum, MN; Tim Ryan, OH; Debbie Wasserman Schultz, FL; Henry Cuellar, TX; Chellie Pingree, ME; Mike Quigley, IL; Bill Owens, NY

Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Majority Members
Latham, chairman; Wolf, Dent, Granger, Cole, Herrera Beutler, Joyce
Minority Members
Pastor, ranking member; Price, Quigley, Ryan
  
THE SENATE

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

This committee oversees legislation that affects public transit, among other issues.

Majority Members (Democrats)
Chairman: Tim Johnson, SD
Jack Reed, RI; Charles E. Schumer, NY; Robert Menendez, NJ; Sherrod Brown, OH; Jon Tester, MT; Mark R. Warner, VA; Jeff Merkley, OR; Kay Hagan, NC; Joe Manchin, WV; Elizabeth Warren, MA; Heidi Heitkamp, ND

Minority Members (Republicans)
Ranking member: Mike Crapo, ID
Richard Shelby, AL; Bob Corker, TN; David Vitter, LA; Mike Johanns, NE; Patrick J. Toomey, PA; Mark Kirk, IL; Jerry Moran, KS; Tom Coburn, OK; Dean Heller, NV
  
Banking Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
Majority Members
Menendez, chairman; Reed, Schumer, Brown, Tester, Merkley
Minority Members
Crapo, ranking member; Corker, Toomey, Kirk, Moran

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
This committee oversees DOT in addition to highways, rail, and transportation security, among other issues.

Majority Members
Chairman: John D. Rockefeller IV, WV
Barbara Boxer, CA; Bill Nelson, FL; Maria Cantwell, WA; Frank R. Lautenberg, NJ; Mark Pryor, AR; Claire McCaskill, MO; Amy Klobuchar, MN; Mark Warner, VA; Mark Begich, AK; Richard Blumenthal, CT; Brian Schatz, HI; William Cowan, MA

Minority Members
Ranking member: John Thune, SD
Roger Wicker, MS; Roy Blunt, MO; Marco Rubio, FL; Kelly Ayotte, NH; Dean Heller, NV; Dan Coats, IN; Tim Scott, SC; Ted Cruz, TX; Deb Fischer, NE; Ron Johnson, WI

Committee on Appropriations
The Senate ­Appropriations Committee, the Senate’s ­largest, writes legislation that allocates federal funds to government agencies.

Majority Members
Chairwoman: Barbara A. Mikulski, MD
Patrick J. Leahy, VT; Tom Harkin, IA; Patty Murray, WA; Dianne Feinstein, CA; Richard J. Durbin, IL; Tim Johnson, SD; Mary J. Landrieu, LA; Jack Reed, RI; Frank R. Lautenberg, NJ; Mark Pryor, AR; Jon Tester, MT; Tom Udall, NM; Jeanne Shaheen, NH; Jeff Merkley, OR; Mark Begich, AK

Minority Members
Vice chairman: Richard C. Shelby, AL
Thad Cochran, MS; Mitch McConnell, KY; Lamar Alexander, TN; Susan Collins, ME; Lisa Murkowski, AK; Lindsey Graham, SC; Mark Kirk, IL; Dan Coats, IN; Roy Blunt, MO; Jerry Moran, KS; John Hoeven, ND; Mike Johanns, NE; and John Boozman, AR

Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development
Majority Members
Murray, chairman; Mikulski, Durbin, Leahy, Harkin, Feinstein, Johnson, Lautenberg, Pryor, Reed
Minority Members
Collins, ranking member; Shelby, Alexander, Graham, Kirk, Coats, Blunt, Moran, Boozman

Committee on Environment and Public Works
The committee is responsible for legislation related to transportation systems and other public infrastructure.

Majority Members
Chairman: Barbara Boxer, CA
Max Baucus, MT; Thomas R. Carper, DE; Frank R. Lautenberg, NJ; Benjamin L. Cardin, MD; Bernard Sanders, VT; Sheldon Whitehouse, RI; Tom Udall, NM; Jeff Merkley, OR; Kirsten Gillibrand, NY

Minority Members
Vice chairman: David Vitter, LA
James M. Inhofe, OK; John Barrasso, WY; Jeff Sessions, AL; Mike Crapo, ID; Roger F. Wicker, MS; John Boozman, AR; Deb Fischer, NE

Committee on Finance
The committee is responsible for taxation and other general revenue measures.

Majority Members
Chairman: Max Baucus, MT
John D. Rockefeller IV, WV; Ron Wyden, OR; Charles E. Schumer, NY; Debbie Stabenow, MI; Maria Cantwell, WA; Bill Nelson, FL; Robert Menendez, NJ; Thomas R. Carper, DE; Benjamin L. Cardin, MD; Sherrod Brown, OH; Michael F. Bennet, CO; Robert P. Casey Jr., PA

Minority Members
Ranking member: Orrin G. Hatch, UT
Chuck Grassley, IA; Mike Crapo, ID; Pat Roberts, KS; Michael B. Enzi, WY; John Cornyn, TX; John Thune, SD; Richard Burr, NC; Johnny Isakson, GA; Rob Portman, OH; Patrick J. Toomey, PA