In United States politics

Politics of the United States

The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...

, a ranking member is the second-most senior member of a congressional

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

 or state legislative committee

Committee

A committee is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly—which when organized so that action on committee requires a vote by all its entitled members, is called the "Committee of the Whole"...

 from the majority party. Another usage refers to the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. This second usage, often used by the media, should properly be referred to as the ranking minority member

Ranking minority member

In United States politics, the term ranking minority member refers to the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. This position is sometimes referred to as ranking member. On many committees the ranking minority member, along with the chairman,...

. On many committees the ranking minority member, along with the chairman, serve as ex officio members of all of the committee's subcommittees.

When party control of a legislative chamber changes, a committee's ranking minority member is likely, though not assured, to become the next chairman of the committee, and vice versa.

Congressional usage

Four Senate committees refer to the ranking minority member as Vice Chairman. The following committees follow the Chairman/Vice Chairman structure for the majority and minority parties.

• Senate Committee on Appropriations
  United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
  The United States Senate Committee on Appropriations is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over all discretionary spending legislation in the Senate....
  
  
• Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
  United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
  The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples. A Committee on Indian Affairs existed from 1820 to 1947, after which it was folded into the Committee on...
  
  
• Senate Select Committee on Ethics
  United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics
  The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics is a select committee of the United States Senate charged with dealing with matters related to senatorial ethics. It is also commonly referred to as the Senate Ethics Committee...
  
  
• Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
  United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
  The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is dedicated to overseeing the United States Intelligence Community—the agencies and bureaus of the federal government of the United States who provide information and analysis for leaders of the executive and legislative branches. The...
  
  

Other Senate committees refer to the ranking minority members as Ranking Member.

The House of Representatives does not use the term vice chairman for the ranking minority member, though some committees do have a vice chairman position, usually assigned to a senior member of the majority party other than the chairman. House committees that follow this structure are:

• House Committee on Agriculture
  United States House Committee on Agriculture
  The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of some federal agencies, and it can recommend funding...
  
  
• House Committee on Appropriations
  United States House Committee on Appropriations
  The Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
  
  
• House Committee on the Budget
  United States House Committee on the Budget
  The U.S. House Committee on the Budget, commonly known as the House Budget Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress...
  
  
• House Committee on Education and the Workforce
  United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce
  The Committee on Education and the Workforce is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. From 1947 until 1994 and again from 2007 to 2011, during Democratic control of the House, it was known as the Committee on Education and Labor.-History of the Committee:Attempts were...
  
  
• House Committee on Energy and Commerce
  United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce
  The Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than 200 years...
  
  
• House Committee on Financial Services
  United States House Committee on Financial Services
  The United States House Committee on Financial Services is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees the entire financial services industry, including the securities, insurance, banking, and housing industries...
  
  
• House Committee on Government Reform
  United States House Committee on Government Reform
  The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is a United States House of Representatives committee that has existed in varying forms since 1816....
  
  
• House Committee on Foreign Affairs
• House Committee on Resources
  United States House Committee on Resources
  The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, or Natural Resources Committee is a Congressional committee of the United States House of Representatives. Originally called the "Committee on Interior & Insular Affairs," the name was changed to the Natural Resources Committee in 1993...
  
  
• House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
  United States House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
  The standing Committee on Veterans' Affairs in the United States House of Representatives oversees agencies, reviews current legislation, and recommends new bills or amendments concerning veterans. Jurisdiction includes retiring and disability pensions, life insurance, education , vocational...
  
  
• House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
  United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
  The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Mike Rogers. It is the primary committee in the U.S...
  
  (subcommittees only)

Joint Committees of the House and Senate operate in much the same way, with a chairman and vice chairman from the majority party, alternating between a member of the House and a member of the Senate, and often two ranking members from both bodies.