In United States politics, a ranking member is the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party.[1] On many committees the ranking minority member, along with the Chair, serve as ex officio members of all of the committee's subcommittees.
Both the United States Senate[2] and United States House of Representatives[3] use ranking members as part of their legislative structure.
When party control of a legislative chamber changes, a committee's ranking minority member is generally ensured to become the next chairman of the committee, and vice versa.[citation needed]
- ^ "Politics Glossary: ranking member". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 1, 2011.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: Glossary Term | Ranking Minority Member". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- ^ Singman, Brooke (2020-02-05). "Who are the House committee chairs?". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-01-03.