Jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of the Committee on Appropriations is straightforward: it has jurisdiction over the appropriation of the revenue for the support of the Government, rescission of appropriations contained in appropriation Acts, all concurrent resolutions on the budget, and such other measures as the committee may be required to consider under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Broadly this means that the Appropriations Committee has authority over:
all appropriations bills, which set the discretionary budget of the government;
all appropriations within bills - if a bill appropriates money and does not just authorize appropriations, it must blessed by the committee;
all rescissions of appropriations, requested by the President under the Congressional Budget Act;
all continuing resolutions for the support of government;
the reconciliation process, as established by the Congressional Budget Act; and
such other matters as fall under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Appropriations or the Committee on the Budget.
The scope of the Committee on Appropriations' jurisdiction makes it, arguably, the most powerful committee in the Senate.
Membership
At this time, the Committee on Appropriations will have two members: the Chair (appointed by the Majority Leader) and the Ranking Member (appointed by the Minority Leader). If there is demand, we will consider growing the committee. We understand that the budget is not for everybody - therefore, it is our hope that we can localize much of the specific number work on the budget to this committee.
Appropriators are a special breed within Congress - they are dealmakers by default. Historically the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee have had a very functional relationship. For this purpose, most legislation is reported out of the Committee on Appropriations - whether an appropriations bill, an appropriations section, or a continuing resolution - by agreement of the Chair and Ranking Member. Without both agreeing, it cannot pass out. That exceptions to this rule are a budget resolution that tees up reconciliation or a rescission bill requested by the President - those are assumed to pass on a party line vote.
Consideration of Legislation: Appropriations Bills
The Chair and Ranking Member will be given access to the appropriations pack - a simplified Google Sheet that contains the information necessary for them to make appropriations. This will be the core of the appropriations bill. Central to this process is the appropriations tally, in which the committee will decide what to appropriate for all of the programs that Congress is creating - if anything. The Chair and Ranking Member will have joint access to a crack team of CBO analysts to ask questions to, who will give them nonpartisan advice about what the consequences of their actions might be. Moreover, they may seek written answers from agency heads about specific spending programs to guide their decision-making.
Finally, the Chair and Ranking Member may choose to include riders on the appropriations bills. These are instructions for how federal agencies may spend money. Appropriators can say that they must spend on X and can not spend on Y. They may block rules and regulations by saying that no money may be spent to finalize Rule A or that Rule B must be reverted to its prior state. They may say that money for a federal law enforcement agency shall be used to equip agents with body-worn cameras that shall be turned on during all times of activity. These riders must be directly related to the spending of money or the machinery of government. Superfluous riders (i.e., raising the minimum wage) can not be added by the committee.
Once the final text is drafted, the Chair and Ranking Member just have to note that they approve of it and it will make its way to the Senate Majority Leader's desk for consideration on the docket.
Consideration of Legislation: Continuing Resolutions
For our purposes, continuing resolutions may only continue previous spending. They may not enact new or rescind existing budget authority. They may, however, contain riders that control how the executive branch spends money. Once drafted, the Chair and Ranking Member just have to note that they approve of it and it will make its way to the Senate Majority Leader's desk for consideration on the docket.