Betsy McDonnell: Republican staff director, Senate Appropriations Committee

Appropriators have their work cut out for them this year as they work to secure passage on legislation to fund the government for fiscal 2024.

That is especially true at the staffer level, and Betsy McDonnell leads that effort for the Senate GOP.

McDonnell took over the post as the Senate GOP’s staff director on the Appropriations Committee earlier this year after serving as a top aide to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) for much of the past decade-plus. 

She has long been considered part of the brain trust for the Maine moderate and one of the foremost dealmakers in the upper chamber.

She has been involved in negotiations and work on a number of items, headlined by the drafting of the Paycheck Protection Program that was part of the CARES Act three years ago.

This also isn’t her first time serving as staff director for a panel, having filled the same role in recent years on the Senate Budget Committee for the late Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and the Senate Special Committee on Aging with Collins. 

“Betsy does a tremendous job leading the Republican Appropriations Committee staff. She has a unique ability to deftly navigate what is challenging and constantly changing terrain,” Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), a committee member, said in a statement. “As a freshman, I have certainly benefited from her counsel, perspective, and strategic vision.”