The role of the committee is primarily an administrative one, with responsibilities for the rules of the Senate, administration of Senate buildings, qualifications of members, and oversight of federal elections. (Though it shares a name with the House Rules Committee, the two have very different functions.) The Rules Committee periodically attains prominence when there is a contested federal election or a dispute over electoral integrity. Its members traditionally include both the Senate Majority and Minority leaders. It has very little day-to-day public activity (the last major revision of the Senate rules was in 1979), little legislative responsibility and very few hearings. It has no subcommittees.

In the 116th Congress (2017-18) under Chair Roy Blunt (R, Mo.) the committee held twelve hearings, a big jump from the six in the previous Congress under Chair Blunt and Chair Richard Shelby (R, Ala.), and on par with the committee's historical maximum, especially when the abbreviated schedule due to Covid-19 is taken into consideration.

The committee holds only a handful of policy and legislative oversight hearings each Congress. In the 116th Congress, it held six.

The committee held no investigative oversight hearings in the 116th Congress, nor in any of the other four Congresses studied.

Chairs

111th Congress: Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

112th Congress: Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

113th Congress: Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

114th Congress: Roy Blunt (R-MO)

115th Congress: Richard Shelby (R-AL) [Roy Blunt (R-MO)]

116th Congress: Roy Blunt (R-MO)

117th Congress: Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)