A third-generation Marylander, Ben Cardin has been a national leader on health care, retirement security, the environment and fiscal issues while representing the people of Maryland in the U.S. Senate, and before that in the House of Representatives. He has worked across party lines to further U.S. national security and to ensure that good governance, transparency and respect for human rights are integrated into American foreign policy efforts.
First elected to the Senate in 2006, Senator Cardin currently serves as Ranking Member of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee. He is a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Environment & Public Works committees. He also serves on the Senate Finance Committee.
Senator Cardin is a leading advocate for the Chesapeake Bay, which is the economic, historical and cultural heart of Maryland. Nationally, he is a champion of protecting our clean air and clean water. He has introduced legislation to restore the health of America's great water bodies and is the leading proponent of investing in improvements to America's aging water infrastructure system while preparing it for the impacts of climate change. His commitment to reduce pollution and protect our environment fuels his work to broaden investments in safe public transit, as well as walking and bike trails.
A member of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee since arriving in the Senate, Senator Cardin was responsible for the extension of increased guarantees and reduced fees in the Small Business Administration's two largest loan programs. He has been working to find better ways to provide access to credit for qualified small businesses and entrepreneurs, as well as expanding access to contracts for women-owned, minority owned and veteran-owned businesses. He consistently is urging federal agencies to take all steps possible to meet or exceed their modest small business contracting goals. He also has been a strong defender of the federal workforce and has fought to end the harmful effects of sequestration.
Senator Cardin has a deep interest in foreign affairs and has worked across party lines to further our national security and protect universal human rights. He has fought to ensure that anti-corruption, transparency and respect for human rights are integrated our foreign policy. He also has worked to ensure gender equity in national security programs and policies. He has been a Commissioner on the U.S. Helsinki Commission since 1993, serving as Chairman of the Commission in the 111th and 113th Congress. He currently is the Ranking Senate Democrat. In 2015, he was named as the Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance for the 57-nation Organization Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly. Senator Cardin serves as Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues. He previously has served as the Ranking Member of the SFRC East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy Subcommittee, and he is the former Chairman of the International Development and Foreign Assistance Subcommittee.
Senator Cardin believes access to quality, affordable health care should be a right and not a privilege. He continues to be a strong supporter of the Affordable Care Act, which brought the United States closer to this goal. He led the fight for the Patients' Bill of Rights and, because of his efforts, the law ensures that individuals in private health insurance plans have the right to choose their primary care provider, women have direct access to an ob/gyn, and patients with medical emergencies are guaranteed coverage for necessary ER visits. He was responsible for the elevation of the National Institute for Minority Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health and has been a strong supporter of increases in funding for federally qualified health care centers and health information technology. Senator Cardin continues to be a leading champion for increased medical research funding for Maryland's world-class universities, NIH, and our State's cutting edge biotech industry.
One of Senator Cardin's proudest accomplishments was leading the fight to guarantee access to dental care for children in the Children's Health Insurance Program, following the tragic loss of a 12-year-old Prince George's County boy who died after complications that followed an untreated tooth infection.
Serving as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee during his first four years in the Senate, Senator Cardin also has developed a reputation for defending civil rights at home and has sought to find a balance between protection of civil liberties and national security. He is the lead sponsors of legislation to prohibit racial profiling by all levels of law enforcement, restore voting rights for former felons, and remove the deadline for ratification of the Equal Right Amendment. He has been a proud cosponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
From 1987-2006, Ben Cardin represented Maryland's Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and served for 17 years on the Ways & Means Committee. He was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1967-1986. During his time as Speaker from 1979-1986, he reformed Maryland's property tax system, the school financing formula and the ethical standards for elected officials.
A 1967 graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law (1st in his class), he earned his B.A. degree in 1964 from the University of Pittsburgh (cum laude). He is a member of the U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors, the Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies' National Advisory Board and the St. Mary's College Advisory Board, Center for Study of Democracy.
Senator Cardin is married to Myrna Edelman Cardin and his daughter Deborah and son-in-law Jonathan Willis have two daughters, Madeline and Julia.
Rob Portman is a United States Senator from the state of Ohio. He was first elected in 2010, running a campaign that focused on commonsense conservative ideas to help create jobs and get the deficit under control. Rob won with a margin of 57 to 39 percent, winning 82 of Ohio's 88 counties.
Rob was born and raised in Cincinnati, where he still lives today with his wife Jane. Together they have three children: Jed, Will, and Sally. Rob grew up in a small business family, where he learned early on the value of hard work, leadership, and fiscal responsibility. When Rob was young, his dad, Bill Portman, borrowed money to start Portman Equipment Company, where Rob and his brother and sister all worked while growing up. His father, and then his brother, built the family business from a small forklift truck dealership with five employees, with Rob's mom as the bookkeeper, to one that employed more than 300 people. Rob became a lawyer and developed his own private practice, representing Portman Equipment Company and other small businesses.
In 1993, Rob was elected to Congress, where he represented the diverse, seven county Second District in southern Ohio. He was proud to serve the Second District for 12 years, and in seven elections, he never received less than 70 percent of the vote.
During his time representing the Second District, Rob earned a reputation as a serious leader who focused on results. In September 1996, Rob founded the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati, now known as PreventionFIRST!, to help keep young people from substance abuse. He authored the Drug Free Communities Act, which has provided more than $1 billion to community coalitions around the country over the last 20 years.
Rob was actively involved in crafting and promoting the historic welfare reform efforts as a member of the committee that wrote the legislation, and he was a forceful advocate of the balanced budget that passed in 1997. Rob authored several federal laws to increase retirement savings, reform the IRS and add more than 50 new taxpayer rights, curb unfunded mandates, reduce taxes, and expand land conservation efforts.
In 2005, Rob left Congress when he was asked to serve as the United States Trade Representative, the Cabinet-level official responsible for implementing and enforcing U.S. trade policy. As America’s Trade Representative, Rob was successful in reducing barriers to U.S. exports and increasing enforcement of trade laws to help level the playing field for American farmers, workers and service providers. Under his leadership, American exports increased and the U.S. brought successful legal challenges against international trade law violations—including against China.
Following his accomplishments as Trade Representative, Rob was asked to serve in another Cabinet post, this time as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Rob made his mark by proposing a balanced budget, fighting irresponsible earmarks, and putting in place new transparency measures for all federal spending.
During his first term in the U.S. Senate, Rob has successfully introduced more than 180 bills, including 150 bipartisan bills, and 50 bills that were signed into law by President Obama. He authored the Senate Republican Jobs Plan, a seven-point agenda for creating jobs in Ohio and around the country through commonsense policies like tax reform, regulatory reform, and skills training. He has been a champion for underprivileged children, an advocate for policies that reduce poverty and increase opportunity, and a leader on expanding exports and American energy production.
Rob is the author of the Federal Permitting Act, federal law that streamlined and sped up the federal permitting process, which modernizes government and creates more jobs.
As co-Chairman of the bipartisan Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus, Rob has authored the CAREER Act, federal law that helps Ohioans train for and find the jobs that are available today.
As a Senator, Rob has also continued to fight for to expand exports and crack down on unfair and illegal imports. He co-authored the bipartisan Leveling the Playing Field Act, which was signed into law by President Obama and gives the federal government better tools to fight unfair imports. He also authored the ENFORCE Act, which President Obama signed into law and helps the federal government crack down on countries like China that try to evade our trade laws. Rob also been a staunch advocate for Ohio jobs in dozens of cases at the International Trade Commission. He has supported cases involving solar products in Toledo, agriculture products like wheat grown throughout the state, specialty paper in Dayton, rebar in Cincinnati and Marion, hot-rolled steel in Cleveland, high-density pipe in Columbus, roller bearings in Canton, and others.
Rob has continued the work he began in the House of Representatives on drug abuse prevention and treatment, authoring the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which was signed into law in July 2016 and authorizes $181 million annually to increase prevention and education, expand drug treatment, and promote community support services for those in recovery.
Rob co-founded and co-chairs the bipartisan Senate Caucus to End Human Trafficking. He is the author of five federal anti-trafficking laws signed by President Obama. He has also led a bipartisan investigation into Backpage.com, which culminated in a bipartisan report which exposed that the company knowingly facilitates criminal sex trafficking of vulnerable women and young girls and has covered up evidence of these crimes in order to increase its own profits.
Rob is also a leader in the U.S. Senate in the effort to preserve our environment. He authored several federal laws to protect Lake Erie from harmful algal blooms through scientific research prioritizing bodies of fresh water, and to stop the use of microbeads, which pollute Lake Erie and harm fish and other wildlife.
He is also the author of the National Park Service Centennial Act, which President Obama signed into law in December of 2016. This law ensures that the National Park Service has the resources necessary to reduce its maintenance backlog and continue keeping America beautiful.
Senator Portman is a member of the Finance Committee, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Committee on Foreign Relations. He is also Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. In 2016, he was re-elected, winning by an even larger margin of 58 to 37 and winning 84 out of Ohio’s 88 counties.
John Thune grew up in Murdo, South Dakota. His interest in politics was sparked at a young age after making five of six free throws during a freshman high school basketball game. He was later greeted by a spectator who said, “I noticed you missed one.” That spectator happened to be well-known sports enthusiast and South Dakota U.S. Representative Jim Abdnor. The introduction was the start of a friendship that ignited John’s career in public service.
John received his undergraduate degree at Biola University and his Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota. Upon completion of his Master’s Degree in 1984, he married Kimberley Weems, a native of Doland, South Dakota.
John’s attraction to public service took him to Washington, D.C. to work for that sports enthusiast and then-U.S. Senator Jim Abdnor. He then served at the Small Business Administration under an appointment from President Ronald Reagan.
In 1989, John and his family returned to South Dakota, where he served as the Executive Director of the South Dakota Republican Party. In 1991, Governor George S. Mickelson appointed him the State Railroad Director, a position he held until 1993, when he became Executive Director of the South Dakota Municipal League.
In 1996, with a shoestring budget and the support of family and friends, John won his first term as South Dakota’s lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives. John was reelected to a second term by the largest margin in South Dakota history. He returned again to Washington in 2001 to serve his third term in the House.
John then honored his 1996 campaign pledge to serve only three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. After a narrow loss in a U.S. Senate race in 2002, he won his current U.S. Senate seat in 2004, when he made history by defeating a sitting U.S. Senate party leader for the first time in 52 years.
In 2010, John was elected to serve a second term in the U.S. Senate in a rare unopposed race. He was only the third Republican and the only South Dakotan to run unopposed for the U.S. Senate since direct elections were created in 1913. John was elected to a third term in 2016.
For the 115th Congress, Senator Thune serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; and the Finance Committee. Thune, who is the senior most Republican on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, serves as Chairman. Thune also served in Republican leadership as Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee from 2009 – 2011 and now serves as the Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, the number three position in Senate Republican leadership.
John and his wife Kimberley live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and they have two grown daughters and three grandchildren. In his free time, John enjoys spending time with his family, pheasant hunting, and running.
Senator Todd Young represents Hoosiers in the United States Senate. He currently serves on the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations; Health, Education, Labor & Pensions; Commerce, Science & Transportation; and Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
A fifth-generation Hoosier, Todd grew up watching his parents work hard in order to support the family. His first jobs were delivering newspapers, mowing lawns,and providing janitorial services at the family business.
After graduating from high school, Todd enlisted in the U.S. Navy and one year later was offered an appointment to the United States NavalAcademy in Annapolis, Maryland. He graduated with honors in 1995 and accepted a commission in the U.S. Marine Corps. After training as a rifle platoon commander and service as an intelligence officer, Todd was then assigned to lead a recruiting effort in Chicago and northwest Indiana. During this time,he put himself through night school at the University of Chicago, where he earned his MBA with a concentration in economics.
In 2000, Todd was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps as a Captain. He spent a year abroad,where he earned a Masters from the School of Advanced Study in London before returning to the United States to work for The Heritage Foundation and later as a legislative assistant in the U.S. Senate.
In 2003, Todd returned home to Indiana.He soon met his wife, Jenny, and he again put himself through night school, this time earning his JD from Indiana University. Jenny and Todd married in 2005 and worked together at a small law firm in Paoli,Indiana started by Jenny's great-grandfather. Today,they reside in Bloomington, Indiana with their four young children:a son, Tucker, and three daughters, Annalise , Abigail and Ava.
On March 2nd, 2017, Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D., was sworn in as the 17th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
For nearly 30 years, Secretary Carson served as Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, a position he assumed when he was just 33 years old, becoming the youngest major division director in the hospital’s history. In 1987, he successfully performed the first separation of craniopagus twins conjoined at the back of the head. He also performed the first fully successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins in 1997 in South Africa.
Dr. Carson received dozens of honors and awards in recognition of his achievements including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. He is also a recipient of the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Dr. Carson authored nine books, four of which he co-wrote with his wife Candy. The U.S. News Media Group and Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership named him among “America’s Best Leaders” in 2008.
Dr. Carson and his wife co-founded the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. The Fund is currently operating in 50 states and the District of Columbia, and has recognized more than 7,300 scholars, awarded more than $7.3 million in scholarships, and installed more than 150 Ben Carson Reading Rooms around the country.
Born in Detroit to a single mother with a 3rd grade education who worked multiple jobs to support their family, Secretary Carson was raised to love reading and education. He graduated from Yale University and earned his M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School. He and his wife are the proud parents of three adult sons and three grandchildren.
Secretary Elaine L. Chao is currently the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. This is her second cabinet position. She served as U.S. Secretary of Labor from 2001-January 2009, and is the first Asian American woman to be appointed to the President's cabinet in American history.
Secretary Chao comes to the U.S. Department of Transportation with extensive experience in the transportation sector. Early in her career, she specialized in transportation financing in the private sector. She began her executive career in public service working on transportation and trade issues at the White House. She then served as Deputy Maritime Administrator, U. S. Department of Transportation; Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission; and, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Secretary Chao understands the critical role of the Department in ensuring the safety of our country’s transportation systems. She is also keenly aware of the key role infrastructure plays in our nation’s economic competitiveness, and in strengthening economic growth in both the urban and rural areas of our country.
Secretary Chao has a distinguished career in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. An immigrant who arrived in America at the age of eight speaking no English, she received her citizenship at the age of 19. Her experience transitioning to a new country has motivated her to devote most of her professional life to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to build better lives for themselves and their families. As U.S. Secretary of Labor, she focused on increasing the competitiveness of America’s workforce in a global economy, promoted job creation, and achieved record results in workplace safety and health.
Prior to the Department of Labor, Secretary Chao was President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way of America, where she restored public trust and confidence in one of America’s premier institutions of private charitable giving, after it had been tarnished by financial mismanagement and abuse. Secretary Chao also served as Director of the Peace Corps, where she established the first programs in the Baltic nations and the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.
Secretary Chao earned her MBA from the Harvard Business School and an economics degree from Mount Holyoke College. Honored for her extensive record of accomplishments and public service, she is the recipient of 37 honorary doctorate degrees.
Secretary Chao is a resident of Jefferson County, Kentucky. Prior to her appointment as Secretary of Transportation, she was a Distinguished Fellow at Hudson Institute. She is the eldest of six daughters born to Dr. James S.C. Chao and the late Mrs. Ruth Mulan Chu Chao.
Pete Aguilar represents the 31st Congressional District of California. He was re-elected in 2016 and serves on the House Appropriations Committee. In the 115th Congress, Rep. Aguilar holds the leadership positions of Whip of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and is an Assistant Whip in the House Democratic Caucus.
Raising his family in the community his family has called home for four generations, Representative Aguilar understands the challenges that Inland Empire families face today. He started his first job at the age of twelve, working with his grandfather at the San Bernardino County Courthouse cafeteria. He then put himself through college with the assistance of student loans and federal grants, and later established a life in public service to give back to his community.
Representative Aguilar is a voice for middle-class families throughout San Bernardino County and prioritizes legislation that will nurture a more fair economy, where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. He is committed to policies that create jobs, support our students, and safeguard vital programs for seniors and veterans.
Representative Aguilar previously served as the Mayor of Redlands, where he earned a reputation for his bipartisanship and steadfast commitment to making his community a better place to live, work, and raise a family. He resides in Redlands with his wife Alisha and their two sons.
Josh Gottheimer represents New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District in the northernmost part of the state, which includes parts of Bergen, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren counties. He was sworn in on January 3, 2017.
In Congress, Josh serves on the House Financial Services Committee where he works on three Subcommittees: the Capital Markets, Securities, and Investments Subcommittee, the Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee, and the Terrorism and Illicit Finance Subcommittee.
In February 2017, Josh was elected Co-Chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, where he works to bring the group of 24 Democrats and 24 Republicans together across party lines to find areas of agreement on key issues including lowering taxes, cutting burdensome and unnecessary regulation, lowering health insurance premiums, and improving infrastructure to help the American people.
In March 2017, just months after being sworn in, Josh passed his first amendment in the House, which was later signed into law, to accelerate the hiring of post-9/11 veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs. In April 2018, Josh’s bipartisan FRA Safety Data Improvement Act passed the House by a unanimous vote. The Act brings consistency and the power of big data to help improve rail safety in North Jersey and across the country.
Josh is committed to lowering taxes and getting Fifth District residents a better return on the tax dollars they already send to Washington. Working with Fifth District mayors, councils, first responders, and towns, Josh has helped the Fifth District claw back $290 from Washington for every household in the Fifth District—a 16% increase from what the District has historically received. These dollars help first responders protect the community while offsetting the strain on local budgets and property tax bills.
For his support for pro-growth policies in Congress, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce awarded Josh its Spirit of Enterprise Award. For his consistent work on both sides of the aisle and as Co-Chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, Josh was recognized as the most bipartisan Democratic freshman Member of Congress by the Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.
Josh was raised in North Caldwell, the son of a preschool teacher and a small business owner. Growing up, Josh worked in his father's store and, like your average New Jersey kid, treasured summer vacations at the Jersey Shore. His first concert was at the Meadowlands to see the one and only Bruce Springsteen!
Josh graduated from West Essex High School before attending the University of Pennsylvania, later becoming a Thouron Fellow at Oxford, and then paid his way through Harvard Law School.
After finishing college, Josh went on to work in the Clinton White House as one of the youngest presidential speechwriters in history. Josh wrote speeches on topics ranging from the global economy to technology and innovation to combatting crime; he also helped draft two State of the Union Addresses.
After leaving the White House, Josh worked at the Ford Motor Company, where he helped rebuild the iconic auto company’s image and worked on the first American hybrid. Josh was also a Senior Advisor to the Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and published the book Ripples of Hope: Great American Civil Rights Speeches.
Josh later served as Senior Counselor to the Chairman at the Federal Communications Commission. During his tenure, he was the first Director of Office of Public-Private Initiatives, partnering with private companies to break through roadblocks and solve national problems. These partnerships saved taxpayers money while helping law enforcement, boosting digital education, and creating jobs. Josh worked on cybersecurity, broadband adoption, combatting cell phone theft, creating a new public safety emergency alert system, and expanding wireless spectrum. Josh used that experience to help create a nonprofit, JerseyOn, that has expanded access to high-speed internet for low-income New Jersey students to help them compete in the 21st Century economy.
Before running for Congress, Josh worked at Microsoft as General Manager for Corporate Strategy, where focused on the company’s expansion into the cloud, e-commerce, and privacy. He was also a member of both the Ridgewood and New Jersey Chambers of Commerce, the Rutgers Business School Advisory Board, and was a visiting fellow at Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology. He also taught history at the University of Pennsylvania.
Josh’s approach to public service is rooted in his experience in both the public and private sectors. During his time working with President Clinton, Senator Frank Lautenberg, and Speaker Thomas Foley, he saw that, by seeking common ground, it’s possible to find a bipartisan path forward without compromising your core values. Josh firmly believes that it doesn’t matter if an idea comes from the Democratic or Republican side of the aisle, only whether it will help the communities and people of the Fifth District.
Josh now lives in Wyckoff, New Jersey with Marla, his wife who was a federal prosecutor, and their two young children, Ellie and Ben.
Congressman Denny Heck first entered the political scene more than 40 years ago when he was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives at age 24. After a decade of serving in the State Legislature, including time as the House Majority Leader, Heck joined the office of Washington Governor Booth Gardner as Chief of Staff. Following his foray in government, he lead efforts to create TVW, the statewide television network that brought the deliberations of the state government into the living room of every Washingtonian. He also hosted the TVW show, “Inside Olympia,” where he interviewed lawmakers and other notable political figures. After time in the private sector and failed attempts at retiring, he made a comeback to public service and in 2012 was elected to be the first U.S. Representative of Washington’s new 10th Congressional District, a region known as the “South Sound.” Since coming to Congress he has served as an advocate for veterans, strong economic growth, and U.S. jobs.
Congressman Heck and his wife Paula root for their beloved Gonzaga basketball team from their home in Olympia, Washington. They have two grown sons, Bob and Trey, and are the proud grandparents of Maleah.
Committees: House Committee on Financial Services, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Issue Area Expertise: Housing, National Security, Intelligence, Export-Import Bank, Financial Services
Richard Neal was born in Worcester, Massachusetts on February 14, 1949 and was raised and educated in the City of Springfield. He is a 1972 graduate of American International College, where he received his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and was a member of the National Honor Society. He received his Masters Degree in Public Administration from the Barney School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Hartford in 1976.
Richard Neal was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1988. He is the Ranking Member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.
Congressman Neal is the dean of both the Massachusetts Delegation and the New England Congressional Delegation. He is a long-time guest lecturer at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, and a Trustee at Mount Holyoke College. He is a National Trustee of John F. Kennedy Library in Boston. He served as the Mayor of the City of Springfield from 1984 to 1988, and was highlighted in Newsweek Magazine for his many accomplishments during that time.
Congressman Neal has been a lead sponsor of legislation to prevent American companies from moving offshore to avoid paying U.S. taxes. He has sponsored legislation that would increase the national savings rate by encouraging the use of individual retirement accounts, and has worked to make health care and tuition expenses tax deductible for middle class people. He successfully led the charge to eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) for middle-class families in America. He has a long legislative history of fighting to preserve and protect Medicare and Social Security.
Congressman Neal is an At-Large Whip for the House Democrats. He is a co-chairman of the New England Congressional Caucus, where he advocates for the unique regional interests of the six New England States. Congressman Neal is the Democratic Leader of the Friends of Ireland Caucus.
Nancy Pelosi is the Democratic Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives for the 115th Congress. From 2007 to 2011, Pelosi served as Speaker of the House, the first woman to do so in American history. As the Democratic Leader, Pelosi is fighting for bigger paychecks and better infrastructure for America’s middle class families. In 2013, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the American women’s rights movement.
For 30 years, Leader Pelosi has represented San Francisco, California's 12th District, in Congress. She has led House Democrats for more than 12 years and previously served as House Democratic Whip.
Under the leadership of Pelosi, the 111th Congress was heralded as "one of the most productive Congresses in history" by Congressional scholar Norman Ornstein. President Barack Obama called Speaker Pelosi “an extraordinary leader for the American people," and the Christian Science Monitor wrote: “…make no mistake: Nancy Pelosi is the most powerful woman in American politics and the most powerful House Speaker since Sam Rayburn a half century ago.”
Working in partnership with President Obama, Speaker Pelosi led House passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in early 2009 to create and save millions of American jobs, provide relief for American families, and provide a tax cut to 95 percent of working Americans. With the House Democratic Caucus, Pelosi continues to focus on the need to create jobs in America and prevent them from being shipped overseas.
Speaker Pelosi achieved passage of historic health insurance reform legislation in the House which establishes a Patients’ Bill of Rights and will provide insurance for tens of millions more Americans while lowering health care costs over the long term. The new law provides patients with affordable insurance choices, curbs abuses by the insurance industry, strengthens Medicare, and reduces the deficit by more than $100 billion over the next 10 years.
In the 111th Congress, Speaker Pelosi also led the Congress in passing strong Wall Street reforms to rein in big banks and protect consumers as well as the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which expands educational opportunities and reforms the financial aid system to save billions of taxpayers’ dollars. Additional key legislation passed into law included the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to restore the ability of women and all workers to access our judicial system to fight pay discrimination; legislation to provide health care for 11 million American children; national service legislation; and hate crimes legislation. In late 2010, Pelosi led the Congress in passing child nutrition and food safety legislation as well as repealing the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which prohibited gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
Pelosi has made energy security her flagship issue, enacting comprehensive energy legislation in 2007 that raised vehicle fuel efficiency standards for the first time in 32 years and making an historic commitment to American home grown biofuels. In 2009, under her leadership, the House passed the landmark American Clean Energy and Security Act – a comprehensive bill to create clean energy jobs, combat climate change, and transition America to a clean energy economy. The legislation was blocked by Republicans in the United States Senate, but sent a strong signal to the world about the United States’ commitment to fighting the climate crisis.
A leader on the environment at home and abroad, Pelosi secured passage of the “Pelosi amendment” in 1989, now a global tool to assess the potential environmental impacts of development. In San Francisco, Pelosi was the architect of legislation to create the Presidio Trust and transform the former military post into an urban national park.
In continuing to push for accountability and transparency in government, under Speaker Pelosi, the House passed the toughest ethics reform legislation in the history of the Congress, including the creation of an independent ethics panel, and increased accountability and transparency in House operations, including earmark reforms. As Speaker, Pelosi led the fight to pass the DISCLOSE Act in the House, which fights a corporate takeover of U.S. elections and ensures additional disclosure; she continues to fight for this legislation today.
Additional key accomplishments signed into law under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi include: an increase in the minimum wage for the first time in 10 years; the largest college aid expansion since the GI bill; a new GI education bill for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars; and increased services for veterans, caregivers, and the Veterans Administration.
Pelosi comes from a strong family tradition of public service. Her late father, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., served as Mayor of Baltimore for 12 years, after representing the city for five terms in Congress. Her brother, Thomas D'Alesandro III, also served as Mayor of Baltimore. She graduated from Trinity College in Washington, D.C. She and her husband, Paul Pelosi, a native of San Francisco, have five grown children and nine grandchildren.
Tom Reed was first elected to the House of Representatives in a special election in November 2010. Since then, he has stood with the people of the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes Region, and Western New York. By focusing on job creation and helping those in our communities including students, senior citizens, and veterans, Team Reed strives to make New York a better place in which to live and work.
Tom currently represents New York’s 23rd District. He serves as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, which is responsible for addressing issues of tax policy, trade, health care, and Social Security. He sits on the Trade, Health, and Human Resources subcommittees. He serves as Co-Chair of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus, the House Manufacturing Caucus, and the Problem Solvers Caucus.
The mission that drives Tom is to continue to be accessible and help anyone in need. Tom and his team have completed more than 10,000 constituent cases, resolving issues with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Veterans Administration (VA), Social Security Administration (SSA) and other federal agencies.
A caring and accessible leader, Tom values the thoughts and concerns of the people from across the district, which is why he has held more than 200 public town hall meetings since taking office
Tom remains committed to championing job creation by tackling our national debt, reducing burdensome regulations on small businesses, developing an “all of the above” energy policy, and reforming our tax code.
He is the youngest of 12 children raised by Tom Sr. and Betty Barr Reed. Tom’s father was a career Army officer, who worked his way through the enlisted ranks, and was a decorated veteran of both World War II and the Korean War. Tom married his wife, Jean, in 1996. Tom, Jean, and their two children, Autumn and Will, currently live in Corning, in the house built by Tom’s grandfather in the early 1920s.
Tom graduated from Alfred University in 1993 and from Ohio Northern University College of Law in 1996. His legal career began shortly thereafter in Rochester. In 1999, he returned to his hometown of Corning. After opening a private legal practice, Tom also began a business in real estate. He successfully ran for mayor and served as Mayor of Corning from 2008-2009. Tom helped change the political climate in Corning, and is now working to do the same in Washington.
Renowned economist and investment banker Gary Cohn is a leading voice on the global economy, international markets and economic policy. With extensive experience in both the private and public sector-- Cohn served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Goldman Sachs as well as the 11th Director of the National Economic Council under President Donald Trump-- Cohn sheds light on what to expect from the current administration and how issues ranging from trade and taxes to monetary policy and interest rates will impact businesses across industries.
Named as President Trump's chief economic advisor in January 2017, Cohn was heralded as "an economic-policy powerhouse" (The Wall Street Journal) and a "go-to figure on matters related to jobs, business and growth" (The New York Times). Credited with pushing the tax overhaul through Congress, Cohn was celebrated as an experienced voice of reason in the White House, one dedicated to driving pro-growth economic policies. In 2018, when Cohn announced his plans to resign, the news sent shock waves through global financial markets.
Growing up in a middle-class family and severely dyslexic, Cohn's rise to the top of Wall Street is an inspirational story of legend; one chronicled in Malcolm Gladwell's besteller "David and Goliath." Landing his first job as a trader thanks to a lucky cab ride, Cohn was recruited by Goldman Sachs in 1990 and climbed the ranks, working as a trader and manager in both New York and London, until he was named President and COO in 2006. Leading his team through the global financial crisis with pragmatism and strength, Cohn helped formulate the strategies that saved the firm.
General Michael Hayden is a retired four-star general who served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency when the course of world events was changing at a rapid rate. As head of the country’s premier intelligence agencies, he was on the front lines of global change, the war on terrorism, and the growing cyber challenge. He understands the dangers, risks, and potential rewards of the political, economic, and security situations facing us.
In addition to leading CIA and NSA, General Hayden was the country’s first principal deputy director of national intelligence and the highest-ranking military intelligence officer in the country. In all of these jobs, he worked to put a human face on American intelligence, explaining to the American people the role of espionage in protecting both American security and American liberty. Hayden also served as commander of the Air Intelligence Agency and Director of the Joint Command and Control Warfare Center and served in senior staff positions at the Pentagon, at U.S. European Command, at the National Security Council, and the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria. He was also the deputy chief of staff for the United Nations Command and U.S. Forces in South Korea.
Hayden is currently a principal at the Chertoff Group and a distinguished visiting professor at the George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government. He is on the board of directors of Motorola Solutions and serves on a variety of other boards and consultancies.
Dana Milbank is a nationally-syndicated op-ed columnist with The Washington Post, a prize-winning White House reporter, and the author of three books including the national bestseller Homo Politicus: The Strange and Scary Tribes That Run Our Government. A sharp and incisive political analyst, Milbank’s wildly popular Washington Post column “Washington Sketch” appears in the paper four times per week, is frequently the most viewed opinion column on the Post’s website, and is syndicated in 275 newspapers nationwide. In addition to his print work, Milbank provides political commentary several times a week for MSNBC. He brings the integrity of a seasoned journalist along with the signature biting humor of a gifted satirist to every speech and lecture.
Milbank first joined the Post at the beginning of the 2000 presidential campaign as a political writer for the paper’s “Style” section. He covered President George W. Bush’s first term in the White House and the 2004 election as a White House correspondent on the Post’s national staff. During that time he won the White House Correspondent Association’s Beckman Award for “repeated excellence in White House coverage,” and was named one of the nation’s top political journalists by Columbia Journalism Review.
In addition to his award-winning work for The Washington Post, Milbank has also written for The New York Times Magazine and New York magazine, among others. A self-proclaimed “political anthropologist,” Milbank has perfected the art of political observations that are to the point, non-partisan, and exceedingly clever. He is the author of the 2008 book SMASHMOUTH, about his experiences on the 2000 presidential campaign, and 2010’s Tears of a Clown: Glenn Beck and the Tea Bagging of America.
Before joining The Post, Milbank spent two years as a senior editor at the New Republic and eight years as a reporter with The Wall Street Journal. He has also served as a political analyst for CNN. Milbank is a graduate of Yale University.
