Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers is serving her second term in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the people of Washington's Fifth Congressional District. In Congress, McMorris Rodgers is working to expand economic opportunities for the Northwest region; improve access to quality, affordable health care; and keep our communities and nation safe. McMorris Rodgers currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the Education and Labor Committee and the Natural Resources Committee, where she serves as ranking member on the Water and Power Subcommittee. She is the Sophomore Class representative on the Steering Committee, is a member of the Republican Whip Team, and is a member of the House Republicans High-Tech Working Group. McMorris Rodgers is also the Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Women’s Caucus with Representative Lois Capps (D-CA). The Caucus works on issues to better to the lives of women and families. Since coming to Congress, McMorris Rodgers has worked in a bipartisan fashion on issues that are most important to Eastern Washington. She actively supports missions to protect and expand Fairchild Air Force Base and was successful in helping to keep the base off the recent Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list. Along with Congressman Adam Smith, she introduced Health IT legislation and is co-leading a statewide Health IT task force to position Washington state for future Health IT advancements. Understanding that a well-trained and competitive workforce starts with educational opportunities, McMorris Rodgers sponsored the American Competitiveness Amendment to the College Access and Opportunity Act. The bi-partisan amendment takes steps to improve math, science, and critical foreign language education. Prior to coming to Congress, McMorris Rodgers served the people of Eastern Washington as the 7th District Washington State Representative for ten years. She was elected by her peers to serve as House Republican leader, the top leadership post in the House Republican Caucus. McMorris Rodgers is the descendent of pioneers who traveled the Oregon Trail in the early 1850s to the Pacific Northwest where her father's family pursued agriculture and her mother's family worked in the forestry industry. She was born and raised on a farm and worked in the family owned business, Peachcrest Fruit Basket, for 13 years. She earned her B.A. in pre-law from Pensacola Christian College in Florida and an executive MBA from the University of Washington. She is married to Brian Rodgers. They have a son, Cole, who was born in April 2007. She enjoys playing the piano, swimming, and reading biographies. She lives by President Reagan's motto: "There’s no limit to what a person can do or where one can go if one doesn’t mind who gets the credit.”