115th Congress

Freshmen Senators & Representatives

Freshmen Senators

Kamala Harris

(D-CA)

Currently the Attorney General of California, Harris has laid out a foreign policy platform that says “we must do everything we can to protect our nation and our allies from the threats we face around the world – from terrorism to cyber-attacks to inadequately secured nuclear weapons to global climate change and health threats like Ebola.”

Harris strongly supports the use of development and diplomacy. Her foreign policy plan advocates for preventing military conflict around the world by utilizing “the power of smart diplomacy” adding that ”our country is strongest when we stand together with our allies and when we rally the world to act instead of simply acting alone.” She believes that the U.S. must ensure girls around the world are not denied education, employment opportunities, and full participation in civic life because of their gender. She has said “when women and girls are empowered and educated, communities are stronger and more stable and economies prosper and flourish.”

As Attorney General, she led a group of her state colleagues to Mexico to strengthen relations and signed a bilateral accord between California and Mexico to improve coordination on combatting human trafficking.

Tammy Duckworth

(D-IL)

Congresswoman Duckworth is a combat veteran wounded in Iraq, who has strongly supported using America’s civilian tools of national security to prevent international conflict. Duckworth has said “I know the value of international not for profits, diplomacy and foreign aid. As the only global superpower we also have a responsibility to lead in issues of human rights, public health, the environment and diplomacy.”

In Congress, she voted in favor of the 2016 Global Food Security Act and the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization, as well as the 2014 Electrify Africa Act and State Department Authorization. She also spoke on the House Floor in support of victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and called for more American assistance in the relief effort. During her unsuccessful run for Congress in 2006, she called for an audit on all military and foreign assistance with the goal of ensuring that contractors had not misused taxpayer funds in Iraq and Afghanistan.

She previously served as Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs in the Department of Veterans Affairs and lived overseas with her family in Cambodia, where she worked in global health and development as a manager for Rotary International’s programs in the Asia-Pacific region. Duckworth is fluent in Thai and Indonesian.

Todd Young

(R-IN)

A former Marine Corps officer, Senator-elect Young supports a robust U.S. global leadership that strengthens military and civilian programs, saying “we should ensure – as we deal with situations around the globe – that we are relying on all the instruments of national power at our disposal, and not just on our military might.” He has called U.S. global leadership “essential,” saying it can include “increased military presence, and additional investments in intelligence gathering and analysis, foreign aid, and other instruments of national power.”

In his 6 years in Congress, he has an increasingly supportive record backing the International Affairs Budget. He voted in favor of the 2016 Global Food Security Act, the Zika Response Appropriations Act, FY14 State Department Authorization, and the 2014 Electrify Africa Act. His voting record on amendments in 2011 that would cut foreign assistance was mixed, opposing one but supporting others. He also
voted twice against the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank.

After his military service, Young studied abroad at the University of London’s Institute of
United States Studies, whereas class president he advised their board chair, former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on student concerns. USGLC briefed Representative Young
during the campaign where he referenced his time in the Marine Corps as teaching him that
the military alone cannot solve our global challenges and there must be a mix of military and civilian tools to create security and stability.

Chris Van Hollen

(D-MD)

Congressman Van Hollen has been a vocal champion for American global leadership and foreign assistance throughout his tenure in the House of Representatives. Van Hollen has laid out a vision for America’s global leadership around “four pillars: the strength of our democracy and economy, defense, diplomacy, and development.”

As Ranking Member of the Budget Committee, Van Hollen has offered proposals to vastly increase funding for foreign assistance programs and spoken out against shifting foreign assistance resources into short-term war-related accounts. He has a consistent voting record in favor of expanding successful foreign assistance programs. He voted for the Global Food Security Act, Electrify Africa Act – both of which he co-sponsored – and State Department Authorization. He also voted against several amendments that would have cut international food aid programs. Citing his commitment to foreign assistance programs as integral to U.S. global leadership, he has said “America must continue to play its unique leadership role around the world and promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law… we can protect and promote our vital interests through a combination of a strong defense, smart diplomacy, and strategic international development programs.”

Van Hollen’s father was a career diplomat, and he was born in Pakistan and lived inIndia, Turkey, and Sri Lanka as a child. Before joining a private law practice and the Maryland state legislature, he served as a staff member for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

John Kennedy

(R-LA)

Currently Treasurer of Louisiana, Kennedy’s career has largely focused on domestic issues, but his statements and work as Treasurer in Louisiana suggests that he believes in the importance of American global leadership, having once detailed his foreign policy philosophy saying “I want a country that is strong and therefore free, that values peace but is not afraid to fight back. America is the most powerful country in the history of the world. We need to start acting like it.”

Kennedy authorized the purchase of $5 million in Israeli bonds to diversify state investments and develop economic ties between Louisiana and Israel. Kennedy called the move a “win-win situation for Louisiana and Israel” given that it “is the only democracy” and America’s “only true friend” in the Middle East.” Kennedy has also called for working with countries to address the region’s conflicts, saying that defeating these threats, including ISIS, cannot be accomplished without partnerships and cooperation.

In his 2004 senate campaign, however, he called for eliminating foreign assistance to any country that supports terrorism saying “I want an America and a Louisiana that refuses to be bullied by terrorists, tyrants or rogue states… that values peace, but is not afraid to fight.” Recently, he has identified Iran, Pakistan, and the Palestinians as states where foreign assistance should be eliminated because they “abet terrorists.” Kennedy studied abroad at Oxford University in England where he earned a Bachelor of Civil Law Degree.

Freshmen Representatives

Arizona

■ Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ-01)
■ Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05)

California

■ Ro Khanna (D-CA-17)
■ Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20)
■ Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24)
■ Nanette Barragan (D-CA-44)
■ Lou Correa (D-CA-46)

Delaware

■ Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE-AL)

Florida

■ Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01)
■ Neal Dunn (R-FL-02)
■ John Rutherford (R-FL-04)
■ Al Lawson (D-FL-05)
■ Darren Soto (D-FL-09)
■ Val Demings (D-FL-10)
■ Dan Webster (R-FL-11)
■ Brian Mast (R-FL-18)
■ Francis Rooney (R-FL-19)

Georgia

■ Drew Ferguson (R-GA-03)

Hawaii

■ Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI-01)

Illinois

■ Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08)
■ Brad Schneider (D-IL-10)

Indiana

■ Jim Banks (R-IN-03)
■ Trey Hollingsworth (R-IN-09)

Kansas

■ Roger Marshall (R-KS-01)

Kentucky

■ James Comer (R-KY-01)

Louisiana

■ Clay Higgins (R-LA-03)
■ Mike Johnson (R-LA-04)

Maryland

■ Anthony Brown (D-MD-04)
■ Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08)

Michigan

■ Jack Bergman (R-MI-01)
■ Paul Mitchell (R-MI-10)

Minnesota

■ Jason Lewis (R-MN-02)

Nebraska

■ Don Bacon (R-NE-02)

Nevada

■ Jacky Rosen (D-NV-03)
■ Ruben Kihuen (D-NV-04)

New Hampshire

■ Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH-01)

New Jersey

■ Joshua Gottheimer (D-NJ-05)

New York

■ Thomas Suozzi (D-NY-03)
■ Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13)
■ John Faso (R-NY-19)
■ Claudia Tenney (R-NY-22)

North Carolina

■ George Holding (R-NC-02)
■ Ted Budd (R-NC-13)

Pennsylvania

■ Dwight Evans (D-PA-02)
■ Brian Fitzgerald (R-PA-08)
■ Lloyd Smucker (R-PA-16)

Puerto Rico

■ Jenniffer González

Tennessee

■ David Kustoff (R-TN-08)

Texas

■ Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-15)
■ Jodey Arrington (R-TX-19)

Virginia

■ Scott Taylor (R-VA-02)
■ Tom Garrett (R-VA-05)

Washington

■ Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07)

Wisconsin

■ Mike Gallagher (R-WI-08)

Wyoming

■ Liz Cheney (R-WY-AL)

Impact 2016