About RSC

RSC Chairman Mike Pence (R-IN) was profiled this piece in The Washington Post

Congressman Mike Pence was elected to Congress in November 2000 and was reelected to the Sixth Congressional District encompassing much of Eastern Indiana in 2002 and 2004.

In September of 2004, Rep. Pence was unanimously elected Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee for the 109th Congress. The Republican Study Committee is the largest caucus in the House of Representatives, comprised of more than 110 House Republicans, and has been the leading voice for advancing conservative social and economic issues in Congress since the mid-1980's.

As a member of the International Relations Committee, Rep. Pence has visited Iraq three times, with plans for another visit this year. During his most recent visit in September 2005, the Congressman met with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari and other officials in the Iraqi government. Rep. Pence also spent time with the 138th Signal Battalion, which is based in Anderson, Indiana.

In 2003 and 2004, Pence traveled to visit troops serving in Iraq. He met with Ambassador Paul Bremer and Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez to receive a briefing on Iraq's transition to democracy, and talked with ordinary Iraqi citizens adjusting to life in a free Iraq.

Rep. Pence led a congressional delegation visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan in December 2004. The delegation met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and visited with troops at Camp Phoenix, including many from the Indiana National Guard.

Rep. Pence also traveled to Berlin after the September 11 attacks as the only Member of Congress to participate in an international conference on terrorism. Rep. Pence joined His Majesty Prince Hassan of Jordan and Nobel Laureate and Member of Parliament David Trimble of Great Britain in leading panel discussions at the conference.

Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., Rep. Pence was appointed by House Speaker Dennis Hastert to the Judiciary Committee, where he serves on the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. Pence participated in drafting the Patriot Act and legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security.

Rep. Pence authored the Truth in Domain Names bill and ushered it through Congress. President Bush signed the bill, a cornerstone of Rep. Pence's legislative agenda, into law. The law will punish those who use misleading domain names to attract children to sexually explicit Internet sites.

In this Congress, Pence has authored two bipartisan measures to advance the principles of freedom in the press and American politics. The Free Flow of Information Act would establish statutory protections for reporters under federal law and The 527 Fairness Act would bring modest changes to campaign finance laws to promote the free speech rights of millions of Americans and strengthen political parties.

A member of the Agriculture Committee, Rep. Pence participated in drafting the 2002 Farm Bill, which included a historic increase in assistance to American agriculture and conservation. Rep. Pence has worked closely with Senator Richard Lugar to advance the vision of Freedom to Farm and is the author of the Farm Flexibility Act, which would give American farmers the opportunity to diversify their crops without fear of excessive penalties.

Rep. Pence has emerged as a national spokesman for conservative principles. In March of 2005, The Washington Post described Pence as "A New Face on Conservatism" observing, “he delivered conservative opinions with the even tones and polite demeanor of his Midwest upbringing.” That same month, the Washington, D.C. weekly The Hill described Pence as a "major player" and "a fiscal hawk climbing the leadership ladder.” An April 2006 profile in U.S. News and World Report said Pence “has emerged as a powerful force, moving Congress further to the right.” He appears regularly on NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, PBS, CNN and the Fox News Channel. Additionally, Pence makes weekly radio appearances on Indiana's most prominent talk stations.

Congressman Mike Pence was born in Columbus, Indiana, graduated from Hanover College in 1981 and earned his Doctorate in Jurisprudence from Indiana University, School of Law in 1986.

Following graduation from law school, Mike Pence first ran for Congress in 1988 and 1990. In 1991, Pence was named President of a conservative state think tank based in Fort Wayne known as the Indiana Policy Review Foundation.

In 1992, Pence started a career in radio broadcasting and, two years later, Network Indiana syndicated his show statewide. The Mike Pence Show aired weekdays on 18 radio stations. Pence also hosted a Sunday morning political television show in Indianapolis from 1995 to 1999.

Mike and his wife Karen have three children and reside in Columbus, Indiana. When Congress is in session, the Pence family lives in Arlington, Virginia.

Mike describes himself as "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order."