BIOGRAPHY
Updated June 2005

Congressman Jim Saxton has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for New Jersey's Third Congressional District since 1984.

Rising Seniority in House Committees

Mr. Saxton, 62, has risen in seniority. In January 2005 the Speaker of the House appointed him to become Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) of the House and U.S. Senate (He was also Chairman 1997- 1998, 2001-2002). In 2005, he was also reappointed as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee's (HASC) Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee (He chaired the HASC Military Construction Subcommittee 2001-2002). He is also Vice Chairman of the House Resources Committee's Fisheries and Oceans Subcommittee, (Chairman 1994-2000, Vice Chairman 2000- 2002).

He is the highest-ranking House member on the JEC; the third-ranking on the Resources Committee among approximately 60 members; and, the fourth-ranking of about 60 who sit on HASC. He also sits on the Merchant Marine Panel.

Tapped to Head House Anti-Terrorism Role

Because of his 15-year campaign to bring terrorism issues to the attention of Congress, he was selected by the Speaker of the House to be the Chairman of the House Special Oversight Panel on Terrorism in 2000, which addressed threats to the United States and its allies from weapons of mass destruction, such as bio-terrorism and cyber-terrorism. That post was a springboard for Mr. Saxton to convince House leaders to create the new House terrorism subcommittee. Mr. Saxton was selected by House leaders to chair the subcommittee, which is expected to oversee a budget of over $30 billion annually to fund U.S. Special Forces, including Green Berets, Navy SEALS, Army Rangers and the Defense Advance Research Projects Association and other high-tech research initiatives.

NJ-03... From the Shore to the Delaware

Congressman Saxton has fashioned a legislative agenda as diverse as the Third District, which reaches from the banks of the Delaware River to the shores of Long Beach Island. The district includes nearly half of the federally protected, 1.1 million-acre Pinelands National Reserve, vast farmlands, over 35 miles of shoreline, barrier islands, three bays and estuaries. His record in striving for clean water, clean air, coastal protection, wildlife protection and open space has established the congressman as a leading conservationist in the Congress.

Mr. Saxton has a reputation as a tireless legislator who responds promptly and conclusively to his constituency regarding issues of importance to the district.

Mr. Saxton's Biggest Victories

MEDICARE FUNDING - In one of the most significant accomplishments of his career, in 2003-2004 Mr. Saxton initiated a campaign to bring up to $42 million in ANNUAL Medicare reimbursements to South Jersey hospitals. Every hospital in Ocean, Burlington and Camden counties benefited. Congressman Saxton, joined by Congressman LoBiondo of Vineland, rectified an unfair reimbursement formula that weighed against small, often rural or suburban hospitals.

HELPED SAVE FT. DIX, MCGUIRE AFB & NAVY LAKEHURST- He is also widely recognized in the Garden State for taking on the Pentagon in a trio of battles to save Fort Dix (1988, 1991) and McGuire Air Force Base (1993), as well as neighboring Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station (1995) during Base Realignment and Closure hearings. In all three cases, the Pentagon was reversed, and today Fort Dix and McGuire are busier than they have ever been in peacetime.

BRINGING HOME THE ‘BIG J’Also notable was winning the federal competition to bring home the Battleship USS New Jersey to the Delaware River in South Jersey in 2000. The victory paved the way for a major naval museum that opened in 2001 and has drawn thousands of visitors annually.

STRENGTHENING & GROWING MCGUIRE AFB - In 2001, an eight-year plan to bring ultramodern Boeing C-17 Globemasters to McGuire AFB came to fruition when the Air Force announced it intended to send a squadron of the cargo planes to McGuire, helping to ensure McGuire's role in the 21st century. In September 2004, the Congressman helped welcome the first of McGuire’s C-17s, which are still arriving straight from the California factory through mid-2005. The base has seen more than $150 million of new construction in the 2000-2003 federal budgets, the most in base history. The base has seen over a half-billion dollars in new construction over the past 10 years. In the 2005 defense budget, Mr. Saxton helped steer over $50 million to Fort Dix, McGuire AFB and Navy Lakehurst.

CONGRESS’ AIR MOBILITY ADVOCATE - Ever a watchdog of overspending, Mr. Saxton helped Congress purchase 60 more C-17s in 2002 for 25 percent less than previously estimated costs. The plane is widely viewed as the best cargo transport aircraft ever built in the history of aviation. In 2005, he is seeking authorization for the Air Force to negotiate to buy another 42 C-17s. Working with other senior members of the House Armed Services Committee he added the language to the FY2006 defense authorization bill.

YEARS OF MILITARY BASE MODERNIZATION BEAR FRUIT As chairman of the Military Construction Subcommittee between 2001-02, he brought millions of dollars to every one of New Jersey's main military installations, a total of over $200 million in new construction in the state. These projects are critical in that they were all funded and constructed prior to the May 2005 BRAC list.

Congressman Saxton designed a 10-12 year plan to modernize Fort Dix, McGuire AFB and Navy Lakehurst. He worked closely with base commanders to support important projects in defense budgets that enhanced existing missions and attracted new missions. Working with DoD officials from the Army, Navy and Air Force, he has spent the past 10 years highlighting and promoting multi-service projects that improved “jointness” between the bases. On May 13, 2005, that strategy seemed to pay off when the Pentagon specifically recommended that the three bases be combined and dubbed “Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst,” along with 11 other bases. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst remains the only Army-Navy-Air Force base in the country.

Fighting for Ocean Legislation, Winning Beach Repair Funds

As a senior member of the Fisheries and Oceans Subcommittee, a part of the House Resources Committee, he has actively fought for sensible fisheries management as well as for fishermen's rights and the Jersey Shore economy. He has sponsored legislation banning sludge dumping off the Atlantic Coast, as well as bills that protect dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and other marine mammals, domestic coral reefs and marine sanctuaries.

In 2005, Mr. Saxton obtained $5 million of construction funds in the House budget for the long-awaited Long Beach Island (LBI) project to fix beach damage from storms in 1991 and 1992. The Army Corps of Engineers has spent 10 years and $3.3 million designing the project. The funding, if passed in the Senate, is enough to award a bid and start construction. Mr. Saxton also acquired $1.75 million in construction funds between 2003-2004. The State of N.J. must still approve local beach access. A project could be awarded in 2006. Due to Mr.Saxton’s successful efforts to authorize the LBI project in 2000, it will be one of the last projects in the country funded 65 percent by the federal government.

Working for a Healthy Economy

Mr. Saxton is credited with promoting South Jersey high-tech industry and job growth, particularly for the shore-based tourism industry and the defense industry that employs thousands of South Jersey residents.

His work on the JEC has led him to have regular dialogue with the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, with whom Mr. Saxton has forged a strong relationship supporting the Chairman's anti-inflation policies that have led to unprecedented economic growth.

The Congressman is a fiscal conservative and solid supporter of tax code reform and controlled spending, including income tax reductions and incentives for higher savings, as well as higher IRA contributions and penalty-free withdrawals from 401K and IRA plans for senior citizens. His plan to promote middle-class investments in mutual funds with tax reforms has garnered national acclaim.

Personal History

The Congressman is a native of Nicholson, Pa., and graduated from East Stroudsburg University. He also attended Temple University.

Mr. Saxton is a former public elementary school teacher and small business owner. He resides in Burlington County. He served six years in the N.J. Assembly and three years in the N.J. Senate. He has two children, and three grandchildren.

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