Biography of Elijah E. Cummings
Congressman Elijah E. Cummings was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where he still resides today. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Howard University, serving as Student Government President and graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and then graduated with honors from the University of Maryland School of Law.
Congressman Cummings has dedicated his life of service to uplifting and empowering the people he is sworn to represent. He began his career of public service in the Maryland House of Delegates, where he served for sixteen years and became the first African-American in Maryland history to be named Speaker Pro Tem. First sworn in as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996, Congressman Cummings has proudly represented Maryland’s 7th District for seven terms.
Congressman Cummings often says that our children are our living messages that we send to a future we will never see. In that vein, he is committed to ensuring that our next generation has access to quality healthcare and education, clean air and water, and a strong economy defined by fiscal responsibility.
Congressman Cummings is a senior member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where he sits on the Subcommittees on Highways and Transit and on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials and serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
In his role as Chairman, Congressman Cummings oversees the implementation of the U.S. Coast Guard’s FY2007 $8 billion budget. He has made it a priority to ensure that the Coast Guard has the infrastructure and resources to successfully balance its critical homeland security missions with other crucial missions, including interdicting drugs before they reach America’s shores and conducting search and rescue missions. He has also been working to strengthen maritime transportation to withstand increased trade volume at U.S. ports.
Congressman Cummings is also a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The main investigative committee in the House of Representatives, Oversight and Government Reform has jurisdiction to investigate any federal program and any matter with federal policy implications. Congressman Cummings is committed to eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in government to ensure that it runs effectively and efficiently, in order to fully and responsibly utilize every taxpayer dollar. He sits on the Subcommittees on Domestic Policy and on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia.
Congressman Cummings is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee, where he sits on the Subcommittee on Readiness. In his position on this committee, Congressman Cummings is focused on demanding accountability from the Bush Administration regarding the conduct of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In addition to serving on these three committees, Congressman Cummings is a member of the Joint Economic Committee and the House Task Force on Health Care Reform. He is a former Chairman and current member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and is a co-founder and current Chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Drug Policy. He is also a member of the Progressive, Port Security, and Get-out-of-Iraq Caucuses.
During the 110th Congress, Congressman Cummings has sponsored initiatives to secure our homeland, increase access to college, promote access to quality, affordable healthcare, provide seniors with affordable prescription drugs, and ensure a high quality of life for our veterans. He is also committed to ensuring that every child has access to a quality education, specifically through the reauthorization and full funding of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Congressman Cummings serves on numerous boards and commissions. He is spearheading an effort to strengthen the Maritime curriculum at the Maritime Academy in Baltimore. He also serves on the U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors, the Morgan State University Board of Regents, the Maryland Zoo Board of Trustees, the Baltimore Aquarium Board of Trustees, the Baltimore Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America Board of Directors, and the Yale-Howard Nursing Partnership Center to Reduce Health Disparities by Self and Family Management Advisory Committee. He is an active member of New Psalmist Baptist Church.
