Press Kit

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Biography for Introductions

Congressman Brian Higgins is a fourth term member of the United States House of Representatives.

Brian has been a champion of waterfront development in Buffalo and led the fight for a $279 million settlement from the New York Power Authority that is now financing a major transformation of Buffalo's long neglected Inner and Outer Harbors.

For the 112th Congress, Brian was appointed to the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, where he aims to position the Western New York border community in the forefront of national discussions and help to advance the Peace Bridge project and improve our border operations to strengthen economic ties with our Canadian neighbors. Brian's appointment to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, is timely given the existing conflicts in the Middle East and ongoing relations with China whose currency policies deeply affect the American economy.

Brian served on the Ways & Means Committee from 2009 through 2010, stepping down this month due to a change in the ratio of committee seats. He will maintain his seniority on the committee and rejoin it when seats become available.

Formerly a member of the Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee for National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations, Brian has traveled extensively through some of the most volatile regions in the world and has met with world leaders to promote peace in Northern Ireland, the Middle East, South Asia and Africa, including Darfur, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Brian was an instructor in the History and Economics departments at Buffalo State College, where he had previously earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science.  He also earned an advanced degree in Public Policy and Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.