Meet Cathy

My Story

Cathy McMorris Rodgers is Eastern Washington’s chief advocate in Congress and a rising star in American politics. Since first being elected to the House in 2004, she has earned the trust of her constituents and praise on Capitol Hill for her hard work, conservative principles, bipartisan outreach, and leadership. As someone who grew up on an orchard, worked at her family’s small business, and later became a wife and mom of three, McMorris Rodgers has lived the American Dream, and she works every day to rebuild that Dream for our children and grandchildren.

As Chair of the House Republican Conference, she is the fourth highest-ranking Republican in the House and the highest-ranking woman in Congress. She is also the longest-serving woman in Republican leadership, and in November of 2016 she was appointed to serve as a vice chair of President-elect Trump’s Transition Team.

Since being elected to Congress in 2004, McMorris Rodgers has focused on introducing legislation based on the priorities she hears in conversations with the people of Eastern Washington. Her mission is to restore the people’s voice in Congress, and to make government more efficient, effective, and accountable to hardworking Americans.

Veterans and Military Families
A longtime advocate for members of the military and their families, McMorris Rodgers co-founded the bipartisan Military Family Caucus to provide military spouses and children a voice in Congress. Eastern Washington is home to more than 68,000 veterans and Fairchild Air Force Base, which is why McMorris Rodgers continues to be a vocal advocate in Congress for our veterans and military service members.

In August 2016, McMorris Rodgers co-hosted the annual Military Family Summit at Fairchild Air Force Base with Caucus Co-Founder Representative Sanford Bishop (D-GA) to discuss the most pressing issues facing military families today — pay and benefits, community integration and transition, and the health and well-being of their families and children.

As a strong advocate for veterans, McMorris Rodgers leads the charge in Congress to ensure our veterans have access to the best healthcare available. McMorris Rodgers believes the VA has lost sight of its mission to put veterans first. She has consistently voted to increase the budget of the VA, but she believes the VA has  cultural and structural problems, not a funding problem, which is why she continually champions solutions to hold the VA accountable and improve how it works. Her most recent legislation, the Faster Care for Veterans Act (H.R. 4352), requires the VA to adopt technology that allows veterans to schedule appointments online. It passed the House unanimously in December 2016 with 228 co-sponsors.  

In March 2016, McMorris Rodgers developed draft legislation, the Caring for Our Heroes in the 21st Century Act, that puts veterans in charge of their healthcare by allowing them to seek care at providers of their choosing.

Hydropower

She is co-chair of the Northwest Energy Caucus and the founder of the Hydropower Caucus, and is a long-time champion of dams and hydropower as a source of renewable, clean, reliable, affordable energy. She was a conferee on the energy bill, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2016 (S. 2012), the most comprehensive energy bill to be considered in nearly a decade. Her provisions in the energy bill focus on streamlining the hydropower relicensing process and pushing through reforms to produce healthier forest management.

Forestry

Because Eastern Washington is home to two national forests and often endures wildfires, McMorris Rodgers is a strong proponent of better forest management and strengthening wildfire emergency responses. She introduced the FORESTS Act early in 2015, proposing critical, common sense reforms to better manage our forests, incentivize local collaboration and decision-making, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire, and provide economic opportunities for rural communities. Much of it was included in an effort she co-sponsored and helped pass through the House, known as the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015 (H.R. 2647). She was also an early co-sponsor of the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act (H.R. 167, also known as the WDFA), which reclassifies the worst forest fires as disasters and allows funds for fighting those fires to be paid for outside of the forest service’s budget.

Healthcare

In 2010 she was appointed to the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee – where almost half of all legislation pertaining to the economy must pass. She currently serves on the Health Subcommittee, where she plays an active role in advancing affordable, patient-centered health care reforms. As co-chair of the Rural Health Caucus, she advocates for better access to affordable and quality health care services in our rural communities, and recently supported the HEALTTH Act to increase Native Americans’ access to healthcare

As a co-sponsor and vocal advocate of the 21st Century Cures Act, McMorris Rodgers played a key role in getting the bill passed in the House. The legislation funds the discovery, development, and delivery of life-saving cures, and includes provisions that specifically benefit the people of Eastern Washington, such as funding for better rural health programs and support for Washington State University’s research on bacteria resistance to antibiotics. The bill passed the House and the Senate in December 2016 and awaits the president’s signature.

Disabilities

McMorris Rodgers is a vocal and devoted champion for the disability community. In 2014, she played an instrumental role in securing final passage of the ABLE Act, which was later described as the most comprehensive piece of disabilities legislation since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This landmark legislation created tax-free savings accounts to empower individuals with disabilities to save and invest in their futures. To build on this success, she joined several of her colleagues in introducing  a package of bills to improve the ABLE Act, dubbed ABLE 2.0. This includes the ABLE to Work Act, which expands the amount of money individuals with disabilities can contribute to their ABLE savings accounts to include income from their job. McMorris Rodgers believes emphasis should be on one’s ability — not disability — and that a job is more than just a way to earn money; it gives a person dignity and purpose in their life. She is dedicated to helping those with disabilities live their lives to the fullest.

Federal Spending

McMorris Rodgers believes that restoring the people’s voice in Congress starts with ensuring taxpayer dollars are used efficiently and effectively.  In March 2016, she introduced the Unauthorized Spending Accountability Act (USA Act), which requires greater scrutiny of federal spending by identifying government agencies and programs that are not authorized to receive funding and puts them on a path to sunset in three years unless Congress renews them. As McMorris Rodgers wrote in The Washington Post, “Every day, we hear Americans’ frustration about Washington’s seemingly unstoppable growth. For their sake, it’s time to force Congress to justify every taxpayer dollar it spends.”

McMorris Rodgers is the co-chair of seven Congressional caucuses: Military Family, Down Syndrome, Lumber, Neuroscience, Hydropower, Northwest Energy, and the Rural Health Caucus.

In January 2014, McMorris Rodgers delivered the Republican address following the State of the Union, in which she articulated a hopeful, bold Republican vision that will make life better for the American people.

In 2006, McMorris Rodgers married Brian Rodgers, a Spokane native and retired 26-year Navy Commander. In 2007, she gave birth to Cole Rodgers. Cole was born with Trisomy 21 and inspired McMorris Rodgers to become a leader in the disabilities community. She has since welcomed two daughters into the world – Grace Blossom (December 2010) and Brynn Catherine (November 2013). She is the only Member of Congress in history to give birth three times while in office.

See my voting record

Today

Cathy is the Republican Conference Chair

She serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee

She is leading efforts to bring KC-46A tankers to Fairchild Air Force Base

2014

Cathy delivers the Republican address following the State of the Union

“A to Z” Mill Creek Pilot Project announced — a public private partnership to manage 50,000 acres in the Colville National Forest to help improve forest health and create jobs

2013

Cathy authors 2 bills that become law:

Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act

National Pediatric Research Network Act of 2013

2010

Cathy is appointed to the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee

2008

Cathy is elected Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference

2006

Cathy marries Brian Rodgers

(They have 3 children together. She is the only Member of Congress in history to give birth three times while in office.)

2005

Cathy keeps Fairchild Air Force Base off the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list.

2004

Cathy is elected to the House of Representatives

Posts about Cathy

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Last Week in Pictures: February 28 – March 5

See more behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH Congresswoman…

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Last Week in Pictures: January 10 – 16

Media Montage On Tuesday, Cathy McMorris Rodgers adjusts her earpiece just before going live on the air with…

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Last Week in Pictures

Taking Care of Our Veterans On Friday, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) introduced the Faster Care for Veterans Act, a bill that works to make sure our veterans have the same options that people…

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Demanding Answers for Eastern Washington’s Veterans

“I look to the future with hope that we can act swiftly and appropriately –…

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Q&A with Cathy

In this series, “Q&A with Cathy,” I hope you’ll submit any questions you may have – whether about the government, jobs, health care, or anything else – and I’ll answer them here. You can email your questions…

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McMorris Rodgers: Providing Certainty for Eastern Washington Taxpayers

 Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) released the…

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Pursuing a Bold and Firm Strategy in Iran

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) released the following statement today after passage of H. Res….

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We Need a Permanent Solution, Not a Quick Fix

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) issued the following statement tonight after President Obama’s…

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Be Better Informed About Ebola

McMorris Rodgers Statement on Ebola Crisis WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) issued the following statement…

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