Committees and Caucus Participation

Armed Services Committee

I have served on the House Armed Services Committee since I came to the House of Representatives in 2001. The Committee has oversight of the Department of Defense (DOD) and is tasked with providing our women and men in the military the resources they need to keep our nation safe. I serve on the Seapower and Expeditionary Subcommittee which oversees the United States Navy, and the Strategic Forces Subcommittee which oversees our nation's intelligence programs and efforts to secure nuclear material around the globe. I was also honored to be selected by my colleagues to be the Ranking Member on the Panel on Business Challenges within the Defense Industry. The panel works to encourage competition and implement improvement within defense contracting to create new jobs across the country and promote better products and services for the military during a time of budgetary restraints. Supporting our armed forces and getting them the resources they need is critical to protecting our country.

Go to the Armed Services Committee's website

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is the House’s largest committee both in terms of membership and jurisdiction, which includes highways, transit, aviation, rail, water infrastructure, pipeline safety and the Coast Guard. Serving on this committee allows me to bring the Puget Sound area’s unique transportation challenges to the attention of Congress. I am honored to have been elected by my colleagues to be the Ranking Member of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee. The maritime industry is critical to Northwest Washington, and serving on this subcommittee helps me support these important parts of our local economy. I also work to ensure that the Coast Guard has the resources it needs to support its missions of marine safety, security, and stewardship.

Go to the Transportation Committee's website

Read my press release on my position as Ranking Member of the Coast Guard and Maritime Subcommittee here. 

US-China Working Group

I am the co-chair of the bipartisan U.S.-China Working Group (USCWG) a group focused on educating members and staff on U.S.-China issues through meetings and briefings with academic, business and political leaders from both countries.

The bipartisan U.S.-China Working Group educates members and staff on U.S.-China issues through meetings and briefings with academic, business and political leaders from the U.S. and China.

The Working Group provides information to Members of Congress on critical issues at critical moments and provides a forum for open and frank discussion with Chinese leaders. Membership in the group does not imply taking a position on issues.

The Working Group hosts regular dialogue with members of the Chinese leadership and since its creation in 2005 has met with numerous cabinet secretaries, the Chief of Naval Operations, several Fortune 100 CEOs, and lectures by award-winning academics.  USCWG members have met with President Hu Jintao, NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, State Councilor Dai Bingguo, Vice Premier Wang Qishan, PLA General Staff Chief Chen Bingde, and leading Chinese scholars and business leaders.

The Working Group has conducted four successful missions to China, focusing on the global economic recession, economic rebalancing, consumer product safety, intellectual property rights, military-to-military relations, counternarcotics, energy cooperation and global climate change.  The Working Group was the first foreign delegation to visit the manned-space launch center in Jiuquan and the first civilian delegation to visit a PLA-Navy Song Class submarine.

In 2009 and 2010, U.S.-China Working Group members introduced the “U.S.-China Competitiveness Agenda,” four bills focused on export promotion, diplomatic infrastructure, energy cooperation and domestic Chinese language instruction.

New Democrat Coalition

The New Democrat Coalition is a group of more than 40 members in the House of Representatives committed to growing our economy, creating new American jobs, and ensuring a more secure future for our country. The New Dems have put forward a commonsense agenda focused on modernizing our transportation and critical infrastructure, increasing U.S. trade and exports, updating our tax code to incentivize growth, reforming our education system, and increasing our green energy output. I am honored to serve as a Vice-Chair for the New Democrat Coalition, as well as the co-chair of the Critical Infrastructure and Manufacturing Task Force.

Go to the New Democrat Coalition website here.

Electronic Warfare Working Group

I am the Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Electronic Warfare Working Group, an organization dedicated to educating senior policymakers, including the Department of Defense and Congress, about the importance of electronic warfare to our military. This is particularly important to Northwest Washington, which is home to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and the Navy’s Electronic Attack Wing-Pacific, the military’s premiere Electronic Warfare unit.