Bruce Eugene Westerman (born November 18, 1967) is an American forester and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Arkansas's 4th congressional district. Previously, he served as member and the majority leader of the Arkansas House of Representatives. In 2014, Westerman was elected to the House to succeed Tom Cotton, who defeated U.S. Senator Mark Pryor in the 2014 Senate election.

Background

Westerman was raised in and resides in Hot Springs,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

. He graduated as valedictorian of Fountain Lake High School in Hot Springs. He attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

in 1990 and subsequently received a master's degree in forestry from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. Westerman worked as an engineer and forester before being elected to the Arkansas House in 2010. He was formerly employed as an engineer and forester by the Mid-South Engineering Company. He served as president of the Arkansas chapter of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. He is also a former chair of the Arkansas Academy of Biological and Agricultural Engineers, and served on the Fountain Lake School District school board.

Arkansas House of Representatives

Elections

Westerman ran for the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2010.

Tenure

Westerman served as the House Minority Leader in 2012 and House Majority Leader in 2013. He was the first Republican House Majority Leader in Arkansas since Reconstruction.

Committee assignments

* Revenue And Taxation Committee ** Subcommittee on Sales, Use, Miscellaneous Taxes and Exemptions (chair) * State Agencies And Governmental Affairs Committee * Insurance and Commerce Committee

Caucus memberships

* Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus * Rare Disease Caucus

U.S. House of Representatives

2014 election

Westerman won the Republican primary on May 20, defeating Tommy Moll, 54%–46%. In November, he defeated Democratic nominee James Lee Witt, a former associate of U.S. President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

, 54%-43%.

Tenure

In 2015, Westerman cosponsored a resolution to amend the US constitution to ban same-sex marriage. On June 20, 2017, as the only certified forester in the House, Westerman introduced H.R.2936 - Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017, providing for the culling of overgrown federally managed woods. After passing the House, it was introduced in the Senate on November 2, 2017, where it failed. Westerman voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. In December 2020, Westerman was one of 126 Republican members of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

to sign an amicus brief in support of '' Texas v. Pennsylvania'', a lawsuit filed at the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state. Westerman voted to certify both Arizona's and Pennsylvania's results in the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count. During the 2021 Capitol riot, Westerman, left behind in House minority leader Kevin McCarthy's office when he was evacuated by security, took a

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

sword from a shattered display for protection and hid from rioters on a toilet. As of October 2021, Westerman had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 8% of the time. In the October 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election, Westerman received one vote for speaker from representative Pete Stauber of

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress: * Committee on Natural Resources (Chair) ** As Chair of the committee, Rep. Westerman is entitled to sit as an ''ex officio'' member in all subcommittee meetings per the committee's rules. * Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure ** Subcommittee on Aviation ** Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials ** Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

Caucus memberships

* Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus * Congressional Western Caucus * Republican Study Committee * Working Forests Caucus (co-chair, co-founder) * Dyslexia Caucus (co-chair) * U.S.-Japan Caucus * Congressional Coalition on Adoption

Political positions

Abortion

Westerman believes that "Life is a right. Abortion is not." He supported the 2022 overturning of ''Roe v. Wade''.

Environment

Westerman considers himself a conservationist. He introduced the Trillion Trees Act on April 19, 2021, which planned to plant a trillion trees, but the bill was criticized by scientists and environmental groups. Westerman has a 4% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters.

Gun law

Westerman has received consistent "A" ratings from the NRA Political Victory Fund for his pro-gun rights legislative voting record. He voted against the Enhanced Background Checks Act in 2021.

Electoral history

References

External links

U.S. Representative Bruce Westerman
official U.S. House website
Bruce Westerman for Congress
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Westerman, Bruce 1967 births 21st-century American engineers Arkansas Razorbacks football players Arkansas Republicans Baptists from Arkansas Engineers from Arkansas Fountain Lake High School alumni Living people Republican Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Arkansas General Assembly Politicians from Hot Springs, Arkansas School board members in Arkansas Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives