Bruce Westerman | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Raúl Grijalva |
| Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Rob Bishop |
| Succeeded by | Raúl Grijalva |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas's 4th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Cotton |
| Majority Leader of the Arkansas House of Representatives | |
| In office January 14, 2013 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Johnnie Roebuck |
| Succeeded by | Ken Bragg |
| Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 22nd district | |
| In office January 14, 2013 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Nate Bell |
| Succeeded by | Mickey Gates |
| Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 30th district | |
| In office January 11, 2011 – January 14, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Sample |
| Succeeded by | Charles Armstrong |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bruce Eugene Westerman November 18, 1967 Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Sharon French |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University of Arkansas (BS) Yale University (MS) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
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.[1] 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 for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in engineering in 1990 and subsequently received a Master of Science in forestry from Yale University.[2]
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.[1]
Arkansas House of Representatives
Elections
Westerman ran for the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2010.[3][4][5]
Tenure
Westerman served as the House Minority Leader in 2012 and House Majority Leader in 2013.[6] He was the first Republican House Majority Leader in Arkansas since Reconstruction.[7]
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[6]
Caucus memberships
U.S. House of Representatives
2014 election
Westerman won the Republican primary on May 20, defeating Tommy Moll, 54%–46%.[10] In November, he defeated Democratic nominee James Lee Witt, a former associate of U.S. President Bill Clinton, 54%-43%.[11]
Tenure
In 2015, Westerman cosponsored a resolution to amend the US constitution to ban same-sex marriage.[12]
On June 20, 2017, as the only certified forester in the House, Westerman introduced H.R.2936 - Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017,[13] 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.[14]
In December 2020, Westerman was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court 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.[15][16][17]
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 sword from a shattered display for protection and hid from rioters on a toilet.[18]
As of October 2021, Westerman had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 8% of the time.[19]
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.[20]
Committee assignments
For the 118th Congress:[21]
- 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
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus
- Congressional Western Caucus
- Republican Study Committee[22]
- Working Forests Caucus (co-chair, co-founder)
- Dyslexia Caucus (co-chair)
- U.S.-Japan Caucus[23]
- Congressional Coalition on Adoption[24]
Political positions
Abortion
Westerman believes that "Life is a right. Abortion is not." He supported the June 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.[25]
Environment
On April 19, 2021, he introduced the Trillion Trees Act, which planned to plant a trillion trees, but the bill was criticized by scientists and environmental groups.[26] Westerman has a 4% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters.[27]
In January 2025, Westerman introduced the Fix Our Forests Act alongside Representative Scott Peters of California. The bill aims to improve forest management for wildfire risk reduction.[28][29]
Gun law
Westerman has received consistent "A" grades from the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) for his pro-gun rights legislative voting record.[30][31] He voted against the Enhanced Background Checks Act in 2021.[32]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Westerman | n/a | 100.00 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Westerman | n/a | 100.00 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Westerman | 18,719 | 54.45 | |
| Republican | Tommy Moll | 15,659 | 45.55 | |
| Total votes | 34,378 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Westerman | 110,789 | 53.75 | |
| Democratic | James Lee Witt | 87,742 | 42.57 | |
| Libertarian | Ken Hamilton | 7,598 | 3.69 | |
| Write-in | 2 | 0.0 | ||
| Total votes | 206,131 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Westerman (incumbent) | 182,885 | 74.9 | |
| Libertarian | Kerry Hicks | 61,274 | 25.1 | |
| Total votes | 244,159 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Westerman (incumbent) | 40,201 | 79.8 | |
| Republican | Randy Caldwell | 10,151 | 20.2 | |
| Total votes | 50,352 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Westerman (incumbent) | 136,740 | 66.7 | |
| Democratic | Hayden Shamel | 63,984 | 31.2 | |
| Libertarian | Tom Canada | 3,952 | 1.9 | |
| Write-in | 216 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 204,892 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Westerman (incumbent) | 191,617 | 69.7 | |
| Democratic | William Hanson | 75,750 | 27.5 | |
| Libertarian | Frank Gilbert | 7,668 | 2.8 | |
| Total votes | 275,035 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Westerman (incumbent) | 153,850 | 71.0 | |
| Democratic | John White | 56,745 | 26.1 | |
| Libertarian | Gregory Maxwell | 6,101 | 2.8 | |
| Total votes | 216,696 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Westerman (incumbent) | 197,046 | 72.9 | ||
| Democratic | Risie Howard | 73,207 | 27.1 | ||
| Total votes | 270,253 | 100% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
References
- ^ a b "About". Congressman Bruce Westerman. December 3, 2012.
- ^ "Bruce Westerman's Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
- ^ Westerman plans to run for Sample's seat in House. Hot Springs Village Voice. September 30, 2009
- ^ Westerman to resign from Fountain Lake school board. Hot Springs Village Voice. March 24, 2010
- ^ "State Representative District 030 – Certified, 2010". sos.arkansas.gov. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
- ^ a b "Arkansas House Of Representatives". Arkanhouse.org. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- ^ "Bruce Westerman Enters the Speaker Chat". WSJ. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- ^ "Strengthening Conservation Advocacy: Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus Expansion & Reconstitution". National Wildlife Refuge Association. December 15, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ "Rare Disease Congressional Caucus". Every Life Foundation for Rare Diseases. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
- ^ "Arkansas Primary Election Results, May 20, 2014". KATV. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- ^ "RealClearPolitics – Election 2014 – Arkansas 4th District – Westerman vs. Witt". Realclearpolitics.com. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- ^ Huelskamp, Tim (February 12, 2015). "Cosponsors - H.J.Res.32 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): Marriage Protection Amendment". www.congress.gov. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ Westerman, Bruce (November 2, 2017). "H.R.2936 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017". www.congress.gov. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ Almukhtar, Sarah (December 19, 2017). "How Each House Member Voted on the Tax Bill". The New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Leibovich, Mark (April 25, 2021). "Kevin McCarthy, Four Months After Jan. 6, Still on Defensive Over Trump". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ^ Bycoffe, Anna Wiederkehr and Aaron (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021.
- ^ Perry, Kati; Dormido, Hannah; Zakharenko, Hanna; Blanco, Adrian. "How each House member voted for speaker". Washington Post. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- ^ "Bruce Westerman". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ "Membership". Republican Study Committee. December 6, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ "Committees and Caucuses". Congressman Bruce Westerman. December 13, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "About Us". www.ccainstitute.org.
- ^ Westerman, Bruce (June 24, 2022). "Westerman Reacts to the Reversal of Roe v. Wade". Congressman Bruce Westerman. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ Joselow, Maxine (August 2, 2023). "Republicans want to plant a trillion trees. Scientists are skeptical". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
- ^ "Check out Representative Bruce Westerman's Environmental Voting Record". League of Conservation Voters Scorecard. July 26, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
- ^ H.R. 471
- ^ Schilke, Rachel (January 23, 2025). "Fix Our Forests Act passes House as California battles wildfires". Retrieved July 20, 2025.
- ^ "NRA-PVF | Grades | Arkansas". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014.
- ^ "NRA-PVF | Grades | Arkansas". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022.
- ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System - Bruce Westerman". Vote Smart. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
External links
- U.S. Representative Bruce Westerman official U.S. House website
- Bruce Westerman for Congress
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
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| People | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
- 1967 births
- 21st-century American engineers
- 21st-century members of the Arkansas General Assembly
- 21st-century United States representatives
- Arkansas Razorbacks football players
- Arkansas Republicans
- Baptists from Arkansas
- Engineers from Arkansas
- Fountain Lake High School alumni
- Living people
- Politicians from Hot Springs, Arkansas
- Republican Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives
- Republican Party United States representatives from Arkansas
- School board members in Arkansas
- Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies alumni
