Jack Reed (politician)

John Francis “Jack” Reed (born November 12, 1949) is the senior United States Senator from Rhode Island, serving since 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives for RI's 2nd congressional district from 1991 to 1997.

Early life, education and career
Reed was born in Cranston, Rhode Island, the son of Mary Louise (née Monahan) and Joseph Anthony Reed. Reed graduated from La Salle Academy and the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1971. Following graduation, he spent several years in active duty military service. Reed earned the Ranger Tab and was a paratrooper. He served as a paratrooper in the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division where he was a Platoon Leader, Company Commander, and Battalion Staff Officer.

Reed attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he received a Masters of Public Policy. He returned to West Point in 1978 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences. He left active duty in 1979 after earning the rank of Captain. However, he would remain a member of the United States Army Reserve until 1991. After leaving active duty, Reed enrolled in Harvard Law School, where he became a member of the Board of Student Advisers. In 1982, he graduated with his Juris Doctor and worked as an associate at the Washington, D.C. office of law firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan. Afterwards, he returned to Rhode Island and joined Edwards and Angell, a Providence law firm. He worked with this group until 1990.

Reed was elected as a state senator in 1984 and served three terms.

Reed married professional Senate staffer Julia Hart in a Roman Catholic ceremony in the Catholic chapel on the United States Military Academy campus on April 16, 2005. On January 5, 2007, Mrs. Reed gave birth to a daughter, Emily.

U.S. House of Representatives
In 1990, Reed was elected to the United States House of Representatives, receiving 59% of the vote in the general election. For the next six years, Reed focused on education and health care.

Political campaigns

 * 1996

When Senator Claiborne Pell, the longest-serving Senator in Rhode Island's history and the 13th-longest serving Senator in US history announced his retirement in 1996, Reed declared his candidacy. Reed won the Democratic primary with 86% of the vote and beat the Republican nominee, Rhode Island General Treasurer Nancy Mayer, in the general election by 63% to 35%.


 * 2002

Reed ran for re-election to a second term. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and his Republican opponent was Robert Tingle, a casino pit manager and the unsuccessful Republican nominee for the state's 2nd congressional district in 2000. Reed won by 78% to 22%.


 * 2008

In 2008, ran for re-election to a third term. He faced a primary challenge which he easily turned aside, winning with 87% of the vote. In the general election, he faced a re-match against Robert Tingle. Reed again won a landslide victory, by 73% to 28%.


 * 2014

Reed has announced that he will run for re-election to a fourth term in 2014. Polling shows him leading prospective Republican opponents by margins of between 29% and 65%.

Political future
In 2008, Reed was mentioned as a potential Vice Presidential running mate for Barack Obama. On 14 July 2008, Reed announced that he was "not interested" in becoming Obama's running mate.

Reed has consistently been speculated as a possible Secretary of Defense. In late 2010, he turned down an offer from President Obama to succeed Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense. The position was ultimately filled by Leon Panetta. After President Obama was re-elected in 2012, Reed was again mentioned as a possible nominee for Secretary of Defense, as well as for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Once again, he denied interest in either position.

Committee assignments

 * Committee on Armed Services
 * Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
 * Subcommittee on Seapower (Chairman)
 * Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
 * Committee on Appropriations
 * Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
 * Subcommittee on Defense
 * Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies (Chairman)
 * Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
 * Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
 * Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
 * Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
 * Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection
 * Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
 * Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment



Political positions
Since his election to Congress, Reed has consistently voted in a similar manner to other New England Democrats, holding generally liberal positions on social and economic issues. Reed has voted with his party 94.7% of the time.

Healthcare
Reed has been an advocate of preventive healthcare. He has generally followed the Democratic line by supporting increased Medicare funding, enrolling more Americans into programs that help the uninsured, allowing prescription drugs to be imported from Canada, and negotiating bulk medication purchases for Medicare in order to lower costs. However, in 2003, he stated that individual states should be allowed to negotiate these bulk purchases on their own.

Economy and jobs
Reed has generally supported fair trade policies over similar ones advocating free trade. He voted against renewing presidential authority for 'fast tracking' normalized trade relations. He also opposed CAFTA and similar free trade proposals for Chile, Singapore, Peru, and Oman. However, Reed voted in favor of normalizing trade relations with China. He has also been a strong supporter of unionizing workers, and he has criticized government and business interference with these groups. He also supports increasing the minimum wage and unemployment compensation.

Civil rights
Reed supports affirmative action. He has voted to expand such policies and to set aside money for women and minorities from the highway fund. Reed also has supported gay rights, voting against a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, while voting in favor of measures that prevent job discrimination and hate crimes against homosexuals.

Reed has also consistently voted against proposals to change the Constitution to ban flag desecration and has criticized wiretapping policies.

Abortion
He is strongly pro-choice, and he has rejected proposals to limit late-term abortion, such procedures from occurring on military installations, and the ability of minors to cross state lines to obtain abortions.

Energy
Reed supports limiting American oil use and expanding alternative energy. He opposes Arctic National Wildlife Refuge drilling and federal subsidies for oil exploration, while favoring a 40 percent reduction in oil use by 2025 and funding for hydrogen automobiles. However, he voted to end discussions on Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. Reed has also been an outspoken proponent of stronger restrictions of mercury use, as well as an end to commercial whaling.

Gun control
Reed has continuously voted against limiting lawsuits on gun manufacturers and has favored expanding gun control. He voted against loosening background checks at gun shows. The NRA has given Reed a F rating on gun control. >http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/19/us/politics/nra.html

Immigration
Although he voted for the 1996 Immigration Reform Bill, Reed has generally supported allowing illegal immigrants and foreign workers to enter the path to citizenship. He supports Guest Worker programs and allowing immigrants to have access to Social Security. He rejected the idea of establishing English as the nation's official language and has been critical of the effort to fence the US-Mexican border. He is the author of the Reed Amendment, which permits former U.S. citizens to be denied entry to the country if they are believed to have renounced for tax reasons. On February 23, 2010, Reed co-sponsored the DREAM Act, a piece of legislation that would allow undocumented students living in the United States from a very young age to gain legal status.

When asked about voting against Social Security benefits going to illegal immigrants, Reed said that he supported this interim measure and "any such agreement must be fully examined so that it does not adversely impact benefits earned by American citizens."

Veteran affairs
Reed has made it a point to maintain liaisons within his office specifically to interact with discharged veterans of the Armed Services. These liaisons often help veterans enter the Department of Veteran Affairs, ensuring that these former servicemen and servicewomen can receive medical care.

War in Iraq
Reed was one of 23 US senators to vote against H.J. Resolution 114, which authorized President George W. Bush to use force against Iraq in 2002. In 2007, Reed elaborated on his sentiments, saying "It was a flawed strategy that diverted attention and resources away from hunting down Osama bin Laden's terrorist network." Like General Petraeus, Reed said that he believed the real problems in Iraq were political and unrelated to the military.

Electoral history
United States Senate election in Rhode Island, 2008

United States Senate election in Rhode Island, 2002

United States Senate election in Rhode Island, 1996