The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC,  /ˈeɪpæk/ AY-pak) is a lobbying group that advocates pro-Israel policies to the Congress and Executive Branch of the United States. The current President of AIPAC is Michael Kassen from Fairfield, Connecticut.^[3]

Describing itself as "America's Pro-Israel Lobby",^[3] AIPAC is a mass-membership, American organization whose members include Democrats, Republicans, and independents. The New York Times calls it "the most important organization affecting America's relationship with Israel."^[4] It has been described as one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington, DC. Its critics have stated it acts as an agent of the Israeli government with a "stranglehold" on the United States Congress with its power and influence. There is some disagreement as to where AIPAC's agenda lies ideologically. Some critics on the political left allege that AIPAC holds views that are politically conservative in their nature,^{[citation needed]} while AIPAC's membership has also been described as "overwhelmingly Democratic" by conservatives.^[5] AIPAC describes itself as a bipartisan organization,^[6] and bills it lobbies for in Congress are always jointly sponsored by both a Democrat and Republican.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, a Pentagon analyst pled guilty to charges of passing US government secrets to two AIPAC staffers in what is known as the AIPAC espionage scandal. Both staffers were later fired by AIPAC.^[7] In 2009 all charges against the former AIPAC employees were dropped.^[8]

History[link]

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee was founded in 1951 by Isaiah L. "Si" Kenen.^[9] Kenen originally ran the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs as a lobbying division of the American Zionist Council. Before that, Kenen was an employee of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Michael Oren writes in his book, Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East 1776 to the Present, "Though founded in 1953, AIPAC had only now in the mid-70s, achieved the financial and political clout necessary to sway congressional opinion. Confronted with opposition from both houses of Congress, [United States President Gerald] Ford rescinded his 'reassessment.'"^[10] George Lenczowski notes a similar, mid-1970s, timeframe for the rise of AIPAC power. "It [the Carter Presidency] also coincides with the militant emergence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as a major force in shaping American policy toward the Middle East."^[11] He further notes that this period also coincides with a major shift in Israeli government policies related to the election of Menachem Begin in Israel.

AIPAC's web site states that it "has grown into a 100,000-member national grass-roots movement."^[12]

Aims and activities[link]

AIPAC's stated purpose is to lobby the Congress of the United States on issues and legislation related to Israel. AIPAC regularly meets with members of Congress and holds events where it can share its views. AIPAC is not a political action committee, and does not directly donate to campaign contributions. Nevertheless, according to The Washington Post, "money is an important part of the equation." The Washington Post states that AIPAC's "web site, which details how members of Congress voted on AIPAC's key issues, and the AIPAC Insider, a glossy periodical that handicaps close political races, are scrutinized by thousands of potential donors. Pro-Israel interests have contributed $56.8 million in individual, group, and soft money donations to federal candidates and party committees since 1990, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. Between the 2000 and the 2004 elections, the 50 members of AIPAC's board donated an average of $72,000 each to campaigns and political action committees."^[13]

AIPAC's aims include pressuring the Palestinian Authority to adhere to its commitments to fight terrorism and incitement against the state of Israel with the eventual goal of creating two states one Jewish, one Arab, in the territorial holdings of Israel. They also wish to strengthen bilateral relations through shared intelligence and foreign military and economic aid to Israel, condemn the actions of the Iranian government in pursuing nuclear status and questioning the Holocaust, and levy financial restrictions in order to hinder Iran's nuclear development. Also important to the group is to support the U.S. congress and executive administration in rejecting the UN backed United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict's paper, commonly referred to as the "Goldstone Report."

AIPAC never supported or lobbied for the war in Iraq.^[14] According to a columnist in the Washington Post, "Once it was clear that the Bush administration was determined to go to war [in Iraq], AIPAC cheered from the sidelines".^[13] Some observers suggested the official silence owed to concerns that linking Israel to the war "could alienate friendly Arab states by suggesting that the war is driven by Israel's interests."^[15]

AIPAC's official position on Iran is to encourage a strong diplomatic and economic response coordinated among the United States government, its European allies, Russia, and China.^[13] AIPAC has demanded "crippling" sanctions against Iran.^[16]

In line with this approach, AIPAC has lobbied to levy economic embargoes and increase sanctions against Iran.^[17] According to the Jewish News Weekly, in 2006 AIPAC "successfully pressed for the removal of a provision in an Iraq war funding bill that would have required the president to get congressional approval for war against Iran" because it would have "restrain[ed] Bush" in confronting Iran.^[14]

AIPAC also provides political leadership training to undergraduate student groups in an effort to build a stronger pro-Israel movement among students on and off campuses nationwide.

In March 2009, AIPAC executive director Howard Kohr appeared before the House Committee on Appropriations' Foreign Operations subcommittee to testify about the importance of US aid to Israel. Kohr stated that "American assistance to Israel serves vital U.S. national security interests and advances critical U.S. foreign policy goals" and requested that Israel receive $2.775 billion in military aid in fiscal year 2010, as called for in the 2007 Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Israel that allocates $30 billion in aid for the Jewish state over 10 years. Kohr stated that the military hardware Israel must purchase to face the increased threat of terrorism and Islamist radicalism is increasingly expensive due to the recent spike in petroleum prices which have enabled countries such as Iran to augment their military budgets. However, he added that Israel will also increase its defense spending as part of this effort.^[18]

AIPAC supports U.S. involvement in the peace process. It supports continued U.S. support of "negotiations with an acceptance of Israel’s need for secure, recognized and defensible borders, with the understanding that Israel must determine its own security requirements." It also supports U.S. support for Palestinian moderates, adding that such support "is more likely to lead to breakthroughs in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations because Israel will be more willing to take risks for peace when its security requirements are being addressed and when the United States is backing its efforts.^[19]

Policy Conference[link]

The annual AIPAC Policy Conference is the largest gathering of the pro-Israel movement. Thousands of participants, up to 13,000 in the 2012 conference, come from all 50 states to take part in "three of the most important days affecting Israel’s future". Held at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., numerous speakers, including Presidents and Prime Ministers, speak about the importance of the U.S.-Israel Relationship.

Membership[link]

This section requires expansion.

American Israel Education Foundation[link]

The American Israel Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization working in support of the AIPAC lobbying organization. It conducts educational programs, including sponsoring U.S. legislators on educational trips to Israel, and funds other AIPAC education activities.^[20]

AIEF trips for U.S. Congressmen occur every two years, becoming "the top spender on Congressional travel" in those years.^[21] In Summer, 2011 the foundation sponsored week-long trips by 81 U.S. Congressmen: 55 Republicans and 26 Democrats. They traveled to Israel and the West Bank and visited with Shimon Peres and Binyamin Netanyahu (President and PM of Israel) and Mahmoud Abbas (President of the Palestinian Authority).^[22][23] Other educational activities include regular seminars for Congressional staff.^[24]

AIPAC's views of its strengths and achievements[link]

AIPAC describes its strengths as lying in its nationwide membership base and capacity to understand both Israel's interests and the interests of other countries affecting the U.S.-Israel relationship around the world. Some of AIPAC's claimed achievements are listed on their website.^[17]

Successes[link]

AIPAC advises members of Congress about the issues that face today's Middle East, including the dangers of extremism and terrorism. It was an early supporter of the Counter-Terrorism Act of 1995, which resulted in increased FBI resources being committed to fight terrorism,^{[citation needed]} as well as expanded federal jurisdiction in prosecuting criminal activities related to terrorism.^{[citation needed]}

AIPAC has also supported the funding of a number of Israeli military projects that have resulted in new additions to the arsenal of the United States Armed Forces.^{[citation needed]} One such outcome is the production of Israel's Arrow anti-missile system at a Boeing plant in Huntsville, Alabama for use by both the United States and Israel. Additionally, the U.S. military has purchased Israeli-made tank armor, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other technologies for use in its operations.

AIPAC also lobbies for financial aid from the United States to Israel, helping to procure up to three billion in aid yearly, making Israel "the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign assistance since World War II."^[25] Additionally, the result of AIPAC's efforts include numerous exceptional provisions that are not available to other American allies.^{[citation needed]} According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), these include providing aid "as all grant cash transfers, not designated for particular projects, and...transferred as a lump sum in the first month of the fiscal year, instead of in periodic increments. Israel is allowed to spend about one quarter of the military aid for the procurement in Israel of defense articles and services, including research and development, rather than in the United States."^[26]

The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs has estimated total aid since 1949 at approximately $108 billion.^[27]

The New York Times described AIPAC on July 6, 1987 as "a major force in shaping United States policy in the Middle East."^[28] In 1997, Fortune magazine named AIPAC the second-most powerful influence group in Washington, D.C.^[29]

Controversies[link]

Former Senator William Fulbright, in the 1970s, and former senior CIA official Victor Marchetti, in the 1980s, contended that AIPAC should have registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).^[30] FARA requires those who receive funds or act on behalf of a foreign government to register as a foreign agent. However, AIPAC states that the organization is a registered American lobbying group, funded by private donations, and maintains it receives "no financial assistance" from Israel or any other foreign group.^[31]

In 2006, Representative Betty McCollum (DFL) of Minnesota demanded an apology from AIPAC, claiming an AIPAC representative had described her vote against the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 as "support for terrorists." McCollum stated that AIPAC representatives would not be allowed in her office until she received a written apology for the comment.^[32] AIPAC disputed McCollum's claim, and McCollum has since declared the incident over.^[33]

Steiner resignation[link]

In 1992, AIPAC president David Steiner was forced to resign after he was recorded boasting about his political influence in obtaining aid for Israel. Steiner also claimed that he had

met with (then Bush U.S. Secretary of State) Jim Baker and I cut a deal with him. I got, besides the $3 billion, you know they're looking for the Jewish votes, and I'll tell him whatever he wants to hear ... Besides the $10 billion in loan guarantees which was a fabulous thing, $3 billion in foreign, in military aid, and I got almost a billion dollars in other goodies that people don't even know about.^[34]

Steiner also claimed to be "negotiating" with the incoming Clinton administration over who Clinton would appoint as Secretary of State and Secretary of the National Security Agency. Steiner stated that AIPAC had "a dozen people in [the Clinton] campaign, in the headquarters... in Little Rock, and they're all going to get big jobs."^[34]

NY real estate developer Haim Katz told The Washington Times that he taped the conversation because "as someone Jewish, I am concerned when a small group has a disproportionate power. I think that hurts everyone, including Jews. If David Steiner wants to talk about the incredible, disproportionate clout AIPAC has, the public should know about it."^[35]

Allegations of spying for Israel[link]

In April 2005, AIPAC policy director Steven Rosen and AIPAC senior Iran analyst Keith Weissman were fired by AIPAC amid an FBI investigation into whether they passed classified U.S. information received from Franklin on to the government of Israel. They were later indicted for illegally conspiring to gather and disclose classified national security information to Israel.^[36][37] AIPAC agreed to pay the legal fees for Weissman's defense through appeal if necessary,^[38] but charges were subsequently dropped.^[39]

In May 2005, the Justice Department announced that Lawrence Anthony Franklin, a U.S. Air Force Reserves colonel working as a Department of Defense analyst at the Pentagon in the office of Douglas Feith, had been arrested and charged by the FBI with providing classified national defense information to Israel. The six-count criminal complaint identified AIPAC by name and described a luncheon meeting in which, allegedly, Franklin disclosed top-secret information to two AIPAC officials.^[40][41]

Franklin pleaded guilty to passing government secrets to Rosen and Weissman and revealed for the first time that he also gave classified information directly to an Israeli government official in Washington. On January 20, 2006, he was sentenced to 151 months (almost 13 years) in prison and fined $10,000. As part of the plea agreement, Franklin agreed to cooperate in the larger federal investigation.^[42][43] All charges against the former AIPAC employees were dropped in 2009.

Supporters[link]

• AIPAC has a wide base of supporters both in and outside of Congress. Support among congressional members includes a majority of members of both the Democratic and Republican Parties. AIPAC's 2011 Policy Conference included the attendance of approximately 2/3 of the US Senate^[44] and House of Representatives,^[45] including President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Speaker of the House John Boehner. The annual Policy Conference is second only to the State of the Union address for the number of federal officials in attendance at an organized event.^{[citation needed]}

• Many political leaders have addressed AIPAC conferences, including past Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, Vice Presidents Dick Cheney and Joe Biden, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Other speakers have included prominent Senators such as John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, John McCain, as well as and current and former members of the leadership of both parties in Congress, and current and former Prime Ministers of Israel.^{[citation needed]}

• Historian and current Israeli ambassador to America, Michael Oren argued in his 2007 bestseller, "Power, Faith, and Fantasy", that strong American support for Israel derives from Puritan-Republican roots of the United States itself.^{[citation needed]}

• Sen. John McCain said in his speech to the 2008 AIPAC Policy Conference "[T]here are ties between America and Israel that critics of our alliance have never understood, /../ that's because they do not fully understand the love of liberty and the pursuit of justice."[2]

• Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) has argued that America supports Israel because they share fundamental values as "freedom-loving people" who "deserve to have a free and secure state.'"^[46] Nancy Pelosi similarly stated that "America and Israel share an unbreakable bond: in peace and war; and in prosperity and in hardship."^[47]

• Rabbi Steven Weil, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union acts as Scholar-In-Residence for 2010 National Summit in South Florida^[48]

Criticism[link]

Protesters at AIPAC conference in Washington, DC, May 2005

AIPAC has been criticized as being misrepresentative of American Jews who support Israel and that AIPAC is solely in favor of right-wing Israeli policy and viewpoints.^[49][50]

Among the best-known critical works about AIPAC is The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, by University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer and Harvard University Kennedy School of Government professor Stephen Walt. In the working paper and resulting book they accuse AIPAC of being "the most powerful and best known" component of a larger pro-Israel lobby that distorts American foreign policy. They write:^[51]

AIPAC's success is due to its ability to reward legislators and congressional candidates who support its agenda, and to punish those who challenge it. ... AIPAC makes sure that its friends get strong financial support from the myriad pro-Israel PACs. Those seen as hostile to Israel, on the other hand, can be sure that AIPAC will direct campaign contributions to their political opponents. ... The bottom line is that AIPAC, which is a de facto agent for a foreign government, has a stranglehold on the U.S. Congress. Open debate about U.S. policy towards Israel does not occur there, even though that policy has important consequences for the entire world.

AIPAC has also been the subject of criticism by prominent politicians including Representative Dave Obey of Wisconsin,^[52] former Senator Mike Gravel,^[53] and former Representative Cynthia McKinney.^[54]

Democratic Congressman Jim Moran from Northern Virginia has been a vocal critic of AIPAC, causing national controversy in 2007 and drawing criticism from some Jewish groups after he told California Jewish magazine Tikkun that AIPAC had been "pushing the [Iraq War] from the beginning", and that "I don't think they represent the mainstream of American Jewish thinking at all, but because they are so well organized, and their members are extraordinarily powerful – most of them are quite wealthy – they have been able to exert power."^[55][56]

See also[link]

	United States portal
	Israel portal

References[link]

Notes

Further reading

• Kenen, Isaiah (1981). Israel's Defense Line: Her Friends and Foes in Washington. ISBN 0-87975-159-2
• Smith, Grant F. (2008). America's Defense Line: The Justice Department's Battle to Register the Israel Lobby as Agents of a Foreign Government. ISBN 0-9764437-2-4
• Mearsheimer, John J. and Walt, Stephen M. (2007). The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy. ISBN 0-374-17772-4
• Oren, Michael (2007). Power, Faith, and Fantasy: The United States in the Middle East, 1776 to 2006. ISBN 0-393-05826-3
• Petras, James (2006). The Power of Israel in the United States. ISBN 0-932863-51-5

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (January 2012)

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: American Israel Public Affairs Committee

• AIPAC:The American Israel Public Affairs Committee official site
• Campus Watch "The Influence of Israel and Its American Lobby Over U.S. Middle East Policy"
• Mitchell Bard "The Israeli and Arab Lobbies"
• Barack Obama's speech at AIPAC
• President Bush's address to the AIPAC policy conference, May 18, 2004
• AIPAC Definition on Ynet News, Online news and definitions of common Jewish and Israeli terms
• Dorf, Matthew, After Barak win, AIPAC reverses opposition to a Palestinian state, The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California, May 28, 1999. Accessed March 27, 2006
• Dreyfuss, Robert. "Agents of Influence", The Nation, September 16, 2004
• Goldberg, Jeffrey. "Real Insiders", New Yorker, July 4, 2005
• Confessions of an AIPAC Veteran by Helena Cobban, The Nation, October 14, 2009
• List of AIPAC board members

Paul Findley (born June 23, 1921) is a former United States Representative from Illinois, representing its 20th District. A Republican, he was first elected in 1961. Findley lost his seat in 1982 to current United States Senator Dick Durbin. Findley attended Illinois College and is a member of Phi Alpha Literary Society. He is a cofounder of the Council for the National Interest, a Washington, DC advocacy group, and a board member of If Americans Knew.^[1] He resides in Jacksonville, Illinois.

Career[link]

Findley served 11 terms in Congress, but lost to Dick Durbin, in his bid for reelection in 1982.^[2] He was known in Congress as an advocate of the farmers of his district and as a strong proponent of the Palestinians and the Palestine Liberation Organization.^[2]

According to the New York Times, in 1982 Findley narrowly lost his bid for re-election for a number of reasons: "a competent opponent, redistricting, the economic recession, and pro-Israel groups support to his challenger," which allowed Findley's challenger to match him in spending.^[2] During the campaign, "a former AIPAC president called him 'a dangerous enemy of Israel.'"^[3] Findley confirmed that his 1982 campaign raised "almost exactly the same sum" as that of his opponent.^[4]

United States foreign policy[link]

A year after September 11, Findley published an article saying that this attack would never have occurred were it not for the United States' uncritical support of Israel.^[5] In that same article, he wrote that "U.S. policy on the Mideast is made in Israel, not in Washington," and that "once beloved worldwide, the U.S. government finds itself reviled in most countries because it provides unconditional support of Israeli violations of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the precepts of all major religious faiths."

Findley has claimed that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was launched primarily to benefit Israel, at the behest of the Israel lobby in the United States.^[6]

Criticism of US-Israel Relations[link]

Findley is a frequent critic of U.S. foreign policy regarding Israel. In 1985, Findley wrote the best selling book^[7] "They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby" in which he states that the pro-Israel lobby, notably AIPAC, has vast undue influence over the United States Congress. He refers to the lobby as "the 700-pound gorilla in Washington".^[8] He closes his book with this plea:

The government of the United States must assert, at long last, its own national interests in the Middle East. ... The world views our nation - accurately - as Israel's essential partner in its military adventurism and its suppression of human rights. America must clear its good name of this complicity. ... The next logical U.S. steps: declare that the people in occupied territories have the right to self-determination and, if they choose, independent statehood; demand that Israeli forces cease the detention of Palestinians without due process, as well as halt the beatings of Palestinians, the destruction of their homes and the use of plastic bullets and other lethal weapons against them; demand that new Israeli settlements in the occupied territories be prohibited. The United States has ample leverage with which to force compliance with these demands. At some point - the sooner the better - the United States must issue a clear ultimatum: notify the Jewish state that all U.S. aid will cease unless Israel, in exchange for border guarantees, withdraws its forces from Arab territories."^[9]

The Washington Post reviewing They Dare to Speak Out said: "Stripped of all the maudlin martyrdom, former congressman Paul Findley's message is straightforward and valid: Israeli influence in the United States, including in the inner sanctums of government, is very strong." ^[10] The New York Times review by Adam Clymer, described the book as "an angry, one-sided book that seems often to be little more than a stringing together of stray incidents ... [it] does not really accept the idea that people of any political point of view are entitled to organize, support their friends and try to defeat the people they think are their enemies".^[11]

Findley lists the Israeli lobby as one of the factors contributing to his narrow defeat in 1982, alongside the serious national recession of 1982 and the substantial change of his district's boundaries after the 1980 census. "In seeking gains for Israel, they rigorously stifled dissent and intimidated the entire Congress. They still do. They defeat legislators who criticize Israel. Senators Adlai Stevenson III and Charles H. Percy, and Representatives Pete McCloskey, Cynthia McKinney, Earl F. Hilliard, and myself were defeated at the polls by candidates heavily financed by pro-Israel forces. McKinney alone was able to regain her seat in Congress."^[12] (McKinney lost her seat again two years later.)

Findley spoke to NPR about the publication of Mearsheimer and Walt's controversial 2006 working paper, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy : "You can't imagine how pleased I was [...] I think I can pose as a foremost expert on the lobby for Israel, because I was the target the last three years I was in Congress."^[13]

Support of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)[link]

Findley has supported the efforts of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) to improve the image of Muslims in America.^[14] In a conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Findley said that "the cancer of anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic sentiments was spreading in American society and requires corrective measures to stamp out this malaise."^[14] In May 2006 Findley led a CAIR delegation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), resulting in a UAE proposal to build a property in the United States to serve as an endowment for CAIR. This proposal amounted to tens of millions of dollars in UAE donations.^[15]

Criticism[link]

The Anti-Defamation League has criticized the Council for the National Interest, of which Findley is a founder, as an "anti-Israel organization" that "disseminates demonizing propaganda about Israel to academics, politicians, and other audiences."^[16] The Anti-Defamation League alleges that as a member of the Council for the National Interest that they have disseminated cartoons with anti-Semitic based themes by Khalil Bendib. Additionally, the Anti-Defamation League has quoted Paul Findley from an article in 2003 as blaming Israel for the September 11 Attacks: "Nine-eleven would not have occurred if the U.S. government had refused to help Israel humiliate and destroy Palestinian society." Paul Findley continued in the same article stating that "America suffered 9/11 and its aftermath and may soon be at war with Iraq, mainly because U.S. policy in the Middle East is made in Israel, not in Washington." A number of columnists have pointed out that Israeli government policy was and continues to be that the Iranian government is the primary threat and Iraq under Saddam Hussein was only tertiary and largely unimportant.^[17]

Bibliography[link]

• "The Transparent Cabal: The Neoconservative Agenda, War in the Middle East, and the National Interest of Israel" (Foreword). 2008. Ihs Press. ISBN 978-1-932528-17-6
• "Silent No More: Confronting America's False Images of Islam". 2001. Amana Publications. ISBN 1-59008-001-7
• "They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby." 1985, 1989, 2003 editions. Lawrence Hill Books. ISBN 1-55652-482-X
• "Deliberate Deceptions: Facing the Facts About the U.S.-Israeli Relationship" 1993, 1995 editions. Lawrence Hill Books. ISBN 1-55652-239-8
• "Abraham Lincoln: The Crucible of Congress." 1979, 2004 editions. Crown. ISBN 978-1-885852-41-0
• "The Federal Farm Fable.", 1968. Arlington House. ASIN B001UCDQQW

See also[link]

• American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC
• Council for the National Interest

References[link]

External links[link]

• Paul Findley at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Council for the National Interest (CNI), Paul Findley is the Founding Chairman.
• Rep. Paul Findley Dares to Speak Out Paul Findley discusses the Israeli lobby in the US.

Justin Amash
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Vern Ehlers
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 72nd district
In office January 1, 2009 – January 1, 2011
Preceded by	Glenn D. Steil
Succeeded by	Ken Yonker
Personal details
Born	(1980-04-18) April 18, 1980 (age 32) Grand Rapids, Michigan
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Kara
Children	3
Residence	Cascade Township
Alma mater	University of Michigan
Profession	Attorney
Religion	Eastern Orthodox Christian
Website	amash.house.gov

Justin Amash ( /əˈmɑːʃ/;^[1] born April 18, 1980) is an American attorney, politician, and Member of Congress. In January 2011 he began serving as the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 3rd congressional district, which includes Grand Rapids.

A conservative Republican, Amash was first elected to the House in the 2010 election with the backing of the Tea Party movement.^[2][3] Previously he was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives representing the 72nd district, which consisted of the city of Kentwood and the townships of Caledonia, Cascade, and Gaines. At the age of 32, Amash assumed office as the second youngest sitting U.S. Representative, behind 31-year-old Aaron Schock of Illinois. As of March 14, 2012, Amash ranked 12th in the list of youngest-inaugurated sitting U.S. Representatives.^[4]

Early life, education, and pre-political career[link]

Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and raised in Kentwood, Michigan, Amash is a second generation Arab-American of Palestinian Christian and Syrian Christian descent.^[2] His father is a Palestinian business owner, whose family immigrated to the United States in 1956 through the sponsorship of a Christian pastor and his family. Amash attended Kelloggsville Christian School and graduated as class valedictorian from Grand Rapids Christian High School. He graduated from the University of Michigan magna cum laude with an A.B. in Economics and earned his J.D. at the University of Michigan Law School in 2005.^[3]

After graduating from college, he became a consultant to his family’s tool business. He also served as a corporate lawyer for a year before being elected to Michigan's state House in 2008.^[5]

Michigan House of Representatives[link]

Election[link]

Amash ran for state representative in 2008 in Michigan's 72nd state House district. During this time, he donated to the campaigns of Congressman Ron Paul and John McCain.^[6] In the Republican primary, he won a five candidate election with 42% of the vote, defeating opponent Ken Yonker by 723 votes (a 6.3% margin). The incumbent, Glenn D. Steil, Jr., was term-limited.^{[citation needed][7]} In the general election, Amash defeated Democrat Albert Abbasse 61%-36%.^[8]

Tenure[link]

During his two-year tenure, Amash sponsored 5 resolutions and 12 bills.^[9] One commentator suggested that Amash was the first legislator in history to use his Facebook Page to explain all of his votes and to interact directly with constituents.^[10] Amash was one of the first state representatives to post all of his office expenses, staff salaries, and legislative benefits online.^{[citation needed]}

During Amash's tenure, he was one of 17 House members (6 Republicans and 11 Democrats) who did not miss a vote in 1315 or more roll calls.^[11]

Committee assignments[link]

• Education
• Judiciary
• Labor
• Military and Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security^[12]

U.S. House of Representatives[link]

Election[link]

On August 3, 2010, Amash won the five-way Republican primary for the seat vacated by retiring Republican Vern Ehlers with over 40% of the vote. Amash was a favorite of the Tea Party movement, having been endorsed by iCaucus.^[13] He was also endorsed by The Club for Growth,^[14] Rep. Ron Paul,^[15] and FreedomWorks PAC^[16] during his primary campaign.

During the general election campaign, Amash ran on a conservative platform.^[3] On November 2, 2010, Amash defeated Democrat Patrick Miles, Jr. by a 59.6%-37.4% margin out of the 224,063 votes cast.^[17].

From 1873 to 1993 the Congressional District based around Grand Rapids was numbered as Michigan's 5th. In 1993, it was renumbered the 3rd. Since 1873, the district has been held by Republicans for 123 years and by Democrats for 13 years.

Tenure[link]

Like his tenure in the state Legislature, Amash has been a leader in the libertarian wing of the Republican party as a Member of Congress. So far in Congress, he has voted with his party 78% of the time, the third lowest behind Ron Paul (74%) and Walter B. Jones, Jr. (70%). He has endorsed Ron Paul for President in 2012. Paul's brother, David, was an assistant pastor in Amash's district and has endorsed Amash saying, "I think [Amash] is doing an extremely good job at what he’s doing, and I know he’s going to do very well.”^[18] He is one of the few Republicans who voted against the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act.^[19] Amash called it “one of the most anti-liberty pieces of legislation of our lifetime.” ^[20]

Amash has never missed a vote in Congress.^[21]

Committee assignments[link]

• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
  • Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy (Vice Chair)
  • Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management
  • Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs

Political positions[link]

Amash opposes central economic planning and believes it contributes to unemployment, inflation, and dangerous business cycles.^[22][23][22] He believes health insurance should not be mandatory, and he supports reforms that include allowing insurance companies to sell products across state lines and increasing access to health savings accounts.^[22][23] He believes that only Congress has the power to declare war.^[22] He supports a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.^[22] He supports the Second Amendment as a safeguard against violations of Americans' liberty.^[22] He believes that schools should be managed locally.^[22] He believes that the federal government should not improperly expand its powers using the General Welfare, Commerce, or Necessary and Proper clauses.^[22]

Amash has endorsed Ron Paul for President of the United States in the 2012 election.^[24]

Recognition[link]

In its October 25, 2010, issue, Amash was named one of Time magazine's "40 under 40 - Rising Stars of U.S. Politics."^[25] At the age of 30, Amash was the youngest federal candidate in the United States on the list of new civic leaders.^[23]

Personal life[link]

He has said his biggest heroes are economists F.A. Hayek and Frédéric Bastiat.^[23] Amash is married and the father of three children. He also belongs to the Antiochian Orthodox Church.^[26]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Justin Amash for Congress, official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Justin Amash at MichiganVotes.org
  • Voting record: 2009-2010
• Campaign contributions and reports from the Michigan Secretary of State

Barack Obama
44th President of the United States
Incumbent
Assumed office January 20, 2009
Vice President	Joe Biden
Preceded by	George W. Bush
United States Senator from Illinois
In office January 3, 2005 – November 16, 2008
Preceded by	Peter Fitzgerald
Succeeded by	Roland Burris
Member of the Illinois Senate from the 13th District
In office January 8, 1997 – November 4, 2004
Preceded by	Alice Palmer
Succeeded by	Kwame Raoul
Personal details
Born	Barack Hussein Obama II (1961-08-04) August 4, 1961 (age 50)[1] Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.[2]
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Michelle Robinson (1992–present)
Children	Malia (born 1998) Sasha (born 2001)
Residence	White House (Official) Chicago, Illinois (Private)
Alma mater	Occidental College Columbia University (B.A.) Harvard Law School (J.D.)
Profession	Community organizer Lawyer Constitutional law professor Author
Religion	Christianity[3]
Awards	Nobel Peace Prize
Signature
Website	barackobama.com

	This article is part of a series on Barack Obama
Background Illinois Senate US Senate Political positions Public image Family 2008 primaries Obama–Biden campaign Transition Inauguration Electoral history Presidency Timeline '09 '10 '11 '12 First 100 days Nobel Peace Prize Re-election campaign

Barack Hussein Obama II (ⁱ/bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/; born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. In January 2005, Obama was sworn in as a U.S. Senator in the state of Illinois. He would hold this office until November 2008, when he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. He served three terms representing the 13th District in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004.

Following an unsuccessful bid against the Democratic incumbent for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 2000, Obama ran for the United States Senate in 2004. Several events brought him to national attention during the campaign, including his victory in the March 2004 Illinois Democratic primary for the Senate election and his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. He won election to the U.S. Senate in Illinois in November 2004. His presidential campaign began in February 2007, and after a close campaign in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries against Hillary Rodham Clinton, he won his party's nomination. In the 2008 presidential election, he defeated Republican nominee John McCain, and was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009. Nine months later, Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In April 2011, he announced that he would be running for re-election in 2012.

As president, Obama signed economic stimulus legislation in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010. Other domestic policy initiatives include the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, and the Budget Control Act of 2011. In May 2012, he became the first sitting U.S. president to openly support legalizing same-sex marriage. In foreign policy, he ended the war in Iraq, increased troop levels in Afghanistan, signed the New START arms control treaty with Russia, ordered U.S. involvement in the 2011 Libya military intervention, and ordered the military operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.