Sanford Bishop, Jr.: Fiscal Conservative, Military Friend

One of the largest military installations in the country is at Fort Benning, which sits smack dab in the middle of the 2^nd Congressional District in Georgia, represented by Congressman Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA).  It should come as no surprise, then, that the veteran lawmaker was recently elected to serve as ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and related agencies. The new role is key, as the subcommittee sits under the powerful Appropriations Committee, which determines exactly how much money to allocate to all areas of the government.

The selection is also a fitting choice for Bishop, given his meteoric rise in leadership as one of the fiscally responsible Democrats in Congress.  In fact, he is one of just two African American members of the Blue Dog Coalition, the business friendly, fiscally conservative representatives of Congress whose membership is primary comprised of members from red states.  Representative David Scott (D-GA) is the other.  Both were able to stave off the record term losses among Blue Dogs during the midterm elections.

But Bishop is not defined by his role as a Blue Dog and has tried to remain mindful of spending cuts and looks out for those impacting his key agenda items, namely: defense, education, healthcare, economic development, veterans programs, homeland security, and other important federal responsibilities.

Despite his commitment to those issues, Bishop remains a fiscal watchdog. For example, during the last legislative term, while others were hesitant to support tax relief for corporations and big businesses as a tactic to stimulate the economy and spur job creation, Rep. Bishop was unwavering in his stance, voting in favor of the tax breaks.  His experience in budget and finance matter gives him a unique insight and perspective into the economy and the current legislative session.

“My focus in the 112th Congress, as it has been throughout my career, will be to improve the quality of life for all individuals by promoting policies that create jobs and a stronger, more diversified economy,” said Rep. Bishop.  “Crucial to achieving that goal is a better educated population, safe and secure communities, affordable and accessible health care, and a strong national defense – all within the context of a balanced budget.”

He is more than an economic policy power player, however.  A review of the variety of caucuses he belongs to in Congress will reveal an eclectic mix.  He co-chairs the Forestry 2000 Task Force and the Peanut Caucus, which promotes sound policy for agri-businesses; and is a member of the Air Power Caucus, the Arts Caucus, the Fire Services Caucus, and Congressional Black Caucus, among others.  Bishop also sits on the Subcommittees for Defense and Agriculture.

A chunk of lawmakers on Capitol Hill are attorneys, as is Representative Bishop, who earned his law degree from Emory University Law School. While earning that degree, the married father of one,  served in the U.S. Army’s Reserve Officer Training Corps, a past which is quite in-tune with his new role overseeing Veteran spending.

“I am looking forward to meeting the challenge of serving as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee which funds our nation’s military construction and the programs that provide benefits for our nation’s veterans.  We owe it to those families to provide the support and resources they deserve and help ease the burden of wartime service,” said Rep. Bishop.  “I will also continue to do my dead-level best for the Georgia Agriculture community, which is a vital part of the economy of Southwest Georgia and crucial to the success of our region.”

Bishop had just launched his law practice after graduating law school when he got elected to Georgia’s House of Representative, then Georgia’s senate before moving on to his current elected role.

Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt represents small, women, and minority owned business and technology companies at The Ghatt Law Group LLC, the nations’ first communications law firm owned by women and minorities. She's won landmark cases on behalf of her clients which include national civil rights and public interest organizations. In addition to actively authoring several blogs, being a radio show host and sitting on the boards of three non-profits, she is a tech junkie who has been developing online web content since the very early years of the Internet, 1991 to be precise! Follow her on Twitter at @Jenebaspeaks, on her blog, Jenebaspeaks, which covers the intersection of politics and technology or on her Politics of Raising Children blog at The Washington Times Communities section.

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One Response to Sanford Bishop, Jr.: Fiscal Conservative, Military Friend

1. Observer says:

   12:46am February 3, 2011 at 12:46 am

   He's not one of my favorites, but I have to give him credit — he's gotten himself elected in south Georgia, a most conservative area, and he's done a good job representing that area without adopting the radical positions of so many of Georgia's delegation.

   Reply