John M. McHugh was first sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives in January 1993, as the voice in Congress for Northern New Yorkers. In 2003, his district was redrawn to include new territory in Central New York and renamed the 23rd Congressional District. And with the start of the 110th Congress in January 2007, Rep. McHugh began his eighth consecutive term in office.

During this time, Rep. McHugh has been a champion of fiscal responsibility; lower taxes; protecting Social Security and Medicare; providing stronger, better schools; and protecting America's farmers. He has also been a leader in the country's policy on national defense. He brings to the House of Representatives more than 30 years of demonstrated public service to upstate New York, including eight years as a State Senator.

As a result of his travels throughout his eleven-county Congressional District, Rep. McHugh knows that many individuals do not have access to health insurance, either because their employer does not offer a health care plan, they cannot afford premiums on an individual policy, or some other reason. Consequently, affordable and accessible health care for people residing in rural areas is a priority for Rep. McHugh. He firmly believes that any discussion of health care reform must include the issue of cost and whether the enactment of reforms adversely impacts individuals' pocketbooks and their ability to secure adequate health care coverage.

Congressman McHugh is a senior member of both the House Armed Services Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The Armed Services Committee oversees the Pentagon and America's defense policies. Rep. McHugh is the Ranking Member on the Committee's Subcommittee on Military Personnel, which oversees more than $70 billion in federal defense spending related to personnel issues and $15 billion in health benefits. Military Personnel is also responsible for reserve component integration, military education, POW/MIA, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation and quality of life programs. In addition, he serves on the Committee's Readiness Subcommittee that is responsible for military readiness, training, logistics and maintenance issues and programs, as well as all military construction, installations and family housing issues, including the base closure process.

The Committee on Government Reform reviews, on a continuing basis, government activities at all levels with a view to determining their economy and efficiency. As a recognized authority on postal matters in light of his six years as Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Postal Service, Rep. McHugh was appointed to serve as the chairman of the Committee's Special Panel on Postal Reform and Oversight in early 2003. At the close of the 109th Congress, Rep. McHugh's bill to significantly reform the Postal Service for the first time in 35 years, was signed into law by President Bush.

At the start of the 110th Congress, Rep. McHugh began his second term as a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He was appointed in 2005 by then Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert. The committee is responsible for overseeing activities of the U.S. Intelligence Community, including the annual legislation that directs its operations and spending. It maintains an effective oversight process to ensure that intelligence resources are not misused and that intelligence activities are conducted lawfully. Many aspects of the committee's work are, and must be, classified for reasons of national security. Rep. McHugh serves on three Intelligence Subcommittees: Terrorism/Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence; Technical and Tactical Intelligence; and Intelligence Policy.

Rep. McHugh is a resident of Pierrepont Manor in Jefferson County, New York. Born on September 29, 1948, the Congressman was educated in Watertown public schools, graduating in 1966. He received a B.A. in Political Science from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1970, and earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the State University's Nelson A. Rockefeller Graduate School of Public Affairs in 1977.