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Dutch Ruppersberger

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Dutch Ruppersberger
Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee
In office
January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2015
Preceded byPete Hoekstra
Succeeded byAdam Schiff
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maryland's 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2003
Preceded byBob Ehrlich
10th Baltimore County Executive
In office
December 5, 1994 – December 2, 2002
Preceded byRoger B. Hayden
Succeeded byJames T. Smith Jr.
Personal details
Born
Charles Albert Ruppersberger III

(1946-01-31) January 31, 1946 (age 78)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Kay Murphy
​
(m. 1971)​
Children2
EducationBaltimore City College
University of Maryland, College Park (BA)
University of Baltimore (JD)
Signature
WebsiteHouse website
Rupperberger's voice
Ruppersberger voices his support for the 2013 Intelligence Authorization Act
Recorded May 31, 2012

Charles Albert "Dutch" Ruppersberger III (/ˈruːpərsbɜːrɡər/ ROO-pərss-bur-gər; born January 31, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Maryland's 2nd congressional district since 2003. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as an assistant state attorney of Maryland from 1972 to 1980, a Baltimore County councilman from 1985 to 1994, and Baltimore County Executive from 1994 until 2002. He was the ranking member of the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from 2011 to 2015.

He announced in January 2024 that he would retire from the United States House of Representatives at the conclusion of the 118th United States Congress.

Early life, education and career

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Ruppersberger was born in Baltimore, the son of Margaret "Peggy" (née Wilson) and Charles Albert "Al" Ruppersberger, Jr. He is of part German descent.[1] He graduated from Baltimore City College and attended the University of Maryland, College Park, where he played lacrosse.[2] He earned his Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Baltimore School of Law.[3]

Ruppersberger began his career as a Baltimore County Assistant State's Attorney. He was soon promoted to chief of the State's Attorney Office Investigative Division, pursuing organized crime, political corruption, and drug trafficking. He was elected to the Baltimore County Council in 1985 and again in 1989, chosen twice as council chairman. In 1994 and 1998, he was elected Baltimore County Executive.

Ruppersberger decided to run for office after a near-fatal car crash while investigating a drug trafficking case. He served as vice chairman on the board of visitors for the hospital that saved his life. He also serves on the United States Naval Academy Board of Visitors.[citation needed]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Committee assignments

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Previous

Caucus memberships

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Party leadership

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Ruppersberger calls on Congress to create a cabinet level intelligence director on August 3, 2004.

Ruppersberger was the first Democrat freshman to be appointed to the House Intelligence Committee. He was named to this committee because his district is home to the National Security Agency. From 2011 to 2015, he served as the committee's ranking Democrat. The position placed Ruppersberger on the elite "Gang of Eight", the chairs and ranking members of the U.S. House and Senate Intelligence Committees along with the Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader, House Speaker and House Minority Leader. By law, the president must keep the Gang of Eight informed of the country's most secret intelligence activities to maintain proper oversight.

Agriculture

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In September 2019, Ruppersberger was one of nine lawmakers who signed a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging him to reconsider a proposed rule change that would affect the number of Americans that qualified for SNAP, noting that it would be "Maryland’s most vulnerable residents, including children, seniors, and people with disabilities, who would suffer the painful consequences of unnecessary and preventable hunger."[7]

Operation Hero Miles

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In 2003, Ruppersberger created the national "Hero Miles" program to allow Americans to donate their frequent flyer miles to wounded warriors recovering at military or Veterans Administration medical centers as well as to friends and family visiting them. In 2012, he authored legislation expanding the program to enable Americans to donate their hotel reward points to military families. Both the Hero Miles and Hotels for Heroes programs are administered by Fisher House, a nonprofit organization that opens its homes to military families visiting their injured loved ones at hospitals across the country.[8] He won a Charles Dick Medal of Merit in 2004 for this initiative, becoming the last Marylander to win this award, which was previously awarded to U.S. Representative Beverly Byron (1992), State Senator John Astle (1993), U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (1994), U.S. Representative Roscoe Bartlett (1998) and State Delegate Peter Franchot (1999).

Municipal finance

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Ruppersberger is an advocate of municipal finance and tax-exempt municipal bonds. In 2013, he and Representative Randy Hultgren secured the signatures of 137 other House members in a letter to congressional leaders asking that they "reject any proposal to cap or eliminate the deduction on tax-exempt municipal bonds used to finance the vast majority of infrastructure projects in America's communities."[9] They circulated a similar letter in 2015[10] and formed the Municipal Finance Caucus in 2016.[11]

Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act

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Ruppersberger and Representative Mike Rogers co-sponsored the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, designed to increase intelligence sharing between private cyber security firms and government agencies.[12] More than 60 businesses and trade organizations submitted letters of support, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Time Warner, Verizon and AT&T, IBM and Intel.[13] Despite several amendments to address privacy concerns, some groups, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, have criticized the act for lacking civil liberties protections, claiming that it authorizes government surveillance of private communications and allows companies to hand over large amounts of personal information on their clients without a warrant or judicial oversight, thereby creating a cybersecurity loophole in existing privacy laws, such as the Wiretap Act and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.[14] CISPA passed the House of Representatives on April 26, 2012.[15] It was reintroduced into the House on February 13, 2013, and passed on April 18 by a bipartisan vote of 288–127. Of the 92 Democrats who supported the bill, many of them cited significant privacy improvements over the 2012 version.[16]

Biosecurity

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On October 19, 2017, at the Emergent Biosolutions manufacturing facility in Maryland, Ruppersberger received the Congressional Biosecurity Champion Award from the Alliance for Biosecurity, a D.C.-based public-interest organization, for "his leadership and actions taken in Congress to improve U.S. national security, preparedness and response for biosecurity threats." He was one of eight members of Congress to receive the award.[17]

Syria

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After President Donald Trump launched an airstrike on Syria in April 2017, Ruppersberger expressed hope that "Russia and Iran stand by the international community in condemning Assad's use of chemical weapons and cooperate in finding an appropriate way forward", and said the U.S. needed "a larger, thoughtful strategy to address the situation in Syria, including the defeat of ISIS."[18]

In October 2019, Ruppersberger said he was concerned "about the instability now in the entire Middle East, and now we're really helping to make Russia even stronger in the Middle East", and that American troops were expressing concern and embarrassment over leaving behind the Kurds.[19]

Yemeni civil war

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In December 2018, The Young Turks reported that Ruppersberger, "one of five Democrats who joined the majority of House Republicans to block debate on the war in Yemen, had met with Saudi officials and foreign agents representing them on numerous occasions".[20][unreliable source?]

In February 2019, Ruppersberger voted for Ro Khanna's resolution to direct the removal of U.S. armed forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress.

Retirement

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Ruppersberger announced on January 26, 2024, that he would not run for reelection, thus retiring from the House at the conclusion of the 118th United States Congress.[21] He stated that it was "time to pass the torch to a younger generation of leaders and I am looking forward to spending more time with my family".[21]

Political positions

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Ruppersberger has voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[22]

Political campaigns

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Barred from a third term as county executive, Ruppersberger opted to run for Congress in 2002 after 2nd district Congressman Bob Ehrlich ran for governor. The Maryland General Assembly significantly altered the 2nd by shifting most of its share of heavily Republican Harford County to the already Republican-leaning 1st and 6th districts, respectively based on the Eastern Shore and in Western Maryland. In its place, the legislature added a heavily Democratic portion of Baltimore City that had previously been in the 1st district. This made the district significantly friendlier to Democrats than its predecessor.

Before running for Congress, Ruppersberger legally changed his name so that his lifelong nickname, "Dutch," could appear on the ballot.[23] He defeated Republican nominee Helen Delich Bentley, who had represented the 2nd district from 1985 to 1995, with 55% of the vote. He has never faced another close contest and has been reelected ten times.

An August 2011 editorial by The Washington Post described the 2nd district's configuration as "curlicue territories strung together by impossibly delicate tendrils of land" and "a crazy-quilt confection drawn for the express purpose of ousting the incumbent at the time, Rep. (and later Gov.) Robert L. "Bob" Ehrlich Jr., a Republican, and installing C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, a Democrat who still holds the job."[24]

Electoral history

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Year Office Election Subject Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes %
1994 Baltimore County Executive General Dutch Ruppersberger Democratic 119,555 54.06 Roger B. Hayden Republican 101,598 45.94
1998 Baltimore County Executive General Dutch Ruppersberger Democratic 166,482 70.47 John J. Bishop Republican 69,449 29.4
2002 Maryland's 2nd congressional district General Dutch Ruppersberger Democratic 105,718 54.16 Helen Delich Bentley Republican 88,954 45.57
2004 Maryland's 2nd congressional district General Dutch Ruppersberger Democratic 164,751 66.62 Jane Brooks Republican 75,812 30.66
2006 Maryland's 2nd congressional district General Dutch Ruppersberger Democratic 135,818 69.21 Jimmy Mathis Republican 60,195 30.68
2008 Maryland's 2nd congressional district General Dutch Ruppersberger Democratic 198,578 71.9 Richard Pryce Matthews Republican 68,561 24.8
2010 Maryland's 2nd congressional district General Dutch Ruppersberger Democratic 134,133 64.21 Marcelo Cardarelli Republican 69,523 33.28
2012 Maryland's 2nd congressional district General Dutch Ruppersberger Democratic 194,088 65.6 Nancy C. Jacobs Republican 92,071 31.1
2014 Maryland's 2nd congressional district General Dutch Ruppersberger Democratic 115,586 61.3 David Banach Republican 67,995 36.0
2016 Maryland's 2nd congressional district General Dutch Ruppersberger Democratic 172.324 62.2 Patrick L. McDonough Republican 92.099 33.3
2018 Maryland's 2nd congressional district General Dutch Ruppersberger Democratic 167,201 66.0 Elizabeth Matory Republican 77,782 30.7
2020 Maryland's 2nd congressional district General Dutch Ruppersberger Democratic 224,836 67.7 Johnny Ray Salling Republican 106,355 32.0
2022 Maryland's 2nd congressional district General Dutch Ruppersberger Democratic 159,000 59.3 Nicolee Ambrose Republican 109,081 40.7

Personal life

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Ruppersberger married his high school sweetheart Kay Murphy in 1971 and has two children and five grandchildren.[25]

References

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  1. ^ "dutch ruppersberger". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  2. ^ Daniels, Calvin (January 13, 2022). "Sports This Week: New films look at history of lacrosse". SaskToday.ca. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  3. ^ "Rep Dutch Ruppersberger". University of Maryland. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  4. ^ "Members". Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  5. ^ "Our Members". U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  6. ^ "Members". U.S. - Japan Caucus. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  7. ^ Stubbs, Kathleen (October 5, 2019). "Maryland delegation asks USDA to reconsider SNAP changes". mont.thesentinel.com.
  8. ^ "Ruppersberger Receives Medal For 'Operation Hero Miles'". WBAL-TV. Retrieved August 17, 2011.[permanent dead link‍]
  9. ^ "Hultgren, Ruppersberger Lead Bipartisan Effort to Keep Municipal Bonds Tax-Exempt". Congressman Randy Hultgren. July 11, 2013. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  10. ^ "Hultgren, Ruppersberger Lead Bipartisan Effort to Protect Municipal Finance Tax Exemption". Congressman Randy Hultgren. April 15, 2015. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  11. ^ "Ruppersberger, Hultgren Launch Bipartisan Caucus to Promote Investment in Local Communities". Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger. March 1, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  12. ^ "House to take up cybersecurity bill with revisions". Reuters. April 11, 2012.
  13. ^ "H.R. 624 - Letters of Support | The Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence". Intelligence.house.gov. Archived from the original on August 13, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  14. ^ "CISPA is Back: FAQ on What it is and Why it's Still Dangerous | Electronic Frontier Foundation". Eff.org. February 25, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  15. ^ "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 192" (XML). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  16. ^ "H.R. 624: Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act". April 22, 2013. Archived from the original on April 22, 2013.
  17. ^ Riley, Kim (October 23, 2017). "Alliance for Biosecurity hails Rep. Ruppersberger's champion efforts around bioterrorism prevention". Homeland Preparedness News. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  18. ^ "Ruppersberger: 'chemical and biological weapons can't be tolerated anywhere'". wmar2news.com. April 6, 2017.
  19. ^ "Maryland Congressman Expresses Concerns On Syria Withdrawal, Support For Trump Impeachment". wbal.com. October 15, 2019.
  20. ^ "Dem Who Voted With GOP on Yemen War Met With Saudis". The Young Turks. December 20, 2018.
  21. ^ a b "Dutch Ruppersberger won't seek reelection to Maryland House seat". POLITICO. January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  22. ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  23. ^ Ruyle, Megan (July 21, 2009). "Dutch, Weezy and Surfer". TheHill. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  24. ^ "Maryland Democrats redraw the congressional district map". The Washington Post. August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  25. ^ Staff (October 25, 2011). "Biography - Congressman Ruppersberger". Dutch.house.gov. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dutch Ruppersberger.
Political offices
Preceded by Executive of Baltimore County
1994–2002 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maryland's 2nd congressional district
2003–present 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee
2011–2015 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
48th 		Succeeded by
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