Virginia Foxx

Virginia Foxx is the current Republican representative for the 5th congressional district of North Carolina who serves in the U.S. House of Representatives. She has been serving this position for four terms.

Early Life and Education

Virginia Foxx was born in 1943 in The Bronx, New York but was raised in a rural area of Avery County, Virginia. She was the first member of her family to graduate from high school as well as college. Virginia Foxx received her undergraduate degree in English as well as a M.A.C.T. in Sociology at the University of North Carolina. She then attended University of North Carolina Greensboro and received her Doctor of Education Higher Education and Curriculum and Teaching

Career before Politics

After finishing her education, Virginia Foxx started her career as a research assistant and secretary at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She went on to teach at both Caldwell Community College and Appalachian State University, and also held different administrative positions at Appalachian State University, such as Assistant Dean.

Virginia Foxx then worked for the North Carolina Department of Administration as a Deputy Secretary for Management under Governor Jim Martin. Her last major job before going into politics was a position as President at Mayland Community College, where she later also worked as a consultant.

Political Career

Virginia Foxx’s entered politics in 1994, where she held a seat in the State Senate of North Carolina for ten years. During her time there, Virginia Foxx sponsored many bills both statewide and locally. She maintained a consistent record against tax increases and worked to make the government more effective without excessive waste.

In 2005, Virginia Foxx was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. As a representative, she has supported actions that reduce government spending, lower the national debt, and help the economy grow. She also fights for lower taxes and other legislation that can provide work and jobs for North Carolinians. In 2008, Virginia Foxx was ranked by the nonpartisan National Journal as the most conservative member of the North Carolina’s Congressional Delegation.

Virginia Foxx is currently a member of the Committee on Education and is the chairwoman on the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training as well as a member of the Subcommittee on Early Education, Elementary and Secondary Education. She is also a member of the Committee on Rules.

As a Representative, some of her more significant actions include:

• Being one of the 11 Representatives who voted against bill that provided aid for Hurricane Katrina in 2005

• Voting against the extension of the Voting Rights Act in 2006

• Sponsoring the Electronic Stub Act of 2008

• Voting against the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009

• Voting against the Affordable Health Care for America Act in 2009

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