FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FMC Welcomes Rep. Jackie Walorski
Indiana Congresswoman becomes co-chair of the Congressional Study Group on Germany
(Washington, D.C.) – FMC, an association of former Members of Congress, is proud to announce that U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) will serve as the Republican House co-chair for the Congressional Study Group on Germany, joining U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.)
Walorski will replace U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) who is retiring from the House at the end of the 116th Congress. Brooks has served as the Republican Co-Chair of the bipartisan-led Congressional Study Group on Germany since 2018.
“Direct investments in communities across Indiana by German companies show why it is so critical that Congress continue to embrace and strengthen the trade and defense partnership between our two nations and with all of the European Union,” Walorski said. “I’m honored to continue the tradition of Hoosiers helping to guide this important effort to open doors and grow our economy. I look forward to working alongside Congressman Deutch as co-chairs of the Study Group on Germany, and I encourage all of my colleagues in the House to participate in this vital bipartisan work.”
The Congressional Study Group on Germany is the oldest legislative exchange of its kind, involving current Members of Congress from both the House and Senate in an ongoing conversation with Members of the German Bundestag. For more than thirty years, the Study Group has brought bipartisan groups of legislators together to discuss issues ranging from trade policy to global security. It is one of four such legislative exchanges housed at FMC. The other three are focused on Japan, Korea and Europe. Each Study Group has four co-chairs, split on a bipartisan, bicameral basis.
“It has been an honor to work with Susan Brooks to help guide the Congressional Study Group on Germany,” said Deutch. “She has been a champion of the transatlantic relationship and she will be sincerely missed in Congress. I am excited to welcome Jackie and look forward to working with her to ensure all Members of Congress fully understand and support our critical trading and defense partnerships with Germany.”
Walorski joins U.S. Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) in the Senate as co-chairs of the Congressional Study Group on Germany. The Study Group also features a bipartisan membership of more than eight dozen current Members of the U.S. House and Senate.
Walorski has served in the House since 2013. She serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and represents Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes the north-central area of Indiana, including South Bend and other parts of Michiana. 13 percent of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indiana comes from Germany, topped only by Japan. She has personal experience in Europe as well. Walorski and her husband spent four years as missionaries in Romania, where they started and ran a foundation to provide food and medical supplies to impoverished children
“Our borders no longer define our nation’s impact on the world, and can no longer prevent us from being a part of a global society,” said FMC President and former U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.). “Anytime we can welcome a Member of Congress to our Congressional Study Groups, it’s great, but I’m particularly excited to welcome a leader for this Group. She will help us tell the story of the impact of the United States on our friends, allies and trading partners, and theirs upon us. Congresswoman Walorski has shown time and time again that she understands the importance of that transatlantic relationship and we’re happy to welcome her.”
FMC is a non-advocacy, non-partisan group founded in 1970 and chartered by Congress in 1983. It is a voluntary alliance of former U.S. Senators and Representatives, working to strengthen Congress in the conduct of its Constitutional responsibility through promoting a collaborative approach to policy making; and to deepening the understanding of our democratic system.
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