Congressman Joe Knollenberg
9th Congressional District of Michigan
Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1993
Knollenberg is currently serving his seventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represented Michigan’s 11th Congressional District from 1993 to 2002.
Knollenberg is one of the subcommittee chairmen of the House Appropriations Committee, and chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
In addition, Knollenberg serves on the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations. His work on this subcommittee, of which he has been a member for more than 10 years, has distinguished him as a leader on foreign policy issues, particularly on aid to the Middle East and on North Korea. He also currently serves as Republican Co-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus.
Knollenberg has used his position on the Appropriations Committee to champion issues such as the Great Lakes, reform of the EPA, low-income housing programs, and improved medical care for veterans, and he is a recognized congressional expert on energy issues. During his tenure as Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction (108th Congress), his advocacy for the Military Housing Privatization Initiative in the Summer of 2004 ensured the continuation of this successful program. He has also served as Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the District of Columbia (107th Congress).
In 2003, he led the successful fight to repeal the steel tariffs that caused significant harm to steel-consuming manufacturers, an effort that was recognized by the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) with their Joseph M. Magliochetti Industry Champion Award.
More recently, he successfully organized and led a broad coalition in support of funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a key program for small and medium manufacturers. Additionally, his legislation to strengthen the law used to prosecute those who produce counterfeit manufactured goods that steal sales from legitimate manufacturers and cost American jobs has garnered the support of the National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, MEMA, and a host of others.