Ed Royce

Member For

33 weeks 3 days

Website:

U.S. Representative Ed Royce (CA)

Contact:

2185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4111

BIOGRAPHY

U.S. Representative Ed Royce (R) is serving his ninth term in Congress representing Southern California's 40th District, based in Orange County. He and his wife, Marie, are longtime residents of Fullerton, CA.

Royce's priorities in Congress are: protecting our homeland, supporting our troops and veterans, providing meaningful tax relief for workers, protecting the budget and cutting excessive government spending, fighting crime and supporting victims of crime, strengthening education for all students, and preserving Social Security and Medicare.

Royce has a strong history of public service. In 1982, he was elected to the California State Senate where he began his fight for victims' rights. He authored the nation's first anti-stalker law and versions of his bill have been adopted in all 50 states. He was also the legislative author and campaign co-chairman of California's Proposition 115, the Crime Victims/Speedy Trial Initiative, approved by the voters in 1990. In Congress, Royce continues his fight for victims' rights. He wrote and passed the Interstate Stalking Punishment and Prevention Act in 1996. This law makes it a federal crime to pursue a victim across state lines and enables law enforcement to intervene before violence occurs. Royce was active in passing AMBER Alert legislation in 2003, and legislation in 2004 to enhance rights for victims of crime.

For the 111th Congress, Royce serves as a senior member of two important Committees in the House: Foreign Affairs and Financial Services. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Royce has been named Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade; member of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Enviornment and the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.

As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade, Royce is at the forefront of some of the most important issues facing our country. The Subcommittee explores issues including the threat posed by Islamist terrorism, especially the al-Qaeda network; terrorist financing; terrorist sanctuaries and failed states; and capacity building of foreign forces to fight terrorism. The Subcommittee's jurisdiction over nonproliferation issues is crucial given the severity of the threat of weapons of mass destruction falling into terrorist hands.

Within the Financial Services Committee, Royce sits on three Subcommittees: Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises; Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit; and Oversight and Investigations. Royce has served on the conference committees for some of the most significant legislation in the financial services arena. For more than a decade Royce has called for a stronger federal regulator to limit Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's excessive risk taking at the expense of taxpayers. In 2003, he offered the first legislation that sought to bring Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Bank System under a strong federal regulator.

Royce has consistently earned honors and awards from the National Taxpayers Union, Citizens Against Government Waste, National Federation of Independent Businesses, Watchdogs of the Treasury, Americans for Tax Reform, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, United Seniors Association, 60 Plus, American Share Holders Association, Citizens for a Sound Economy and the Small Business Survival Committee.

A California native, Royce is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton, and School of Business Administration. Prior to entering public service, his professional background includes experience as a small business owner, a controller, a capital projects manager, and a corporate tax manager for a Southern California company.

COMMENTARIES

Effective Sudan Policy Will Require More Than "Cookie Jar" Diplomacy

By Rep. Ed Royce | 10/22/09

Back in August, I warned of the big changes coming in the Obama Administration's Sudan policy ("A 180 on Sudan"). Contrary to previous positions taken by senior U.S. officials, signs pointed to an all "incentives" policy with the genocidal government in Khartoum, Sudan. Concerns were only heightened by public comments made by President Obama's Special Envoy for Sudan, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Gration, in... read more »

3 Comments | Related Topics »Orange County (CA) | National |

The Battle for Pakistan's Survival is On

By Rep. Ed Royce | 10/20/09

Last week I posted on the Taliban threat sweeping across Pakistan in what was a two-week long attack on its nuclear-armed government ("Who is Afraid of the Taliban?"). In a long telegraphed move, the Pakistani army responded, with 30,000 troops entering the "militant mini-state" of South Waziristan in recent days. Sherry Rehman, a Pakistani parliament member, had a striking quote in the Washington Post: ... read more »

2 Comments | Related Topics »Orange County (CA) | National |

Investigative Firm was Built on Ingenuity, Without Government Strings

By Rep. Ed Royce | 10/16/09

It's my experience that every government bureaucracy can learn from the private sector. That's certainly the case with our very large, and yes, bureaucratic, intelligence community. This impressed me again reading this week's New Yorker profile ("The Secret Keeper") of private intelligence and security guru Jules Kroll, penned by William Finnegan. Kroll, born in Queens, built Kroll Inc. into the world's leading... read more »

2 Comments | Related Topics »Orange County (CA) | National |

Tracking Nuclear Scientists Harboring Bad Intent

By Rep. Ed Royce | 10/14/09

Two items involving advanced and nuclear scientists that deserve greater attention: France. This week, a French scientist of Algerian descent appeared before an anti-terrorism investigative judge for "criminal association with a terrorist enterprise" after it was found that he had been in touch with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) - al-Qaeda's North African arm. London's Financial Times reported the 32-year-old was... read more »

3 Comments | Related Topics »National | Orange County (CA) |

White House Distinction Between Taliban and Al-Qaeda is Alarming

By Rep. Ed Royce | 10/13/09

It has been a frightening few days of headlines coming out of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Making matters worse, if press leaks are true, discussions in President Obama's war room are pie-in-the sky. Friday's Washington Post - "Emerging Goal for Afghanistan: Weaken, Not Vanquish, Taliban" - reports in part, "[Obama] and his advisers have emphasized during the policy review that the administration views... read more »

2 Comments | Related Topics »National | Orange County (CA) |

India Looks to Climb the High-Tech Ladder

By Rep. Ed Royce | 10/10/09

"The only constant is change." That motto certainly applies to the marketplace. This struck me yet again as I read an interesting Wall Street Journal article earlier this week on India's famed high-tech sector, whose success is being challenged ("Indian Tech Outsourcers Aim to Widen Contracts"). Indian high-tech is looking to climb the ladder, moving above the software maintenance and database... read more »

1 Comment | Related Topics »National | Orange County (CA) |

Plans for a "Diplomatic Surge" Draw Protests in Pakistan

By Rep. Ed Royce | 10/08/09

On a trip to Pakistan last spring, I heard from our embassy about plans for a "diplomatic surge" to add many more U.S. personnel to the country. Given the level of anti-Americanism in the country, I asked whether added manpower would help or hurt our cause. There is, after all, something to be said for a "small footprint" in a foreign land. So I wasn't surprised by Tuesday's New York Times headline... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »National | Orange County (CA) |

Negotiations in Geneva Buy Time.....for Tehran

By Rep. Ed Royce | 10/06/09

CNN will air a joint interview today with Secretary Gates and Clinton, discussing topics ranging from Afghanistan to Iran. This morning, the Associated Press described a portion of the interview this way: "Clinton says the session in Geneva yielded three agreements that buy time for the U.S. to assess Iran's seriousness about negotiations" - my emphasis (AP: Cabinet secretaries: Iran talks a limited success). These negotiations... read more »

1 Comment | Related Topics »National | Orange County (CA) |

President Obama Heads to Copenhagen to Make Olympic Pitch

By Rep. Ed Royce | 10/01/09

This evening, President Obama flies to Copenhagen to pitch the International Olympic Committee on Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 summer games. He’ll join the first lady, Oprah (Chicago’s first lady) and other Chicago notables making the rounds. The competition comes from Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo. One IOC member says you have to be a "raving lunatic to try and predict" the winner. Call me... read more »

4 Comments | Related Topics »Orange County (CA) | National |

Aid Creep in the Congo Basin

By Rep. Ed Royce | 09/30/09

Back when I chaired the Africa Subcommittee, a key issue we stressed was good government on a continent desperately lacking it. One way to promote accountability and transparency was to focus on Africa's diverse and magnificent landscapes, and encourage the creation of national parks. Leaders would take better care of their lands, become more accountable to their people, and economic benefits from increased tourism would follow, the... read more »