Virginia Foxx

Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox officeholder Virginia Ann Foxx (née Palmieri;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Bioguide">Foxx, Virginia Ann Template:Webarchive. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.</ref> born June 29, 1943) is an American politician, businesswoman, and educator serving as the U.S. representative for Template:Ushr since 2005. A member of the Republican Party, Foxx has served as chair of the House Rules Committee since 2025 in the 119th Congress.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She also served as Secretary of the House Republican Conference from 2013 to 2017.<ref>Sherman, Jake. "House committee chairs all men" Politico. (Published November 27, 2012) <www.politico.com> Retrieved November 28, 2012.</ref>Template:Better source needed She was the ranking member of the House Committee on Education and Labor from 2019 to 2023 and served as the committee's chair from 2017 to 2019 and from 2023 to 2025. Foxx's district encompasses much of the rural northwestern portion of the state, including the majority of Greensboro. Since January 2025, Foxx has been the dean of North Carolina's congressional delegation,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> having previously shared the deanship with Patrick McHenry until his retirement.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Early life and career

Foxx was born Virginia Ann Palmieri in the Manhattan borough of New York City on June 29, 1943, to Dollie (née Garrison) and Nunzio John Palmieri.<ref>Template:Congbio</ref><ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name = Brooks>Template:Cite news</ref> Her father was a painter and a paperhanger who also worked as a hairdresser and construction worker and her mother worked odd jobs, working in restaurants as well as a hotel maid and weaver.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She and her family moved near Linville Falls, North Carolina, when she was 6.<ref name="auto" /> Foxx grew up in a poor family and didn't live in a home with running water and electricity until age 14. Although baptized Catholic, her family attended a Baptist church since there was no Catholic church nearby.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="news and observer">Template:Cite news</ref>

While attending Crossnore High School in Crossnore, North Carolina, she worked as a janitor at the school and was the first in her family to graduate from high school.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For a brief period after high school, she returned to New York City, earning money by working as a typist and living with family in the Bronx.<ref name = Brooks/> She then moved back to North Carolina to continue her education, initially at Appalachian State University.<ref name = Brooks/> When she was 20 years old, she married Thomas Foxx, with whom she had a daughter.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor's degree in 1968, and later earned both a Master of Arts in college teaching (1972) and a Doctor of Education (1985) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.<ref name="Bioguide"/><ref name="About Foxx">Template:Cite web</ref> Foxx and her husband owned and operated a nursery and landscaping business.<ref name="About Foxx"/>

Foxx worked as a research assistant and then an English instructor at Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute and Appalachian State University before moving into university administration. From 1987 until her 1994 entry into politics, she was president of Mayland Community College. Under North Carolina Governor James G. Martin, Foxx served as Deputy Secretary for Management.<ref name="About Foxx"/> From 1994 to 2004, she served in the North Carolina Senate.<ref name="House Bio">Template:Cite web</ref>

United States House of Representatives

Political campaigns

Virginia Foxx

Foxx talking with constituents in Yadkinville, NC

Foxx was first elected to the U.S. House in 2004, defeating Jim Harrell, Jr. with 59% of the vote.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Foxx was briefly targeted in the 2006 elections, but the Democrats' top choice, Winston-Salem mayor Allen Joines, decided not to run. Joines later said he lacked the stomach for the kind of race he felt it would take to defeat Foxx.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her 2006 opponent was Roger Sharpe, whom she defeated.

Roy Carter of Ashe County was Foxx's opponent in the 2008 election; she won by a substantial margin.

In 2010, Foxx was reelected with about 65% of the vote.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2014, Foxx was reelected with about 60% of the vote, defeating software developer Josh Brannon.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2016, Foxx was reelected with about 59% of the vote, again over Brannon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2018, Foxx was reelected with 57% of the vote, defeating DD Adams, a council member for the North Ward of Winston-Salem.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In the 2020 general election, Foxx won over 66% of the vote, defeating Democrat David Brown.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2022, Foxx sought re-election in the redrawn 5th congressional district, which favored Republicans.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Foxx was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She defeated Democrat Kyle Parrish, 63.2–36.8%.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Tenure

File:Virginia Foxx.jpg

Foxx during the 110th Congress

Hurricane Katrina

In September 2005, Foxx was one of 11 members of Congress to vote against<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the $51 billion aid package to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Opposition to birthright citizenship

In January 2013, Foxx co-sponsored legislation that would stop children born in the United States to undocumented parents from gaining citizenship.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

First Trump impeachment

On December 18, 2019, Foxx voted against both articles of impeachment (abuse of power and obstruction of Congress) of President Donald Trump.

House security

In May 2021, Foxx became the fifth Republican representative to be fined for evading metal detectors put in place outside the chamber after the January 6 United States Capitol attack. Foxx ran through the magnetometer, setting it off, and ignored officers attempting to prevent her entering the House floor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Behavior with the news media

Foxx has been known for frequently scolding reporters and staff for being on or near members-only elevators in Capitol buildings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In October 2023 while among Republicans gathered for a press conference for then-House speaker nominee Mike Johnson, she was scrutinized for telling a reporter to "go away" and "shut up" when Johnson was asked to speak about his efforts to overturn the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Committee assignments

For the 119th Congress:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• Committee on Education and Workforce
  • Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
• Committee on Oversight and Reform
  • Subcommittee on Government Operations
• Committee on Rules (Chair)

Caucus memberships

• Republican Study Committee<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Congressional Constitution Caucus<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Congressional Taiwan Caucus<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• United States–China Working Group<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Political positions

Abortion

Foxx opposes legal access to abortion. She voted for a bill to repeal a rule requiring state and local governments to distribute federal funds to qualified health centers, even if they perform abortions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2014, Foxx was asked whether there were any conditions under which she considered abortion acceptable. She replied that, even in the case of rape, incest, or the health of the mother, no exception should be made to justify abortion.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Economy

Foxx, along with all other Senate and House Republicans, voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.<ref name="BipartisanshipDead">Template:Cite news</ref>

Epstein files

On July 14, 2025, Foxx voted against an amendment by Congressman Ro Khanna seeking to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Foxx stated that the decision to release any of the files was better left to the president.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Later, Foxx opposed another proposal that would require the full U.S. House of Representatives to consider and vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Health care

An opponent of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), she has said, "we have more to fear from the potential of the Affordable Health Care for America Act passing than we do from any terrorist right now in any country."<ref name="mediamatters_nov02_2009">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref name="hill_nov02_2009">Template:Cite web</ref> When commenting on the House version of the reform bill that funds counseling for end-of-life issues, Foxx said, "Republicans have a better solution that won't put the government in charge of people's health care" and "[The plan] is pro-life because it will not put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government."<ref name="fox_july30_2009">Template:Cite web</ref>

LGBT rights

In April 2009, Foxx expressed opposition to the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, claiming that Matthew Shepard's murder was not a hate crime. While debating the act in the House, she called the murder a "very unfortunate incident" but claimed "we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn't because he was gay." She ultimately called that allegation "a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing hate crimes bills".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Some media outlets, including The New York Times,<ref name="hoax NYT">Template:Cite news</ref> The Washington Post,<ref name="hoax WaPo">Template:Cite web</ref> and The Huffington Post,<ref name="hoax Huff">Template:Cite news</ref> criticized her statements, as did Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz.<ref name="hoax Politico">Template:Cite web</ref> Democratic sources claimed that Matthew Shepard's mother was present during Foxx's statements.<ref name="hoax Politico" />

Foxx later retracted her comments, suggesting her use of the word "hoax" was in bad taste.<ref name="hoax retraction LA Times">Template:Cite web</ref> She suggested that Shepard's murder was a tragedy and that his killers had received appropriate justice.<ref name="hoax retraction LA Times" />

In 2015, Foxx condemned the Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex marriage bans violated the constitution.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2019, Foxx strongly opposed the Equality Act, a bill that would expand the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and urged Congress members to vote against it.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In December 2022, Foxx voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified same-sex and interracial marriage rights into federal law.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Privacy rights

She introduced the 'Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act' (H.R. 1313; 115th Congress) in 2017.<ref name="1313text">Template:Cite web</ref> The bill would eliminate the genetic privacy protections of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–233); allow companies to require employees to undergo genetic testing or risk paying a penalty of thousands of dollars; and let employers see that genetic and other health information.<ref name="forbes_mar12_2017">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="sciamerican_mar12_2017">Template:Cite web</ref>

Marijuana

In December 2020, Foxx voted against the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE), which aimed to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to financial disclosure reports, she has made at least six investments in Altria, one of the world's largest tobacco companies and a leader in the burgeoning U.S. cannabis industry, since September 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In all, records show she has purchased somewhere between $79,000 and $210,000 in Altria stock.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Foxx is Catholic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her former son-in-law, Mustafa Özdemir, is a Turkish businessman.<ref>http://www.turkishcoalition.org/young_turks%20_080807.htmlTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

• Women in the United States House of Representatives

External links

• U.S. Congresswoman Virginia Foxx official U.S. House website
• Virginia Foxx for Congress
• Template:C-SPAN
• Template:CongLinks

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