Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) will lead a delegation that will visit Taiwan from March 27-29, 2024 as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region. Other members of the delegation include Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ) and Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA). The delegation will meet with senior Taiwan leaders to discuss U.S.-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, and other significant issues of mutual interest.
For the delegation’s bios, please refer to the page below.
Representative Jack Bergman
Growing up in the Midwest, Jack Bergman’s parents instilled in him the values that drive the American Dream: If you work hard, never quit, and strive for excellence, you will find success. Those values are what guided him to the rank of Lt. General in the United States Marine Corps, empowered him to successfully own and operate a small business, and allowed him to enjoy a 22-year career as a commercial airline pilot.
Jack proudly represents the First District of Michigan. The boundaries contain the entire Upper Peninsula and all of northern lower Peninsula. Altogether, the district makes up about 44% of the land mass of the state of Michigan. The Bergman family roots in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula stretch back to the late 1800’s where his ancestors worked as iron miners. Serving his country in uniform for 40 years, Jack has spent time all around the United States – and world. Nearly three decades ago, Jack and his wife Cindy settled in Watersmeet, on the western edge of Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula.
Jack is a grandfather to ten grandchildren. This has always been one of the largest factors in his service in Congress. When Jack sees what is happening in Washington, he knows that we are not doing our best at leaving our children and grandchildren a better place. From his business to his distinguished military career, and now in Congress – Jack Bergman does not accept the status-quo as an acceptable path forward. Jack is driven by his commitment to serving others.
While in the military, he launched two successful startup businesses in the medical equipment field, maintaining an obligation to both his nation and his customers simultaneously. As an entrepreneurial leader focused on mission accomplishment and customer satisfaction, Jack knows how to get things done.
Hard work and commitment made the United States the most exceptional nation in the world. Those are the principles that have guided Jack’s life, and are the principles that he is bringing to Washington. He believes what most Michiganders believe: Americans know how to live their lives better than politicians or bureaucrats do. Jack’s life has been dedicated to service and defending the Constitution. He is the highest ranking combat Veteran to have ever served in the U.S. House. He is shaking up the status quo in both Congress and will continue defending the United States from those who want to weaken it, both domestically and abroad.
Representative Donald Norcross
Born and raised in South Jersey, Donald is an electrician by trade and a proud union member. In Congress, he is committed to improving the lives of working families by focusing on the issues that matter most to them: raising wages and strengthening our economy, ensuring affordable access to a high-quality education, and supporting the brave men and women that protect our nation and our neighborhoods.
He knows firsthand what it’s like to be a single parent having to balance work, family life and a checkbook. Donald began his career working for minimum wage, and his on-the-job experiences shape his work in Congress. Donald has been a fierce advocate for raising wages for workers, leading the House of Representatives to pass legislation that would gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025.
When construction work was slow or he was injured on the job, he was thankful for unemployment and disability insurance and knows what it is like to rely on these important resources. Since then, Donald has fought to lower prescription drug prices and ensure that everyone has access to affordable, quality healthcare, so that no one is forced to choose between putting dinner on the table or taking their medication.
Donald spent his career as an electrician connecting power to New Jersey businesses and industrial sites. He rose through the ranks and eventually became a business agent for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 351, as well as President of the Southern New Jersey AFL-CIO, where he advocated on behalf of thousands of hardworking men and women for nearly 20 years.
As a graduate of both Camden County College and a Registered Apprenticeship program, Donald knows we need to advance job-training programs in America, and he also understands the value of a good education that doesn’t break the bank. As a former apprentice himself, Donald led the House in passing the National Apprenticeship Act, expanding access to skills training and connecting workers with stable, good-paying jobs. As a member of the New Jersey Legislature, he played a key role in historic higher education reforms that established New Jersey as a medical education and research hub.
As a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Donald is working to raise wages, protect the middle class, strengthen workplace protections and achieve equal pay and paid leave for those raising families. He also serves on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) and is the ranking member of HASC’s Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces (TAL). Here, he focuses on protecting our national security, supporting service members and veterans and strengthening New Jersey’s Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, which is set to receive a new fleet of KC-46 air refueling tankers – an effort pushed for by Donald.
Donald serves as the Vice Chair and Liaison to Labor for the Congressional Progressive Caucus. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has appointed him to be the Parliamentarian for the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, and he was one of four House Democrats appointed to the Joint Select Committee on Multiemployer Pensions to work on solutions for America’s retirement security crisis. He is also the co-founder of the Labor Caucus and the Building Trades Caucus.
Donald and his wife Andrea live in Camden City and are the proud parents of three adult children and grandparents of three.
Representative Jimmy Panetta
United States Representative Jimmy Panetta proudly serves California’s 19th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. His diverse and beautiful district stretches from south San Jose in Santa Clara County, over the hills into Santa Cruz County, down the coastline of Monterey County, and into northern San Luis Obispo County. First elected in 2016, he is serving his fourth term in Congress. He currently serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means, the House Committee on Armed Services, and House Committee on the Budget. He also serves as a Chief Deputy Whip in the 118th Congress.
Having grown up on the central coast of California, Representative Panetta understands the importance of giving back to the community and country that gave his Italian immigrant grandparents, his family, and him so much opportunity. He was instilled with a sense of public service and its importance to our communities and democracy and his work is reflective of the values of the people who entrusted him to be their voice in our nation’s capital.
During his time in Congress, Representative Panetta has fought for affordable housing, immigration reform, the continued protection of our pristine coastline and environment, accessible health care, our agriculture industry and its farmers and farmworkers, the reduction of gun violence, a fairer tax code, major infrastructure investment, sustainable conservation practices, our military installations that are an integral part in our community and our country’s security, and the deserved and promised benefits to our veterans.
Through policy implementation in Congress and service to constituents, Representative Panetta remains committed to being that bridge for the people of California’s 19th Congressional District to the federal government and its resources. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he secured $1.4 billion in relief for communities and families in California’s 19th Congressional District and ensured relief was available for schools, local small businesses, as well as farmers and farmworkers. He has passed into law legislation to promote clean energy, protect California’s forests and pollinators, support frontline health care workers, tackle hunger among military families, and provide legal services to homeless veterans and veterans at risk for homelessness.
Prior to Congress, Representative Panetta served his community as a prosecutor in Monterey and Alameda Counties and served our country as an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. In 2007, Congressman Panetta volunteered for active duty and was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service. Upon returning home, he served as a board member of the Veterans Transition Center, helped open Monterey County’s first Veterans Treatment Court, and worked to establish the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery on the former Fort Ord.
Representative Panetta attended local public schools and Monterey Peninsula Community College. He graduated from the University of California, Davis with an undergraduate degree in International Relations and earned his law degree from Santa Clara University. His wife, Carrie Panetta, is a Superior Court judge in Monterey County, and they have two daughters who are being educated at the same local public schools attended by Representative Panetta.
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Source: American Institute in Taiwan (AIT)
Author: N/A
Format: Press Release
China Policy Research 