Jim McDermott

Jim McDermott (1936-) is a Democratic U.S. Representative for the 7th Congressional District of State, which includes Seattle, Washington and parts of several neighboring communities. He was elected in 1988 to the 101st Congress and is currently serving his 11th term, and is recognized as a leading progressive member on the Democratic left.

He is a psychiatrist, who first entered politics after medical residency and military service, he made his first run for public office in 1970 and was elected to the State Legislature from the 43rd district in Washington State. In 1974, he ran for the State Senate, and subsequently was re-elected three times.

In 1987, after 15 years of legislative service, Rep. McDermott decided to leave politics and continue in public service as a Foreign Service medical officer based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, providing psychiatric services to Foreign Service, AID, and Peace Corps personnel in sub-Saharan Africa. When the 7th district Congressional seat later became open, he returned from Africa to run for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Health care

While in the state legislature, he developed the Washington Basic Health Plan, the first state program in the country to provide low-cost health insurance to the unemployed and working poor. In the Congress, he is especially active in health care reform issues. He ntroduced the AIDS Housing Opportunities Act, for special housing assistance for people with AIDS.

He is a strong supporter of single payor health care delivery.

Foreign policy

Israel-Palestine

J Street and Americans for Peace Now cosponsored a letter from 54 House Democrats to President Obama, calling for lifting sanctions on Gaza. The lead authors were Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Washington) and Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) Gaza is under the control of Hamas. The letter was critical of Israeli positions.

Intelligence

He was criticized by Rep. Mac Thornberry, in 2010, for introducing legislation that Thornberry called "blame America first", and a politically motivated action that would jeopardize American intelligence. The McDermott wrote,

I thought of those who “blame America first” last week as the House of Representatives considered the intelligence authorization bill. Up to that point, the measure had languished for seven months, allowing the controversy sparked by Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s charge that the CIA misleads Congress all of the time to cool down. So, while most eyes were on the White House health care summit, the House leadership scheduled a vote on the intelligence legislation.

The scheduling of the vote, however, was just the precursor to an even more egregious maneuver. Assuming that no one was watching, the House leadership ordered that an alarming provision be included in a manager’s amendment, which is normally a compilation of technical and relatively noncontroversial items that are often routinely adopted.

One glance at this amendment, however, revealed that it was anything but routine. The amendment’s author, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Washington), himself said the amendment defined specific acts that would be treated as cruel and degrading as a matter of law...The plain truth is that no county jail or state prison in the country could operate with such absurd restrictions.

Committees

• Ways and Means Committee
  • Chairman of the Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee
  • Subcommittee on Trade.

Groups and caucuses

• Honorary president, Americans for Democratic Action
• Congressional Task Force on International HIV/AIDS
• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Congressional Caucus on Bosnia