Cathy Anne McMorris Rodgers is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for Washington's 5th congressional district, which encompasses the eastern third of the state and includes Spokane, the state's second-largest city. A Republican, McMorris Rodgers previously served in the Washington House of Representatives. From 2013 to 2019, she chaired the House Republican Conference. Since 2023, she has chaired the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
McMorris Rodgers was appointed to the Washington House of Representatives in 1994. She became the minority leader in 2001. In 2004, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She eventually became the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress in 2009, when she ascended to leadership as vice chair of the House Republican Conference, and later, chair of the House Republican Conference. She gained national attention in 2014, when she delivered the Republican response to President Barack Obama's 2014 State of the Union Address.
In 2016, McMorris Rodgers was on President Donald Trump's shortlist to become Secretary of the Interior. The position went to Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke.
