Brian Fitzpatrick | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Fitzpatrick |
| Constituency | 8th district (2017–2019) 1st district (2019–present) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Brian Kevin Fitzpatrick (1973-12-17)December 17, 1973 (age 51) Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Domestic partner | Jacqui Heinrich (engaged 2025–present) |
| Relatives | Mike Fitzpatrick (brother) |
| Education | La Salle University (BS) Pennsylvania State University (MBA,JD) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Fitzpatrick supportingUkraine againstRussia following theRussian invasion of Ukraine. Recorded February 9, 2022 | |
Brian Kevin Fitzpatrick (born December 17, 1973) is an American politician, attorney, and formerFBI agent who has served as aU.S. representative fromPennsylvania since 2017. His district, which was numbered the8th district during his first term and the1st district since 2019, includes all ofBucks County, a mostly suburban county north ofPhiladelphia, as well as a sliver ofMontgomery County.
A moderateRepublican similar to his brotherMike, Fitzpatrick was elected in2016. After acourt-mandated redistricting of Pennsylvania's congressional districts in 2018, Fitzpatrick has since been reelected to the redrawn 1st district. He won re-election to a fifth term in 2024.[1]
Fitzpatrick represents the wealthiest congressional district in the state ofPennsylvania.[2]
Brian Kevin Fitzpatrick was born on December 17, 1973,[3] inPhiladelphia and was raised in nearbyLevittown, Pennsylvania. Fitzpatrick graduated fromBishop Egan High School inFairless Hills in 1992.[3][4] He graduated fromLa Salle University in 1996 with aBachelor of Science inbusiness administration. In 2001, Fitzpatrick completed both aMaster of Business Administration fromPennsylvania State University and aJuris Doctor from thePenn State Dickinson School of Law.[5][3]
Fitzpatrick is a former special assistantUnited States attorney andFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) supervisory special agent in California. At the FBI, he served as a national supervisor for the Bureau's Public Corruption Unit, and led the agency's Campaign Finance and Election Crimes Enforcement program. During his time in the FBI, he spent time inKyiv,Ukraine;Mosul,Iraq; andWashington, D.C.[5] He was embedded with U.S. Special Forces as part ofOperation Iraqi Freedom.
In 2016, Fitzpatrick ran for the open U.S. House seat of his brotherMike Fitzpatrick, who retired from Congress to uphold a promise to limit himself to four terms.[6][7]
In the April 26, 2016, Republican primary, Fitzpatrick received 78.4% of the vote, defeating Andy Warren and Marc Duome.State representativeSteve Santarsiero defeated Shaughnessy Naughton for the Democratic nomination, 59.8% to 40.2%. Fitzpatrick won the general election with 54.4% of the vote to Santarsiero's 45.6%.[8]
After a court-ordered redistricting, Fitzpatrick's district was renumbered the 1st district. It remained largely unchanged from the old 8th, but absorbed a larger slice of central Montgomery County. According to Nate Cohn ofThe New York Times, "the old 8th had been one of the more regularly drawn districts in a map that had been thrown out as an unconstitutional partisan Republican gerrymander.[9] The new 1st was slightly more Democratic than its predecessor. Had it existed in 2016,Hillary Clinton would have carried it with 49% of the vote toDonald Trump's 47%.[10] In contrast, Clinton and Trump finished almost tied in the old 8th, with Trump winning by 0.2 percentage points."[11]
In the Republican primary on May 15, 2018, Fitzpatrick defeated Dean Malik, 68.85% to 31.15%. Scott Wallace, the director of a charitable foundation, won the Democratic primary with 55.97% of the vote.[12] In the general election, Fitzpatrick defeated Wallace, 51.3% to 48.7%. He carried Bucks County by 12,000 votes, more than his overall margin of 8,300 votes.[13] Fitzpatrick thus became one of only three Republican U.S. representatives to survive during the2018 U.S. House elections in congressional districts that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton carried in 2016, along withJohn Katko andWill Hurd.[14]
Fitzpatrick ran for a third term in 2020. In the Republican primary, he defeated Andrew Meehan, who ran as a more conservative candidate and a staunch supporter of PresidentDonald Trump.[15] The Democratic nominee wasIvylandBorough councilwoman Christina Finello. Fitzpatrick was considered potentially vulnerable because his district had voted for Clinton in 2016, but he was reelected by a margin of 13 percentage points even as Democratic presidential nomineeJoe Biden won Pennsylvania and carried the district by 6 points.[16] He was one of nine House Republicans to win in a district carried by Biden.
In 2022, Fitzpatrick defeated Alex Entin in the Republican primary.[17] In the general election, Fitzpatrick defeated Democratic candidate Ashley Ehasz.[18]
In 2024, Fitzpatrick defeated Mark Houck in the Republican primary. Fitzpatrick defeated Ashley Ehasz in the general election in 2024.[19][20]
He is one of three Republicans to represent a district in which 2024 Democratic presidential nomineeKamala Harris won.
In the115th Congress, Fitzpatrick was ranked the second most bipartisan member of theHouse of Representatives by the Bipartisan Index, a metric created bythe Lugar Center andGeorgetown'sMcCourt School of Public Policy to assesscongressional bipartisanship.[21] In the116th United States Congress,117th Congress,and first session of the 118th Congress, Fitzpatrick was ranked first by the Bipartisan Index.[22][23][24] For the first session of the 117th Congress,GovTrack noted that Fitzpatrick ranked in the 61st percentile for the most bills introduced. Additionally, they noted that he cosponsored the second most bills compared to all House Representatives at 1333, and that of these, 80% were introduced by a non-Republican legislator; joining bipartisan bills the most out of all Representatives.[25] Fitzpatrick was ranked the most bipartisan legislator again in 2024, his fifth straight year.[26]
Fitzpatrick voted in line withJoe Biden's stated position 70% of the time during the 117th Congress, the highest rate of any member in the Republican conference.[27]
On February 4, 2021, Fitzpatrick joined 10 other Republican House members voting with all voting Democrats to stripMarjorie Taylor Greene of herEducation and Labor Committee andBudget Committee assignments in response to controversial political statements she had made.[28] On November 5, 2021, Fitzpatrick was among the 13 House Republicans who broke with their party and voted with a majority of Democrats for theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending bill.[29]
Fitzpatrick was the primary sponsor of three bills that Congress enacted.[30]
In 2025, Fitzpatrick was one of two Republicans who voted against the Senate-approved version of theOne Big Beautiful Bill Act.[31] He originally supported the House version of the bill, but opposed the larger cuts toSNAP andMedicaid the Senate passed. Fitzpatrick also voted against a subsequent bill cutting funding for public broadcasting.[32]
Fitzpatrick has often but not always aligned with anti-abortion stances.[33] While abortion is not mentioned on his website,[34][35] he co-signed a letter to PresidentDonald Trump in 2019 that requested Trumpveto any efforts to weakenanti-abortion policies.[36] In 2017, he voted for thePain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would prohibit abortions performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in situations ofincest orrape.[37][38] Fitzpatrick voted against theWomen's Health Protection Act of 2021, which aimed to protect health-care professionals by establishing astatutory right for them to provide abortions.[39][38]
After the U.S. Supreme Court decidedDobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, allowing states to ban abortion, Fitzpatrick said in a statement to state legislatures, "Any legislative consideration must always seek to achieve bipartisan consensus that both respects a woman’s privacy and autonomy, and also respects the sanctity of human life. These principles are not mutually exclusive; both can and must be achieved."[33][40]
Fitzpatrick was one of three Republicans to vote for H.R. 8297: Ensuring Access to Abortion Act of 2022.[41]
Fitzpatrick also voted for H.R. 8373: The Right to Contraception Act. This bill was designed "to protect a person’s ability to access contraceptives and to engage in contraception, and to protect a health care provider’s ability to provide contraceptives, contraception, and information related to contraception".[42]
Fitzpatrick co-chairs the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus.[43] In 2024, he received a 100+ rating fromHumane World Action Fund's legislative scorecard.[44] The organization named Fitzpatrick a Legislator of the Year in 2022 and 2023, as well as a Humane Champion in 2024—in each case, the highest available award on offer.[45][46]
Fitzpatrick co-led a letter opposing the inclusion of the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act in theFarm Bill, which would have overturned state animal welfare laws.[47] This action received praise from animal advocacy groups.[48]
With U.S. representativesEarl Blumenauer (D-OR) andRichard Blumenthal (D-CT), Fitzpatrick introduced theCaptive Primate Safety Act in 2024, which would prohibit the private ownership ofchimpanzees and otherprimates as pets. This proposed legislation was endorsed bylaw enforcement associations andanimal welfare.[49]
In 2022, Fitzpatrick was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[50][51]
At a September 2018 forum hosted by theBipartisan Policy Center andThe Hill, Fitzpatrick highlighted man-made climate change as a serious issue, saying that Republicans must "acknowledge reality and [not] deny it." He is a member of the bipartisan congressionalClimate Solutions Caucus and cointroduced theEnergy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2018,[52][53] which would impose acarbon tax with net revenue returned to households as a rebate.[54] He did not sponsorthe 2019 version of the bill.[55]
In March 2023, Fitzpatrick was the only Republican House member to vote against H.R. 1, Lower Energy Costs Act, which passed the House by a vote of 225–204, with four Democrats voting for it.[56]Senate majority leaderChuck Schumer said the bill was "a giveaway to Big Oil pretending to be an energy package" and would roll back regulations for fossil fuel production.[57]
As of 2022, Fitzpatrick has a lifetime score of 74% on the National Environmental Scorecard of theLeague of Conservation Voters,[58] and is ranked as the most environmentally friendly Republican member of the House, rating higher than three Democrats.[59]
In March 2024, Fitzpatrick filed adischarge petition for the bipartisan Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act, which would have granted 47.7 billion dollars toUkraine, 10.4 billion dollars toIsrael, and 4.9 billion dollars to the United States'sIndo-Pacific allies, while also limiting federal funding for the transfer of migrants and require asylum seekersremain in Mexico awaiting their court dates.[60][61]
Fitzpatrick voted to provide Israel with support following theOctober 7 attack on Israel.[62][63]
In a 2018 debate, Fitzpatrick said that Russia held "by and large sinister motives", noting that while he was stationed in Ukraine, Russia twice attempted to knock out Ukraine's electrical grids through cyber attacks.[64]
In April 2018, Fitzpatrick said that Trump should stop attacking the FBI and allowRobert Mueller to complete his investigation, saying it was improper to "judge an institution based on the actions of a few bad actors".[65]
In July 2018, Fitzpatrick said that Russian leaderVladimir Putin had "manipulated" Trump at the Helsinki Summit. Fitzpatrick said he was "frankly sickened by the exchange" between Trump and Putin. He criticized the "mixed signals" that the Trump administration was sending regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election.[66]
In September 2017, Fitzpatrick urged the U.S. Supreme Court to limit extreme partisangerrymandering inGill v. Whitford. He stressed that partisan redistricting had undermined the Founding Fathers' vision of the House of Representatives as the voice of the people.[67]
Fitzpatrick was the only Republican member of Congress from Pennsylvania not to take part in a February 2018 lawsuit challenging a new district map drawn by Democrats. He explained that he opposes the drawing of congressional districts by elected officials of either party, saying instead that they should be drawn by independent, nonpartisan citizen panels.[68]
In 2018, Fitzpatrick was the only Republican endorsed by theGiffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, the gun control organization founded by former U.S. representativeGabby Giffords. He voted to expand background checks and restrict assault weapon sales. He voted against a bill that would require states to recognize concealed-carry permits issued by other states.[69]
In March 2021, Fitzpatrick was one of eight Republicans to join the House majority in passing theBipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021.[70]
On July 29, 2022, Fitzpatrick and one other Republican,Chris Jacobs, joined the Democrats in voting for a bill banning assault weapons.[71]
In the2022 midterm elections, Fitzpatrick was the only Republican member of Congress to receive an "F" rating from theNRA Political Victory Fund.[72][73]
On June 13, 2023, Fitzpatrick and one other Republican,Thomas Kean Jr. ofNew Jersey voted with Democrats against HJ 44, a bill repealing the ATF's new regulations on Pistol Braces.[74]
Fitzpatrick opposed theAmerican Health Care Act, a bill to repeal and replace thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In a statement, he said, "After considering the current healthcare bill in a thorough and deliberate manner, I have concluded that, although the American Health Care Act focuses on several much-needed reforms to our healthcare system, in its current form I cannot support this legislation".[75] Fitzpatrick joined many of his Republican colleagues as well as every congressional Democrat in opposing the bill.
On May 4, 2017, Fitzpatrick also voted against the second attempt to pass the American Health Care Act. In a statement, he said, "We saw what happened when healthcare reform – an issue impacting 1/5 of our economy – was rushed through Congress along extremely partisan lines in 2009," referring to the ACA in 2010.[76] On December 12, he took part in the Democratic bill to lower drug costs, theElijah Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act.[77]
In 2017, Fitzpatrick was critical of President Obama's executive order establishing theDACA program, but said the immigration system was broken. In a 2018 debate, he said he supported a path to citizenship for DREAMers, but that "any immigration reform package has to deal with border security."[64][78] In 2019, he voted for theAmerican Dream and Promise Act, which included no new border security measures.[79][80]
Fitzpatrick opposed Trump's 2017executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, saying, "the president's policy entirely misses the mark."[81]
In 2025, Fitzpatrick cosponsored theAmerican Families United Act.[82]
Fitzpatrick supportssame-sex marriage.[83] In 2019, he co-sponsored and voted for theEquality Act, which would extend anti-discrimination protections to LGBT adults and minors; seven other House Republicans joined him in voting for it and it passed the House 236–173.[84][85][86] He was one of three Republicans to vote for it in 2021 when it again passed the House.[87]
In 2022, Fitzpatrick was one of six Republicans to vote for the Global Respect Act, which sanctions foreign persons responsible for violations of internationally recognized human rights against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) individuals, and for other purposes.[88][89]
On July 19, 2022, Fitzpatrick and 46 other Republican representatives voted for theRespect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.[90]
Fitzpatrick sponsored the International Narcotics Trafficking Emergency Response by Detecting Incoming Contraband with Technology (INTERDICT) Act, which Trump signed into law in January 2018. The law directs $15 million to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to expand screening forfentanyl andopioids at the U.S. border.[91]
During the 2016 election cycle, Fitzpatrick said he would support the presidential candidate Republican primary voters in the8th District chose. AfterDonald Trump was made the nominee, Fitzpatrick reneged and said he would not vote for either major party candidate.[92] He insteadwrote-inMike Pence in 2016, but did vote for Trump in 2020.[93]
In July 2019, Fitzpatrick was one of four Republican House members who voted to condemn inflammatory remarks that Trump had made aboutthe Squad, a group of Democratic U.S. Representatives, all of whom were women of color. Trump hadtweeted about the group, calling on them to "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came".[94][95]
After newsite LevittownNow.com obtained audio of Trump endorsing Fitzpatrick's 2020 re-election, Fitzpatrick's office removed the publication from its press release list, and Fitzpatrick himself also neglected to participate in a pre-primary interview with LevittownNow in 2022.[96]
Fitzpatrick voted against both of Trump's impeachments in2019 and2021. Before the second impeachment vote, he introduced a censure resolution against Trump that condemned the rhetoric that led to theJanuary 6 Capitol attack.[97]
On May 19, 2021, Fitzpatrick was one of 35 Republicans to join all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish theJanuary 6 commission meant to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol.[98] He was reportedly the only House Republican to attend a 2023 ceremony marking the second anniversary of the Capitol attack. Fitzpatrick called the attack a "terrible day that we can never let happen again".[99][100][101][102]
In December 2017, Fitzpatrick voted for theTax Cuts and Jobs Act in a party-line vote.[103]
In April 2018, Fitzpatrick led a bipartisan group of freshmen House members in an Oval Office meeting at which they discussed with Trump a proposed constitutional amendment imposing congressional term limits.[104]
In May 2018, Fitzpatrick andStephanie Murphy introduced H.R. 5946, the Fostering Accountability, Integrity, Trust, and Honor (FAITH) in Congress Act, which would "end certain special perks reserved for Members of Congress, enact a lifetime ban preventing former Members of Congress from becoming lobbyists, and withhold Members' paychecks if they fail to pass a budget on time".[105]
On October 21, 2021, Fitzpatrick was one of nine House Republicans to vote to holdSteve Bannon incontempt of Congress.[106]
Fitzpatrick was one of six Republicans to sign a bipartisan letter spearheaded by centrist House Representatives in which they pledged to respect the results of the2024 presidential election.[107]
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Media related toBrian Fitzpatrick at Wikimedia Commons| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 8th congressional district 2017–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 1st congressional district 2019–present | Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican Co-Chair of theProblem Solvers Caucus 2021–present Served alongside:Josh Gottheimer,Tom Suozzi | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 167th | Succeeded by |
