Bruce Westerman
Official portrait, 2023
Chair of theHouse Natural Resources Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2023
Preceded by	Raúl Grijalva
Ranking Member of theHouse Natural Resources Committee
In office January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023
Preceded by	Rob Bishop
Succeeded by	Raúl Grijalva
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromArkansas's4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Tom Cotton
Majority Leader of theArkansas House of Representatives
In office January 14, 2013 – January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Johnnie Roebuck
Succeeded by	Ken Bragg
Member of theArkansas House of Representatives from the 22nd district
In office January 14, 2013 – January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Nate Bell
Succeeded by	Mickey Gates
Member of theArkansas House of Representatives from the 30th district
In office January 11, 2011 – January 14, 2013
Preceded by	Bill Sample
Succeeded by	Charles Armstrong
Personal details
Born	Bruce Eugene Westerman (1967-11-18)November 18, 1967 (age 58) Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Sharon French
Children	4
Education	University of Arkansas (BS) Yale University (MS)
Signature
Website	House website Campaign website
Westerman's voice Westerman supporting the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act. Recorded February 6, 2023

Bruce Eugene Westerman (born November 18, 1967) is an American forester and politician serving as theU.S. representative forArkansas's 4th congressional district. Previously, he served as member and themajority leader of theArkansas House of Representatives.

In 2014, Westerman was elected to the House to succeedTom Cotton, who defeatedU.S. SenatorMark Pryor in the2014 Senate election.

Westerman was raised in and resides inHot Springs,Arkansas.^[1] He graduated asvaledictorian ofFountain Lake High School in Hot Springs. He attended theUniversity of Arkansas inFayetteville, where he playedcollege football for theArkansas Razorbacks football team. He graduated with aBachelor of Science inengineering in 1990 and subsequently received aMaster of Science inforestry fromYale University.^[2]

Westerman worked as an engineer and forester before being elected to the Arkansas House in 2010. He was formerly employed as an engineer and forester by the Mid-South Engineering Company. He served as president of the Arkansas chapter of theAmerican Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. He is also a former chair of the Arkansas Academy of Biological and Agricultural Engineers, and served on theFountain Lake School Districtschool board.^[1]

Westerman ran for theArkansas House of Representatives in 2010.^[3][4][5]

Westerman served as the House Minority Leader in 2012 and House Majority Leader in 2013.^[6] He was the first Republican House Majority Leader in Arkansas sinceReconstruction.^[7]

• Revenue And Taxation Committee
  • Subcommittee on Sales, Use, Miscellaneous Taxes and Exemptions (chair)
• State Agencies And Governmental Affairs Committee
• Insurance and Commerce Committee^[6]

• Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus^[8]
• Rare Disease Caucus^[9]

Westerman won the Republican primary on May 20, defeating Tommy Moll, 54%–46%.^[10] In November, he defeated Democratic nomineeJames Lee Witt, a former associate ofU.S. PresidentBill Clinton, 54%-43%.^[11]

In 2015, Westerman cosponsored a resolution toamend the US constitution to ban same-sex marriage.^[12]

On June 20, 2017, as the only certified forester in the House, Westerman introduced H.R.2936 - Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017,^[13] providing for the culling of overgrown federally managed woods. After passing the House, it was introduced in the Senate on November 2, 2017, where it failed.

Westerman voted for theTax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.^[14]

In December 2020, Westerman was one of 126 Republican members of theHouse of Representatives to sign anamicus brief in support ofTexas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at theUnited States Supreme Court contesting the results of the2020 presidential election. TheSupreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lackedstanding underArticle III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.^[15][16][17]

Westerman voted to certify both Arizona's and Pennsylvania's results in the2021 United States Electoral College vote count.

During the2021 Capitol riot, Westerman, left behind in House minority leaderKevin McCarthy's office when he was evacuated by security, took aCivil War sword from a shattered display for protection and hid from rioters on a toilet.^[18]

As of October 2021, Westerman had voted in line withJoe Biden's stated position 8% of the time.^[19]

In theOctober 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election, Westerman received one vote for speaker from representativePete Stauber ofMinnesota.^[20]

For the118th Congress:^[21]

• Committee on Natural Resources (Chair)
  • As Chair of the committee, Rep. Westerman is entitled to sit as anex officio member in all subcommittee meetings per the committee's rules.
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

• Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus
• Congressional Western Caucus
• Republican Study Committee^[22]
• Working Forests Caucus (co-chair, co-founder)
• Dyslexia Caucus (co-chair)
• U.S.-Japan Caucus^[23]
• Congressional Coalition on Adoption^[24]

Westerman believes that "Life is a right. Abortion is not." He supported theJune 2022 overturning ofRoe v. Wade.^[25]

Westerman considers himself a conservationist.^[26] On April 19, 2021, he introduced the Trillion Trees Act, which planned to plant a trillion trees, but the bill was criticized by scientists and environmental groups.^[27] Westerman has a 4% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters.^[28]

In January 2025, Westerman introduced theFix Our Forests Act alongside RepresentativeScott Peters ofCalifornia. The bill aims to improve forest management for wildfire risk reduction.^[29][30]

Westerman has received consistent "A" grades from theNational Rifle AssociationPolitical Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) for his pro-gun rights legislative voting record.^[31][32] He voted against theEnhanced Background Checks Act in 2021.^[33]

• U.S. Representative Bruce Westerman official U.S. House website
• Bruce Westerman for Congress
• Appearances onC-SPAN
• Biography at theBiographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at theFederal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at theLibrary of Congress
• Profile atVote Smart

• 1967 births
• 21st-century American engineers
• 21st-century members of the Arkansas General Assembly
• 21st-century United States representatives
• Arkansas Razorbacks football players
• Arkansas Republicans
• Baptists from Arkansas
• Engineers from Arkansas
• Fountain Lake High School alumni
• Living people
• Politicians from Hot Springs, Arkansas
• Republican Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives
• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas
• School board members in Arkansas
• Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies alumni

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