Congress To Campus 

On Friday March 8^th 2019, the Monroe Group, in conjunction with the US Embassy in London, as well as both the Rothermere American Institute and Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British Library, will be hosting Congress to Campus. The event will bring two former Members of Congress, Charles Boustany (R-Louisiana) and Donna Edwards (D-Maryland) to the University of Reading to talk all things American politics and government, sharing their real-life experiences as candidates and office holders.  

Charles Boustany

Republican Congressman Charles Boustany served 12 years in the House of Representatives (2005-17), representing Louisiana’s 7^th Congressional District, which later became Louisiana’s 3^rd Congressional District. In Congress, Boustany served on the influential House Committee on Ways and Means, chairing the Subcommittees on Tax Policy, Oversight, and Human Resources, establishing himself as an expert and leader on tax, trade, health care, and entitlement policy. He successfully led the effort to increase funding for ports and waterways, passed several bills to benefit veterans, and co-authored and passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorisation Act of 2015 and the PROTECT Act, strengthening enforcement of US international trade laws. He also led efforts to pass trade promotion authority and helped to lift the ban on crude oil exports as well as expanding liquefied natural gas exports.

Donna Edwards

Donna F. Edwards is the first African-American woman to take part in the Congress to Campus scheme. From 2008 to 2017 she served as Democratic Representative for Maryland’s 4^th Congressional District, defeating her 2008 Republican opponent with 85% of the vote and becoming the first woman to represent Maryland in the US Congress. During her time in office, Edwards served on the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, where she supported funding for NASA and pushed for increased federal funds to boost math and science and education. She also served on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where she supported mass transit legislation and projects to improve rail traffic in the Washington metropolitan area. Edwards earned a reputation as a leading progressive and passionate activist, working as a strong advocate for protecting women from domestic violence and passed an appropriations bill amendment guaranteeing after-school meals for low-income students.

Programme:

2-2.30: Mark Shanahan to speak on the co-edited publication ‘The Trump Presidency: from Campaign Trail to the World Stage’

2.30-4.00: Q&A session with the former congressmen

Location:

Edith Morley G25, University of Reading, Whiteknights Campus