Jack Reed (Rhode Island politician)

Reed supports President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 2021. He said that "the president made a difficult, but the best of many poor choices."

On October 1, 2020, Reed co-signed a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that condemned Azerbaijan’s offensive operations against the Republic of Artsakh, denounced Turkey’s role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and called for an immediate ceasefire. Reed stated that "Armenians have a right to defend themselves when attacked."

In July 2019, Reed and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar sent a letter to Acting Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kevin McAleenan requesting an explanation of the actions the DHS took in response to "unexpected behavior" of voting equipment in Durham County, North Carolina during the 2016 presidential election and writing that it was "critical that we learn as much as we can about the extent of the attacks we faced in 2016, and that these lessons be shared as widely as possible so that our nation is fully prepared for the 2020 elections."

Reed has been an advocate of preventive healthcare. Like many other Democrats, he supports increasing Medicare funding, enrolling more Americans into programs that help the uninsured, allowing prescription drugs to be imported from Canada, and negotiating bulk medication purchases for Medicare in order to lower costs. Reed does not support Medicare for All. Instead, in 2019 he proposed the Choose Medicare Act, which he claims increases "access, competition, and choice."

In October 2018, Reed was one of 20 senators to sign a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging him to reverse the rollback of a policy that granted visas to same-sex partners of LGBTQ diplomats who had unions that were not recognized by their home countries, writing that too many places around the world have seen LGBTQ individuals "subjected to discrimination and unspeakable violence, and receive little or no protection from the law or local authorities", and that the US refusing to let LGBTQ diplomats bring their partners to the US would be tantamount to upholding "the discriminatory policies of many countries around the world."

In 2018, Reed was one a few Democrats to support U.S. backing of the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. By 2019 he reversed his position, saying that he wanted to end U.S. support for the coalition. A network of progressive groups, including Demand Progress, Working Families Party, and Chapo Trap House, urged Reed to ensure that the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act withdrew support for the war.

When Panetta's successor Chuck Hagel announced his resignation in December 2014, Reed was again said to be on Obama's shortlist. Despite the Republican takeover of the Senate in the 2014 elections, it was said that Reed's confirmation would be a "foregone conclusion". He again denied interest, with a spokesman saying, "Senator Reed loves his job and wants to continue serving the people of Rhode Island in the United States Senate. He has made it very clear that he does not wish to be considered for Secretary of Defense or any other cabinet position. He just asked the people of Rhode Island to hire him for another six-year term and plans on honoring that commitment."

On November 24, 2014, Ted Nesi of WPRI-TV gave some reasons that Reed might be uninterested in cabinet positions, citing his "safe seat", his status as one of the most popular politicians in the state, his fondness for working in the Senate and his passion for housing policy. He concluded that "no matter how many times Reed's aides privately groan about another flareup of defense secretary speculation, they surely appreciate that each recurrence is a sign of the senator's positive reputation in Washington and Obama's esteem for him."

United States Senate election in Rhode Island, 2014

Reed has consistently been mentioned as a possible Secretary of Defense. In late 2010, he turned down Obama's offer to succeed Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense. The position was ultimately filled by Leon Panetta. After Obama was reelected in 2012 and Panetta announced his decision to retire, Reed was again mentioned as a possible nominee for the position, as well as for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Once again, he denied interest in either position.

Although he voted for the 1996 Immigration Reform Bill, Reed has generally supported allowing undocumented immigrants and foreign workers to enter the path to citizenship. He supports Guest Worker programs and giving immigrants access to Social Security. He opposed establishing English as the nation's official language and has been critical of the effort to fence the US-Mexican border. He is the author of the Reed Amendment, which permits former U.S. citizens to be denied entry to the country if they are believed to have renounced their citizenship for tax reasons. On February 23, 2010, Reed co-sponsored the DREAM Act, a piece of legislation that would allow undocumented students living in the United States from a very young age to gain legal status.

In 2008, Reed was mentioned as a potential vice presidential running mate for Barack Obama. On July 14, 2008, Reed announced that he was "not interested" in becoming Obama's running mate.

United States Senate Democratic primary election in Rhode Island, 2008

United States Senate election in Rhode Island, 2008

Reed married professional Senate staffer Julia Hart in a Roman Catholic ceremony in the Catholic chapel on the United States Military Academy campus on April 16, 2005. On January 5, 2007, their daughter, Emily, was born.

Reed was one of 23 US senators to vote against H.J. Resolution 114, which authorized President George W. Bush to use force against Iraq in 2002. In 2007, he elaborated on his sentiments, saying, "It was a flawed strategy that diverted attention and resources away from hunting down Osama bin Laden's terrorist network." Like David Petraeus, Reed said he believed the real problems in Iraq were political and unrelated to the military.

United States Senate election in Rhode Island, 2002

Reed ran for a second term. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and his Republican opponent was Robert Tingle, a casino pit manager and the unsuccessful Republican nominee for the state's 2nd congressional district in 2000. Reed won by 78% to 22%.

When Senator Claiborne Pell, the longest-serving senator in Rhode Island's history and the 13th longest-serving senator in US history, announced his retirement in 1996, Reed declared his candidacy. Reed won the Democratic primary with 86% of the vote and beat the Republican nominee, Rhode Island General Treasurer Nancy Mayer, 63% to 35%.

United States Senate Democratic primary election in Rhode Island, 1996

United States Senate election in Rhode Island, 1996

United States House of Representative 2nd district election in Rhode Island, 1994

United States House of Representatives 2nd district Democratic primary election in Rhode Island, 1992

United States House of Representatives 2nd district election in Rhode Island, 1992

In 1990, Reed was elected to the United States House of Representatives, receiving 59% of the vote in the general election. For the next six years, he focused on education and health care.

United States House of Representatives 2nd district Democratic primary election in Rhode Island, 1990

United States House of Representatives 2nd district election in Rhode Island, 1990

Reed was elected as a state senator in 1984 and served three terms.

Reed attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he received a Master of Public Policy. He returned to West Point in 1978 as an associate professor in the Department of Social Sciences. He left active duty in 1979 after earning the rank of captain. He served in the United States Army Reserve until 1991, and retired as a major. After leaving active duty, Reed enrolled in Harvard Law School, where he became a member of the Board of Student Advisers. In 1982, he graduated with his Juris Doctor and worked as an associate at the Washington, D.C. office of law firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan. Afterward, he returned to Rhode Island and worked for the Providence law firm Edwards and Angell until 1990.

Reed was born in Cranston, Rhode Island, the son of Mary Louise (née Monahan) and Joseph Anthony Reed. Reed graduated from La Salle Academy and the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1971. After graduating, he spent several years in active duty military service. Reed earned the Ranger Tab and was a paratrooper. He served as a paratrooper in the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division where he was a Platoon Leader, Company Commander and Battalion Staff Officer.

John Francis Reed GOIH (born November 12, 1949) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Rhode Island, a seat he was first elected to in 1996. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district from 1991 to 1997. Reed graduated from the United States Military Academy and Harvard University, serving in the U.S. Army as an active officer from 1971 to 1979. He is the dean of Rhode Island's congressional delegation.