Mike Rogers

Michael Dennis Rogers (born July 16, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Alabama's 3rd congressional district since 2003.

He is a member of the Republican Party of Alabama.

Rogers served as the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee from 2021 to 2023 and as the Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee from 2019 to 2021.

A sixth-generation resident of Calhoun County in East Alabama, Rogers graduated from Saks High School and earned both his undergraduate degree in political science and Master's of Public Administration at Jacksonville State University.

He graduated from Birmingham School of Law.

At age 28, Rogers became the youngest person to join the Calhoun County Commission.

In 1994, Rogers won a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives, and became minority leader in his second term.

In the general election, he faced Democratic veteran Joe Turnham, Jr., who had served three years as state party chairman and had run against Riley for Congress in 1998.

The Democratic and Republican national parties targeted the district, with Speaker Dennis Hastert promising Rogers a seat on the Armed Services Committee should he win.

Rogers outspent Turnham, raising and spending $1,656,290 to Turnham's $1,015,132, and held an even greater margin in independent expenditures.

Rogers defeated Turnham, 50% to 48%.

In this election, he was a rare Republican endorsee of The Anniston Star.

Rogers received campaign contributions from former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's ARMPAC.

DeLay was convicted of felony money laundering of campaign finances and conspiracy to launder money.

In 2002, U.S. Representative Bob Riley was elected governor of Alabama, leaving Alabama's 3rd congressional district seat open.

Rogers won the Republican nomination.

In December 2011, Rogers voted in support of H.R. 10, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act, which would have required Congressional approval for any "major regulations" issued by the executive branch but, unlike the 1996 Congressional Review Act, would not require the president's signature or override of a probable presidential veto.

As of August 2016, Rogers has not offered to return any of the $30,000 he received.

Rogers said that DeLay is innocent until proven guilty, and that he would not return the money "while the judicial process runs its course".

The constituent specifically asked about monetary contributions to the Rogerses from Mike Hubbard, who was convicted of ethics violations in 2016.

Rogers said that Hubbard was a family friend and appeared to threaten the constituent, saying, "you keep my wife out of this and be a man or we'll take it outside".

The constituent said he filed a complaint with the Oxford police department over Rogers's comments.

Rogers was at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, when it was attacked.

The next day, he tweeted, "there is no place for political violence in America" and called for law and order.

In 2017, Rogers worked with Representative Jim Cooper on a proposal to establish a Space Corps under the Department of the Air Force.

The proposal passed the House and failed in the Senate.

A bill with very similar language was signed into law two years later to create the United States Space Force.

Rogers has been a major proponent of the Space Development Agency and taking an aggressive approach to space militarization.

In August 2017, Rogers held a town hall event in Oxford, Alabama, focused on efforts to repeal to the Affordable Care Act.

During the town hall, a constituent raised questions about campaign donations to Rogers and his wife Beth, a Calhoun County District Court judge.

Even after the attack, Rogers supported efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, voting to oppose the certification.

He voted against impeaching Donald Trump a second time in the wake of the attack.

His rationale for his decision was that the impeachment was a partisan action by Nancy Pelosi that would "further divide our nation".

Rogers voted against the American Rescue Plan in February 2021.

His rationale for opposing the bill was that it was full of "extreme socialist initiatives" and too expensive, and that it was too soon for another bill after the December 2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

He also said the bill did not support schools reopening and that it funded abortions.

As of October 2021, Rogers had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 10.3% of the time.

During the January 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election, Rogers suggested that committee assignments be stripped from representatives who did not vote for Kevin McCarthy.

He told Politico that his comments were more than a threat, saying "I promised it".

Rogers called the representatives voting against McCarthy "legislative terrorists who have no problem killing the hostage".