Congressman Gerald E. “Gerry” Connolly is serving his eighth term in the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia’s 11th District, which includes Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax in Northern Virginia.
Prior to his election to Congress, he served 14 years on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, including five years as Chairman. Throughout his career, protecting and growing Northern Virginia’s economy has been his top priority.
In Congress, he has played a key role in securing federal dollars for transportation improvements in Northern Virginia, including completion of the Fairfax County Parkway, widening the Prince William County Parkway, providing ongoing support for Rail to Dulles, and securing the annual federal commitment of $150 million for the regional Metro system.
Congressman Connolly is a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and serves as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation. In this role, he is responsible for shaping government-wide policy on issues related to information security, including cybersecurity and privacy; government-wide federal information technology management and innovation; and procurement.
Congressman Connolly also serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Using his extensive background in foreign policy, including as a senior staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he has become a leading voice on foreign assistance reform, war powers, embassy security, and democracy promotion abroad.
Congressman Connolly co-authored the bipartisan Issa-Connolly Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA), which was signed into law in 2014, and represents the first major overhaul of the federal laws governing IT management since enactment of the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996. In 2016, Connolly passed the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, which allows temporary employees of land management agencies to now be eligible for civil servant positions. He also helped pass the Telework Enhancement Act, which requires the federal government to increase the use of telework by federal employees to ensure continuity of operations by federal agencies during emergency situations, enhance recruitment of a quality federal workforce, reduce traffic congestion, and improve the region’s air quality.
For his efforts, he has twice been recognized as a Federal Computer Week Fed 100 winner, was named the 2013 FedScoop Tech Champion of the Year, the 2015 FCW Eagle Award recipient, and received the AFFIRM Award for Leadership in the IT community.
He has also introduced important legislation to streamline and improve our election system, find savings in federal IT procurement and data center consolidation, and reform U.S. Foreign Aid.
In addition to his Committee assignments, Congressman Connolly is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, chair of the Smart Contracting Caucus, a founding member and Chair Emeritus of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on U.S.-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Korea, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Georgia and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Taiwan.
Congressman Gerry Connolly currently serves as President Emeritus of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), having served as President from 2020-2022. The NATO PA is an affiliate organization of NATO and is comprised of more than two hundred and fifty delegates from the parliaments and legislative bodies of the Alliance’s 30 member states. As president, Mr. Connolly sets the Assembly's broader agenda and represents the Assembly on all key international issues. He works in a bipartisan manner to support the values of the Transatlantic Alliance and strengthen Congressional commitment to NATO.
Congressman Connolly was ranked the Most Effective Lawmaker of the 117th Congress by the Center for Effective Lawmaking.
Prior to his election to Congress, Congressman Connolly served as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors in Fairfax County, the largest jurisdiction in the Washington, D.C. metro area with more than 1.1 million residents. He earned a reputation as a pragmatic leader for his initiatives to expand affordable housing opportunities, reduce gang violence, promote reusable energy, and advance critical transportation improvements. During his tenure on the Board, Fairfax was recognized as a Best Managed County.
Congressman Connolly received an M.A. in Public Administration from Harvard University in 1979. He received a B.A. in Literature from Maryknoll College in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Congressman Connolly has worked in the non-profit sector, primarily advocating for hunger aid and international assistance. He also has strong ties to the business community having spent two decades working for organizations and companies involved in international trade, regulatory matters, technology, and research.
He resides in Fairfax with his wife Smitty and has a daughter Caitlin.
