Summary
Current Position: US Representative of NY District 26 since 2005
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Positions: State Delegate from 1999 – 2004; Buffalo Common Council from 1988 – 1993
District: Includes parts of Erie and Niagara counties.
Brian Michael Higgins was born, raised, and graduated from college in Buffalo, later obtaining graduate degrees from Buffalo State College and Harvard University.
District 26, numbered as the 27th district from 2005 to 2013 but as the 26th since 2013, includes Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Following the 2022 redistricting process, the district now stretches up to Lake Ontario, taking in all or parts of seven additional towns in Niagara County.
Friday Town Hall: Congressman Brian Higgins
OnAir Post: Brian Higgins NY-26
News
About
Source: Government page
Brian Higgins is a member of the United States House of Representatives serving New York’s 26th congressional district, which includes portions of Erie and Niagara Counties. Born and raised in Buffalo, Brian has a vision for a better future for all Western New Yorkers. From leading efforts to reimagine the Buffalo Waterfront, to facilitating major infrastructure improvements and fighting to protect Social Security, he is working hard to make long-term investments that will benefit the community for generations to come.
Widely accepted as the principal architect of waterfront development in Buffalo and Western New York, Brian led the fight for a quarter-billion-dollar federal relicensing settlement from the New York Power Authority that continues to finance the transformation of Buffalo’s long-neglected Inner and Outer Harbor waterfront areas. In our nation’s capital, Brian is an advocate for policies important to our regional and national economies. Brian is an avowed supporter of increased funding for biomedical research – an area creating jobs throughout the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus – and remains a strong voice for robust infrastructure investment, supporting “nation-building here at home.”
In the 118th Congress, Brian serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means, where he is also a Member of the Subcommittees on Health, Trade, and Social Security. In addition, Brian currently serves as a member of the House Committee on the Budget. Brian is a Co-Chair of the Northern Border Caucus, from which he advocates for federal policies that recognize the unique needs of northern border communities – efforts which serve to strengthen economic and security ties with our Canadian neighbors. Brian also serves as Co-chair of the bipartisan House Cancer Caucus, and a member of the Great Lakes Task Force, the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, the House Manufacturing Caucus, the Labor Caucus, the Equality Caucus, and the newly formed Heartland Caucus.
Brian has traveled extensively through some of the most volatile regions in the world. In doing so, he has met with world leaders to promote peace in Northern Ireland, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa, including Darfur, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Prior to his election to the House, Brian made his career serving in state and local elective office, as well as higher education. Brian served as an instructor in the History and Economics departments at SUNY Buffalo State University, where he taught a course of his own design entitled, “The Economic History of Buffalo & Western New York.” A graduate of Buffalo State University, Brian also earned an advanced degree in Public Policy and Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Personal
Full Name: Brian Higgins
Gender: Male
Family: Wife: Mary Jane; 2 Children: John, Maeve
Birth Date: 10/06/1959
Birth Place: Buffalo, NY
Home City: Buffalo, NY
Religion: Roman Catholic
Source: Vote Smart
Education
MPA, Public Policy/Administration, John Fitzgerald Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 1996
MA, History, Buffalo State College, 1985
BA, Political Science, Buffalo State College, 1984
Political Experience
Assistant Democratic Whip, United States House of Representatives, 2011-present
Representative, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 26, 2004-present
Candidate, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 26, 2022
Assembly Member, New York State Assembly, 1999-2003
Member, Buffalo Common Council, 1988-1993
Offices
Washington, DC Office
2269 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3306
Fax: (202) 226-0347
D.C. Office Map
Buffalo District Office
Larkin at Exchange
726 Exchange Street, Suite 601
Buffalo, NY 14210
Phone: (716) 852-3501
Fax: (716) 852-3929
Buffalo Office Map
Niagara Falls District Office
800 Main Street, Suite 3C
Niagara Falls, NY 14301
Phone: (716) 282-1274
Fax: (716) 282-2479
Niagara Falls Office Map
Contact
Email: Email form
Web Links
Politics
Source: none
Finances
Source: Open Secrets
Committees
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New Legislation
Issues
Source: Government page
