Rep. Bill Foster is the only PhD physicist in Congress. Before he was elected to Congress in 2008, he worked as a high-energy physicist and particle accelerator designer at the Fermi National Accelerator.
After redistricting, more than 55% of his current constituency has been replaced by more conservative areas. Sensing an opportunity, the National Republican Congressional Committee has named him one of their top targets in this cycle.
He serves on the House Committee on Science and Space Technology and the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus.
Foster has frequently engaged in oversight of nuclear policy issues, where his physicist’s background gives him a unique perspective to evaluate technical aspects of non-proliferation, arms control, and verification issues. He has been an outspoken leader in the effort to secure vulnerable nuclear material around the globe and to fund research into low enriched uranium for U.S. naval reactors.
