Tom MacArthur

Early life

MacArthur grew up in Hebron, Connecticut. He received his bachelor's degree from Hofstra University. MacArthur worked in the insurance industry. He was chairman and chief executive officer of York Risk Services Group for 11 years. He served on the Randolph, New Jersey,Township Council from 2011 through 2013, including a tenure as mayor in 2013.

Personal life

MacArthur lives in Toms River, New Jersey, and also owns homes in Randolph and Barnegat Light, New Jersey. He is married, and has an adopted son and daughter. Their first child, born with special needs, died in 1996 at the age of 11. MacArthur is the wealthiest member of New Jersey's congressional delegation, with reported assets worth about $31.8 million as of July 2017.

2014 election

When Jon Runyan, a Republican who represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, announced that he would not run for reelection in 2014, MacArthur chose to run for the Republican Party nomination. MacArthur resigned from the Randolph council to move into the congressional district. He ran against Steve Lonegan in the Republican Party's primary election, and defeated him.

MacArthur faced Aimee Belgard of the Democratic Party in the general election. MacArthur's campaign expenditures totaled $5.6 million, with MacArthur personally contributing over $5 million to his campaign from his personal fortune. MacArthur outspent Belgard by about three to one (with both campaign's spending equaling a combined total of $7.4 million), causing the race to be the most expensive 2014 open-seat contest in the country.

MacArthur defeated Belgard by nearly a 10-point margin, decisively winning the popular vote in Ocean County, and coming in a very close second in Burlington County, losing that part of the district by only 352 votes.

MacArthur was sworn in on January 6, 2015, along with 58 other new members of the House of Representatives. He was assigned to the Armed Services Committee and two of its subcommittees, the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces and Subcommittee on Military Personnel. MacArthur was elected Vice Chairman of the latter subcommittee. He was also assigned to the Natural Resources Committee as well as two of its subcommittees, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands and the Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans.

On February 2, 2015, MacArthur introduced the "Disaster Assistance Fairness and Accountability Act of 2015" that will prevent the Federal Emergency Management Agency from taking back disaster relief funds from individuals who applied for them in good faith. On March 25, 2015, MacArthur introduced the "Veterans' Mental Health Care Access Act" to allow veterans with a Choice Card to access mental health care at any facility eligible for reimbursement by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Both bills were considered "dead," by virtue of a failure to garner approval from Republican-led subcommittees, before the final sine die Adjournment of the 114th Congress.

2016 election

MacArthur ran for re-election in 2016. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary. In the general election, he faced Democrat Frederick John Lavergne. MacArthur won the election with 60% of the vote.

At his second term MacArthur was appointed to the Committee on Financial Services and stepped down from the Armed Services Committee and the Natural Resources Committee.

Committee assignments

Political positions

As of March 2, 2017, MacArthur has voted with his party in 96% of votes so far in the current session of Congress and voted in line with President Trump's position in 92.9% of the votes.

MacArthur was ranked as the 44th most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the 114th United States Congress (and the third most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey) in the Lugar Center - McCourt School of Public Policy Bipartisan Index.

Abortion

MacArthur opposes abortion.

Economy

MacArthur favors a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

Environment

MacArthur opposes federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. In February 2017, he voted to repeal a rule that required coal companies to restore streams and mined areas to their pre-development conditions. In February 2017, he voted in favor of repealing a rule that required energy companies to disclose payments to foreign governments.

The League of Conservation Voters has given him a lifetime score of 10%.

Healthcare

MacArthur has repeatedly called for repealing the Affordable Care Act. However, in January 2017, he was one of nine Republicans who voted no on its repeal.

On March 20, 2017, MacArthur announced his support for the American Health Care Act of 2017.

On April 25, 2017, MacArthur introduced an amendment to the Act which became known as the MacArthur Amendment. It permits states to waive out of Obamacare’s ban on pre-existing conditions, allowing insurers to charge sick people higher premiums than healthy people. It also dictates that health insurance offered to members of Congress and their staffs not be included in the exemption from covering pre-existing conditions. A Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted in April 2017, found that 70 per cent of Americans favored protections for pre-existing conditions.

In response to MacArthur's vote to pass the AHCA, which would partially repeal and replace Obamacare, there were protests in his district, and difficult Town Halls with constituents questioning MacArthur about his vote. A widely reported comment at one of his Town Hall meeting was from Geoff Ginter, a health professional, who called MacArthur the "single greatest threat" to his family, citing his concerns about his wife and daughters who have preexisting conditions that may affect their health coverage under the AHCA.

MacArthur resigned as chair of the Tuesday Group in May 2017 due to disagreements among its members over the AHCA.

Same-sex marriages

MacArthur opposes same-sex marriage.