TheCapitol.Net Faculty – Jim Moran

Faculty and Authors of TheCapitol.Net

Jim MoranTHE HONORABLE JAMES P. “JIM” MORAN is a senior legislative advisor in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP and is based in the Firm’s Washington, DC, office. Jim is a former U.S. Congressman who served Virginia’s 8th congressional district from 1991 to 2015. He advises the Firm’s lobbying practice in such specialty areas as defense, government contracting, trade, foreign governments, economic development, renewable energy and technology.

Throughout his 24 years of service in Congress, Jim became known for his abilities to work across the aisle and resolve complex issues, gaining great respect from members of both parties. He was a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and served as Chairman and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Interior and Environment. He was also a senior member on the Defense and Military Construction Subcommittees, helping to establish his excellent reputation within the government contracting community. As a progressive leader, Jim served as a member of the Steering and Policy Committee for the House Democratic Leadership.

As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Interior and Environment, Jim oversaw the budgets for the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Forest Service, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Endowment for the Arts and the Humanities.

As a senior member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, he oversaw all aspects of the defense budget. Specifically, weapons procurement, cyber security, innovative research and development, military medical research, military base closures, civilian personnel and overseas contingency operations.

Jim supported major projects in Northern Virginia to the tune of billions of dollars over the course of his Congressional career. This included $1.5 billion for extending Metro rail to Dulles, $2.5 billion to replace the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and hundreds of millions in support of Virginia schools, health centers and support services for the needy. Jim was successful in adding 20,000 military personnel to his Congressional districts in the latest round of military Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) closures.

Near and dear to Jim’s heart is the welfare of animals and he served as co-chair of the bipartisan Animal Protection Caucus. In this role he worked closely with the Interior Department’s efforts to manage the United States’ wild horse population, and led passage of countless bills to ensure the safety and welfare of cats, dogs and endangered species.

In 1997, Jim co-founded the New Democratic Coalition (NDC), which was established to represent the pro-business sector of the Democratic caucus. He went on to establish himself as a champion of the local business community in Northern Virginia’s “Dulles Technology Corridor” and beyond. The NDC provided the necessary Democratic votes for passage of trade agreements, Welfare reform and the Balanced Budget Amendment during the Clinton administration and continues to be one of the most influential “moderate” causes in the Congress.

Prior to his run for Congress, Jim was the mayor of Alexandria, Virginia from 1985 to 1990 and was a member of the City Council from 1979-1984. During this period, Alexandria experienced unparalleled economic growth, raised its bond rating to AAA and reduced the property tax rate substantially.

Prior to running for office, he worked at the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, as a budget officer, then became a senior specialist for budgetary and fiscal policy at the Library of Congress and, in his final non-elected position, was senior staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations.