Pat Roberts, a fourth generation Kansan from Dodge City, is honored to represent the people of Kansas in the United States Senate.

As a well-respected member of the Senate, his experience and dedication have delivered new jobs to the state and strengthened the economy, making a difference in our daily lives and pocketbooks. He has earned a reputation as a strong leader on national security and defense issues, agriculture and health care. He has been hailed for his bipartisanship, believing in the importance in reaching across the political aisle to pass legislation crucial to Kansas and the country.

His public service commitment to Kansas began in 1980 when he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in the First District. Eight terms later, in 1996, he was elected to the Senate, succeeding retiring Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker.

Today, his influence and seniority in the Senate give Kansas a powerful voice on the Agriculture, Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committees.

Roberts’ Finance Committee seat, which he joined in 2007, gives him jurisdiction on a wide-range of legislation from tax and trade to health care, Medicare and Social Security, issues impacting all Kansas families. Kansas has not had a representative on the Senate Finance Committee since Senator Bob Dole left the Senate more than 10 years ago.

Senator Roberts’ legislative record reflects in his belief in:

• Strengthening our national defense, improving our intelligence gathering capabilities and better securing the homeland;
• Keeping Kansas competitive in the global marketplace;
• Fighting to lower taxes for families;
• Supporting free and fair trade policies for agriculture and businesses;
• Ensuring access to health care services at a reasonable cost; and
• Providing a strong education system for our children.

As Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee for four years from 2003-2006, and a former U.S. Marine, Roberts fought for better intelligence gathering and analysis capabilities for the men and women serving in our Intelligence Community. He believes war fighters in the field must have the best intelligence possible if we are to win the War on Terror.

Roberts led the Intelligence Committee through an unprecedented and exhaustive review of U.S. intelligence regarding the timing and accuracy of U.S. intelligence on pre-war Iraq. The report, approved by all Republicans and Democrats on the Intelligence Committee, highlighted the serious and systemic failures within the Intelligence Community. As a result, Roberts proposed bold intelligence reforms to completely reshape intelligence gathering. Many of his proposals were included in the 9/11 Intelligence Reform Act of 2004.

Pat Roberts was born in Topeka on April 20, 1936. He is the son of the late Wes Roberts, Chairman of the Republican National Committee under President Dwight Eisenhower. His great-grandfather, J.W. Roberts, founded the Oskaloosa Independent, the state's second oldest newspaper. Following graduation from Kansas State University in 1958, Senator Roberts served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years, then worked as a reporter and editor for several Arizona newspapers. He joined the staff of Kansas Senator Frank Carlson in 1967. In 1969, Senator Roberts became Administrative Assistant to Kansas' First District Congressman Keith Sebelius. Senator Roberts was elected to Congress in 1980, succeeding Sebelius upon his retirement. He was first elected to the Senate in 1996 following the retirement of Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker and won re-election in 2002. Senator Roberts and his wife, Franki, have three grown children – David, Ashleigh and Anne-Wesley.