In January 2017, Congressman Erik Paulsen was sworn in to serve his fifth term representing Minnesota’s Third Congressional District.

Paulsen’s legislative agenda parallels the initiatives that make Minnesota a great place to live, work, and raise a family: A strong economic climate for job growth, a fairly-funded and accountable education system, a well-preserved environment, safe communities, and tax reform for taxpayers and businesses.

Paulsen is a member of the Ways & Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over health care, economic, and trade policy and is the chief tax-writing committee in the House of Representatives. He supports pro-growth initiatives and believes that open markets are the key to a strong economy.

Erik is also chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, a bicameral Congressional Committee composed of ten members from the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, which studies and performs research on matters relating to the U.S. economy, and advises Congress on how to best spur economic growth and create jobs.

Erik serves as co-chair of the House Medical Technology Caucus and is a leader in advocating for the medical technology industry, the life-saving technologies it provides to patients, and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it supports. In addition, he is co-chair of the Digital Trade Caucus and is a strong advocate for a robust trade agenda.

Paulsen is also a leading advocate for combating sex trafficking and authored several laws to expand safe harbor laws to ensure minors who are trafficked are treated as victims instead of criminals by the justice system, as well as legislation to reform child welfare systems and protect vulnerable youth from sexual exploitation. Both bills passed in Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support and were signed into law.

Erik brings real-world experience to Capitol Hill with over 16 years of business experience, including working as a business analyst at Target Corporation. Before being elected to Congress in 2008, Paulsen represented Minnesotans for 14 years in the State Legislature where he served as House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2007.

He received his B.A. in mathematics from St. Olaf College and resides in Eden Prairie with his wife and their four daughters.