John Moolenaar

John Moolenaar
Born	John Robert Moolenaar 8 5, 1961
Birthplace	Midland, Michigan, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician
Known for	Chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party
Education	Hope College (BS) Harvard University (MPA)
Website	[Official website Official site]

John Robert Moolenaar (Template:IPAc-en; born May 8, 1961) is an American politician who has served as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Moolenaar represented Michigan's 4th congressional district from 2015 to 2023 and has represented the state's 2nd congressional district since 2023, following redistricting. Before entering Congress, he served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2003 to 2008 and the Michigan Senate from 2011 to 2014. Since April 2024, he has served as the chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, a role through which he has become a prominent congressional voice on U.S.–China policy, trade relations, and national security concerns related to the Chinese Communist Party. Born and raised in Midland, Michigan, Moolenaar built a career in public service that has spanned more than two decades, with a legislative focus on issues affecting rural Michigan communities, chemical research policy, and American competitiveness in relation to China.

Early Life

John Robert Moolenaar was born on May 8, 1961, in Midland, Michigan, a mid-sized city in the central part of the state known as the global headquarters of Dow Chemical Company. He grew up in Midland, where the community's ties to the chemical industry and manufacturing would later influence his legislative interests in chemistry research and economic development.

Details about Moolenaar's parents and family background during his upbringing are limited in publicly available sources. His surname is of Dutch origin, consistent with the significant Dutch-American heritage found throughout western and central Michigan. Midland provided Moolenaar with a grounding in the small-city and rural character of central Michigan—a region he would go on to represent at both the state and federal levels for much of his political career.

Education

Moolenaar attended Hope College, a liberal arts college in Holland, Michigan, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. Hope College, affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, has historically been a prominent institution in Michigan's Dutch-American community.

He later pursued graduate education at Harvard University, where he earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Harvard Kennedy School. The MPA program at Harvard provided Moolenaar with training in public policy, governance, and administration that would inform his subsequent career in Michigan state government and the U.S. Congress.

Career

Michigan House of Representatives (2003–2008)

Moolenaar began his career in elected office when he won a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives, representing the 98th district. He took office on January 1, 2003, succeeding Tony Stamas. He served in the state House for three terms, through December 31, 2008, when he was succeeded by Jim Stamas. During his time in the state House, Moolenaar represented constituents in the Midland area and gained experience in state-level legislative processes. Michigan's term limits law, which restricts state House members to three two-year terms, necessitated his departure from the chamber at the end of 2008.

Michigan Senate (2011–2014)

After a brief period out of elected office, Moolenaar returned to the Michigan Legislature by winning election to the Michigan Senate, where he represented the 36th district beginning on January 1, 2011. He succeeded Tony Stamas in the Senate seat as well. Moolenaar served one four-year term in the state Senate, through December 31, 2014, and was succeeded by Jim Stamas. His service in the state Senate overlapped with significant economic changes in Michigan, including the state's recovery from the Great Recession and the restructuring of its automobile industry.

U.S. House of Representatives (2015–present)

Election to Congress

In 2014, Moolenaar ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Michigan's 4th congressional district, a seat that was being vacated by longtime Republican incumbent Dave Camp, who chose not to seek reelection. Moolenaar won the Republican primary and the general election, and he took office on January 3, 2015.

Following the 2020 redistricting cycle, Michigan's congressional map was redrawn, and Moolenaar's district was reconfigured. Beginning with the 118th Congress in January 2023, he transitioned to representing Michigan's 2nd congressional district, which encompasses a large swath of northern and western Michigan. The district's predecessor in representation was Bill Huizenga, who had represented the prior 2nd district configuration.

Committee Assignments and Caucuses

Moolenaar has served on several congressional committees during his tenure in the House. He has been a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees federal spending legislation. He is also a member of the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus of conservative members in Congress. Additionally, Moolenaar has been affiliated with the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of moderate and center-right Republican members of Congress. He is also a member of the U.S.–Japan Caucus.

His committee assignments and caucus memberships are listed on his official congressional website.

Chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party

On April 24, 2024, Moolenaar became the chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (formally known as the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party), succeeding Mike Gallagher, who had resigned from Congress.

As chairman, Moolenaar has focused the committee's work on several areas of U.S.–China competition, including trade policy, technology transfer, academic transparency, and Taiwan policy. In his capacity as chair, he has issued statements and led legislative efforts on a range of issues related to countering the influence of the Chinese Communist Party.

In early 2026, Moolenaar publicly advocated for the United States to "push back" against what he described as the Chinese Communist Party's "false narratives" regarding Taiwan, arguing at an Atlantic Council event that the U.S. should not "allow deception to become reality" on the Taiwan issue. He also released a statement supporting a new trade deal with Taiwan, characterizing it as supportive of American jobs and reflective of continued partnership between the Trump administration and Taiwan.

On the subject of tariffs, Moolenaar expressed support for the Trump administration's use of emergency authorities to impose tariffs on Chinese goods, stating that "tariffs on China level the playing field for Americans" following a Supreme Court decision upholding the administration's authority in the matter.

Moolenaar has also pursued oversight of Chinese influence in American academia. Together with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, he sent letters to NASA and the FBI alerting them to research collaborations linked to the Chinese Communist Party, raising concerns about potential security risks. In a related effort, he supported a new federal partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of State aimed at increasing transparency regarding foreign gifts made to American universities.

Additionally, Moolenaar voted in favor of legislation requiring the Department of Energy to assess and secure America's energy supply chains, citing concerns about Chinese involvement in critical energy infrastructure.

2020 Presidential Election Challenges

Following the 2020 presidential election, Moolenaar was among the Republican members of Congress who supported legal challenges to the election results. He was one of 126 Republican members of the House who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas at the Supreme Court that sought to invalidate the election results in four states—Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin—won by President-elect Joe Biden. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on December 11, 2020, ruling that Texas lacked standing to challenge other states' election procedures.

Constituent Services and Rural Healthcare

In his role representing Michigan's 2nd congressional district, Moolenaar has focused attention on issues affecting rural communities in northern and central Michigan. In February 2026, he invited Dr. Jeffrey Smith as his guest to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, highlighting rural healthcare issues and the challenges facing medical providers in underserved areas of his district.

Political Positions

Moolenaar's political positions align broadly with the Republican mainstream. As a member of both the conservative Republican Study Committee and the more centrist Republican Main Street Partnership, he has positioned himself within the party's center-right to right wing.

His most prominent policy focus in recent years has been on U.S.–China relations and competition. As chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Moolenaar has advocated for tariffs on Chinese goods, greater transparency in foreign funding of American universities, stronger trade relationships with Taiwan, and increased scrutiny of research collaborations involving entities linked to the Chinese government. He has described the strategic competition with China as one of the defining challenges for American policy.

On the 2020 presidential election, Moolenaar joined a significant number of Republican House members in supporting the Texas lawsuit that sought to challenge the results, an action that drew both support from Trump-aligned Republicans and criticism from those who viewed it as an effort to overturn the certified election outcome.

Personal Life

Moolenaar resides in Michigan's 2nd congressional district. He has maintained his ties to the Midland, Michigan, area throughout his political career. Further publicly documented details regarding his family life are limited in available sources.

Electoral History

Moolenaar has won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in each cycle since 2014. His campaign financial disclosures are filed with the Federal Election Commission. He initially won the 4th district seat vacated by Dave Camp and has since transitioned to the 2nd district following redistricting, winning election in that reconfigured district as well.

Recognition

Moolenaar has been recognized by the National Endowment for Democracy as an honorary expert, reflecting his work on issues related to democracy promotion and countering authoritarian influence, particularly in the context of U.S.–China relations.

His chairmanship of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has elevated his national profile on foreign policy and national security issues. The committee's bipartisan structure and high-profile hearings have made it one of the more visible select committees in the 118th and 119th Congresses.

Moolenaar has been invited to speak at policy forums hosted by organizations such as the Atlantic Council, where he has addressed issues related to Taiwan, U.S.–China competition, and American strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific region.