As the 119th Congress gets underway, a new class of freshmen senators has arrived on Capitol Hill, bringing diverse backgrounds, fresh perspectives and unique priorities to the upper chamber. From former governors and House members to military veterans and business leaders, these newly elected and appointed senators are poised to shape policy on a wide range of issues that impact the convenience industry, including payments, transportation energy, infrastructure, and labor and tax policy. Here’s a closer look at the newest members of the U.S. Senate and the roles they’ll play in the legislative landscape ahead.
Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD)
Angela Alsobrooks has a background as an attorney and public servant in her home state of Maryland, serving as the youngest and first woman to be elected Prince George’s County State’s Attorney. She later was elected to be Prince George’s County Executive, focused on generating economic opportunity and job creation.
Alsobrooks serves on three Senate Committees: Banking; Environment & Public Works (EPW); and Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP). These committees have jurisdiction over issues important to the convenience industry, such as credit card swipe fees, fuels, labor and healthcare.
Jim Banks (R-IN)
Jim Banks, a Navy veteran, served as the U.S. Representative for Indiana’s 3rd Congressional District from 2017-2025, and he was an Indiana state senator before that. While in the House of Representatives, Banks served on the House Armed Services Committee, the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party. In the 117th Congress, Banks served as Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus in the House.
In the Senate, Banks serves on the Armed Services, Banking, Veterans’ Affairs and HELP Committees. NACS will work with Senator Banks on payments issues, alongside healthcare and labor issues.
Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)
Lisa Blunt Rochester began her political career as an aide to recently retired Senator Tom Carper, and later went on to serve in the cabinets of both Delaware Governors Carper and Ruth Ann Minner. Blunt Rochester then went on to serve four terms in the House of Representatives, making history as the first woman and first African American to represent the state of Delaware in both chambers of Congress.
While in the House, she served on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees health care, the environment, commerce and trade, energy policy, manufacturing and consumer protection. In the Senate, Blunt Rochester serves on four Committees: Banking, Commerce, EPW and HELP.
John Curtis (R-UT)
John Curtis served as the U.S. Representative for Utah’s 3rd Congressional District from 2017-2025. Generally considered a moderate Republican, Curtis founded the Conservative Climate Caucus in 2021 with the purpose to educate House Republicans on climate policies and legislation consistent with conservative values. While in the House, Curtis helped advance legislation that would unleash U.S. clean fuels, ensure energy independence and reduce global emissions.
Curtis serves on the Senate Committees on Commerce, EPW, Foreign Relations and Small Business. Issues such as transportation, infrastructure, privacy, data security, gasoline prices and others are in the jurisdiction of his committee assignments and important to the convenience industry.
Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
Ruben Gallego, the son of immigrant parents, was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010, and later was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014. While in the House, he served on the both the Armed Services and Natural Resources Committees. Before his time in politics, Gallego served in the Marine Corps and did tours of duty in Iraq in the mid-2000s.
Gallego serves on four Committees while in the Senate: Banking, Energy & Natural Resources, Homeland Security and Veterans’ Affairs. Both the Banking and Energy & Natural Resources Committees have jurisdiction over issues that impact the convenience industry, including payments and fuels.
Jim Justice (R-WV)
A lifelong West Virginian, Jim Justice joined his family’s business and established the Justice Family Farms, with over 50,000 acres of farmland across multiple states. He later inherited ownership of his father’s Bluestone Industries and Bluestone Coal Corporation. In 2009, he purchased the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, to prevent its bankruptcy. Later, Justice was elected as Governor of West Virginia, serving until 2025.
Justice serves on Senate Committees of importance to the convenience industry, including the Committees on Agriculture, Energy & Natural Resources and Small Business. These Committees have jurisdiction over issues such as SNAP and oil and gas policies.
Andy Kim (D-NJ)
Andy Kim represented his home community, New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District, in the House of Representatives for three terms until 2024. Before being elected to the House, Kim worked as a career public servant under both Democrats and Republicans, having served at USAID, the Pentagon, the State Department, the White House National Security Council and in Afghanistan as an advisor to Generals Petraeus and Allen.
In the Senate, Kim serves on four Committees: Banking, Commerce, HELP and Homeland Security. NACS will work with Senator Kim on issues such as payments, healthcare and labor.
Dave McCormick(R-PA)
Dave McCormick attended West Point and was deployed to the Middle East during the First Gulf War. Following his service in Iraq, McCormick went on to earn his Ph.D. in international relations from Princeton, and later became the CEO of a tech startup and an investment firm. He also served as Under Secretary of Treasury and as Deputy National Security Advisor during President Geoge W. Bush’s second term.
McCormick serves as a member of the Senate Committees on Banking, Energy & Natural Resources, and Foreign Relations. Issues of importance to the convenience industry that fall under these Committees’ jurisdiction include payments, oil and gas policy, and biofuels.
Bernie Moreno (R-OH)
Bernie Moreno was born in Bogota, Colombia. He moved to the United States with his family at age five and became an American citizen at age 18. Moreno purchased his first car dealership in 2005 and grew that one dealership into one of the largest dealership groups in America, eventually employing over 1,000 Ohioans. In 2016, Moreno began focusing on blockchain technology and moved much of his volunteer time and investment dollars into the space.
Moreno serves on the Senate Committees on Banking, Commerce, Homeland Security and Budget. These committees have jurisdiction over issues such as transportation and highways; truck weights; and payments, including cryptocurrency.
Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Adam Schiff began his career as a law clerk and later joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles as a federal prosecutor. After serving in the California state legislature, Schiff was elected to the House of Representatives in 2000, where he served on the House Committees on Judiciary, Foreign Affairs and Appropriations. Schiff is a longtime champion of the environment and clean energy, as well as investments in infrastructure.
Schiff serves on four committees in the Senate: Agriculture, EPW, Small Business and Judiciary. NACS will work with him on issues such as the Farm Bill, SNAP and transportation infrastructure.
Tim Sheehy (R-MT)
Tim Sheehy, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, completed several deployments as a U.S. Navy SEAL Officer in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America and the Pacific region. In addition to founding an aerospace company based in Belgrade, Montana, he is also an active firefighting pilot, completing hundreds of firefighting missions across the American West.
Sheehy will be a member of the Senate Committees on Armed Services, Commerce, and Veterans’ Affairs.
Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)
Elissa Slotkin, former CIA analyst and Department of Defense official, was elected to the House of Representatives for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, serving for three terms. In the House, she advocated for legislation that would expand access to health care and bring supply chains and manufacturing back to Michigan.
In the Senate, Slotkin serves on the Committees on Agriculture, Armed Services, Homeland Security, and Veterans’ Affairs. NACS will work with her on the upcoming Farm Bill and on SNAP issues.
Jon Husted (R-OH)
Jon Husted, former Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, was appointed by the Governor of Ohio to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of J.D. Vance to serve as the Vice President of the United States. Husted serves on the Committee on Environment & Public Works, which has jurisdiction over highways and transportation infrastructure.
Ashley Moody (R-FL)
Ashley Moody is the former Attorney General for the state of Florida. She was appointed to the Senate by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to fill the vacancy caused by Marco Rubio’s resignation to become Secretary of State. Moody serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over antitrust issues.