Max Baucus

Who is Max Baucus?

Max Sieben Baucus is the senior United States Senator from Montana and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving in the U.S. Senate since December 15, 1978, he is Montana's longest-serving U.S. senator, and the third longest-serving of current U.S. senators.

As the current chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Baucus has played an influential role in the debate over health care reform in the United States. He is also chairman of the Joint Committee on Taxation, a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and is chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Before his election to the Senate, Baucus was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975–78, representing Montana's then-1st congressional district. He previously served in the Montana House of Representatives from 1973–74.

On August 9, 2011, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appointed Baucus to the United States Congress Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. On April 23, 2013, Baucus announced he would retire from the U.S. Senate at the end of his term in 2015.