LaHood, Darin

Darin LaHood is a U.S. Representative from Illinois who has served in Congress since 2015, currently representing the 16th district. He chairs multiple subcommittees within the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, overseeing the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency and Cyber operations. As chair of these intelligence subcommittees, LaHood controls the agenda for oversight hearings, budget allocations, and legislative initiatives related to U.S. intelligence agencies and cybersecurity threats. He also serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means, where he chairs the Work and Welfare subcommittee, giving him influence over tax policy and social welfare legislation.

LaHood's background positions him well for his intelligence committee roles. Before entering Congress, he worked as a prosecutor in the Tazewell County state's attorney's office and later in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada in Las Vegas, developing expertise in federal law enforcement and national security matters. Upon returning to Peoria in 2005, he established a private law practice while building his political career in the Illinois State Senate from 2011 to 2015.

LaHood comes from a political family with deep roots in Illinois representation. His father, Ray LaHood, represented the same congressional district from 1995 to 2009 and later served as Secretary of Transportation. Darin was elected to Congress in a 2015 special election following Aaron Schock's resignation, and he has maintained his seat through subsequent elections, adapting to redistricting changes when Illinois lost a congressional seat in 2022.

As a member of both intelligence and tax committees, LaHood has sponsored legislation spanning national security, education, and social policy, reflecting his dual committee assignments. His legislative work demonstrates engagement across multiple policy domains, though his committee leadership positions him as a key figure in congressional oversight of U.S. intelligence operations and cybersecurity strategy.