Van Epps, Matt

Matt Van Epps is a Republican member of the U.S. House representing Tennessee's 7th Congressional District, which encompasses much of Middle Tennessee including Clarksville, portions of Nashville, and western Williamson County. He was sworn in on December 4, 2025, after winning a special election in December 2025 with 53.9% of the vote. Van Epps is a West Point graduate who served ten years on active duty as an Army aviator, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he flew and commanded missions in the AH-64D Apache and MH-47G Chinook helicopters with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. He continues to serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard.

Before his election to Congress, Van Epps held senior leadership positions in Tennessee state government, including Deputy Chief Operating Officer in the Governor's Office and Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services from 2024 to 2025, where he oversaw statewide procurement, real estate, and facilities management. He holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has worked in small businesses focused on recruiting, healthcare operations, and procurement strategy.

Van Epps serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security, where he is a member of the Counterterrorism and Intelligence, Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability, and Transportation and Maritime Security subcommittees. He also serves on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. His legislative priorities reflect his military background and conservative principles. He sponsored the HONOR Gold Star Families Act, which seeks to increase support for military families who have lost loved ones in service. He has also introduced legislation assessing terrorism threats posed by foreign terrorist organizations in major non-NATO ally countries.

Van Epps describes himself as a fiscal hawk and conservative Republican whose platform aligns with the America First agenda. He supports tax cuts, border security, deregulation to stimulate small business growth, school choice, and a robust defense budget. On national security, he advocates for a Peace Through Strength foreign policy. He has been critical of what he characterizes as woke ideologies within the federal bureaucracy and military, and supports healthcare reforms aimed at reducing prescription drug costs through market competition.