Jack Reed was born in Cranston, Rhode Island, and is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He served as an Army Ranger and paratrooper, attaining the rank of captain, before earning a law degree from Harvard Law School. Reed served in the Rhode Island State Senate and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990, then won his U.S. Senate seat in 1996, where he has served since, becoming Rhode Island's longest-serving senator.
Reed serves as ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and is widely regarded as one of the Senate's foremost experts on defense and military affairs. His West Point education, Army service, and decades of work on the Armed Services Committee have made him a go-to voice on military readiness, veterans' policy, and national security. Reed also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he has been an influential figure in shaping federal spending on defense and domestic programs.
- Senate Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Department of Defense
- Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government — Ranking Member
- Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Senate Committee on Armed Services — Ranking Member
- Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Subcommittee on Economic Policy
- Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection
- Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment
- SRES. 926: A resolution designating September 2026 as "National Literacy Month". — Introduced
- S. 5549: A bill to support educators. — Introduced
- SRES. 863: A resolution expressing support for designation of the week of September 13 through 19, 2026, as "National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week". — Introduced
- S. 5320: Insider Trading Prohibition Act — Introduced
- S. 5264: Bus Operator Safety and Security Act — Introduced