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Representative Jim Costa has been engaged in foreign affairs and transatlantic issues since he first came to Congress in 2005. Costa has been a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee for four terms, and currently is a member of the Subcommittee on Europe. As a member of the Committee, Costa has helped shape U.S. foreign policy ranging from trade, human rights, and foreign aid, with a focus on strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations with U.S. allies. A long-time member of the Transatlantic Legislators’ Dialogue (TLD), Costa is currently the Ranking Member of the U.S. Delegation on this important partnership. TLD brings together Members of the U.S. Congress and European Parliament to address global issues ranging from trade and economics to energy and national security. Costa is also Co-chair of the Transatlantic Policy Network's Steering Committee, an organization he has participated in for over a decade that promotes cooperation across the government and business sectors on both sides of the Atlantic. A past participant in multiple NATO Parliamentary Assemblies, Costa believes in leveraging multilateral partnerships to protect the security of democratic values around the world. Costa is a stalwart advocate for working with international allies and partners to uphold the post-World War II rules-based international order. This has created economic opportunities and made the world safer through a comprehensive strategy of diplomacy, sanctions, and deterrence. Costa is a staunch defender of democratic principles at home and around the world. That includes being an outspoken advocate for Ukraine, visiting the capital city of Kyiv a few months after the invasion. In Congress, Costa has voted to provide weapons, military equipment, economic assistance, and humanitarian aid to help the Ukrainian government defend its people and sovereignty, as well as democracy around the world. Costa has been a long-time supporter of Armenia and the large Armenian American community in California. He is a member of the Congressional Armenian Caucus and has supported efforts to defend human rights of Armenians and support peace in the South Caucuses. Costa has been a strong supporter of Israel as a vital partner of the United States in the Middle East. Costa also supports a strong posture towards Iran and was a member of the conference committee that negotiated the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, which invoked the first significant U.S. sanctions on Iran. A descendent of Portuguese immigrants, Costa is Co-Chair of the Congressional Portuguese American Caucus. His grandparents immigrated from the Azores Islands of Portugal to California’s San Joaquin Valley to build a better life. Costa has been a Member of Congress from California’s San Joaquin Valley since 2005. Before being elected to Congress, Costa represented numerous counties in the San Joaquin Valley in the California State Legislature for 24 years, serving in the California State Assembly (1978-1994) and California State Senate (1994- 2002). He grew up on the family dairy farm in Fresno, where he attended Fresno County schools and holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Fresno.
