U.S. House of Representatives
Elections , 1977 In 1974, incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative
Jerome Waldie gave up his seat to make an unsuccessful run for
Governor of California. Miller decided to run for the open seat, which had been renumbered from the
14th congressional district to the
7th congressional district in a mid-decade redistricting. He won the primary with a plurality of 38%. In the general election, he defeated Republican Gary Fernandez 56% to 44%, the lowest winning percentage of his career. He went on to win reelection 18 times and never won with less than 60% of the vote. On April 10, 1975, Miller walked out of the House chamber during President Ford's
State of the Union Address when he requested military aid for
South Vietnam. ;2012 After redistricting, Miller's district was redrawn and renumbered the 11th. He ran against, and defeated, Republican Virginia Fuller in the general election. In a 2012 campaign ad, Miller said that the main challenge the U.S. faces is the need “to correct the disparities that exist in our country.”
Tenure in 2014 According to a 2013 article in the
National Journal, Miller was one of seven members of the
113th Congress House of Representatives who tied for most liberal. In 2011–12, Miller sponsored 10 bills (placing him at #40 out of 440 House members), none of which were made into law (ranks 18 of 440). He co-sponsored 199 bills (placing him at #138 out of 440), 4 of which were made into law (ranks 17 of 440). During Miller's 1974 campaign, he routinely disclosed his donors and expenses, taking advantage of the
Watergate scandal that was still in the minds of voters. This helped get him a seat in the House at the age of 29, becoming one of the
Watergate Babies. At the time of his retirement, he was one of the last surviving members of the large Democratic freshman class of 1974, and had spent over half of his life in Congress. Miller has been described as someone who has "proven himself both a liberal lion ...and savvy about working both sides of the aisle.” ; Environmental issues In the House, Miller was a member of the Natural Resources Committee; he was that Committee's chairman from 1991 to 1994. Miller supported efforts to preserve public lands such as the 1994 California Desert Protection Act, which among other things created
Death Valley National Park and
Joshua Tree National Park. In addition, Miller was the chief sponsor of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act of 1992, which mandated that the federal government's
Bureau of Reclamation manage the
Central Valley Project in order to better protect the fish and wildlife populations of California's
Bay-Delta region. Miller lost his chairmanship when
Republicans won control of Congress in 1994. He stayed as the committee's Ranking Member until 2000, and remained on the committee as a member until 2015. Miller was also a member of the
Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus. ; Labor issues From 2001 to 2006, Miller was the ranking Democrat on the
Education and the Workforce Committee. With that committee's chairman and their
Senate counterparts, Miller helped draft the
No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 and 2002. Miller has focused on
pension issues, reinstating
Davis-Bacon Act wage protections for
Gulf Coast workers in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina. In addition, Miller has worked on education issues such as protesting student aid cuts, increasing
No Child Left Behind Act funding, and investigating the
Bush administration's hiring of
Armstrong Williams to promote that law. Miller has also been a vocal advocate of
labor and
immigration reform in the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In 2007, as chairman of the
House Education and Labor Committee, Miller sponsored the
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, which was enacted into law as an amendment to another bill. In 2001, Miller said, "The secret ballot is absolutely necessary in order to ensure that workers are not intimidated into voting for a union they might not otherwise choose." He was an "outspoken critic of the apparel industry record on worker safety in foreign factories, most recently in Bangladesh." ;Education Miller's biggest defeat was when he lost 424-1 in congress for his amendment to House Resolution 6 of 1994. His refusal to make provision for
homeschooling caused the national home school community to lobby the whole congress against Miller's amendment to the
Improving America's Schools Act of 1994. Miller sponsored the
Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act, a bill that would require school districts receiving federal funds to give all employees criminal background checks. The bill passed the House of Representatives on October 22, 2013. In addition, Miller wrote the legislation to designate the site of the event as a National Memorial. ;Native American gaming Miller was a supporter of
Native American gaming. In 2000, as ranking member of the House Resource Committee, Miller inserted an amendment to the Omnibus Indian Advancement Act that took an existing cardroom into federal trust for the
Lytton Band of Pomo Indians. The amendment made the land acquisition retroactive to 1987, stating that "[s]uch land shall be deemed to have been held in trust and part of the reservation of the Rancheria prior to October 17, 1988." This allowed the Lyttons to open a casino at the cardroom under the terms of the
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. Some members of Congress and the gambling industry called the amendment "underhanded," while other politicians have judged the process to be nothing out of the ordinary. When Donald Trump protested the issuance of gaming licenses to Native Americans, saying the recipients didn't look like Indians to him, Miller responded: "Thank God that's not the test of whether or not people have rights in this country or not – whether or not they pass your 'look' test." In 2024, Ana Cabrera of MSNBC remarked, "Congressman George Miller of California, who had confronted Trump in 1993...said that was the most irresponsible testimony he had heard in his 40 years in Congress." ;Relationship with Nancy Pelosi Miller has been considered
Nancy Pelosi's most trusted confidant, with conservative columnist
Robert Novak describing him as "her consigliere, always at her side." Pelosi receives advice from Miller as well as protection from potential adversaries in the Democratic Caucus. Miller describes her as the leader he has been waiting for 30 years and supported her when the Democrats lost the majority in 2010, saying that the Obama administration did not defend her or her accomplishments. Pelosi also named Miller chairman of the
Democratic Policy Committee, where he had an influential role in preparing the "New Direction" for the 2006 election. ;SunPower controversy It was reported that Miller and his son, George Miller IV, a lobbyist, were involved in the controversy surrounding the
U.S. Department of Energy awarding a $1.2 billion loan to the struggling
SunPower Corporation. The loan was awarded hours before the DOE program was set to expire. It was reported that by April 2012, the company's stock had fallen nearly 50% since the loan had been awarded. SunPower paid Miller's son and his lobbying firm US$138,000 to represent them. Miller asserted that he and his son never discuss legislation; his son, however, does boast openly of political connections in Washington.
Committee assignments •
Committee on Education and Labor (ranking member) • As ranking member of the full committee, Miller may serve as an
ex officio member of all subcommittees of which he is not already a voting member. •
Subcommittee on Workforce Protections •
Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions •
United States House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families (Chair)
Caucus memberships • Congressional Progressive Caucus • Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus •
International Conservation Caucus •
House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee (Co-Chair for Policy) ==Personal life==