Glenn William "GT" Thompson Jr. (born July 27, 1959) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected to Congress in 2008 for the state's 5th congressional district; Thompson was redistricted to the 15th congressional district in the 2018 election by an order of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Since 2023, he has chaired the House Agriculture Committee.
Early life, education and early career
Thompson was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, grew up in Howard, Pennsylvania, and is the son of a Navy veteran. He holds a bachelor's degree in therapeutic recreation from Pennsylvania State University and dual master's degrees in therapeutic recreation and health science from Temple University.
Thompson worked for 28 years as a Therapist/Rehab Services Manager/Licensed Nursing Home Administrator in Lycoming County and chaired the Centre County Republican Committee for six years. He has spent 25 years as a member or president of the Howard Volunteer Fire Company 14, and volunteers as a firefighter, emergency medical technician, and rescue technician.
U.S. House of Representatives
Tenure
When the 112th Congress convened on January 5, 2011, to elect a Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Thompson's vote was the 218th vote for John Boehner, giving Boehner the majority needed to be named Speaker.
During the 112th Congress, Thompson became chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry, Conservation, and Energy.
At the start of the 115th Congress, Thompson was named vice-chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture. In December 2020, ahead of the 117th Congress, he was named ranking member of the agriculture committee.
Government funding
In January 2018, Thompson voted for the Fiscal Year 2018 continuing resolution (CR), a stopgap funding bill to fund the federal government at then-current levels through February 16, 2018. It also provided for six-year funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Thompson praised the measure for delaying what he called "three onerous and unpopular Obamacare taxes, which should be permanently repealed."
Education
As a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, Thompson has supported local control rather than federal mandates on issues like evaluating teachers, opposed private school vouchers, and voted to expand S-CHIP (children's health insurance). In August 2014, the National Education Association's political action committee endorsed Thompson for reelection.
Food programs
In April 2018, Thompson supported new work and job training requirements for certain beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps. Thompson spoke up for the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), recalling that in the early 1980s, when he earned "less than $9,000", he and his wife had relied upon WIC, "a short-term intervention program designed to help pregnant women and their children meet healthy nutritional needs."
Gun control
After the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018, Thompson told an audience of students that he did not agree with the idea of arming teachers and had voted to fund an improved national background check system. Thompson called for more "uniformed law enforcement in our schools."
Veterans
In April 2017, Thompson and Julia Brownley introduced H.R. 2123, the Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine Support (VETS) Act of 2017. In September, Thompson praised the Department of Veterans Affairs for proposing a rule that was similar to his bill that would allow VA-credentialed health care providers to practice telemedicine across state lines.
Thompson sponsored the Servicemembers' Telemedicine and E-Health Portability Act of 2011, which was enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012. The bill expanded the use of telemedicine for active duty military, reserve and National Guard.
Environment
Of climate change, Thompson has said, "I think humans contribute," but added that he was not sure of the degree to which they contribute. In September 2017, Thompson and several other members of Congress asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rescind the Waters of the United States rule, calling the regulation an overreach that expanded "EPA's authority far beyond its congressional mandate."