Liz Cheney

In 2002, Cheney was appointed to the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs,[21][22] a pre-existing vacant post with an "economic portfolio", which is a mandate to promote investment in the region. Amid reports, including a New York Times editorial by Paul Krugman, saying that the job was created especially for her, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said that she had come recommended by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell.[23][24] The Sunday Times (London) reported that Cheney's appointment was "the most intriguing sign that America is getting serious about Middle East reform" and that the appointment was "a measure of the seriousness with which the administration was taking Middle East programmes for literacy, education, and reform."[25] The appointment followed publicized policy divisions between the Vice President's office and the State Department on Middle East policy. In that position, she was given control of the Middle East Partnership Initiative, designed to "foster increased democracy and economic progress in a troubled region." The program spent $29 million in 2002, increased to $129 million in the following year. Cheney's task was to channel money to pre-screened groups, some of which were not identified publicly for fear of retaliations from extant governments they sought to undermine. For the budget year 2004, the project sought $145 million.[26][27]

Cheney at the 2005 presidential inauguration

After two years of service, Cheney left her first State Department post in 2003 to serve in her father's 2004 re-election campaign. She participated in the campaign's "W Stands for Women" initiative to target female voters.[28]

On February 14, 2005, she returned to the U.S. State Department and was appointed the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State For Near Eastern Affairs and Coordinator for Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiatives.[29][30] In this position, Cheney supported the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, C. David Welch, and coordinated U.S. multilateral efforts to promote and support democracy, expanded education and economic opportunities in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Cheney oversaw the launch of two semi-independent foundations, the Fund of the Future (worth $100 million), to provide capital for small businesses and the Foundation of the Future (worth $55 million), to promote freedom of the press and democracy.[31] In that capacity, Cheney endorsed a draft of a new Iraqi constitution.[32]

Elizabeth Cheney also headed the Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group (ISOG), established in March 2006, a unit within the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

In April 2006, The New York Times published a story critical of Cheney's work, particularly with respect to Iran. Of particular scrutiny was a grants program administered by Elizabeth Cheney's unit, in collaboration with a Republican-affiliated foundation, the International Republican Institute.[33] The Times maintained that when the group became controversial, with critics saying that it was plotting covert actions that could escalate into war with Iran and Syria, the group was disbanded, by May 2006. Shortly before the ISOG group was dissolved, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice initiated a major effort to engage Iran and Syria in efforts to stabilize Iraq.[34] As late as April 11, 2009, Iranian officials investigating "cyber-crimes" cited Cheney's efforts in the daily newspaper Iran, specifically the "Democracy Program" [sic] initiative as parallel to a Netherlands-funded push for a "velvet revolution" accomplished by a media campaign to polarize the country, "despite the 1981 Algiers Accords signed between the U.S. and Iran in the aftermath of the U.S. embassy takeover in Tehran."[35]

Cheney in 2016

After incumbent Cynthia Lummis announced her retirement in the Fall of 2015, Cheney announced she was considering running for her seat in 2016. It is the same seat her father occupied for ten years. On February 1, 2016, Cheney announced her candidacy for Wyoming's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and was widely considered the frontrunner for the seat.[49] Oil tycoon Simon Kukes contributed to her campaign.[50] She was elected with over 60% of the vote in the general election.

In the November 6 general election, Cheney was re-elected as Wyoming's sole member of the House of Representatives. She won 127,951 votes, defeating Democrat Greg Hunter (59,898 votes), Libertarian Richard Brubaker (6,918) and Constitution Party candidate Daniel Clyde Cummings (6,069). Cheney won 21 of 23 counties, losing Albany and Teton Counties to Greg Hunter. On November 14, Cheney was elected by the Republican membership as the Chair of the House Republican Conference for the 116th Congress. In this post, she is the third-ranking Republican in the chamber, behind Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Minority Whip Steve Scalise.[51] She is also the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress.

Cheney was sworn into office on January 3, 2017. She co-sponsored legislation that would end protection for grey wolves in the Endangered Species Act.[52]

In May 2019, Cheney said that Peter Strzok and another FBI agent who sent personal text messages where they disparaged various politicians (including President Donald Trump) sounded as if they were planning a "coup" and may be guilty of "treason".[53][54]

On March 7, 2019, Cheney joined 22 Republican representatives in opposing HR183 which condemned "anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance" and "anti-Muslim discrimination and bigotry." Critics of the bill cites their concern with it being too broad, as it was initially meant to chastise comments made by Ilhan Omar, and her name and comments were removed from the bill.

In June 2019, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez compared the holding centers for illegal immigrants at the Mexico–United States border to "concentration camps". Cheney strongly criticized her words, saying they showed "disrespect" for Holocaust victims.[55]

Speaking as Chairwoman at a House Republican Conference in August 2019, Cheney stated that the successful litigation (Crow Tribe et al v. Zinke) by Native tribes and environmentalists to return the grizzly bear in Greater Yellowstone to the Endangered Species Act "was not based on science or facts” but motivated by plaintiffs “intent on destroying our Western way of life." Her statements drew comments from indigenous tribal nations and environmentalists. Tribal nations hold the grizzly to be sacred and they and environmentalists have voiced concerns about trophy hunts, livestock and logging interests, and the gas, coal, and oil extraction industries.[56][57]

Cheney condemned the Turkish invasion of the Kurdish areas in Syria, which was made possible by President Trump's decision to withdraw US military forces that served as a buffer between Turkey and the Kurdish areas in Syria, stating that "The U.S. is abandoning our ally the Kurds, who fought ISIS (Islamic State) on the ground and helped protect the U.S. homeland. This decision aids America’s adversaries, Russia, Iran, and Turkey, and paves the way for a resurgence of ISIS."[58] Cheney partly blamed the Democratic Party and the impeachment inquiry into Trump for Turkey's actions, saying “It was not an accident that the Turks chose this moment to roll across the border."[59][60] A spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described Cheney's claim about the impact of U.S. presidential impeachment proceedings on the invasion as "delusional".[59]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Military Personnel
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
• Committee on Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Western Caucus[61]