Seniority, alliance with Trump boost Aderholt’s Congressional influence

When Robert Aderholt was first elected to Congress in 1996, he never considered that more than three decades later, he would still be serving the people of Alabama’s Fourth Congressional District. 

Aderholt was a freshman legislator, thefirst person elected to the seat the 30-year tenure of Congressman Tom Bevill.

Serving in Congress requires flexibility in scheduling. While there are plenty of scheduled Congressional terms and events, the men and women serving in the United States House must be ready to return to Washington, D.C., with little or no notice.

That can entail delaying or canceling plans with family, a big reason why being married to a member of Congress is an exercise in patience.

“I don’t know that I ever thought about serving 30 or more years, but I certainly hoped to be there for a while,” Aderholt told the FFP in a recent interview.

“My passion to serve is as strong as ever. And I’ve been blessed with a supportive wife (Caroline) and family. Something many people don’t understand is the grind of Washington travel. You’re going back and forth, on planned and unplanned duties. The life of a Congressman or Congresswoman really requires support and patience from your spouse, as well as understanding from the rest of your family,” he added.

On November 6th, Aderholt hopes to win another two years in what would be his 16th term. Aderholt ranks 20th of the 435 members of the United States House of Representatives in terms of seniority.

He faced opposition in this year’s Republican Primary from Colbert County Commissioner Tommy Barnes, but with more than 77% of the May 19th vote, Aderholt sailed through the primary process to November’s general election.

He will be contested in the November general election by Democratic nominee Amanda Pusczek.

One of President Donald Trump’s earliest allies, Aderholt represents the area that gave Trump his highest percentage of votes of any Congressional district in the nation in 2016. That overwhelming support from Alabama’s Fourth Congressional District continued for Trump in 2020 and 2024, again topping the list of all 435 Congressional Districts.

“When I see the President, I always remind him the district I represent is the one where he always received his highest percentage of votes, starting with 81% of the vote in 2016,” Aderholt said. “We certainly try to take advantage of the President’s love for Alabama. He’s always had real support across our state, so we’re very happy to get his support on some crucial things including securing Space Command coming to Huntsville.

“There was an initial study showing Huntsville to be the best location for our Space Command. But (President Joe) Biden changed it back to Colorado and Trump restored it to Huntsville. Huntsville won fair and square, but without President Trump, it would not have happened. Space Command is in Huntsville right now because of the way the election went in 2024,” he added.

Now with 30 years’ tenure, Aderholt predictably holds some powerful Congressional committee assignments. Aderholt is a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, which oversees federal government funding. And he chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education. Aderholt also serves on the Agriculture Subcommittee and the Defense Subcommittee.

Earlier this year, Aderholt announced a $35 million appropriation for Alabama hospitals, with the majority of the funds going to rural hospitals, which are plentiful across Alabama’s Fourth Congressional District.

The new budget for the next fiscal year includes $100 million for rural hospital provider assistance to support rural hospitals at the low end of salaries ensure adequate staffing and quality health care accessibility.

Throughout his 15 terms, Aderholt has steadfastly supported funding for rural health care providers.

“While rural hospital closures have become an unfortunate reality in many parts of our country, Alabama’s Fourth Congressional District has not lost a hospital during my time in Congress,” Aderholt said. “Preserving access to healthcare in our rural communities has been one of my highest priorities because I understand what these facilities mean to the people they serve.”

Two-thirds of Aderholt’s district lies in rural areas. The largest municipality in Congressional District Four is Florence, with 42,581 residents.

Aderholt understands well the demographics of the district he represents. He prioritized securing reliable broadband availability in all communities he represents, something that also improves healthcare through telehealth. It’s an issue the importance of which Aderholt has seen first-hand.

When his father suffered a stroke in 2013, he was taken to the local hospital in Haleyville during the ‘golden hour,’ where he received prompt treatment that led to a full recovery.

“Whether it’s preserving a local rural hospital, expanding telehealth through broadband or helping providers navigate financial challenges, the goal remains the same—ensuring rural families have continued access to the services they need to enjoy healthy and productive lives,” Aderholt said.

Aderholt’s strong working relationship with Franklin County’s elected officials has facilitated funding for local infrastructure improvements, including a grant this year to Red Bay’s Water and Gas Department for rehabilitation of an inactive well that will increase capacity and improve quality of water flow.

Aderholt secured more than $3.8 million to construct the Norris Public Library and Media Center, which will be located behind Russellville City Hall. 

At the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Russellville library, Mayor David Grissom presented Aderholt with a key to the city, one of only three Grissom has presented in his four terms as mayor.

”Congressman Aderholt is a friend and a steadfast supporter of Russellville and without his support for this project, we would not be standing here today,” Grissom said at the ceremony. “Congressman Aderholt’s Field Representative,  Kreg Kennedy, even came to Russellville to help us navigate through the application process for the library project. Kreg’s assistance was invaluable to us.”

While there’s no shortage of advocates for term limits in Congress, it’s hard to dispute that Aderholt’s three decades in elected office have placed him in some powerful positions in Washington. As Chair of the House Subcommittee on Appropriations, Aderholt leads the committee responsible for the largest share of the federal budget outside of defense spending.

“Seniority plays a role in Washington in the House and Senate. And that’s given me the opportunity to do some things for the district that starting out, I quite honestly would not have been able to do,” Aderholt told the FFP.

He also learned from his predecessors, Tom Bevill and Sen. Richard Shelby, about the importance of building relationships in Congress and not tearing them down.

“I’m now in a position where I’m able to do more. And that’s also based on relationships you make in Congress. Getting to know people serving and from places you’re not familiar with, I try to never burn bridges. I’ve learned sometimes people may not be your best friend one day, but a few years later you might end up where they can do you a great favor for the people you represent. Don’t burn bridges because you might have to cross over them sometimes,” Aderholt said.

Though he downplayed his role in bringing a $2.4 billion nuclear submarine tier component manufacturing facility to Cherokee in March, officials with Hadrian, the manufacturing company partnering with the United States Navy to run the 2.2 million square foot facility said Aderholt was instrumental in securing the facility to locate in Northwest Alabama.

“It was a privilege to help open an event that has been years in the making, an effort that many worked toward and believed in,” Aderholt said. “This 2.2 million square foot facility will now be a symbol of U.S. defense, anchoring shipbuilding and maritime production in Northwest Alabama, proving that maritime dominance is not just a coastal priority.”

Aderholt helped sell the Cherokee location to Hadrian by promoting the facility’s strong fit to the three priorities the company was looking for.

“They were looking for available land, near water, with reliable access to power. So we were able to tap in and it was a win-win for everybody,” Aderholt said. “It was one of the projects I’m most proud of because of the generational impact it will have for our area.”