Dale Strong
Dale Whitney Strong (1970- ) is the current Republican representative for Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District. First elected in 2022, Strong had previously served on the Madison County Commission as the District 4 commissioner since 1996. In 2012, he became the commission's first Republican chairman. Before entering politics, Strong worked for First Alabama Bank and Solvay Pharmaceuticals, in addition to serving as an emergency medical technician (EMT), volunteer firefighter, and 911 dispatcher.
Strong was born on May 8, 1970, to Horace N. Strong and Judy Vaughn Strong in the unincorporated community of Monrovia, Madison County. He has a brother and a sister. Horace was a founding member of the Monrovia Fire-Rescue Department, and Dale began volunteering at the fire department at the age of 13. Strong graduated from Sparkman High School in 1988 and then attended Athens State University in Athens, Limestone County, earning a bachelor's degree in business administration. Later, Strong earned his EMT license from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. In 1999, he married Laura Toney, with whom he has two children.
Strong worked for First Alabama Bank in public relations and Solvay Pharmaceuticals as a sales representative. He also continued his role as a volunteer fireman and also served as an EMT and 911 dispatcher. After a devastating tornado struck Huntsville in November 1989, Strong received the Public Safety Officer Medal of Honor from the state for his service to the community at that time. In 1996, he was elected to the 4th District of the Madison County Commission, becoming the youngest Republican elected official in Alabama at the time. An emphasis for Strong during his tenure as District 4 commissioner was attempting to establish an early tornado warning system. He also assisted with disaster relief following the widespread April 2011 tornado outbreak in the Southeast.
In 2011, Strong strongly criticized the then-chair of the commission, Mike Gillespie, for his mishandling of relief efforts during the 2011 tornadoes. A few months later, Strong announced his challenge to Gillespie for the chair position in the 2012 county elections. Gillespie announced his retirement before the primaries, however, thereby allowing Strong to win the chair unopposed in the general election after defeating Wayne Parker in the Republican primary. Strong became the first-ever Republican chair of the commission.
Strong continued to help recruit federal agencies, including NASA and the FBI, to work at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. He also led the commission to relocate a Confederate statue from the county courthouse to a local cemetery in 2020, citing protests and damage to the monument. The decision to move the statue prompted State Attorney General Steve Marshall to file a lawsuit; Marshall claimed that the decision violated the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act of 2017. The commission paid the $25,000 fine, and a Madison County judge dismissed the lawsuit.
After nearly a decade chairing the Madison County Commission, Strong decided to run for Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District seat, vacated when Morris “Mo” Brooks ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022. The district includes the counties of Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Limestone, and the eastern part of Lauderdale. In the weeks leading up to the election, Strong received the endorsement of former president Donald J. Trump. But he continued to face backlash from the decision to move the Confederate monument, however, as members of the Morgan County Republican Party and Heritage Protection of North Alabama attempted to prevent Strong’s name from appearing on primary ballots. He won the primary and then went on to defeat Democrat Kathy Warner-Stanton in the general election by a two-to-one margin. He ran for reelection in 2024 unopposed.
Joining the 118th Congress, Strong received appointments to the Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security. He focused on altering U.S. border and immigration policy, introducing two bills addressing these issues. The Finish It Act of May 2023 would have mandated that the Department of Defense develop and submit a plan for transferring all excess border construction materials to the states for their use. Then, in November 2024, Strong introduced the Deport Illegal Voters Act, which would have made it a felony for aliens to vote in federal, state, or local elections and subject them to deportation. Strong also proposed two bills aimed at reducing influence by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and other foreign actors in the United States. The Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act of 2023 would have prohibited individuals linked to the governments of Iran, Russia, North Korea, or PRC from purchasing agricultural land in the United States. The SHIELD Against CCP Act would have established a group within the Department of Homeland Security to address the security threats posed by China. None of these four bills became law. In April 2024, he and Republican Barry Moore, then of Alabama’s Second Congressional District, opposed a bill that provided military aid to Ukraine, although some of the weapons are manufactured in their districts.
In the 119th Congress, Strong serves on the House Committee on Appropriations and is the vice chair of its Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. He also sits on the Committee on Homeland Security and chairs its Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology. He has introduced similar bills aimed at addressing influence by foreign actors in the United States. He also introduced the Promoting American Patriotism in Our Schools Act, which mandates schools to require students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, prominently display the U.S. flag, and incorporate educational materials on history to receive federal funding. He also introduced the No More Funding for NPR Act of 2025 to prevent taxpayer money from going to National Public Radio. He co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act, which would declare unborn children protected under the 14th Amendment. Strong, like other Republican members of Alabama’s congressional delegation, has been lobbying to relocate Space Operations Command from Colorado to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.
