In 2014 U.S. President Barack Obama nominated Max Baucus to be Ambassador of the United States of America to the Peoples Republic of China. He served as Ambassador for three years until 2017. Ambassador Baucus formerly served as the senior United States Senator from Montana from 1978 to 2014 and was Montana’s longest serving U.S. Senator. 

While in the Senate, Ambassador Baucus was Chairman and Ranking Member of the powerful Senate Committee on Finance. While Chairman, he was the chief architect of the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA) which was signed by President Barack Obama into law March 23, 2009. 

Ambassador Baucus gained extensive experience in international trade as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee where he led the passage and enactment of the Free Trade Agreements with 11 countries. While serving on the Senate Agriculture Committee, he led in securing reauthorization of numerous farm bills. As a member of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, he guided many highway bills and other infrastructure legislation to passage as well as leading the passage of The Clean Air Act of 1990.

Before his election to the U.S. Senate, Ambassador Baucus represented Montana in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1978. Ambassador Baucus earned a bachelor’s and law degree from Stanford University.