Jorritsma was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives after the election of 1982, serving from 16 September 1982 until 3 June 1986. Jorritsma returned as a Member of the House of Representatives after Wim van Eekelen was appointed Minister of Defence in the Cabinet Lubbers II after the election of 1986, taking office on 30 July 1986 serving as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Spatial Planning. After the election of 1994 Jorritsma was appointed as Minister of Transport and Water Management in the Cabinet Kok I, taking office on 22 August 1994. After the election of 1998 Jorritsma returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 19 May 1998. Following the cabinet formation of 1998 Jorritsma was appointment as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Affairs in the Cabinet Kok II, taking office on 3 August 1998. The Cabinet Kok II resigned on 16 April 2002 following the conclusions of the NIOD report into the Srebrenica massacre during the Bosnian War and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity. After the election of 2002 Jorritsma again returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 23 May 2002. Following the cabinet formation of 2002 Jorritsma was not giving a cabinet post in the new cabinet, the Cabinet Kok II was replaced by the Cabinet Balkenende I on 22 July 2002 and he continued to serve in the House of Representatives as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Social Affairs and Employment. In October 2002 Jorritsma announced that she wouldn't stand for the election of 2003 and continued to serve until the end of the parliamentary term on 30 January 2003.