Steve King
Steve King (1949-) is a Republican Representative for the 5th Congressional District of (Iowa), where he ran a construction business for 28 years, passing it to his son. He then spent six years in the Iowa State Senate.
He is recognized as one of the strongest conservatives in Congress. He appeared with Michele Bachmann in the November 2009 "Kill the Bill" rally against H.R. 3962, the Democratic health reform bill, a rally associated with the Tea Party Movement. Opposing liberalism is one of his priorities; he said [1] With respect to Democrats, he said they are too focused on minorities, "Pretty soon, white men are going to notice they are the ones being excluded," [2] and "radical Islamists and their supporters will be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on September 11" if Barack Obama wins the presidency.[3]
Positions
Spending
He was one of only 11 congressmen to vote against a $52 billion post-Hurricane Katrina aid package.
Taxation
Rep. King is a strong advocate of tax cuts, especially the estate tax.
Health care reform
In order to vote "no" against the House health reform bill, he did not attend his son's wedding.
When asked how many people residing in his district were uninsured, King did not answer the question, but responded that the people of the 5th district “want freedom.”[4]
Immigration
He may be best known for supporting a strong anti-immigration position, opposing the George W. Bush Administration amnesty plan. "Along the nation's southern border, King has pushed for the construction of a fortified-concrete wall topped with electrific barbed-wire that he personally designed; in 2007, King displayed a model of his design on the House floor and suggested that his construction company could help build the fence."[1]
Agriculture
The Fifth District ranks first in the nation for hogs and pigs and is one of the most productive areas in the nation for renewable fuels. King’s very first bill in Congress was an expansion of a tax credit to small ethanol and biodiesel producers.
Committees
- House Committee on Agriculture
- House Committee on Small Business
- Subcommittees on Finance and Tax
- Subcommittee on Regulations and Healthcare
- [Subcommittee on Rural Development, Entrepreneurship, and Trade]]
- House Committee on the Judiciary
Caucuses and groups
- Republican Study Committee
- Chair, Conservative Opportunity Society, the group that gained Republican control of the House in 1994
- Rural Health Care Coalition
- 4-H Caucus
- Air Force Caucus
- Anti-Value Added Tax Caucus
- Army Caucus
- Victory in Iraq Caucus
- China Caucus
- Community College Caucus
- Congressional Biotechnology Caucus
- Congressional Coalition on Adoption
- Congressional Farmer Cooperative Caucus
- Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus
- Congressional Rural Caucus
- Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus
- Cuba Democracy Caucus
- Fair Tax Coalition
- House Agriculture Energy Users Caucus
- House Biofuels Caucus
- House Congressional Biotech Caucus
- Judicial Accountability Working Group
- Meth Caucus
- Missile Defense Caucus
- National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus
- Pro-Life Caucus
- Pro-Life Working Group
- Republican New Media Caucus
- Values Action Team
- Victory in Iraq Caucus
- Voters Values Public Affairs Team
Voting record
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Steve King, whorunsgov.com, a Washington Post company
- ↑ Gebe Martinez (4 August 2009), "Why is the GOP slighting Hispanics?", Politico
- ↑ Russ Mitchell (8 March 2008), "King announced bid for fourth term", The Daily Reporter
- ↑ Lynda Waddington (5 November 2009), Iowa Independent