Jeb Hensarling (R-TX-5)i

Jeb Hensarling Congressman Texas District 5

House links: Jeb Hensarling (R-TX-5)i

Campaign links: Jeb Hensarling (R-TX-5)i

Jeb Hensarling Biography from House.gov

Biography of Jeb Hensarling

Congressman Jeb Hensarling, an outspoken advocate for limited government and unlimited opportunity, currently serves as the chairman of the House Republican Conference—the fourth highest ranking position in the Republican leadership. As vice-chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Jeb is a leader on consumer choice, competitive markets, and smart regulation in our financial markets. As co-chairman of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, Jeb is fighting to reduce our debt and stop out-of-control Washington spending.

In recognition of his relentless fight to cut wasteful Washington spending and remove barriers to job growth, Congressman Hensarling was appointed by then Minority Leader John Boehner to serve on the President’s Debt Commission where he demanded spending cuts to solve our spending-driven debt crisis. Jeb also served on the Congressional Oversight Panel for TARP and provided tough oversight and accountability on the Obama Administration’s use of Wall Street bailout funds. A life-long conservative dedicated to advancing the principles of faith, family, free enterprise, and freedom; Congressman Hensarling was chosen by his colleagues during the 110th Congress to chair the Republican Study Committee—the largest conservative caucus in the House. The Associated Press recently recognized Jeb’s consistency on conservative issues, “he made cutting federal spending, ending earmarks and reducing the size of government his priorities before the tea party came into existence.”

Congressman Hensarling is a co-author of the “Spending, Deficit, and Debt Control Act”, a landmark budget reform bill that was heralded as the “Gold Standard” of budget enforcement legislation by a coalition of conservative groups, including the Americans for Tax Reform, Citizens Against Government Waste, Citizens for a Sound Economy, and the National Taxpayers Union. Jeb also authored the “Spending Limit Amendment”—a Constitutional amendment that would limit spending to no more that 20% of the economy (the historic average since WWII). For his work to rein in wasteful Washington spending and put our country back on a fiscally sustainable path, National Review Online dubbed him “Rep. Budget Reform” and the Dallas Morning News called him, a “truth teller” who “has become one of the most important GOP members of Congress”.

A tireless advocate for the American taxpayer, Congressman Hensarling authored the “Taxpayer Bill of Rights”, a bill that laid the foundation for a more efficient, common sense budget and tax system in Washington. As author of “The GSE Bailout Elimination and Taxpayer Protection Act”, Jeb is fighting to end taxpayer-funded bailouts of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, putting them on the path to market competition. Jeb was also recognized by The New York Times for “leading the GOP Vanguard against the Bailout” for spearheading efforts to find a taxpayer-friendly alternative to the $700 billion bailout for banks on Wall Street that held troubled mortgage-related assets.

In recognition of his work in Congress, Jeb has received a 100% lifetime rating from Club for Growth and the National Right to Life Committee. Hensarling also maintains an ‘A’ lifetime rating from the National Rifle Association and was one of only 7 members to achieve “Taxpayer Super Hero” status from the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste during the first session of the 111th Congress. Congressman Hensarling’s agenda to cut spending has been named the #1 or #2 most taxpayer-friendly in each Congress he has served by the National Taxpayers Union.

Born in Stephenville, Texas, Jeb grew up working on his father’s farm near College Station where he learned the value of hard work. As an active student leader at Texas A&M University, Jeb earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1979. Later, he went on to earn a law degree from the University of Texas in 1982. Before coming to Congress, Jeb spent ten years in the private sector, serving as an officer for a successful investment firm, a data management company, and an electricity retail company. Jeb and his wife Melissa are members of St. Michael and All Angels Church and reside in Dallas with their two children- Claire and Travis.

Biography from Friends of Jeb Hensarling

Congressman Jeb Hensarling is a life-long conservative dedicated to advancing the principles of faith, family, free enterprise, and freedom. An outspoken advocate for limited government and unlimited opportunity, Jeb has fought to end bailouts, stop a government takeover of our health care system, control spending, keep taxes low, defend families, strengthen our homeland security, and support our troops.

The Dallas Morning News said that Jeb “has become one of the most important GOP members of Congress” and is “one of Washington’s most serious fiscal hawks.” The 2010 Almanac of American Politics reports that Congressman Hensarling “has not been afraid to push Republican leaders to take more conservative positions…”

Since coming to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2003, Jeb has established himself as a national conservative leader. His leadership and fight for economic freedom and fiscal responsibility has earned him consistent recognition from leading organizations such as the National Taxpayers Union, Americans for Tax Reform, The Club for Growth, and FreedomWorks.

As the national finance chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Jeb played a pivotal role in helping to regain the GOP majority in the U.S. House during the 2010 election cycle. And in November 2010, his returning colleagues and the incoming freshmen of the 112th Congress elected him to serve as Republican Conference Chair-man, the 4th ranking GOP position in the House.

In the 111th Congress, Jeb served as top Republican on the House Sub-committee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, the epicenter of financial services regulatory efforts, where he fought to end the culture of bailouts. He co-authored the Consumer Protection and Regulatory Enhancement Act to reform our banking regulations while preserving free market principles.

Jeb also served as the #2 ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee, where he continued to lead the fight to control spending, reform the earmark process, and provide tax relief. Jeb authored the Spending, Deficit, and Debt Control Act to protect the family budget from the explosive growth of the federal budget.

LEADERSHIP POSITION IN 112th CONGRESS

Republican Conference Chairman

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

Jeb was born in Stephenville, Texas, and grew up working on his father’s farm near College Station.
Jeb was an active student leader at Texas A&M University, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in economics in 1979.
He went on to earn a law degree from the University of Texas in 1982.
After serving on Senator Phil Gramm’s staff for several years, Jeb spent ten years in the private sector. His experience in helping to create jobs and having to meet a regular payroll have made him an ally of small business.
Jeb and his wife Melissa are members of St. Michael and All Angels Church and reside in Dallas with their two children, Claire and Travis.