Steve King

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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, allied with the Tea Party movement and a close ally of Rep. Michele Bachmann He appeared with her in the November 2009 "Kill the Bill" rally against H.R. 3962, the Democratic health reform bill. 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[edit]

Spending[edit]

He was one of only 11 congressmen to vote against a $52 billion post-Hurricane Katrina aid package.

Taxation[edit]

Rep. King is a strong advocate of tax cuts, especially the estate tax.

Foreign policy[edit]

In March 2009, he introduced a resolution, with other House Republicans, agreed to be symbolic, approving of the results of the Surge of the Iraq War. ^[4] He "called it less of a criticism of Mr. Obama and more of an encouragement that he 'expand on the victory rather than walk away...Our military has achieved a definable victory, and I want to tell them that America appreciates them...They've left a legacy and it's up to the new leadership to preserve and enhance the victory they've achieved.'"

Health care reform[edit]

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.”^[5]

Immigration[edit]

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]

After the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, he sent a message to ABC News"Illegal immigrants from Haiti have no reason to fear deportation, but if they are deported, Haiti is in great need of relief workers, and many of them could be a big help to their fellow Haitians." ^[6]

Agriculture[edit]

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.

Family values[edit]

He opposes same-sex marriage and supports a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman. Rep. King organized 52 other Republicans to send a letter to the President, asking for the firing of Kevin Jennings, the openly gay Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, for "pushing a pro-homosexual agenda" and saying "It is clear that Mr. Jennings lacks the appropriate qualifications and ethical standards to serve in this capacity."^[7]

Committees[edit]

• House Committee on Agriculture
  • Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy & Research
  • Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition & Forestry
  • Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
  • Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy & Poultry
• 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
  • Ranking Member on Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security & International Law
  • Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
  • Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights & Civil Liberties

Caucuses and groups[edit]

• Republican Study Committee
• Chair, Conservative Opportunity Society, the group that gained Republican control of the House in 1994
• Congressional Rural Healthcare 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[edit]

References[edit]