David Dreier
Encyclopedia
David Timothy Dreier is the U.S. Representative
for , serving in Congress since 1981. He is a member of the Republican Party
.
, where his family continues to be active in real estate
development; he is Vice President of Dreier Development Company in Kansas City. Drier attended The Principia Upper School
in St. Louis, Missouri
, a private boarding school for Christian Scientists, where he served as Student Body President. After high school, Drier attended Claremont Men's College
(now Claremont McKenna College) and graduated with a B.A.
from the College in 1975 and an M.A.
from the Claremont Graduate School (now Claremont Graduate University
) in 1976. He was director of corporate relations for Claremont McKenna College before entering the House.
In 1978, Dreier decided to run for the United States House of Representatives
at the age of 26. He ran against incumbent Democrat James Fredrick Lloyd, who had first won in an upset in a Republican-leaning district in 1974. Though unknown, Dreier ran a spirited campaign. Lloyd won that race by 54% to 46%. In 1980, Dreier ran again and defeated Lloyd 52% to 45%, winning on the coataiils of former California Governor Ronald Reagan
's presidential election
. After the 1980 United States Census, his district was renumbered to the 33rd, and defeated U.S. Congressman Wayne Grisham in the Republican primary of 1982, 57% to 43%. He won the 1982 general election with 65%. He won re-election every two years after that with at least 57% of the vote until his 2004 re-election campaign. His district was renumbered to the 28th after the 1990 United States Census and to the 26th district after the 2000 United States Census.
2004 election
In 2004, Dreier faced strong criticism on his stances on illegal immigration
from opponent Cynthia Matthews. Dreier was accused of not supporting reimbursement of expenses incurred by state and local governments to serve illegal immigrants, supporting increases in the numbers of H1B visas allowed for skilled workers, not acting effectively enough in obtaining the extradition
of a suspect who allegedly killed a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
deputy, and supporting amnesty
for illegal immigrants. The immigration attacks were especially damaging.
The National Republican Congressional Committee
filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) against The "John and Ken
Show" on Los Angeles station KFI
) alleging that the hosts, employees of Clear Channel Communications
, were engaging in an illegal contribution to Matthews' campaign. The hosts held regular anti-Dreier rallies at his Glendora
field office, had Matthews on frequently to discuss her positions on immigration, and dissected statements made by Dreier to other media outlets. Following his "outing" by L.A. Weekly in late September 2004, Dreier's sexual orientation and relationship to chief-of-staff Brad Smith were also discussed on the show.
Dreier was not the originator of the NRCC complaint and disavowed orchestrating the complaint. The hosts continued the allegedly infringing activity through the election and on February 24, 2006, the FEC declared that the charges were without merit. In an interview on KABC
's Doug McIntyre
program, Dreier denied the charges regarding immigration.
In spite of outspending his opponent by nearly 2-1, his opponent's unpopularity in the Democratic Party
, and representing a Republican-leaning district, Dreier won with 54% of the vote
After 2004
In 2006, he won re-election in rematch against Matthews 57% to 38%, despite the fact Republicans lost the majority that year. In 2008, Dreier won re-election against Democrat Russ Warner with 53% of the vote, his worst re-election performance of his career. In 2010, he defeated Warner in a rematch with 54% of the vote.
After the 2010 United States Census, a nonpartisan committee put Dreier and other longtime Republican U.S. Congressman Jerry Lewis into the newly drawn California's 31st congressional district
.
Dreier has also served as chairman of California's Republican Congressional Delegation since 2001. Dreier was a major player in helping elect Arnold Schwarzenegger
in California's 2003 recall election, and is a frequent guest on the political talk show circuit. Whenever Dreier recognizes his colleagues to yield time, he usually mentions the hometown of the member, not just the state that member represents as all other representatives do. He referred to former Rules Committee Chairman Gerald B.H. Solomon
as the "gentleman from Glens Falls, New York
" and current Rules Committee Ranking Member Louise Slaughter as the "gentlelady from Rochester
".
Throughout his early Congressional service, Dreier established a record as a strong supporter of tax cuts and of President Reagan
's anti-Communist
foreign policy
. One of the youngest as well as the first Californian Rules Chairman in history, Dreier plays a pivotal role in fashioning legislation promoting Republican Party positions on Social Security
, child education, tax
es, and national security
.
Locally, Dreier is well known for supporting local institutions such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
and the Metro Gold Line, and advocates for transportation improvements such as railroad grade separations and highway expansion. He supported bipartisan efforts to create legislation to prevent runaway film production
.
Dreier has served for many years as a trustee of Claremont McKenna College
, his undergraduate alma mater
, which falls within his Congressional district.
According to Roll Call
magazine, Dreier has a personal fortune in excess of $7.5 million and as much as $29 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics
.
Dreier is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership
. He is a member of the board of directors of the International Republican Institute
.
Dreier was also involved in proposing the Peace Officer Justice Act. This bill, if it becomes law, would make it a federal offense to flee the United States after having murdered a police officer. This legislation was strongly opposed by Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley
.
Dreier also publicly supported a provision in the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008
that excludes many US troops and legal immigrants from receiving federal tax rebates.
Dreier's behavior during his visit to Colombia's Lower House Chamber on August 28, 2007 caused a stir among the nation's politicians and media. Dreier sat on the podium during a hearing before a gathering of local lawmakers in the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia
, seen by many as a sign of disrespect towards his Colombian counterparts. Dreier formally apologized on August 30, 2007. According to a Reuters story, Dreier said, "I meant absolutely no offense ... I simply wanted to demonstrate my warm feeling and affection."
2005 House Leadership bid
Following the indictment of Tom DeLay
on September 28, 2005, Dreier was widely expected to temporarily assume the position of House Majority Leader. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert
favored Dreier for the position, presumably because Dreier has consistently adhered to the views of the Republican leadership and would have been willing to relinquish the title immediately should DeLay be able to return to the Majority Leader position. However, a conference of rank-and-file Republican representatives disapproved of the choice of Dreier in such a senior position largely because many conservative Republican House members believe that Dreier is too politically moderate
. According to Dreier spokeswoman Jo Maney, Dreier declined the temporary Majority Leader position because he "would have had to give up his chairmanship of the Rules Committee to move to another position, and that's not something that he wanted to do."
Openly-gay Democratic Congressman Barney Frank
, when asked whether Dreier was passed over for the position because of his "moderate" views, told a crowd of reporters "Yes, in the sense that I marched in the moderate pride parade last summer and went to a moderate bar.”
The House Majority Leader position instead went to then Majority Whip Roy Blunt
, though both Dreier and then Deputy Majority Whip Eric Cantor
of Virginia
shared in some duties. Rep. John Boehner
was later elected House Majority Leader.
, a congressman from Virginia
who served on the first Rules Committee empaneled by the House of Representatives.
claimed to "out
" Dreier in print in L.A. Weekly, in its September 24–September 30, 2004 issue. The L.A. Weekly printed that Dreier had had a romantic relationship with his longtime chief of staff, Brad W. Smith, who at the time collected a $156,600 government salary. Smith earned the highest possible salary allowed by law for a committee staff member and was reportedly the highest-paid chief of staff working for any House of Representatives committee chair. ("By comparison," wrote Ireland, "the chief of staff to the chair of the House Judiciary Committee makes $126,000, while the chief of staff to the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee makes just $100,696.")
The alleged "outing" was a result of Dreier coming under increasing scrutiny from gay rights groups because of his voting record, which includes supporting the Defense of Marriage Act
, as well as voting against gay adoption, and against inclusion of homosexuals as a protected class in hate crime. However, he did vote for employment discrimination
legislation to protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation in 2007.
Dreier's 1998 and 2000 Democratic opponent, Janice Nelson, alleged that his relationship with Smith had been an open secret for many years. His 2004 opponent, Cynthia Matthews, came out of the closet
and demanded that Dreier do the same. Dreier did not publicly respond to these charges, which were discussed on local radio programs in his district. At the time, the mainstream U.S. print media did not cover the story (although the controversy was later, in June 2005, addressed in the British press after it was announced that British prime minister Tony Blair
's son Euan would work as an unpaid intern for Dreier's committee during the summer of 2005).
Amid the controversy, Dreier voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment
on September 30, 2004. He explained his opposition to the amendment by stating that he felt the Constitution
was not the appropriate tool for restricting rights.
Dreier voted against the Matthew Shepard Act and voted against the repeal of the U.S. military's "Don't Ask. Don't Tell" policy. In December 2010, Dreier voted in favor of repealing the policy in a standalone bill.
On September 6, 2007, blog
ger Mike Rogers
allegedly outed Dreier on Talk of the Nation
on NPR
. The topic of the program was "The Ethics of Outing."
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving in Congress since 1981. He is a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
Early life, education, and business career
Dreier was born and raised in Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, where his family continues to be active in real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
development; he is Vice President of Dreier Development Company in Kansas City. Drier attended The Principia Upper School
The Principia
The Principia is an educational institution for Christian Scientists located on two campuses in the St. Louis, Missouri area. Principia School, located in West St. Louis County, serves students from early childhood through high school...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, a private boarding school for Christian Scientists, where he served as Student Body President. After high school, Drier attended Claremont Men's College
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college and a member of the Claremont Colleges located in Claremont, California. The campus is located east of Downtown Los Angeles...
(now Claremont McKenna College) and graduated with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the College in 1975 and an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from the Claremont Graduate School (now Claremont Graduate University
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont Graduate University is a private, all-graduate research university located in Claremont, California, a city east of downtown Los Angeles...
) in 1976. He was director of corporate relations for Claremont McKenna College before entering the House.
Elections
Before 2004In 1978, Dreier decided to run for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
at the age of 26. He ran against incumbent Democrat James Fredrick Lloyd, who had first won in an upset in a Republican-leaning district in 1974. Though unknown, Dreier ran a spirited campaign. Lloyd won that race by 54% to 46%. In 1980, Dreier ran again and defeated Lloyd 52% to 45%, winning on the coataiils of former California Governor Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's presidential election
United States presidential election, 1980
The United States presidential election of 1980 featured a contest between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan, as well as Republican Congressman John B. Anderson, who ran as an independent...
. After the 1980 United States Census, his district was renumbered to the 33rd, and defeated U.S. Congressman Wayne Grisham in the Republican primary of 1982, 57% to 43%. He won the 1982 general election with 65%. He won re-election every two years after that with at least 57% of the vote until his 2004 re-election campaign. His district was renumbered to the 28th after the 1990 United States Census and to the 26th district after the 2000 United States Census.
2004 election
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
from opponent Cynthia Matthews. Dreier was accused of not supporting reimbursement of expenses incurred by state and local governments to serve illegal immigrants, supporting increases in the numbers of H1B visas allowed for skilled workers, not acting effectively enough in obtaining the extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
of a suspect who allegedly killed a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
deputy, and supporting amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
for illegal immigrants. The immigration attacks were especially damaging.
The National Republican Congressional Committee
National Republican Congressional Committee
The National Republican Congressional Committee is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives....
filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) against The "John and Ken
John and Ken
John Chester Kobylt and Kenneth Robertson Chiampou, known professionally as John and Ken are American talk radio hosts of a four-hour weekday radio show, The John and Ken Show, on KFI AM 640 in Southern California. The John and Ken Show airs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m....
Show" on Los Angeles station KFI
KFI
KFI is an AM radio station in Los Angeles, California. It received its license to operate on March 31, 1922 and began operating on April 16, 1922 as one of the United States' first high-powered, "clear-channel" stations...
) alleging that the hosts, employees of Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
, were engaging in an illegal contribution to Matthews' campaign. The hosts held regular anti-Dreier rallies at his Glendora
Glendora, California
Glendora is a municipality in Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the population of Glendora was 50,073....
field office, had Matthews on frequently to discuss her positions on immigration, and dissected statements made by Dreier to other media outlets. Following his "outing" by L.A. Weekly in late September 2004, Dreier's sexual orientation and relationship to chief-of-staff Brad Smith were also discussed on the show.
Dreier was not the originator of the NRCC complaint and disavowed orchestrating the complaint. The hosts continued the allegedly infringing activity through the election and on February 24, 2006, the FEC declared that the charges were without merit. In an interview on KABC
KABC (AM)
KABC is a Los Angeles radio station, and a West Coast flagship station for the Cumulus Media company. A pioneer of the talk radio format, the station went "all-talk" in 1960 and was one of the first stations to do so...
's Doug McIntyre
Doug McIntyre
Doug McIntyre is the host of "Talking the News" on 77 WABC New York City , the lead-in morning drive show before "Imus in the Morning." He also hosts the four-hour radio talk show "Doug McIntyre's Red Eye Radio", syndicated across the United States on Cumulus Media Networks, and is the page one...
program, Dreier denied the charges regarding immigration.
In spite of outspending his opponent by nearly 2-1, his opponent's unpopularity in the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, and representing a Republican-leaning district, Dreier won with 54% of the vote
After 2004
In 2006, he won re-election in rematch against Matthews 57% to 38%, despite the fact Republicans lost the majority that year. In 2008, Dreier won re-election against Democrat Russ Warner with 53% of the vote, his worst re-election performance of his career. In 2010, he defeated Warner in a rematch with 54% of the vote.
After the 2010 United States Census, a nonpartisan committee put Dreier and other longtime Republican U.S. Congressman Jerry Lewis into the newly drawn California's 31st congressional district
California's 31st congressional district
California's 31st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California based in Los Angeles County. It is currently the only congressional district entirely based within the city of Los Angeles and includes the heavily Hispanic/Latino portions of inner-city Los...
.
Tenure
Dreier served as chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee from 1999 until 2007. The Democrats gained control of the House in the 2006 midterm elections and Drier served as Ranking Member for the 110th and 111th Congresses. With the Republicans regaining control of the House in the 2010 midterm elections, Dreier is again Chairman for the 112th Congress.Dreier has also served as chairman of California's Republican Congressional Delegation since 2001. Dreier was a major player in helping elect Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
in California's 2003 recall election, and is a frequent guest on the political talk show circuit. Whenever Dreier recognizes his colleagues to yield time, he usually mentions the hometown of the member, not just the state that member represents as all other representatives do. He referred to former Rules Committee Chairman Gerald B.H. Solomon
Gerald B.H. Solomon
Gerald Brooks Hunt Solomon was a New York Republican politician.Born in Okeechobee, Florida, Solomon attended the public schools in Delmar, New York as a child, later attending Siena College from 1949 to 1950 and St. Lawrence University from 1953 to 1954. He served in the United States Marine...
as the "gentleman from Glens Falls, New York
Glens Falls, New York
Glens Falls is a city in Warren County, New York, United States. Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,700 at the 2010 census...
" and current Rules Committee Ranking Member Louise Slaughter as the "gentlelady from Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
".
Throughout his early Congressional service, Dreier established a record as a strong supporter of tax cuts and of President Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's anti-Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
. One of the youngest as well as the first Californian Rules Chairman in history, Dreier plays a pivotal role in fashioning legislation promoting Republican Party positions on Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
, child education, tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es, and national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
.
Locally, Dreier is well known for supporting local institutions such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
and the Metro Gold Line, and advocates for transportation improvements such as railroad grade separations and highway expansion. He supported bipartisan efforts to create legislation to prevent runaway film production
Runaway production
Runaway production is a term used by the American film industry to describe filmmaking and television productions that are "intended for initial release/exhibition or television broadcast in the U.S., but are actually filmed in another country."...
.
Dreier has served for many years as a trustee of Claremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college and a member of the Claremont Colleges located in Claremont, California. The campus is located east of Downtown Los Angeles...
, his undergraduate alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, which falls within his Congressional district.
According to Roll Call
Roll Call
Roll Call is a newspaper published in Washington, D.C., United States, from Monday to Thursday when the United States Congress is in session and on Mondays only during recess. Roll Call reports news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of...
magazine, Dreier has a personal fortune in excess of $7.5 million and as much as $29 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics
Center for Responsive Politics
The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
.
Dreier is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership
Republican Main Street Partnership
The Republican Main Street Partnership is a group of moderate members of the United States Republican Party. They tend away from the dominant social conservatism of many Republicans and towards a moderate fiscal conservatism and limited government to a degree. The group is the rough equivalent of...
. He is a member of the board of directors of the International Republican Institute
International Republican Institute
Founded in 1983, the International Republican Institute is an organization, funded by the United States government, that conducts international political programs, sometimes labeled 'democratization programs'....
.
Dreier was also involved in proposing the Peace Officer Justice Act. This bill, if it becomes law, would make it a federal offense to flee the United States after having murdered a police officer. This legislation was strongly opposed by Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley
Steve Cooley
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Cooley is an American politician. As a Republican, he has been a prosecutor for 27 years and has been the Los Angeles County District Attorney since his election in 2000, in which he defeated incumbent two-term District Attorney Gil Garcetti, a Democrat...
.
Dreier also publicly supported a provision in the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008
Economic Stimulus Act of 2008
The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 was an Act of Congress providing for several kinds of economic stimuli intended to boost the United States economy in 2008 and to avert a recession, or ameliorate economic conditions. The stimulus package was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on January...
that excludes many US troops and legal immigrants from receiving federal tax rebates.
Dreier's behavior during his visit to Colombia's Lower House Chamber on August 28, 2007 caused a stir among the nation's politicians and media. Dreier sat on the podium during a hearing before a gathering of local lawmakers in the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia
Chamber of Representatives of Colombia
The Chamber of Representatives is the lower house of the Congress of Colombia.The Chamber has 166 elected members for four-year terms.-How the Chamber is elected:...
, seen by many as a sign of disrespect towards his Colombian counterparts. Dreier formally apologized on August 30, 2007. According to a Reuters story, Dreier said, "I meant absolutely no offense ... I simply wanted to demonstrate my warm feeling and affection."
2005 House Leadership bid
Tom DeLay
Thomas Dale "Tom" DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in...
on September 28, 2005, Dreier was widely expected to temporarily assume the position of House Majority Leader. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert
Dennis Hastert
John Dennis "Denny" Hastert was the 59th Speaker of the House serving from 1999 to 2007. He represented as a Republican for twenty years, 1987 to 2007.He is the longest-serving Republican Speaker in history...
favored Dreier for the position, presumably because Dreier has consistently adhered to the views of the Republican leadership and would have been willing to relinquish the title immediately should DeLay be able to return to the Majority Leader position. However, a conference of rank-and-file Republican representatives disapproved of the choice of Dreier in such a senior position largely because many conservative Republican House members believe that Dreier is too politically moderate
Moderate
In politics and religion, a moderate is an individual who is not extreme, partisan or radical. In recent years, political moderates has gained traction as a buzzword....
. According to Dreier spokeswoman Jo Maney, Dreier declined the temporary Majority Leader position because he "would have had to give up his chairmanship of the Rules Committee to move to another position, and that's not something that he wanted to do."
Openly-gay Democratic Congressman Barney Frank
Barney Frank
Barney Frank is the U.S. Representative for . A member of the Democratic Party, he is the former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and is considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States.Born and raised in New Jersey, Frank graduated from Harvard College and...
, when asked whether Dreier was passed over for the position because of his "moderate" views, told a crowd of reporters "Yes, in the sense that I marched in the moderate pride parade last summer and went to a moderate bar.”
The House Majority Leader position instead went to then Majority Whip Roy Blunt
Roy Blunt
Roy D. Blunt is the junior United States Senator from Missouri. He is a member of the Republican Party. His Senate seat was previously held by Republican Kit Bond, until his retirement....
, though both Dreier and then Deputy Majority Whip Eric Cantor
Eric Cantor
Eric Ivan Cantor is the U.S. Representative for Virginia's 7th congressional district, serving since 2001. A member of the Republican Party, he became House Majority Leader when the 112th Congress convened on January 3, 2011...
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
shared in some duties. Rep. John Boehner
John Boehner
John Andrew Boehner is the 61st and current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he is the U.S. Representative from , serving since 1991...
was later elected House Majority Leader.
Committee assignments
- Committee on RulesUnited States House Committee on RulesThe Committee on Rules, or Rules Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. Rather than being responsible for a specific area of policy, as most other committees are, it is in charge of determining under what rule other bills will come to the floor...
(Chairman)- Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget ProcessUnited States House Rules Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget ProcessThe Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process is a subcommittee within the House Rules CommitteeAccording to the Committee rules, this Subcommittee has general responsibility for measures or matters related to relations between the Congress and the Executive Branch.-Members, 112th...
- Subcommittee on Rules and the Organization of the HouseUnited States House Rules Subcommittee on Rules and the Organization of the HouseThe Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House is a subcommittee within the House Rules CommitteeUnder the Committee rules, as amended for the 110th Congress, the Rules and the Organization of the House subcommittee will have general responsibility for measures or matters related to...
- Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process
Caucus memberships
- International Conservation CaucusUnited States Congressional International Conservation CaucusThe U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
- Sportsmen's Caucus
- U.S.-Mexico Congressional Caucus (Co-Chair)
- Zero Capital Gains Tax Caucus
Personal life
Dreier claims to be a distant relative of Richard Bland LeeRichard Bland Lee
Richard Bland Lee was a planter, jurist, and politician from Fairfax County, Virginia. He was the son of Henry Lee II of “Leesylvania” and Lucy Grymes , as well as a younger brother of both Maj. Gen...
, a congressman from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
who served on the first Rules Committee empaneled by the House of Representatives.
Sexual orientation
In the fall of 2004, journalist Doug IrelandDoug Ireland
Doug Ireland is an American journalist and blogger who writes about politics, power, media, and also about gay issues. He is the U.S...
claimed to "out
Outing
Outing is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts...
" Dreier in print in L.A. Weekly, in its September 24–September 30, 2004 issue. The L.A. Weekly printed that Dreier had had a romantic relationship with his longtime chief of staff, Brad W. Smith, who at the time collected a $156,600 government salary. Smith earned the highest possible salary allowed by law for a committee staff member and was reportedly the highest-paid chief of staff working for any House of Representatives committee chair. ("By comparison," wrote Ireland, "the chief of staff to the chair of the House Judiciary Committee makes $126,000, while the chief of staff to the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee makes just $100,696.")
The alleged "outing" was a result of Dreier coming under increasing scrutiny from gay rights groups because of his voting record, which includes supporting the Defense of Marriage Act
Defense of Marriage Act
The Defense of Marriage Act is a United States federal law whereby the federal government defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. Under the law, no U.S. state may be required to recognize as a marriage a same-sex relationship considered a marriage in another state...
, as well as voting against gay adoption, and against inclusion of homosexuals as a protected class in hate crime. However, he did vote for employment discrimination
Employment discrimination
Employment discrimination is discrimination in hiring, promotion, job assignment, termination, and compensation. It includes various types of harassment....
legislation to protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation in 2007.
Dreier's 1998 and 2000 Democratic opponent, Janice Nelson, alleged that his relationship with Smith had been an open secret for many years. His 2004 opponent, Cynthia Matthews, came out of the closet
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
and demanded that Dreier do the same. Dreier did not publicly respond to these charges, which were discussed on local radio programs in his district. At the time, the mainstream U.S. print media did not cover the story (although the controversy was later, in June 2005, addressed in the British press after it was announced that British prime minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
's son Euan would work as an unpaid intern for Dreier's committee during the summer of 2005).
Amid the controversy, Dreier voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment
Federal Marriage Amendment
The Federal Marriage Amendment H.J. Res. 56 was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have limited marriage in the United States to unions of one man and one woman...
on September 30, 2004. He explained his opposition to the amendment by stating that he felt the Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
was not the appropriate tool for restricting rights.
Dreier voted against the Matthew Shepard Act and voted against the repeal of the U.S. military's "Don't Ask. Don't Tell" policy. In December 2010, Dreier voted in favor of repealing the policy in a standalone bill.
On September 6, 2007, blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger Mike Rogers
Michael Rogers (activist)
Michael Rogers is the Managing Director and partner of Raw Story Media, Inc. publishers of The Raw Story, an American fundraiser, blogger and gay rights activist in the Washington, D.C.-area best known for his activity in outing closeted gay politicians who actively oppose gay rights...
allegedly outed Dreier on Talk of the Nation
Talk of the Nation
Talk of the Nation is a talk radio program based in the United States, produced by National Public Radio, and is broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Its focus is current events and controversial issues....
on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
. The topic of the program was "The Ethics of Outing."
External links
- U.S. Congressman David Dreier Official U.S. house site
- David Dreier for U.S. Congress Official campaign site
- Profile at Congress.orgCongress.orgCongress.org is a website run by the CQ-Roll Call Group which provides information on Congress and news about federal advocacy and activism. One tool on the site helps users find their elected officials and send e-mail to them.-Overview:...