Devin Nunes

Devin Nunes
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 21st district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Bill Thomas
Born	October 1, 1973 (1973-10-01) (age 36) Tulare, California
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Nunes
Residence	Tulare, California
Alma mater	California Polytechnic State University
Occupation	farmer
Religion	Roman Catholic

Devin Nunes (born October 1, 1973), American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003, representing California's 21st congressional district (map). The district, located in the San Joaquin Valley, includes all of Tulare County, as well as much of eastern Fresno County.

[edit] Early life

Nunes was born in Tulare, California. His family has operated a farm in Tulare County for three generations. After associate's work at College of the Sequoias, he graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business and a master’s degree in agriculture.

[edit] Early political career

Nunes was first elected to office when he was 22 years old. He unseated an 18-year incumbent for a seat on the Board of Trustees of the College of the Sequoias, earning 65 percent of the vote.^[1] He served as a trustee from 1996-2002.^[2] In 2001, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as California State Director for the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development section. He left this post later in the year to run for the Republican nomination in the 21st, California's newest congressional district.

[edit] U.S. congress

[edit] Elections

His principal opponents in the crowded seven-way primary were former Fresno mayor Jim Patterson and State Assemblyman Mike Briggs. Nunes was the only major candidate from Tulare County, while Patterson and Briggs were both from Fresno. This was critical; 42 percent of the district population is in Fresno County and 58% in Tulare County.^[3] Patterson and Briggs split the vote in Fresno County, allowing Nunes to win by a four-point margin over Patterson, his nearest competitor. Nunes won 46.5% of the vote in Tulare County and 28.1% of the vote in Fresno County. In addition to Patterson and Briggs splitting Fresno County's vote, Nunes was also helped by a strong showing in the rural part of the district.^[4] He won the endorsement of the California Farm Bureau and the Fresno Bee.^[5] This district is heavily Republican, and Nunes coasted to victory in November. He has been reelected three times against only nominal Democratic opposition. During the June 8, 2010, California primary, Nunes actually received more write-in votes in the Democratic primary than the Democratic write-in candidate.^{[6][dead link]}

[edit] Tenure

During his first two terms in Congress, Nunes served on the House Resources Committee, where he was chairman of its National Parks Subcommittee. He was also a member of the Agriculture and Veterans Affairs committees. In 2006, Nunes was named to the House Ways and Means Committee. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee, and is an Assistant Republican whip. In 2003, Nunes became a founding member of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, a caucus of Republican Members of Congress of Hispanic and Portuguese descent.

In 2006, Nunes authored the American-Made Energy Freedom Act, which proposed the largest investment in clean, renewable energy in U.S. history. In July 2008, the Republican Conference introduced the American Energy Act, which included a key Nunes proposal from the American-Made Energy Freedom Act to establish a renewable energy trust fund from revenues generated by deep ocean and Arctic coastal plain exploration and invest the monies in alternative fuels and technology.^[7] Nunes supports what is called an “all-of-the-above” approach to U.S. energy policy. Every option must be on the table, if Americans are ever to achieve energy independence. The U.S. should invest in solar and other energy alternatives to fossil fuel when it is economically feasible; but Americans must also explore untapped petroleum resources in an environmentally responsible way and invest in the latest nuclear technology.

In 2009, Nunes co-authored the Patients' Choice Act with Paul Ryan (R-WI) in the House, and Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Richard Burr (R-NC) in the Senate. The Patient's Choice Act would establish a system of state health insurance exchanges and amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable tax credit for qualified health care insurance coverage, all with the goal of improving patients' access to private health insurance. The bill also proposes to absorb Medicaid programs into the exchange system.^[8] Another key provision of the Patients' Choice Act is the requirement that the Secretary of Health and Human Services convene an inter-agency committee to develop a national strategy for health promotion and disease prevention.^[9] Nunes said when the bill was introduced: "The American people deserve a health care system that is centered on their individual needs. Our bill will allow us to achieve this goal, while improving health outcomes, lowering cost and guaranteeing access to health care for every single American."^[10]

Nunes has written two articles about the water and fiscal crises in California for the Wall Street Journal. In "California’s Gold Rush Has Been Reversed," Nunes criticizes the tax and regulatory policies of the state government, which he says are driving people out of California. He advocates two major reforms: a part-time, non-partisan legislature and fundamental reform of taxation and spending, which would include two-year budgeting, ending budget stalemates, spending controls, and refunding budget surpluses.^[11] In "It’s Fish Versus Farmers in the San Joaquin Valley," Nunes continues his criticism of the man-made drought in the San Joaquin Valley where, because of the Endangered Species Act, the federal government and the radical environmentalists have, according to Nunes, chosen "fish over families."^[12]

Nunes is a frequent guest on the Ray Appleton Show on KMJ in Fresno, California^{[13][not in citation given]} to discuss issues affecting the San Joaquin Valley, including the man-made drought in California. He has also had two notable appearances on Hannity^{[14][not in citation given]} to discuss the water crises in the San Joaquin Valley, both on location in Huron, California. Nunes is also a regular guest on the John Batchelor Show during the Hotel California segment.^{[15][not in citation given]}

On January 27, 2010, Nunes became an original cosponsor of H.R. 4529, "A Roadmap for America's Future", sponsored by Paul Ryan.^[16] H.R. 4529 proposes major reforms of the U.S. health care system, Social Security, the federal tax code, job training, and the budget process. A key feature of the "Roadmap" is that the legislation solves the problem of the unfunded liabilities of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and provides for their long-term financial solvency. On January 29, 2010, President Obama said that the "Roadmap" is a "legitimate" plan to solve the fiscal crisis facing the United States due to the unfunded liabilities of Medicare and Medicaid.^[17] A position supported by the Congressional Budget Office on January 27, 2010 in a letter to Ryan.^[18] The "Roadmap" also incorporates key features of the Patient's Choice Act into the health care sections of the legislation.

On July 28, 2010, Nunes introduced H.R. 5899, "A Roadmap for America's Energy Future". The Energy Roadmap, a companion bill to "A Roadmap for America's Future", is a unique approach to building a stable and secure energy future for the United States. It accelerates the exploration and production of fossil fuel; supports the rapid development of market-based alternative energy supplies; and expands the number of nuclear reactors from the current 104 to 300 over the next 30 years.^[19] Kimberley Strassel of The Wall Street Journal wrote that "It's a bill designed to produce energy, not restrict it. It returns government to the role of energy facilitator, not energy boss. It costs nothing and contains no freebies. It instead offers a competitive twist to government support of renewable energy."^[20]

On September 13, 2010, Nunes' book, Restoring the Republic: A Clear, Concise, and Colorful Blueprint for America's Future will be published by WND Books.

[edit] Committees

• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on Ways and Means
  • Subcommittee on Trade
  • Subcommittee on Health

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• U.S. Congressman Devin Nunes official House site
• Devin Nunes at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission — Devin Gerald Nunes campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues — Devin Nunes issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org — Devin Nunes campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart — Representative Devin G. Nunes (CA) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — Devin Nunes profile
• Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Devin Nunes voting record
• Congressman Devin Nunes official campaign site
• Smart Voter's congressional district 21 results for 2002 2004 2006