Congressman Steve Chabot has proudly served Ohio's First Congressional District for 25 years. A lifelong Cincinnatian, Steve previously served as a Cincinnati City Councilman and Hamilton County Commissioner for five years each prior to being elected to Congress in 1994.
Since becoming a Member of Congress, Congressman Chabot has served on the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Congressman Chabot currently serves as the Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation as well as senior member on the House Judiciary Committee. He has also served as: Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business from 2015-2018; Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution from 2001-2006; Ranking Member on the Small Business Committee from 2019-2020 and 2007-2008; Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia from 2011-2012; and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific from 2013-2014.
Spending is out-of-control in Washington, and has been for quite some time. Each day, we add to our national debt by spending a lot more than the IRS collects in taxes. As this debt burden continues to grow – it’s now about $20 trillion – we must remember that it will be handed down to our children and grandchildren. Just as families and businesses balance their own checkbooks, the federal government should be expected to do the same.
I believe that it is critical that lawmakers do everything possible to root out wasteful spending from the federal budget, reduce spending overall, and promote policies that will grow our economy. In my opinion, one way to help tackle this problem is a constitutional amendment to ensure that future Congresses cannot spend money they do not have.
Defending our country and protecting our freedoms are the most basic tasks of our federal government. It is vital that we maintain a strong national defense to protect our citizens and support our allies in an increasingly dangerous world. As we protect our homeland from radical Islamic terrorism and confront our geopolitical adversaries – like North Korea, Russia, and Iran – I believe, like President Ronald Reagan, that peace will only come through strength.
To keep our nation safe, we must provide our servicemen and women the resources they need to ensure that the U.S. Military remains the best in the world.
Revitalizing our economy and putting Americans back to work is my top priority in Washington. Unfortunately, families and small businesses are struggling. We need to get Americans back to work, and in order to do that, the federal government must not stifle job growth.
With this in mind, it is imperative that Congress pursue pro-growth policies that empower the private sector and limit the size and scope of the federal government. And we need to support policies that remove obstacles to job creation, including simplifying our complex tax code, ensuring better access to capital, reducing our debt and deficit, and stopping unnecessary federal regulations that are likely to do more harm than good.
Throughout my time in Congress, I served on the House Committee on Small Business. I previously served as Chairman from 2015-2018 and as Ranking Member from 2019-2020 and 2007-2008.
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As a former teacher, I understand that every child in America deserves access to a quality education. During my time in Congress, I have made it a priority to see that states and localities are given the flexibility and tools needed to prepare students for success in the global economy. I believe strongly that decisions on how to best educate our children should be made by parents, teachers, and local communities. That way, our education resources can be focused on helping children get the support they need, instead of being consumed complying with costly mandates from Washington. |
America has been blessed with abundant energy resources. Our prosperity depends on reducing our dependence on foreign sources of energy and tapping our resources here at home. In order to move to true energy independence, we must explore the many available domestic energy resources in an environmentally-friendly manner.
I am a supporter of an “all of the above” approach to energy production, including fully developing our own sources of energy and making sure that we don’t slow down the development of new energy production with needless regulation.
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Since I was first elected to Congress, I have had the opportunity to serve on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. And I have long served on its Asia-Pacific and Middle East and North Africa Subcommittees. I currently serve as Ranking Member on the Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation Subcommittee. |
It is critical that Americans have access to quality, affordable health care. Among the important issues before Congress, Americans consistently consider access to reliable health care for themselves and their loved ones at, or near, the top. Sadly, although many Americans received coverage through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called Obamacare, this law has also made premiums unaffordable and reduced health care options for millions of others. We can do better.
I believe Congress has been given a clear mandate to repeal and replace the ACA, and I have consistently supported doing so. As the health care debate unfolds, I will continue to work to make health care affordable and accessible to all Americans.
Government has an obligation to protect the safety of the most vulnerable among us. I believe that life begins at conception, and I will continue to support the rights of the unborn.
I have cosponsored numerous bills aimed at protecting and furthering the right to life throughout my time in Congress. One of my proudest moments was the passage of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. That important legislation, which I authored, put an end to the heinous practice of partially delivering an infant only as a means to kill him or her. I am also committed to supporting and expanding important legal protections for doctors and other health care providers who refuse to perform abortion procedures to which they are morally opposed.
Small businesses are the backbone of American’s economy. Our nation’s 29 million small businesses create six out of every ten new jobs, make up the vast majority of exporters and employ about half of all private-sector employees.
Throughout my time in Congress, I have served on the House Committee on Small Business, where I have had the privilege to champion America’s entrepreneurs. Currently, I serve as the Chairman of the Committee.
Social Security and Medicare provide critical benefits to more than 50 million Americans. Our seniors deserve our respect and our gratitude, and we must protect the benefits they earned by paying into both systems.
My mother and my mother-in-law are now receiving the benefits they earned, just like millions of other hardworking Americans. As such, I understand firsthand that seniors rely on both of these programs to meet their daily living and health care expenses. Seniors should have the peace of mind that they will see a return on the investments made throughout their lifetime, and so, I have serious concerns about any reform proposals for either program that would reduce benefits for current beneficiaries.
We owe our veterans a tremendous debt of gratitude, because it is through their dedication and sacrifices that America remains safe and free. There is not enough we can do to repay the brave men and women in our country’s armed forces for the sacrifices they have made. I am humbled to be their representative and advocate in Washington.
Our priorities in Washington must reflect our dedication to supporting those who have served our country. That is why I am a strong supporter of legislation and funding efforts that ensure veterans have access to medical care, education, and financial services. And throughout my time in Congress, I have also supported numerous measures to give our veterans more choices, improve accountability at the VA, and cut down on its backlog.