Dick Armey

Republican Congressman Dick Armey, who holds a Ph. D. in economics, has made an impression on Capitol Hill in a relatively short time with his budget deficit-reducing initiatives and outspoken support for traditional American values.

He was re-elected in 1990 to serve a third term for the 26th District of Texas in the United States House of Representatives, as he garnered nearly 70 percent of the vote in his suburban Dallas/Fort Worth district, one of the most populous and fastest growing in the nation.

The Congressman serves on the influential House Budget Committee and, during the 101st Congress, rose to ranking Republican on the Government Operations Committee’s Subcommittee on Human Resources and intergovernmental Relations.

Representative Armey’s successful effort to pass legislation to close obsolete military bases – which reportedly saves taxpayers $700 million annually – established his reputation as an effective legislator, prompting Reader’s Digest to feature the professional economist-turned-representative in a profile titled “This Congressman Beat the System.”

Building upon his base-closing success, Representative Armey set his sights on reforming American agriculture policy. His liberal-conservative Coalition for Common Sense Agriculture Policy has reportedly saved taxpayers $14 billion in reduced federal farm subsidies. He has expressed a commitment to making America’s agriculture policies more market-oriented.

During this past summer when the focus of the budget summit between Congress and the Bush Administration turned to raising taxes, Representative Armey was among the Republican leadership that passed a resolution stating its opposition to “new taxes or tax increases as a means of reducing the federal budget deficit.” Also during the 101st Congress, he initiated the fight to reform the grants-making process at the National Endowment for the Arts.

Congressman Armey received his bachelor’s of arts degree from Jamestown (N.D.) College, a master’s degree from the University of North Dakota and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Oklahoma. Before running for Congress, he chaired the economics department at the University of North Texas.

He and his wife, Susan, have five children and maintain a home in Euless, Texas.