WhoRunsGov

Darrell Issa (R-Calif.)

U.S. Representative (since January 2001)

Get updates:

(Congress Bio Directory)

Why He Matters

Though he first attracted national attention for his role in funding the 2003 petition to recall California Gov. Gray Davis (D), Issa hit the big time as the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He inherited subpoena power over the Obama administration as the new chairman of the investigative panel in the GOP-led 112th Congress, but pledged not to misuse it in his pursuit of $200 million in taxpayer savings.

"Our committee is the committee of stopping government from taking away your liberties, government from exceeding its authority, government from keeping your business from expanding and growing, government from spending your money less efficiently than you would spend it yourself," Issa said.

Read more

Editorial

Where are the inspectors general?

(Harry Hamburg / AP)

Many inspectors general posts are unfilled.

The Occupy movement is going nowhere

(Spencer Platt / GETTY IMAGES)

If it doesn’t get involved in the political process, it will never transition from protest to power.

Column

Government has foreign language deficit

The federal government has a shortage of foreign language speakers, particularly in Near East, South Asian and East Asian languages.

Article

Gregory Jaczko, chief of Nuclear Regulatory Commission, resigns

(Alex Wong / Getty Images)

The nation’s chief of nuclear safety announced his resignation Monday after a turbulent three-year tenure during which his leadership and behavior were questioned.

Article

Clemens lawyer attacks beer can, key piece of evidence in perjury trial

(Haraz N. Ghanbari / Associated Press)

WASHINGTON — Attacking key prosecution evidence, Roger Clemens’ lawyer went through the items in a Miller Lite beer can one at a time and tried to cast doubt on the syringes and medical waste allegedly used to inject the famous pitcher with performance-enhancing drugs.

Article

Judge imposes time limits on witnesses to speed Clemens trial; main accuser says he ‘misspoke’

(Haraz N. Ghanbari / Associated Press)

WASHINGTON — Roger Clemens’ lawyer jabbed his left index finger and hammered away, relentlessly attacking Brian McNamee over his personal life and accusing the government’s chief witness of “making up this stuff on the fly.” The attorney finally sprung his trap and pointed out what appeared to be a flaw in McNamee’s story about the collection of evidence that turned up in a beer can.

Article

DC becomes national abortion battleground with bill that would ban procedure after 20 weeks

WASHINGTON — The nation’s capital once again served as a battleground in the national debate over abortion Thursday as a Congressional subcommittee aired a bill that would ban abortions in the District of Columbia after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Column

A Loop contest: Where to put anti-missile missiles?

(Ng Han Guan / AP)

Al Kamen introduces the latest In the Loop contest: Figure out a site for interceptor missiles to cope with the threats from North Korea and Iran.

Deb Fischer, and what (political) money can’t buy

THE FIX | Only about 1/10 of the money in Nebraska’s GOP Senate primary was spent on Deb Fischer’s behalf, but she won.

U.S. Postal Service losses shown by the hour on Sen. Tom Carper’s Web site

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) is among those pressing for legislation to reform the U.S. Postal Service’s finances.

 
News From Around The Web

Rep. Darrell Issa ‘On the Record’ via FOX News

 
 

At a Glance

  • Career History: Founder and CEO of Directed Electronics (1982-2000);United States Army (1970-1980)
  • Birthday: Nov. 1, 1953
  • Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
  • Alma Mater: Siena Heights University, B.A., 1976
  • Spouse: Kathy
  • Religion: Antioch Orthodox Christian
  • Committees: Chairman, House Oversight and Government Reform (since January 2011); House Judiciary Committee
  • DC Office: 2347 Rayburn House Office BuildingWashington, DC 20515202-225-3906
 

Path to Power

Issa was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1953. A Lebanese-American, Issa attended Sienna Heights University on an ROTC scholarship and graduated in 1976. In the Army, he served as a bomb- disposal technician, tank-platoon commander, computer research-and-development specialist and rose to the rank of captain.

In 1982, he founded the company Directed Electronics with his wife Kathy in Cleveland. In 1986, the company moved to Southern California. Over the next decade, Directed Electronics became the largest vehicle-security company in the world. The company's best known car alarm, the Viper, features a recording of Issa saying "Please step away from the car." The company helped Issa make a fortune estimated at $100 million and catapulted his name to prominence in the high-tech industry.

Read more

 

The Issues

Issa holds reliably conservative positions on most issues, but the Lebanese-American has earned a reputation for being independent-minded on Middle Eastern affairs. His leadership position on the House Oversight Committee has given him a consistent platform to voice his fiscal conservatism, particularly on tax and spending issues.

The Economy

Issa has been outspoken in his displeasure with the Obama administration's spending plans, voting against the February 2009 $787 billion stimulus bill with the rest of House Republicans. One of Issa's objections to the stimulus bill was that it wouldn't directly help the economy. At an event in San Diego in March 2009, he said, "You have to lower your expectations about what will actually come to us, because it just isn't that kind of stimulus package, unfortunately."

Read more

 

The Network

Issa's national profile stems largely from for his lavish funding of the successful California recall effort, which inadvertently brought Arnold Schwarzenegger to power as governor.

On the House Oversight Committee, Issa worked closely with the Democratic Chairman Edolphus Towns in the 111th Congress. Rep. Eliljah Cummings (D-Md.) is slated to be the ranking Democrat in the 112th Congress in which Issa chaired the panel.

 

Additional Resources

  1. Roll Call, 50 Richest, Sept. 16, 2010, sub. required
  2. Wildermuth, John, "Schwarzenegger's GOP Rivals Quitting," San Francisco Chronicle, August 8, 2003
  3. Rucker, Phil, The Washington Post, "With new Influence, Issa Recasts Self as Washington's Whistleblower," Dec. 18, 2010
  4. Mullins, Brody and Crittendon, Michael R. "Lawmakers Take AIG to Task Over Secrecy," The Wall Street Journal, May 14, 2009
  5. Marelius, John, "Local congressmen weigh in on stimulus push, earmarks," San Diego Union-Tribune, March 28, 2008
  6. LeDuff, Charlie, "California Recall Backer Feels Heat," The New York Times, July 23, 2003.
  7. Kellman, Laurie, "Lame duck oversight produces little new info," San Diego Union-Tribune, December 10, 2008
  8. Millbank, Dana, "In Congress, Lonely on Lebanon," The Washington Post, August 16, 2006
  9. Wildermuth, John, "Issa, who started recall, now tells voters to reject it," San Francisco Chronicle, September 23, 2003
  10. Marinucci, Carla and Williams, Lance, "Issa was charged in San Jose Car Theft," San Francisco Chronicle, June 25, 2003
  11. Information from "Directed Electronics Corporate History"
  12. Election data from CQ, 2008 Election Guide
  13. Salladay, Robert. "Mud Flying in GOP Senate Primary," San Francisco Examiner, May 27, 1998
  14. Issa, Darrel, "Holding Gitmo Detainees in US Opens Pandora's box," San Diego Union Tribune, March 22, 2009
  15. Meyers, Jim, "Darrell Issa: 'Greed and Incentives' Caused Fiscal Crisis," Newsmax, May 7, 2009
  16. McSwain, Dan, "Issa Struggles at Center Stage," North County Times, July 24, 2003
  17. Andrews, Edmund L.,"US Agency to Review Oil Royalties," The New York Times, November 2, 2006
  18. Hefner, Paul, "Issa Gives Voters the Hard Sell," Daily News, May 26, 1998
  19. Wilkie, Dana, "Will Recall pay off for Issa's Political ambitions?" San Diego Union-Tribune, October 8, 2003
  20. Andres, Gary, "A crucial role for Issa in Washington," San Diego Union Tribune, May 2, 2009
  21. Sherman, Jake, Politico, Darrell Issa Reveals List of Investigations, Jan. 3, 2011
  22. Jordan, Chuck, "California 48th House District: Darrell Issa," National Journal, November 8th, 2000
  23. Goad, Ben, "Issa staking out prominent position as watchdog of federal stimulus funds," The Press Enterprise, March 19, 2009