Brian Babin
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Brian Philip Babin ( ; born March 23, 1948) is an American dentist, politician and member of the Republican Party who has served as the U.S. representative from since 2015. The district includes much of southeastern
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, some of its eastern suburbs, and some more exurban and rural areas to the east. A graduate of Lamar University and the University of Texas Dental Branch, Babin served in the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
from 1975 to 1979. He then opened a dental practice in Woodville, south of Lufkin, and became involved in Republican politics. He worked for various state and federal campaigns and held numerous local and regional government positions, including president of the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners (1981–1987), on the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (1982–1984), mayor of Woodville (1982–1984), on the Woodville City Council (1984–1989), on the Texas Historical Commission (1989–1995), chairman of the Tyler County Republican Party (1990–1995), on the Woodville Independent School District Board (1992–1995) and on the Lower Neches Valley Authority (1999–2015). Babin was the Republican nominee for Texas's 2nd congressional district in 1996 and
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
, losing to Democrat Jim Turner both times. He ran again in
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
to succeed Steve Stockman, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate, and was elected to succeed him.


Early and personal life

Babin graduated from Lamar University in 1973 and served as an officer in the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
from 1975 to 1979, leaving with the rank of captain. While serving, he earned a B.S. in biology from Lamar University in 1975 and then enrolled in the University of Texas Dental Branch and graduated with his D.D.S. in 1976. To pay for his tuition, he worked as a janitor, merchant seaman and postman and sang folk and country music in local restaurants with his wife Roxanne, whom he met in college. (son's modeling career) Babin and his wife have been married since 1972 and have five children: Marit, an attorney and former press staffer at the
National Republican Congressional Committee The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is the United States Republican Party, Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives. The NRCC was formed in 1866, when the Repub ...
; Leif, a former
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; twins Kirsten, an educator, and Lucas, a district attorney and former model and actor; and Laura. He is also the father-in-law of journalist and former
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anchor Jenna Lee, who is married to Leif. Babin and his wife are members of the First Baptist Church of Woodville, where he is a deacon, Sunday school teacher, choir member, and member of Gideons International.


Career

Babin has been engaged in general dental practice in Woodville, south of Lufkin, since 1979. He first entered politics in 1980, saying that when stationed overseas he felt "demoralized" by President
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
. He thus worked for
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
's campaign for president, first as county coordinator and then regional coordinator. He became active in the GOP when it barely existed in then heavily Democratic Deep East Texas, and is considered "instrumental" in turning the region Republican over the years. He also worked at the county, regional and state level for Reagan's reelection campaign,
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
's presidential campaign, and Bill Clements's and
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
's campaigns for governor of Texas. Babin has served as mayor of Woodville (1982–1984), a Woodville city councilman (1984–1989), chair of the Tyler County Republican Party (1990–1995), a member of the Woodville Independent School District Board (1992–1995) and director of the Tyler County Chamber of Commerce. He has also served as president of the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners (1981–1987), on the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (1982–1984) and on the Texas Historical Commission (1989–1995). In 1999, Governor Bush appointed Babin to the Lower Neches Valley Authority, and Governor Rick Perry reappointed him, most recently in 2013, for a term that was to expire in 2019. He resigned before being sworn into Congress.


U.S. House of Representatives


Elections


1996

When 12-term representative Charlie Wilson of Texas's 2nd congressional district decided to retire in 1996, Babin ran to succeed him. In the Republican primary, he was second of five candidates, with 7,094 votes (31.01%), behind Donna Peterson, the nominee for the seat in 1990, 1992 and 1994, who took 8,047 votes (35.18%). As no candidate secured a majority, Babin faced Peterson in a runoff, and defeated her, 7,405 votes (66.83%) to 3,675 (33.16%). In the general election, he lost to Democrat Jim Turner, a State Senator and former State Representative, 102,908 votes (52.24%) to 89,838 (45.6%). After the 1996 election, Babin became involved in a campaign finance scandal concerning $37,000 in illegal donations from businessman Peter Cloeren that were moved through "vehicles" to circumvent the individual contribution limit of $1,000. Cloeren asserted in an
affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or ''deposition (law), deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by la ...
that Babin and then- House majority whip
Tom DeLay Thomas Dale DeLay (; born April 8, 1947) is an American author and retired politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, DeLay represented Texas's 22nd congress ...
laundered his donations through other candidates and organisations. Babin and DeLay denied his allegations. Cloeren pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, paid a $400,000 fine and received a two-year suspended prison sentence. Babin paid a $20,000 civil penalty and paid back $5,000 in excessive contributions for "accepting an excessive contribution and a contribution in the name of another and failing to disclose financial activity properly."


1998

Babin sought a rematch with Turner in
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
. Unopposed in the Republican primary, he again lost the general election, 81,556 votes (58.42%) to 56,891 (40.75%). During the campaign, Babin's
campaign manager A campaign manager, campaign chairperson, or campaign director is an individual whose role is to coordinate a political campaign's spending, broad tactics, and hiring. They lead operations such as Campaign finance, fundraising, advertising, Opi ...
was 21-year-old Jon-Marc McDonald. McDonald gained national attention when he simultaneously came out of the closet as a gay man and resigned as campaign manager. In August 1998, McDonald abruptly stepped down, citing "irreconcilable differences" with Babin over
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...
. According to ''
The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation in 2022 of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885, by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ' ...
'', McDonald announced his resignation via press release without discussing it with Babin, and his sudden departure left those in the campaign shocked and confused. McDonald generated further press coverage when he said in an interview after his resignation that Babin had made disparaging remarks about homosexuals in private, which Babin adamantly denied. In some press reports, Babin claimed that McDonald was not the campaign manager, but instead a "volunteer coordinator", also a paid position. An article by Hastings Wyman of the ''Southern Political Report'' suggested that McDonald was forced to resign by the local media threatening to "out" him. The resignation received widespread national media attention because of the sensationalistic way it transpired.


2014

After Representative Steve Stockman of Texas's 36th congressional district made a late decision to run for the U.S. Senate instead of for reelection, Babin ran to succeed him. In the 12-candidate Republican primary—the real contest in this heavily Republican district—Babin finished first with 17,194 votes (33.36%). As he did not receive a majority, he proceeded to a runoff with the second-place candidate, mortgage banker and candidate for Texas's 10th congressional district in
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
Ben Streusand, who had received 12,024 votes (23.33%). In the runoff, Babin defeated Streusand, 19,301 votes (57.84%) to 14,069 (42.16%). He then faced Democrat Michael Cole in the general election, defeating him 100,933 votes (75.97%) to 29,291 (22.04%).


2016

On November 27, 2015, Babin announced that he would run for reelection in 2016. 2014 U.S. Senate candidate Dwayne Stovall, a bridge construction contractor, school board member from
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
and candidate for the State House of Representatives in 2012, announced in July 2015 that he would challenge Babin for the Republican nomination, but suspended his campaign in December 2015, citing poor fundraising and the difficulties of challenging an incumbent. Babin was thus unopposed in the March 1 Republican primary. The Democrats did not field a challenger in the general election; his only opposition came from Green Party candidate Hal Ridley Jr., who also ran in 2014.


Tenure

On January 6, 2015, Babin was one of 25 House Republicans to vote against John Boehner's reelection as
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House or House speaker, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United ...
. Boehner, who needed 205 votes, was reelected with 216. 24 Republicans voted for another candidate and Babin voted "
present The present is the period of time that is occurring now. The present is contrasted with the past, the period of time that has already occurred; and the future, the period of time that has yet to occur. It is sometimes represented as a hyperplan ...
", effectively abstaining. Two days later, Babin explained his vote. He said that he didn't want to vote for Boehner to reflect dissatisfaction with him in his district, particularly over the Cromnibus. But he declined to vote for another candidate because "he would have preferred to see Boehner denied reelection on the first ballot, forcing a closed-door GOP caucus meeting at which a replacement might emerge." On January 25, in an interview with '' The Daily Caller'', Babin said that President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
"deserves impeachment", but he doubted that Congress would act on that. He also criticised Obama's foreign policy, calling him an "appeaser deluxe". In June 2015, after the
Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
ruled in '' King v. Burwell'' that the tax subsidies in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare) were constitutional, Babin introduced the "SCOTUScare Act". His bill would force the Supreme Court Justices to enroll in Obamacare and purchase health insurance under the health exchanges, so that they could, as he said, "understand the full impact of their decisions on the American people ndsee firsthand what the American people are forced to live with!" The name of Babin's bill references Justice Antonin Scalia's dissent, where he said that, after the Court had upheld the law twice, "we should start calling this law SCOTUScare." In July 2015, Babin endorsed Senator
Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...
for president. He praised Cruz's "conservative leadership and fortitude" and said that he "will speak honestly to the American people". In September 2015, in response to the Syrian refugee crisis, Babin introduced the Resettlement Accountability National Security Act, designed to oppose Obama's plan to expand the country's refugee program. The bill calls for a "temporary halt to the refugee program until the general accounting office can do an assessment of just exactly how much this is costing the taxpayer." Babin said that this was urgently necessary because the refugee program amounted to an "open invitation" to the "problems of the Middle East, of terrorism, oppression of women and all the things that go along with it." He also claimed that over 90% of refugees "are already on some sort of entitlement program when they come in" and that American cities could end up with "no-go zones", claiming that such places already existed in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
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,
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,
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and
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. On October 9, 2015, Babin chaired a hearing of the House Space Committee attended by various
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
executives. He criticised the Obama administration for cutting the NASA budget, saying that they would have a negative effect on the agency's space exploration programs and that budget uncertainty would impair efficiency. Babin also noted that the recent discovery of liquid water on Mars and the release of the
Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...
film '' The Martian'' had "garnered the public's attention, and rightly so" which would prompt the public to ask when there would be a human mission to Mars. In 2015, Babin cosponsored a resolution to amend the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Babin also cosponsored a resolution disagreeing with the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex marriage bans violated the constitution. On October 20, 2016, Babin defended comments by Republican presidential nominee
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
calling
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
"a nasty woman" at the final presidential debate, saying "sometimes a lady needs to be told when she's being nasty." In June 2017, Babin asked Trump in a letter to order a review of the case of Derrick Miller, a former
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National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...
sman
sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
who was sentenced in to life in prison with the chance of
parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...
for the
premeditated murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse ...
of an Afghan civilian during a battlefield interrogation, and the cases of other veterans who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq who were imprisoned for battlefield crimes. After the 2020 presidential election, Babin joined many of his Republican colleagues in the House and Senate in an effort to overturn
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
's victory. The House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack obtained 21 text messages from Babin to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about the outcome of the election. The first urged Meadows to " ght like hell and find a way. We're with you down here in Texas and refuse to live under a corrupt Marxist dictatorship. Liberty!". Babin supports efforts to impeach President Biden, having cosponsored a resolution to impeach Biden in September 2021. Also during the 117th Congress, Babin cosponsored a resolution to impeach Biden's secretary of homeland security Alejandro Mayorkas and another resolution to impeach Biden's secretary of state Antony Blinken. Very early into the 118th Congress, Babin cosponsored another resolution to impeach Secretary Mayorkas.


Committee assignments

* Committee on Science, Space and Technology ** Subcommittee on Environment ** Subcommittee on Space (Chairman) * Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure ** Subcommittee on Highways and Transit ** Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials ** Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Source:


Caucus memberships

* Congressional Western Caucus * Second Amendment Caucus * Republican Study Committee


Political positions

Babin cites water conservation, repealing the
Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
, and stopping illegal immigration as his main priorities. He believes in the Christian work ethic and that "if you don’t work, you don’t eat, if you are able to work." He supports term limits and wants to reduce the number of out of wedlock births and restore the traditional family unit. He also believes that taxes are too high and the tax code too complex. Although Babin helped found and is a member of the Tyler County Patriots, he does not identify as a member of the Tea Party, saying, "I believe with all my heart in less government, lower taxes and more individual responsibility and more economic freedom, and you can put whatever label you want to on it."


Immigration

Babin supported Trump's 2017
executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of the ...
to temporarily curtail travel to the U.S. from six Middle Eastern nations until better screening methods are devised. After the EO was signed, he posted on social media: "Great news—now let’s get it into law!" Babin also wholeheartedly supported building a wall at the southern border. Babin sponsored H.R. 6202, the American Tech Workforce Act of 2021, introduced by Representative Jim Banks. The legislation would establish a wage floor for the high-skill H-1B visa program, thereby significantly reducing employer dependence on the program. The bill would also eliminate the Optional Practical Training program that allows foreign graduates to stay and work in the United States.


Israel

Babin voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.


Transgender bathroom use

On May 19, 2016, Babin introduced HR 5294, the "Student Privacy Protection and Safety Act of 2016", which would invalidate the " Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students" until superseded by an
Act of Congress An act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called Public and private bills, private laws), or to the general public (Public and private bills, public laws). For a Bill (law) ...
. The "Dear Colleague" letter was an official correspondence jointly issued by the United States departments of
Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
and
Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
on May 13 providing significant guidance that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, also prohibits discrimination based on a student's gender identity. Babin characterized HR 5294 as a " bathroom bill" in a subsequent press release, where he stated, in part, that "The federal government should not be in the business of throwing common sense and decency out the window and forcing local schools to permit a teenage boy who ‘identifies’ as a girl to use changing rooms, locker rooms and bathrooms with five-year-old girls." Babin also cosponsored HR 5275, the "Prohibiting the Usurpation of Bathroom Laws through Independent Choice School Act (PUBLIC School Act) of 2016". HR 5275 would allow state and local governments to enact and enforce policies on the use of sex-segregated bathrooms and locker rooms. He also cosponsored HR 5307, the "Title IX Clarification Act of 2016", on May 24. HR 5307 would amend Title IX to define sex as 'the biological sex'. Later in 2016, Babin cosponsored HR 5812, the Civil Rights Uniformity Act of 2016. All four bills (HR 5294, 5275, 5307, and 5812) died in committee. HR 5812 was reissued in 2017 as the " Civil Rights Uniformity Act of 2017" (HR 2796), which Babin cosponsored on June 7, 2017.


''Texas v. Pennsylvania''

In December 2020, Babin was one of 126 Republican members of the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
to sign an amicus brief in support of '' Texas v. Pennsylvania'', a lawsuit filed at the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
defeated Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked
standing Standing, also referred to as orthostasis, is a position in which the body is held in an upright (orthostatic) position and supported only by the feet. Although seemingly static, the body rocks slightly back and forth from the ankle in the ...
under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.


2024 Republican primary

Babin was named as part of the Trump campaign's Texas leadership team in March.


Veterans

The PACT ACT which expanded VA benefits to veterans exposed to toxic chemicals during their military service, received a "nay" from Babin.


References


External links


Congressman Brian Babin
official U.S. House website
Brian Babin for Congress
official campaign website * * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Babin, Brian 1948 births 20th-century Texas politicians 21st-century American dentists 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives 21st-century Texas politicians Baptists from Texas Candidates in the 1996 United States elections Candidates in the 1998 United States elections Health professionals from Texas Lamar University alumni Living people Mayors of places in Texas Military personnel from Texas People from Port Arthur, Texas People from Woodville, Texas Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas School board members in Texas United States Air Force officers