Darrell Issa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Darrell Issa
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Duncan D. Hunter |
| Constituency | 50th district (2021–2023) 48th district (2023–present) |
| In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Ron Packard |
| Succeeded by | Mike Levin |
| Constituency | 48th district (2001–2003) 49th district (2003–2019) |
| Chair of the House Oversight Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Edolphus Towns |
| Succeeded by | Jason Chaffetz |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Darrell Edward Issa
November 1, 1953 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 1 son |
| Education | Kent State University, Stark Siena Heights University (BA) |
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| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service |
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| Rank | Captain |
Darrell Edward Issa (born November 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician. He is a U.S. representative for California's 48th congressional district. A U.S. representative is a person elected to help make laws for the whole country.
Issa is a member of the Republican Party. He has served in Congress for many years, representing different parts of the San Diego area in California. From 2011 to 2015, he was the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. This committee checks to make sure the government is working properly.
Before he was a politician, Issa co-founded a company called Directed Electronics in 1982. The company became one of the biggest makers of car alarms in the United States. Because of his success in business, Issa is one of the wealthiest members of Congress.
In 2018, Issa decided not to run for reelection. However, in 2019, he announced he would run for Congress again in a different district. He won the election in 2020 and returned to the House of Representatives.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Darrell Issa was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the second of six children. His father's parents were immigrants from Lebanon, and his mother's family was from Germany and Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic).
When he was 17, Issa left high school and joined the Army. He was trained to be a bomb disposal expert. His unit helped with security for President Richard Nixon's family during the 1971 World Series.
After leaving the Army, Issa earned his high school diploma by passing the General Educational Development (GED) test. He then went to college and earned a degree in business. While in college, he joined the Army's Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He served in the Army Reserve from 1976 to 1980 and became a captain.
Successful Business Career
Building a Car Alarm Company
After his time in the military, Issa and his wife, Kathy, invested in an electronics company. This led him to a struggling car alarm company called Steal Stopper. Issa took control of the company and made it successful.
In 1982, the company's factory in Maple Heights, Ohio, was destroyed in a fire. An investigation looked into the cause of the fire. The insurance company was suspicious and at first paid only a small part of the claim.
Directed Electronics
Despite the fire, the company soon became profitable again. In 1985, Issa sold the company and moved to Vista, a city near San Diego.
Soon after, he started a new company called Directed Electronics, Inc. (DEI). He used his knowledge to create better car alarms. His most famous product was the Viper car alarm. It had sensors that would detect movement and play a recording of Issa's voice saying, "Protected by Viper. Stand back." The company was very successful, growing from $1 million in sales in its first year to $14 million by 1989.
Entering the World of Politics
Issa became more involved in politics through his work with business groups. He began giving money to help Republican candidates. In 1996, he helped lead a successful campaign in California for California Proposition 209. This law stopped public schools and government offices from considering a person's race or gender when hiring or admitting students.
In 1998, Issa ran for the United States Senate. He spent $10 million of his own money on the campaign but lost the Republican primary election to Matt Fong.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
In 2000, Issa ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives and won. He was reelected many times. For most of his career, he won his elections by a large margin.
The 2012 election was closer after the district's boundaries were changed. In 2016, he won by a very small number of votes against Democrat Doug Applegate.
After the close 2016 election, Issa decided not to run for reelection in 2018. The seat was won by Democrat Mike Levin.
In 2019, Issa announced he would run for Congress again, but in a different nearby district. He won the election in November 2020 and returned to Washington, D.C.
Work in Congress
Oversight Committee
After Republicans won control of the House in the 2010 elections, Issa became chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. This powerful committee is responsible for investigating the government to find and expose waste, fraud, and abuse. Issa led many investigations into the Obama administration.
Important Laws
Issa worked on several important laws to make the government more open and efficient.
- Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act): This law, signed in 2014, makes it easier for the public to see how the federal government spends money.
- FOIA Reform: He introduced a bill to improve the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which allows people to request records from the government. His goal was to make the process faster and easier.
- Federal IT Reform: He also worked on a law to change how the government buys technology. The goal was to reduce waste and make sure government computer projects are successful.
Bombing Plot
In 2001, police stopped a plot to bomb Issa's office in San Clemente. Issa, who is of Lebanese descent, believed he was targeted because some people wrongly accused him of supporting terrorist groups. He has always denied these claims.
What are Darrell Issa's Political Positions?
Issa has been a reliable conservative vote in Congress. He voted with the Republican Party about 95% of the time during the 111th Congress.
Donald Trump
Issa was a strong supporter of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election. He endorsed Trump in March 2016. After the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021, Issa voted against certifying Pennsylvania's election results. He also voted against impeaching Trump for his role in the event.
Health Care
Issa is against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (often called Obamacare). In 2017, he voted for a bill to repeal and replace it. This vote led to large protests outside his office in California.
Environment
Issa has questioned some of the science behind climate change. He once promised to investigate "Climategate," a series of emails that some people claimed showed that climate scientists were not being honest.
Technology
Issa is known for his interest in technology issues. He opposed the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a bill that he worried would give the government too much power to shut down websites.
Personal Life
Issa married his high school sweetheart, Marcia Enyart, in the 1970s, but they later divorced. In 1980, he married Kathy Stanton. They have one son, William. Darrell and Kathy divorced in 2021.
See also
- List of richest American politicians
- List of Arab and Middle Eastern Americans in the United States Congress
