Pete Sessions facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Pete Sessions


Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Bill Flores
Constituency	17th district
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	John Bryant
Succeeded by	Colin Allred
Constituency	5th district (1997–2003) 32nd district (2003–2019)
Chair of the House Rules Committee
In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	David Dreier
Succeeded by	Jim McGovern
Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee
In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2013
Leader	John Boehner
Preceded by	Tom Cole
Succeeded by	Greg Walden

Personal details
Born	Peter Anderson Sessions (1955-03-22) March 22, 1955 (age 70) Waco, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Juanita Diaz (m. 1984; div. 2011) Karen Diebel (m. 2012)
Children	2
Relatives	William S. Sessions (father)
Education	Southwestern University (BS)

Peter Anderson Sessions (born March 22, 1955) is an American politician. He is a member of the Republican Party. He serves in the United States House of Representatives for Texas's 17th congressional district.

Sessions has held important leadership roles in Congress. He was the chairman of the House Rules Committee from 2013 to 2019. He also led the National Republican Congressional Committee. In 2018, he lost his election to Colin Allred. However, he ran again in 2020 and was elected to represent Texas's 17th district.

Early Life & Career

Pete Sessions was born in Waco, Texas, on March 22, 1955. His father, William Steele Sessions, was a former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Pete grew up in Waco and near Washington, D.C..

In 1978, he graduated from Southwestern University. After college, he worked for Southwestern Bell for 16 years. He became a district manager for marketing in Dallas.

Sessions is also a "Distinguished Eagle Scout" from the Boy Scouts of America. He serves on the Circle Ten Council of the BSA. His two sons are also involved in scouting.

Serving in the U.S. House

First Elections (1997–2019)

Pete Sessions first ran for Congress in 1991. He tried again in 1993 against John Bryant. He lost that election by a small number of votes. Later, he worked at a research group called the National Center for Policy Analysis.

Sessions at the Capitol in 1998

In 1996, Sessions was elected to the House of Representatives. He won the election for the 5th District of Texas. He was reelected in 1998 and 2000. After new district maps were drawn in 2002, he moved to the new 32nd District and won there.

In 2004, Sessions won a big election against Martin Frost. Frost had been a representative for many years. This election was one of the most expensive House races in the country. Sessions won with 54% of the votes.

He was reelected in 2010 and 2012. In 2014, he won the Republican primary election against Katrina Pierson. In 2016, he won his primary again. In 2018, Sessions lost his election to Colin Allred, a Democrat.

2020 Election

In October 2019, Sessions announced he would run for Congress again. He decided to run in Texas's 17th congressional district. This district is based in Waco, where he grew up. He moved back to Waco before running.

Even though some local Republicans were unsure, Sessions won the primary election. He then defeated Renee Swann in a runoff vote. This win meant he would likely return to Congress, as the district is strongly Republican. He was elected on November 3, 2020.

Time in Office

Pete Sessions has often voted with his party. He also voted in line with President Trump's views most of the time.

In 1997, Sessions supported a plan to start an investigation into President Bill Clinton. He voted for this investigation. In 1998, he voted for all four proposed reasons to remove Clinton from office.

Sessions voted against the second impeachment of Donald Trump. This vote happened after the events at the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol. He was also among 147 Republicans who voted to question the 2020 election results.

Sessions has been late in reporting some stock trades. This means he did not follow a law called the STOCK Act. This law helps make sure politicians are open about their finances.

Leadership Roles

In the 2010 election, Sessions was in charge of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Under his leadership, the Republican Party gained many seats in the House. They took control of the House of Representatives.

In 2014, Sessions considered running for House majority leader. This is a top leadership position. However, he decided not to run, and Kevin McCarthy took the role.

Committee Work

In the 117th Congress, Pete Sessions serves on two important committees:

Committee on Financial Services
Committee on Oversight and Reform

He used to be on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

From 2012 to 2019, Sessions was the chairman of the House Committee on Rules. This committee decides which bills can be voted on in the House.

Other Groups and Caucuses

Sessions has been part of several groups in Congress:

National Republican Congressional Committee (former chairman)
Results Caucus
Malaysia Trade, Security and Economic Cooperation Caucus
Republican Study Committee
Congressional Hispanic Conference
Tea Party Caucus
Congressional Cement Caucus
Congressional Western Caucus

Political Views

Casinos

In 2001 and 2002, Sessions asked government officials to close some casinos run by Native American tribes. Later, he received money from tribes connected to a lobbyist named Jack Abramoff. His office said he acted because he believes gambling decisions should be made locally.

Earmarks

In 2008, Sessions added money for dirigible (blimp) research to a bill. This money went to a company that had no experience in this type of research.

Magic

In 2016, Sessions introduced a resolution in the House. It aimed to recognize magic as a "rare and valuable art form and national treasure."

Military and Police

Sessions supports a program called the 1033 program. This program allows the U.S. military to give extra military equipment to local police. He has supported bills to keep this program going.

Hurricane Aid

In 2012, Sessions voted against money to help victims of Hurricane Sandy. In 2017, after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, he asked for disaster relief for his state.

Office of Congressional Ethics

Sessions has criticized the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE). This office is an independent group that looks into ethical issues in Congress. He called it a "political witch hunt." In 2017, he defended a plan to get rid of the OCE, but the plan was stopped.

Environment

In 2017, Sessions supported a bill to delay new air quality standards. These standards were set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The bill passed in the House.

He also supported a bill about water transfer in North Texas. This bill would allow a water district to move water even if it contained invasive species. Sessions said it was needed to ensure people had access to water.

Health Care

Sessions wants to get rid of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as "Obamacare." He supported the American Health Care Act of 2017, which was a Republican plan to replace the ACA. He voted for this plan in May 2017.

Immigration and Citizenship

In 2010, Sessions voted against the DREAM Act. This bill would have helped young undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

Sessions supported a temporary ban on immigration from some Muslim-majority countries in 2017. He said it was important for national security. He also suggested that Congress could fund part of a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Ties to Allen Stanford

Sessions had connections to a banker named Allen Stanford. Stanford was later found guilty of running a large financial scheme. Sessions received political donations from Stanford. He also traveled to events sponsored by Stanford.

Venezuela

In 2018, Sessions was involved in talks to try and convince Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to leave office. These talks were not supported by all White House officials.

Russia

In 2017, Sessions delayed a bill that would have added more sanctions against Russia and Iran. He said parts of the bill could hurt businesses in his home state of Texas.

In 2018, Sessions argued against increasing money for election security. This was after U.S. intelligence agencies said Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

Legislative Strategy

In 2009, Sessions talked about the Republican Party's plan in the House. He used the word "insurgency" to describe how they would try to change the other side's plans. He said they needed to understand how to "disrupt and change" processes.

Big Tech

In 2022, Sessions voted for a bill to crack down on large companies. This bill aimed to stop them from acting in ways that hurt competition.

Other Actions

In 2008, Sessions helped create a special silver coin. This coin celebrated 100 years of the Boy Scouts of America. The bill passed and was signed into law.

Sessions was one of the Republicans who voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. This bill dealt with the national debt.

Ukraine Influence Investigation

In October 2019, news reports linked Sessions to an investigation. This investigation involved people accused of trying to influence U.S. policy towards Ukraine. Sessions had met with these individuals. After their meeting, Sessions wrote a letter asking for the removal of the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie L. Yovanovitch. Sessions said he would cooperate with the investigation. He denied taking any action because of his meetings.

Personal Life

In February 1984, Pete Sessions married Juanita "Nete" Diaz. They had two sons. They divorced in August 2011. In August 2012, Sessions married Karen Diebel. She had also run for Congress in Florida.

Pete Sessions is not related to former Senator and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Images for kids

Richard Sessions is one of Sessions' ancestors