Peter Meijer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peter Meijer
Official portrait, 2020
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 3rd district
In office January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023
Preceded by	Justin Amash
Succeeded by	Hillary Scholten
Personal details
Born	Peter James Meijer (1988-01-10) January 10, 1988 (age 37) Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Gabriella Zacarias ​ (m. 2016)​
Children	1
Relatives	Hank Meijer (father) Doug Meijer (uncle) Frederik Meijer (grandfather) Hendrik Meijer (great-grandfather)
Education	United States Military Academy Columbia University (BA) New York University (MBA)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	2008–2016
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	325th Military Intelligence Battalion
Battles/wars	Iraq War

Peter James Meijer (born January 10, 1988) is an American politician and business expert. He served as a U.S. Representative for Michigan's 3rd district from 2021 to 2023. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Meijer comes from the Meijer family, who own the well-known Meijer superstore chain. He studied at Columbia University and New York University. Before becoming a politician, he served in the United States Army Reserve. He was sent to Iraq to work as an intelligence advisor during the Iraq War.

In 2020, Meijer was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was one of 10 Republicans in the House who voted to impeach Donald Trump in 2021. He tried to be re-elected in 2022 but lost the primary election to another Republican, John Gibbs.

Early Life and Education

Peter Meijer was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the oldest son of Hank Meijer. His grandfather, Frederik Meijer, helped build the Meijer supermarket chain. The family's business started with his great-grandfather, Hendrik Meijer, who came to the United States from the Netherlands.

Meijer finished high school in 2006. He first studied at the United States Military Academy at West Point for a year. In 2008, he moved to Columbia University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in cultural anthropology in 2012. While at Columbia, he supported bringing back the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program on campus. He also volunteered as an emergency medical technician (EMT) for Columbia University's emergency services.

From 2008 to 2016, Meijer served in the United States Army Reserve. He was sent to Iraq from 2010 to 2011, working as an intelligence advisor. In 2017, he earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the New York University Stern School of Business.

Personal Life

Peter Meijer married Gabriella Zacarias in 2016. They have one child.

Career as an Analyst

From 2013 to 2015, Meijer worked as an analyst for an international group. He studied conflicts around the world. Later, he worked for Olympia Development of Michigan from 2018 to 2019.

During this time, Meijer also helped with projects for military veterans. He was on the advisory board for a group called With Honor. He also helped with projects to improve cities in Michigan.

Serving in the U.S. House

Elections

2020 Election

After the previous representative, Justin Amash, left the Republican Party, Peter Meijer decided to run. He announced he would seek to represent Michigan's 3rd congressional district. He said he would work with President Donald Trump to help West Michigan.

During his campaign, Meijer received money from several wealthy business families in Michigan. This included the DeVos and Van Andel families, who started Amway. Important Republican leaders also supported him, like Vice President Mike Pence and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Meijer won the Republican primary election on August 4. He then ran against the Democratic candidate, Hillary Scholten, in the main election. The district usually votes Republican. However, the race was very close. In the end, Meijer won against Scholten with 53% of the votes.

2022 Election

Meijer ran for re-election in 2022. His main opponent in the Republican primary was John Gibbs. Gibbs had worked for the Trump administration.

In the primary election on August 2, Meijer lost to Gibbs. Meijer stated he would not support Gibbs in the general election. In November 2022, Gibbs lost the general election to Hillary Scholten, who had also run against Meijer in 2020.

Time in Office

Meijer speaking at an event in June 2022

Peter Meijer accepted the results of the 2020 United States presidential election. He publicly said he recognized Joe Biden as the new president. After the 2021 United States Capitol attack, he asked Republicans to take responsibility for false claims about the election.

On January 13, 2021, Meijer voted to impeach Donald Trump. He was one of ten Republicans to do so. The next day, he said in an interview that he had to take steps to protect himself because of threats he received after his vote. On January 20, 2021, the day President Biden took office, Meijer was one of 17 new Republican House members who sent a letter to Biden. They congratulated him and hoped to work together across political differences.

On May 23, 2021, Meijer spoke out against comments made by another representative, Marjorie Taylor Greene. He said her comparisons were inappropriate and harmful.

On August 24, 2021, Meijer and Representative Seth Moulton flew to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan. This was during a difficult time when Americans and allies were being evacuated. Their trip was not announced beforehand. This caused some concern because it could have taken away resources from the evacuation efforts.

How He Voted

During President Joe Biden's time in office, Meijer voted with the president's position about 36% of the time.

On May 19, 2021, Meijer was one of 35 Republicans who voted with all Democrats. They voted to create a special committee to investigate the 2021 United States Capitol attack.

On October 21, 2021, Meijer was one of nine House Republicans who voted to hold Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress. This was because Bannon did not follow a request from the committee investigating the January 6 attack.

Foreign Policy

In June 2021, Meijer was one of 49 House Republicans who voted to end a law that allowed military force in Iraq.

In July 2021, Meijer voted for the ALLIES Act. This bill would help more Afghan allies of the U.S. military get special visas. It also made it easier for them to apply.

In September 2021, Meijer was among 135 House Republicans who voted for the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022. This law included a rule that would require women to register for the military draft.

Meijer also voted to give $40 billion in emergency aid to the government of Ukraine.

Environment

Meijer believes that human-caused climate change is real. He thinks Republicans should find conservative ways to solve this problem. He said it is important for both politics and morals to protect the environment.

On March 21, 2021, Meijer signed a letter asking President Biden not to shut down the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline.

Meijer was one of eight House Republicans who voted for the Colorado Wilderness Act. This bill would protect 600,000 acres of public land in Colorado as wilderness.

In May 2022, Meijer was one of 16 House Republicans who voted for the Recovering America's Wildlife Act. This bill would provide money to states and tribes to help restore animal habitats and protect wildlife.

LGBTQ+ Rights

In 2021, Meijer supported the Fairness for All Act. This bill would stop discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. It would also protect religious freedom.

In 2021, Meijer was one of 29 Republicans who voted to renew the Violence Against Women Act. This law added legal protections for transgender people.

Meijer was one of 31 Republicans who voted for the LGBTQ Business Equal Credit Enforcement and Investment Act.

On July 19, 2022, Meijer and 46 other Republican representatives voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. This law would protect the right to same-sex marriage across the country.

Immigration

Meijer supported the America's CHILDREN Act. This bill would help children of long-term visa holders. It would stop their visas from expiring when they turn 21 if they came to the U.S. legally with their parents. If they had lived legally in the U.S. for ten years and finished college, they could apply to become permanent residents.

Gun Policy

In 2022, Meijer was one of 14 House Republicans who supported a plan on gun control. This plan included rules like "red flag" laws, which allow temporary removal of guns from people who might be a danger. It also included money for school safety, stronger background checks for young buyers, and penalties for illegal gun purchases. On July 29, 2022, Meijer voted against a bill to ban assault weapons.

Business Rules

In 2022, Meijer was one of 39 Republicans who voted for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022. This law aims to stop large companies from acting in ways that prevent fair competition.

Committee Work

While in the House, Peter Meijer served on several important committees:

• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism
  • Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, & Accountability (as a top Republican member)
• Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment and Cyber
• Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Energy
  • Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics

Groups He Joined

Meijer was also part of several groups in Congress:

• Republican Governance Group
• Problem Solvers Caucus
• Republican Main Street Partnership

Running for U.S. Senate

In November 2023, Meijer announced he would run for the U.S. Senate in 2024. The seat was open because the current senator, Debbie Stabenow, decided to retire.

Even though he had criticized Donald Trump after the January 6 Capitol attack, Meijer said he would support Trump if he became the Republican candidate for president in 2024. He felt President Joe Biden was more of a threat. Meijer later decided to stop his Senate campaign on April 26, 2024. He said continuing would cause too much division among Republicans in Michigan.

Election History

2020

2022