Mark Souder



Mark Souder, a Republican, is a former U.S. Representative for the 3rd Congressional district of Indiana, having served 1995 to May 2010. His district was in northeast and north central and included all of DeKalb, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben and Whitley counties as well as major portions of Allen and Elkhart counties.

Iraq War
Souder voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

Term-limit pledge
Souder pledged to serve no more than six terms in Congress during his initial campaign for Congress in 1994. He broke the pledge, however, when he opted to seek a seventh term in 2006. 

Background
Born July 18, 1950, Souder is from Fort Wayne, Indiana and attended Leo High School, IPFW and the University of Notre Dame. This is his first elected office.

Congressional Career
He is a member of the Government Reform Committee and chairs its Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources. He has come under widespread criticism from students, educators, and substance abuse recovery advocates for authoring and championing the Higher Education Act Drug Provision, which denies federal financial aid eligibility to college students with drug convictions. The law has thus far affected more than 175,000 students.

2006 elections
In 2006, the Democrats nominated Thomas Eldon Hayhurst to face Souder in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Souder retained his seat.

2010 resignation
The Christian congressman, Mark Souder, resigned in May 2010 after admitting to an affair with a married part-time staffer. He was replaced by Republican Marlin Stutzman in the fall election.

Money in politics
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(See Congresspedia page on term limits in Congress)

Committees

 * House Committee on Education and Labor
 * Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
 * Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness
 * House Committee on Homeland Security
 * Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism
 * Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response
 * House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
 * Subcommittee on Domestic Policy

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Education and the Workforce
 * House Committee on Government Reform
 * Subcommittee on Criminal Justice Drug Policy and Human Resources - Chair
 * Subcommittee on Government Management Finance and Accountability
 * House Committee on Homeland Security
 * Subcommittee on Economic Security Infrastructure Protection and Cybersecurity
 * Subcommittee on Intelligence Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment
 * Subcommittee Management Integration and Oversight

Coalitions and caucuses

 * Congressional Automotive Caucus
 * Congressional Boating Caucus
 * Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans
 * Congressional Coalition on Adoption
 * Congressional Manufactured Housing Caucus
 * Congressional Steel Caucus
 * Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus
 * Minor League Baseball Caucus
 * National Security Caucus
 * Republican Study Committee

Resources

 * Official website
 * Higher Education Act Drug Provision
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Torporindy
 * Left in Aboite

Articles

 * Sylvia A. Smith, "Souder reflects on turbulent winds of change. Revises opinions on Iraq war, GOP in the minority," Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Ind.), December 24, 2006. re civil war in Iraq and stay the course