Steven Driehaus

Steven Leo Driehaus has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 1st district of the State of Ohio, since 2009 (map).

Health care
Driehaus voted in favor of landmark health care reform legislation in March 2010. Driehaus voted in favor of the health care bill that passed in November 2009, but as a Catholic, he said he would not budge on the bill until he was satisfied that no federal funding would go toward abortions. "Since the start of the debate about health care, I have remained consistent in my support of comprehensive health care reform while protecting the lives of the unborn. I am pleased that this work has led to this executive order prohibiting the use of federal funds for abortion".

Health care ad controversy
Prior to Driehaus' vote in favor of health care reform, he faced intense lobbying on both sides. However, according to Driehaus, one group opposed to health care overhaul, Rethink Reform, went too far. A newspaper advertisement in The Cincinnati Enquirer featured a large picture of the Representative and his two daughters. According to his spokesman, Driehaus was upset by the ad: "Rep. Driehaus thought the ad was outrageous, said the spokesman, Tim Mulvey. "He can take more than his fair share of political attacks, but this one crossed the line".

The ad was paid for by the Committee to Rethink Reform, a Washington-based group created by Rick Berman's Employment Policies Institute. Committee spokeswoman Sarah Longwell said showing the children was a mistake and that the group was taking out another ad to apologize: "...Politicians' children should bot be involved in public political debates and we deeply regret this mistake." Longwell said the committee already apologized directly to Driehaus. The Committee to Rethink Reform reported its apology on its Web site, while stating it would continue to urge Driehaus to oppose the bill.

Taxes and Spending
Driehaus does not believe that oil companies should get tax breaks, and says he will vote accordingly. He also says he will work to restore fiscal responsibility, fight for middle class tax cuts, and better budgeting practices that benefit the middle class.

Social Security
Driehaus says he does no support proposals that will privatize Social Security.

Education
Driehaus supports restoring Pell Grant funding, lowering interest rates on student loans, increased investment in Pre-K to college education, and worker re-training programs.

Iraq War
Driehaus supports withdrawing troops from Iraq, and refocusing the military on fighting terrorism in the region. He also believes that more energy should go to diplomacy.

Veterans
Driehaus supported the GI Bill for the 21st Century> He says he will work to ensure that e soldiers have the equipment and support necessary to be safe,  and the health care and education benefits they need when they return.

2008 elections
Driehaus won the Democratic nomination to challenge Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) in the 2008 congressional elections. Driehaus defeated incumbent Steve Chabot in November 2008 general elections.

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Committees
Driehaus is assigned the [[House Committee on Financial Services|House Committee on Financial Services}}.

Twitter
 Steven Driehaus posts on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SteveDriehaus1/

Latest posts: http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/SteveDriehaus1.rss|title=none| max=3| short See all the members of Congress who Twitter

Related SourceWatch articles

 * 2008 U.S. congressional elections
 * 2008 U.S. congressional election dates
 * Portal:Ohio and the U.S. Congress

External resources

 * 2008 Race Tracker page on Ohio’s 1st Congressional District
 * Driehaus's FEC filings for the 2007-08 election cycle
 * Driehaus's Ohio state representative website
 * Driehaus' official 2008 campaign website