Jodey Arrington was raised in Plainview, Texas, the son of a tractor salesman and a schoolteacher. Jodey graduated from Texas Tech and his passion of public service took him to Austin, Texas where he worked for Governor George W. Bush. He was then tapped by President Bush to join the White House as a senior advisor before being appointed as Chief of Staff to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. In 2007, he returned to West Texas where he was Vice Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System before taking the helm as President of a healthcare innovation company in Lubbock. In January of 2017, Jodey became only the fifth person to represent Texas’ 19th Congressional District since its formation in 1935. Starting his 3rd term in Congress, he continues to be an outspoken advocate for reining in the federal government, promoting agriculture and energy, strengthening national security, and respecting the Constitution while serving the largest agriculture and energy district in the United States.
In his first term, Jodey served as a member of the Agriculture, Budget, and Veterans’ Affairs committees. He chaired the Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Education and Workforce Training. He was also appointed by Speaker Paul Ryan as the only freshman member to serve on the bicameral, bipartisan Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Reform. As a freshman, Jodey played a pivotal role in restoring cotton to the Farm Bill safety net, providing historic tax reform and regulatory relief, and making the largest investment in our military in over a decade.
Since 2019, Jodey has served on the most powerful committee in Congress—the Committee on Ways and Means. Dating back to 1789, Ways and Means has the broadest legislative jurisdiction including tax, trade, healthcare, social security, and welfare. As a member on the Committee, prioritizing rural America’s most critical issues—agriculture, energy, and healthcare—will remain his driving force. Jodey serves on the Subcommittees on Select Revenue Measures (tax), Trade, and Social Security.
He further serves the food, fuel, and fiber capital of the world by working as Co-Chairman of the Rural Health Care Task Force, leads a bipartisan congressional delegation on fixing the national debt and reforming the federal budget process, and co-chairs the Congressional Term Limits Caucus. In addition, he was appointed to serve a second term as Deputy Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
In 2021, he was appointed to the U.S. Congress’ Joint Economic Committee (JEC) by House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. The JEC is a bicameral Congressional Committee tasked with reviewing economic conditions and recommending improvements in economic policy.
He is grateful to serve and is especially thankful for the tremendous sacrifice and support of his wife, Anne, and their three children.
AGRICULTURE
The Agriculture industry is the lifeblood of our economy and the breadbasket of our nation.
A strong voice for West Texas in Washington. Texas’ 19th Congressional District is home to more than 14 million acres of farmland, and produces more cotton than any other congressional district in the country. Altogether, the nine county region around Lubbock produces nearly 70% of the world’s cotton supply! The cotton produced here in West Texas is crucial to our local, state, and national economies. Additionally, peanuts, grain, sorghum, beef, dairy, and wine are all produced in District 19 – creating over $12 billion in agriculture related revenue.
Agriculture contributes to our national security. Agriculture production not only provides 24 million jobs nationwide, it feeds and clothes our people. The food and fiber created in farming communities secures our independence, ensuring we don’t have to rely on foreign entities for our goods. We need to remind our nation’s leaders that agriculture is not just as a rural issue, it is a national security issue.
CONSERVATIVE VALUES
I work daily to protect and defend our West Texas conservative values.
I Believe Life is a Gift from God, begins at conception, and that unborn children have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As your representative in Congress I have cosponsored, and will continue to fight for, numerous pieces of pro-life legislation including Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection (H.R 36), No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure (H.R. 7), American Health Care Act of 2017 (H.R. 1628), Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment (H.R. 3354), Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (H.R. 4712), and The Title X Abortion Funding Rule (H.J. Res 43).
I Believe Marriage is a Sacred Union Between One Man and One Woman. In accordance with the Tenth Amendment, marriage is a matter “reserved to the States,” not the Supreme Court, and one on which Texans have already spoken. On this issue and others, I will fight for states’ rights.
I Believe in the Right to Bear Arms. The Second Amendment is clear: your individual right to bear arms “shall not be infringed” upon by the federal government.
ECONOMY
Tax Reform is Working in West Texas. When I came into office, working families in West Texas and all over this country had been suffering too long under a weak economy with little to no growth. Farm income had experienced its steepest decline since the Great Depression, wages were stagnant, jobs were being shipped overseas, and health care costs were skyrocketing.
Since Congress passed the historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, we have seen a surge in economic growth and optimism sweeping across America. In the days and weeks since we passed massive tax cuts for the American people, small businesses and large alike have committed to giving bonuses, raising wages, and expanding operations in our country. The new fairer and simpler tax system has resulted in better job opportunities, higher household income, and a significant improvement for all Americans.
Lowering the tax burden for our families and job creators across the 19th District was a promise I made when I ran for Congress, and our tax-reform bill delivers on that commitment. In our district, families of four with a median household income should see a projected tax cut of $1,346. This increase in real take-home pay will allow working families across the district to keep more of their hard-earned income and provide better opportunities for their loved ones. Having a seat on the powerful Ways and Means committee allows me to work closely with the Trump administration to continue fighting for an economic overhaul that benefits hardworking West Texans.
Reining in Regulations. In Congress, I’m fighting to rein in the excessive regulations that stifle American agriculture and energy production. I have supported several pieces of legislation, including the Midnight Rules Act, the REINS Act, and the Regulatory Accountability Act, to roll back regulations and ensure that unelected agencies will not have the authority to enact legislation without the approval of ‘We the People.’
Unfair Trade Restricts American Agriculture Products. As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I’m dedicated to breaking down unfair trade barriers so our people and products have the opportunity to both export to and profit from new markets. When American agribusinesses can fairly compete overseas, people will choose to buy our products.
ENERGY
Texas is the number one producer of both oil and gas and wind energy.
West Texas currently accounts for 81% of the onshore production for the entire state of Texas. The oil and gas producers here in District 19 provide a safe and affordable supply of energy to our nation, and thousands of jobs to our people. We need to reduce regulations, cut taxes, and allow these industries to grow and thrive. Like Texas, our country needs more pro-growth, pro-energy policies.
It’s not just fossil fuels that make West Texas great; our region is home to the six largest wind farms in the United States. No other area in our country has a larger impact on this form of clean energy than West Texas. The energy produced by wind power in West Texas has the capacity to power between 2 and 3 million homes a year. Additionally, District 19 is home to the National Wind Institute at Texas Tech University.
The oil and renewable energy produced in our district is sent all over the country. In Congress, I fight daily to ensure the federal government does not interfere in our ability to provide a safe and abundant supply of energy to the United States.
NATIONAL DEFENSE
As your elected official, there is no responsibility more important to me than the safety and security of the American people. Enshrined in our Constitution’s charter is that our government provide for the common defense. The best way to defend ourselves and ensure peace is by having a strong, robust military and national defense. That is why I have consistently voted for funding to give our brave men and women in uniform the resources they need and to modernize our previously depleted military.
Home to Dyess Air Force Base, one of only two bases to house the B-1 bomber, our District plays an especially important role in America’s national security arsenal. In Congress, I have worked to secure continued funding for the B-1 and am fighting to get the next generation B-21 bomber to Dyess.
As your Congressman I will do my part to make sure America’s fighting force remains the best in the world so we can have a country that is safe, secure, and free.
BORDER SECURITY
Securing our border and protecting our citizens should be the top priority of the federal government. Our porous, unsecure border is leaving our country vulnerable to drug smugglers, human traffickers, waves of illegal immigrants, and terrorist infiltrators intent on doing us harm.
Our nation’s leaders need to have the political courage to ensure that our borders are secure and our laws are enforced. We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws —and those laws must be followed.
In Congress, I will continue to work hard to support the United States Border Patrol and ensure they have the necessary tools to keep the American people safe.
I have co-sponsored legislation to stop dangerous sanctuary cities, ensure we efficiently implement technology to secure our border, and penalize countries that refuse to take back their citizens who were criminally detained and deported from the United States.
A comprehensive border security plan must include both virtual and physical barriers in strategic areas along our southern edge. The bottom line is this: we must do whatever it takes to secure our border, stop illegal immigration, and protect our citizens.”
DEFENDING AMERICA
Condemning Domestic Terrorism
It is shameful for the leaders elected to Congress, with the full confidence of the American people that we will call evil by its name, to sit idly by, complicit in their silence, and not condemn the chaos, the destruction, the violence, the crimes, and the terrorism that is ravaging our nation.
We’ve got to stand up to this mob! We have to say, no more will you burn our cities! No more will you terrorize our communities, and intimidate, and use fear to squelch any attempt by our local leaders to stop this. These people ought to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. They should be locked up away from the citizens who are just trying to live out their lives in this great nation.
To hear my full speech on the House Floor condemning the domestic terrorism in Portland, click here or the video below.
Defending American Values
There’s no force in all the world, save and except the love of God, that has elevated mankind and unleashed the full potential of the human spirit like freedom. And, no other nation holds liberty in such high regard, protects our God-given rights, and defends our fundamental freedoms like the United States. As a result, Americans have been blessed with unparalleled opportunity, prosperity, and dignity.
Freedom is a remarkable idea. It’s a privilege and a responsibility. It’s the central tenet of our democratic republic. It’s our legacy and our calling. But as Ronald Reagan warned, “freedom is a fragile thing, never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation.”
As we legislate, lead, and represent, you, the citizens of this great land, what makes and will keep America great are our values. We must defend, promote, and fight for a future of one nation under the sovereignty of God. To listen to my full special order on defending American values, culture, and heritage, click here or the picture below.
Say No to Socialism
America is the most powerful, the most prosperous and most generous nation in the world and it’s because America is the freest nation in the history of the world! John Adams warned, “you’ll never know how much it cost my generation to preserve your freedom, I hope you will make good use of it.” Our Founding Fathers knew that limiting our government would unleash the limitless potential of the American people. Nothing has been a stronger force for good, save & except the love of God, than freedom and our free enterprise system.
Supporting Law Enforcement
Where’s the outcry from the media over the violent mobs and criminal thugs who viciously assault and kill innocent people trying to defend our communities? I want to see those victims on the front page of every newspaper in America. Let us never forget there would be no liberty without security, no land of the free without a home of the brave.
The men and women serving in law enforcement and the military are the very best among us. May we always remember the high cost of freedom and recognize the courageous and caring citizens in uniform who are willing to pay the ultimate price every day.
EDUCATION
The American education system is broken. We must put parents in charge of their children’s education – not the government.
Our students continue to lag behind their peers worldwide, even though we spend more than $620 billion on K-12 education per year – that’s more than nearly every other major country in the world. Giving states and local school districts more control and allowing competition where possible, is our best option for improving a failed model. By allowing the free-market and local experts to lead, schools will be more accountable and free to prosper. We must not overregulate our school system with a top-down approach from the Department of Education.
In Congress, I’ve supported legislation to rein in federal control over education and give power back to parents, states, and local education leaders.
HEALTHCARE
In Congress, I fight to ensure every American has the right to affordable and quality care. Unfortunately, one of our federal government’s most costly and disastrous laws has made that impossible. Obamacare has failed our middle and working class families who have seen an uncontrollable increase in deductibles and premiums. It has failed our providers, who spent years pursuing their passion for healing our sick, but now find themselves spending more time filling out paperwork than caring for their patients. It has failed our small businesses that create 64% of the jobs in this country. Although the pathway of Obamacare has been paved with good intentions, it has led to a series of disastrous unintended consequences. A seat on the Ways and Means Committee, which presides over revenue related aspects of Medicare and social services programs, ensures a voice for rural America will be heard.
Obamacare has left our nation sick, and when America is sick, rural America is in the ICU!
There are 29 rural counties in District 19 that consist of agriculture producers, oil and gas and renewable energy operators, community bankers, and community hospitals. Like many rural areas throughout the country, our district is feeding and clothing the American people, bolstering our economy and strengthening our national security. While large hospitals also suffer under Obamacare, community hospitals are simply unable to handle the crushing weight of Obamacare’s shrinking reimbursements, regulatory burden, and unfunded mandates. Since Obamacare was implemented, 80 rural hospitals have closed and 600 more are in danger of closing. Without access to quality healthcare, our hard-working families in middle America are left high and dry.
One of the great travesties of Obamacare is not just the damage done to our economy, but the destruction of a way of life for over 60 million Americans who call small town America their home. Whether it’s producing reliable and affordable energy, or a safe and abundant supply of food – people from all over the country rely on rural communities to make America great. We must repeal Obamacare, restore market forces, and return to patient-centered care.
VETERANS
I believe you can measure the character of a nation by the way they treat their veterans – we have a lot of character building to do in America.
I am committed to fighting for those who fought for our freedoms and restoring a culture of respect for all who wore the uniform. We must fix the broken bureaucracy of the V.A. to ensure our nation’s heroes are receiving the quality services they deserve.
Texas District 19 is home to a system of crucial V.A. facilities and more than 46,000 men and women who have served the United States in the Armed Forces. I am proud to have served each of them on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity in the 115th Congress.