Bennie Thompson
Bennie Thompson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of the House January 6th Committee | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office July 1, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Michael McCaul |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Peter T. King |
| Succeeded by | Peter T. King |
| Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Peter T. King |
| Succeeded by | Mike Rogers |
| In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Turner |
| Succeeded by | Peter T. King |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 2nd district | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office April 13, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Espy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bennie Gordon Thompson January 28, 1948 Bolton, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | London Johnson (m. 1968) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Tougaloo College (BA) Jackson State University (MS) |
| Website | House website |
Bennie Gordon Thompson (born January 28, 1948) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Mississippi's 2nd congressional district since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, Thompson has been the chair of the Committee on Homeland Security since 2019 and from 2007 to 2011.[1] He was both the first Democrat and the first African American to chair the committee. He is the dean of Mississippi's congressional delegation.
Since 2011, Thompson has been the only Democrat in Mississippi's congressional delegation. His district includes most of Jackson and is the only majority-black district in the state. It is about 275 miles (443 km) long, 180 miles (290 km) wide, and borders the Mississippi River. The Mississippi Delta comprises the vast majority of the district.
Early life, education, and career[]
Thompson is a lifelong resident of Bolton, near Jackson. He attended Hinds County public schools before earning a B.A. in political science from Tougaloo College in 1968 and an M.S. in educational administration from Jackson State University in 1973. He served as an alderman and then mayor of Bolton before being elected to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors.
U.S. House of Representatives[]
Elections[]
Thompson joined the House of Representatives in April 1993 after winning a special election for the 2nd Congressional seat, which became vacant when Representative Mike Espy resigned. He was elected to a full term in 1994 and has been reelected 14 times.
Tenure[]
Thompson ran in the seven-way special election held on April 13, 1993 after Mike Espy gave up the seat to become Secretary of Agriculture. With five other Democrats splitting the vote, he finished second behind Republican Hayes Dent with 28 percent of the vote. He then defeated Dent in the April 13 runoff with 55 percent of the vote. He won the seat again in 1994 and has been reelected 12 times. He has faced serious opposition only twice, when journalist Clinton LeSueur held him to 55 percent in 2002 and 58 percent in 2004.
Thompson became an outspoken advocate for the Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005. From his position on the Homeland Security Committee, he pushed for accountability at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and a careful review of the role of the Red Cross in the time of disaster. He also pursued waste, fraud, and abuse in hurricane contracting and called for preferences to be given to small and Gulf Coast businesses in the recovery and rebuilding of the affected states. Thompson is the founding member of the bipartisan Gulf Coast Recovery & Rebuilding Caucus in the House of Representatives.
Thompson's voting record has been decidedly liberal; he is by far the most liberal member of the Mississippi delegation and arguably one of the most liberal congressmen ever to represent the state. He is a founding member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. His legislative platform focuses mainly on homeland security, civil rights, agriculture and rural issues, equal education, and health care reform. In 1975, he became one of the original plaintiffs in the , which concerned the adequate funding of predominantly black educational institutes in Mississippi. In 2000, Thompson wrote legislation that created the National Center for Minority Health and Health Care Disparities.
During his tenure as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Thompson focused on assuring that state and local officials, as well as first responders (fire, police, EMTs), got the resources they needed to protect their communities. Thompson was particularly concerned about local officials getting adequate resources, having been a volunteer firefighter and a local elected official for 24 years.
Thompson was one of thirty-one House Democrats who voted to not count the 20 electoral votes from Ohio in the 2004 presidential election.[2] President George W. Bush won Ohio by 118,457 votes.[3] Without Ohio's electoral votes, the election would have been decided by the U.S. House of Representatives, with each state having one vote in accordance with the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Along with John Conyers, in April 2006 Thompson brought an action against George W. Bush and others alleging violations of the Constitution in the passing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.[4] The case, Conyers v. Bush, was ultimately dismissed.[5]
On January 5, 2007, Thompson introduced H.R.1, "Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007", the first bill of the 110th Congress. The bill, cosponsored by more than 100 House Members, provided for the implementation of the 9/11 Commission's remaining recommendations. It included provisions requiring major improvements in aviation security, border security, and infrastructure security; providing first responders the equipment and training they need; beefing up efforts to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction; and significantly expanding diplomatic, economic, educational, and other strategies designed to counter terrorism. The bill had bipartisan support and passed 299–128 on January 9, 2007. On July 27, 2007, the Conference Report on H.R. 1 passed the House overwhelmingly, 371–40. The previous day, it had passed the Senate 85–8. The President signed H.R. 1 into law on August 3, 2007.
With the passage of H.R. 1, Thompson is the first African-American Chairman of a House Committee to have a House–Senate Conference on the first bill introduced in either the House or the Senate in any given Congress.
On December 27, 2009, commenting on reports that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who had allegedly tried to set off a suicide bomb on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 25, 2009, had subsequently confessed to being trained and equipped in Yemen,[6][7] Thompson called for a halt to all current plans with regard to Yemen in light of Abdulmutullab's ties there, including plans to repatriate approximately 80 Yemeni captives in Guantanamo.
Thompson is a supporter, and one of the proposers of, a bill[8] to prevent auto insurance companies from using credit scores to set their rates, which supporters claim would lower rates for Americans in financial struggle. The bill proposed that auto insurance rates be based solely on factors related to "skills and responsibility behind the wheel", excluding factors such as debt or poor credit elsewhere.[9] The bill has not been enacted.
Thompson has also been a supporter of a measure to increase screening and background checks for pilot trainees to reduce chances of terrorist exploitation. The bill, H.R. 6159,[10] would require all applicants to go through a waiting period while they are screened and cleared by the Department of Homeland Security. Currently, only foreign-born trainees are required to go through this screening.[11][12] The bill has not been enacted.
In July 2014, Thompson joined Senator Ron Wyden in introducing a bill to limit the number of documents that are classified and to overhaul the security clearance system. The bill stalled and was not passed.[13][14]
On April 1, 2020, Thompson and other Democratic lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee introduced legislation that would create a commission tasked with "producing a full and complete accounting of the nation's preparedness and response to the coronavirus". He compared this to the 9/11 Commission, saying, "while we don't yet know the full impact the coronavirus will have on the nation," already "more Americans have been killed by the virus than died in the September 11, 2001 attacks". A bipartisan group of House lawmakers would appoint 25 commission members, and 18 months after its initial meeting, a "public report detailing recommendations for the development of a national plan to address public health and the economic and social impacts of future pandemics" would be published.[15]
For his tenure as the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee in the 116th Congress, Thompson earned an "A" grade from the non-partisan Lugar Center's Congressional Oversight Hearing Index.
On March 3, 2021, Thompson was the only House Democrat to vote against the For the People Act, a top legislative priority of House Democrats that would reform campaign finance and election laws and expand voting rights. Despite initially cosponsoring the bill, Thompson said his vote "was no accident", explaining, "My constituents opposed the redistricting portion of the bill as well as the section on public finances. I always listen and vote in the interest of my constituents."[16]
On July 1, 2021, Speaker Nancy Pelosi chose Thompson to chair the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.[17]
Committee assignments[]
- Committee on Homeland Security (Chair)
- As chair of the committee, Thompson may serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees.
- Select Committee on the January 6 Attack (Chair)
Caucus memberships[]
- Congressional Black Caucus[18]
- Congressional Gaming Caucus
- Congressional Rural Caucus
- Congressional Sunbelt Caucus
- Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucus
- Congressional Travel & Tourism Caucus
- Tennessee Valley Authority Caucus
- Congressional Children's Working Group
- National Guard & Reserve Components Congressional Members Organization.
- Afterschool Caucuses[19]
Legislation sponsored[]
- Aviation Security Stakeholder Participation Act of 2013 (H.R. 1204; 113th Congress) – Thompson introduced this bill on March 14, 2013.[20] If it became law, the bill would direct the Transportation Security Administration to establish in the TSA an Aviation Security Advisory Committee and consult with it about matters of aviation security.
- Thompson is also supporting a bill to prevent sleeping in United States Congress offices.[21]
| Year | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 72,561 | 55.2% | Hayes Dent | Republican | 58,995 | 44.8% | ||||||||
| 1994 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 68,014 | 53.7% | Bill Jordan | Republican | 49,270 | 38.9% | Vincent Thornton | U.S. Taxpayers Party | 9,408 | 7.4% | ||||
| 1996 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 102,503 | 59.6% | Dana Covington | Republican | 65,263 | 38.0% | William Chipman | Libertarian | 4,167 | 2.4% | ||||
| 1998 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 80,284 | 71.2% | William Chipman | Libertarian | 32,533 | 28.8% | ||||||||
| 2000 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 112,777 | 65.1% | Hardy Caraway | Republican | 54,090 | 31.2% | William Chipman | Libertarian | 4,305 | 2.5% | Lee Dilworth | Reform | 4,167 | 2.4% |
| 2002 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 89,913 | 55.1% | Clinton LeSueur | Republican | 69,711 | 42.8% | Lee Dilworth | Reform | 3,426 | 2.1% | ||||
| 2004 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 154,626 | 58.4% | Clinton LeSueur | Republican | 107,647 | 40.6% | Shawn O'Hara | Reform | 2,596 | 1.0% | ||||
| 2006 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 100,160 | 64.3% | Yvonne Brown | Republican | 55,672 | 35.7% | ||||||||
| 2008 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 201,606 | 69.1% | Richard Cook | Republican | 90,364 | 30.9% | ||||||||
| 2010 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 105,327 | 61.5% | Bill Marcy | Republican | 64,499 | 37.6% | Ashley Norwood | Reform | 1,530 | .9% | ||||
| 2012 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 214,978 | 67.1% | Bill Marcy | Republican | 99,160 | 31.0% | Cobby Williams | Independent | 4,605 | 1.4% | Lajena Williams | Reform | 1,501 | 0.5% |
| 2014 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 100,688 | 67.7% | Troy Ray | Independent | 36,465 | 24.5% | Shelley Shoemake | Reform | 11,493 | 7.7% | ||||
| 2016 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 192,343 | 67.1% | John Boule | Republican | 83,542 | 29.1% | Troy Ray | Independent | 6,918 | 2.4% | Johnny McLeod | Reform | 3,823 | 1.3% |
| 2018 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 158,921 | 71.8% | Troy Ray | Independent | 48,104 | 21.7% | Irving Harris | Reform | 14,354 | 6.5% | ||||
| 2020 | Bennie Thompson | Democratic | 196,331 | 66.2% | Brian Flowers | Republican | 101,037 | 33.9% | ||||||||
National politics[]
Thompson was the Permanent Chair of the 2020 Democratic National Convention.[25]
On February 16, 2021, on behalf of Thompson, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) filed a federal lawsuit accusing Donald Trump of inciting violence on January 6 at the U.S. Capitol assault. The suit came three days after Trump was acquitted in the second Senate impeachment trial for inciting the riot, in which five people died. After the acquittal, Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell said in a speech he voted to acquit Trump because he believes the Senate cannot try a former president, but encouraged litigation against Trump, saying: "We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being accountable by either one."[26] Included in the lawsuit as defendants are Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and the two neo-fascist, far-right organizations Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. The lawsuit alleges that, by preventing Congress "by the use of force, intimidation, and threat" from carrying out its constitutional duties, the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count, Trump, Giuliani and the hate groups violated the 1871 Third Enforcement Act (also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act).[27][28][29]
According to the subject's friends and advisors, his national security expertise qualifies him to lead the Select committee to investigate the causes of the January 6 storming of the Capitol and to avoid a conflict of interest, the subject withdrew from the civil litigation of the matter.[30]
Personal life[]
Thompson is married to London Johnson of Mound Bayou, Mississippi and has a daughter, BendaLonne, a granddaughter, Jeanna, and a grandson, Thomas.[31] He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity (Gamma Rho – Tougaloo College) and a lifetime member of the Asbury United Methodist Church in Bolton.
See also[]
- List of African-American United States representatives
- Final Report of the Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel
References[]
- ^ "Rep. Bennie Thompson". GovTrack. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ^ "Final Vote Results for Role Call 7". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. January 6, 2005. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ Salvato, Albert (December 29, 2004). "Ohio Recount Gives a Smaller Margin to Bush". The New York Times.
- ^ "11 House Members to Sue Over Budget Bill". Fox News. Associated Press. April 27, 2006. Archived from the original on April 7, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2007.
- ^ "Judge Dismisses Budget Bill Lawsuit". ABC News. Associated Press. November 6, 2006. Archived from the original on April 7, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
- ^
"Gitmo transfer to Yemen in doubt". United Press International. December 27, 2009. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012.
'I'd, at a minimum, say that whatever we were about to do we'd at least have to scrub (those plans) again from top to bottom,' said House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.
- ^ Josh Gerstein (December 27, 2009). "Bomb plot complicates Gitmo plan". Politico. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013.
- ^ "H.R. 6129". govtrack.us.
- ^ Pete Kasperowicz (July 17, 2012). "House Dems look to ban auto insurers from using credit scores to set rates". The Hill.
- ^ "H.R. 6159". govtrack.us. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
- ^ Pete Kasperowicz (July 20, 2012). "Dems would require pilot trainees to be checked against terror watchlist". The Hill. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ^ "Rep. Thompson Moves to Close Flight Training Loophole". Helicopter Association International. July 23, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ^ "Congressional Chronicle". C-Span website Retrieved 9 September 2021.
- ^ Hicks, Josh (July 31, 2014). "Does the government have a problem with 'runaway' document classification?". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- ^ Moreno, J. Edward (April 1, 2020). "Democrats introduce bill to set up commission to review coronavirus response". The Hill. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ Schultz, Marisa (March 4, 2021). "Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson explains why he was only Dem to vote against massive HR 1 election bill". Fox News. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ Cowan, Richard; Lambert, Lisa (July 1, 2021). "Pelosi names Liz Cheney, veteran Democrats to U.S. panel probing Jan. 6 riot". Reuters. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ "Membership". Congressional Black Caucus. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
- ^ "Members". Afterschool Alliance. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "H.R. 1204 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ Schultz, Marisa (May 1, 2018). "'I can't afford an apartment': Congressmen sleeping in offices cry poverty". New York Post. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
- ^ "Candidate Details". Retrieved November 26, 2014.
- ^ "Election Results". Retrieved December 4, 2014.
- ^ "2016 General Election Results". Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
- ^ Glauber, Mary Spicuzza and Bill (June 24, 2020). "DNC announces sweeping changes to convention, but Biden will still accept nomination in Milwaukee". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ "NAACP | NAACP Files Federal Lawsuit Accusing Trump and Giuliani of Inciting U.S. Capitol Riot". NAACP. February 16, 2021.
- ^ Karni, Annie (February 16, 2021). "N.A.A.C.P. Sues Trump and Giuliani Over Election Fight and Jan. 6 Riot". The New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ "House Democrat Sues Trump, Giuliani And 2 Far-Right Groups Over Capitol Riot". NPR.org.
- ^ "Democratic lawmaker sues Trump for violating KKK Act over riot". www.aljazeera.com.
- ^ Lee O. Sanderlin. (8 September 2021). "Bennie Thompson can do the job: How the Congressman's career prepared him for Jan. 6 investigation". Clarion Ledger website Retrieved 9 September 2021.
- ^ "About". Congressman Bennie Thompson. December 3, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bennie Thompson. |
- Congressman Bennie G. Thompson official U.S. House website
- Bennie G. Thompson for Congress
- Bennie Thompson at Curlie
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Appearances on C-SPAN
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- 1948 births
- 21st-century American politicians
- African-American mayors in Mississippi
- African-American members of the United States House of Representatives
- African-American people in Mississippi politics
- American United Methodists
- County supervisors in Mississippi
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- Living people
- Jackson State University alumni
- Mayors of places in Mississippi
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi
- Mississippi Democrats
- People from Bolton, Mississippi
- Tougaloo College alumni