House Financial Services Chair Chooses Not to Seek Reelection in 2018

Jeb Hensarling (R- TX), proponent of the Financial CHOICE Act and Chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services, has announced that he will not seek reelection in 2018 when his current term in Congress expires. Rep. Hensarling was first elected to the House in 2002 and represents a district that comprises portions of the southeast Dallas metro area.

Hensarling has spent much of his tenure chairing the House Financial Services Committee advocating to overturn significant portions of the Dodd-Frank Act, legislation passed to overhaul banking regulation following the mortgage crisis of 2008. One particular creation of Dodd-Frank, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), has drawn particular ire from Hensarling over the past few years. At a hearing on April 5th, Hensarling openly questioned CFPB Director Richard Cordray about the agency head’s supposed abuses of power, even publicly asking President Trump to fire Cordray immediately.  

Rep. Hensarling plans to spend more time with his family upon departing Congress next year.