Timothy Walberg

Tim Walberg is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the seventh district of the State of Michigan. Walberg previously held the seat between 2007-2009, and lost to Mark Schauer in the November 2008 general election. During he 2010 elections, Walberg defeated Schauer to reclaim the district.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Fired campaign employee
In October 2006, Walberg fired one of his campaign employees after the the Jackson Citizen Patriot reported that the employee have pleaded guilty to domestic violence in relation to striking his nine year old foster child. After the incident, Walberg expressed his opinion that the child should be returned to the ex-employee's custody. 

Record on SCHIP
In 2007, Congress took up the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides health care for about 6 million children and 670,000 adults from families who earn too much money qualify for Medicare but not enough to afford health insurance. Congressional Democrats and many Republicans tried to use the opportunity to dramatically expand the program but were opposed by President George W. Bush and other Republicans. In 2006, 5.4 million children were eligible but not enrolled in SCHIP or Medicaid and 9.4 million total children were uninsured.

Tim Walberg voted against the first House bill, which passed along party lines. It would have added $47 billion over five years to the $25 billion cost of the program and added about 5 million people to the program, including children, some legal immigrants, pregnant women and adults aged 18 and 19. The bill was financed mainly by an increase in cigarette taxes.

House Democrats, with 45 Republicans, later compromised and passed a bill which expanded the plan by $35 billion and would have insured about 3.5 million more children from families generally making between 250% and 300% of the federal poverty line (about $51,000 to $62,000 for a family of four). Most non-pregnant, childless adults were excluded, as were most legal immigrants and all illegal immigrants. Tim Walberg, again, voted against the bill.

After President Bush vetoed the bill, Democratic leaders attempted to override the veto with the same bill but failed. Tim Walberg voted against the bill.

House Democrats then attempted to override it with another bill, which gave into Republican demands for increased checks for citizenship, the quick phasing-out of adult coverage, a hard limit of 300% of the federal poverty level and funding for families that covered their children through private insurance instead. Republicans, angry that the vote was scheduled during massive fires in California, blocked the veto override. Tim Walberg, again, voted against the bill. For details on the bills and the debate, see the main State Children's Health Insurance Program page. 

Biography
Born in 1951, Walberg studied at Western Illinois University, Moody Bible Institute, Taylor University, Fort Wayne (formerly Fort Wayne Bible College), and Wheaton College Graduate School. He and his wife Sue have three adult children.

Walberg was a pastor for almost 10 years before being elected to the Michigan House of Representatives, where he served from 1983 until 1999. After leaving the legislature, he served as president of the Warren Reuther Center for Education and Community Impact then as a division manager for the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. 

Walberg was heavily supported in his primary bid by the Club for Growth. The conservative organization had labeled Rep. Schwarz a Republican In Name Only (RINO) and heavily backed Walberg, as it viewed him as more likely to promote fiscal conservatism and social conservatism. 

2006 election
Walberg defeated Democrat Sharon Renier in the 2006 congressional elections after defeating Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-Mich.) in the Republican primary.

2008 elections
In his 2008 bid for re-election, Walberg was endorsed by the MAF Freedom PAC, which is associated with the pro-war group Move America Forward. Walberg lost to Mark Schauer in the general election.

Money in politics
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