Congressman John Culberson is a lifelong resident of District Seven and is dedicated to serving the people of Houston and western Harris County. As a conservative Republican, he is committed to reducing the size and scope of the federal government and restoring Thomas Jefferson’s vision of limited government, individual liberty, and states’ rights- in other words, "Letting Texans Run Texas."
In 2000, John was the third person elected to represent Texas’ District Seven in Congress. His predecessors include former President George H.W. Bush and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer. John is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for funding the federal government. He uses his position on the committee to reduce wasteful government spending, so future generations are not burdened with an overwhelming national debt. He believes lower taxes, less regulation, and increased local control will lead to the most efficient form of government. He currently serves on the Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee and the Homeland Security Subcommittee, where he works to secure our borders and win the War on Terror.
John’s priorities include border security, the advancement of medical and scientific research, and improving Houston’s transportation system. In close cooperation with the Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition, he is working to secure federal funding for the border county sheriffs on our southern border to enforce law and order and provide much needed support for the U.S. Border Patrol. He believes the lawlessness on the border requires immediate action, and the border county sheriffs are ready, willing, and able to tackle the problem.
Meeting the economic and technological challenges of the 21st century requires breakthroughs in medical and scientific research, and John is a tireless advocate for increasing federal research funding. The groundbreaking research taking place at the Texas Medical Center, Rice University, and NASA directly benefits all Houstonians and is fundamentally changing our lives.
John also believes in cost-effective transportation projects that reduce congestion and improve travel time on Houston’s roads. His signature transportation project, the Katy Freeway expansion, will be finished ahead of schedule and will cut travel time in half. The project was originally projected to be completed in 10-12 years, and had a $500 million funding shortfall. John obtained approval from the Federal Highway Administration for the nation’s first combination Interstate highway with locally-owned toll lanes, which reduced construction time to six years and filled the funding shortfall with toll revenue.
John married his wife Belinda in 1989 and they have an 11 year old daughter, Caroline. They are members of Memorial Drive United Methodist Church. While growing up in West University Place, John attended West University Elementary School and graduated from Lamar High School. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Southern Methodist University in Dallas in 1981. After college, he worked for his father’s political consulting and advertising agency before earning a Juris Doctorate degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston. Before his election to Congress, he practiced law as a civil defense attorney with the firm Lorance and Thompson.
In 1986, John was elected to the Texas House of Representatives while he was a law student. He spent 14 years in the Texas House and served on the Public Education Committee and the Corrections Committee. He served as a member of the Republican whip team and in his last term in 1999, was selected as the Minority Whip.
He is best remembered in Austin for his successful effort to retake Texas’ prison system from federal control and restore it to the state. After introducing and passing legislation in the Texas House and drafting key pieces of federal law, John sued District Judge William Wayne Justice in his own court. On June 22, 2002, in the landmark prison reform case Ruiz vs. Johnson, et al., and Culberson, et al., Judge Justice returned full authority over state prisons to the Texas Legislature.
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