Meet Pete

  • U.S. Congressman, 1997-2018, 2021-Present
  • Chairman, Subcommittee on Government Operations on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
  • Senior Member, House Financial Services Committee
  • DOGE Caucus Co-Chair
  • Chairman, National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), 2009-2012
  • Member, Board of Trustees, Southwestern University, 2007-2019
  • Graduate, Southwestern University, 1978
  • AT&T Executive, 1978-1993
  • Born, raised, and lives in Waco, TX
  • Eagle Scout and Committee Member, National Eagle Scout Association
  • Lifetime Member, National Rifle Association
  • Member, Waco First United Methodist Church
  • Honorary Rotarian
  • Lifetime Member, Texas State Rifle Association

Pete & Karen Sessions

Pete and Karen Sessions are the proud parents of five sons. Bill and wife Kayle, both graduates of Texas Tech University Medical School, are medical doctors in Austin, joined by their daughter Virginia Sessions. Alex Sessions, a special-needs young man, works diligently for Home Depot in Austin. Conor, a U.S. Navy veteran, is in flight school at Stephen F. Austin State University. Liam and Lauren are married and work in Tampa, Florida. Nicholas works in Orlando, Florida.

Today, Pete serves as a senior member on the House Financial Services and Oversight Committees. Additionally, he serves as Chairman on the Subcommittee on Government Operations on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

More About Pete

A proven conservative leader, Pete Sessions has combined hard work, innovative thinking, and common-sense principles to successfully serve Texas in Congress.

Born and raised in Waco, Pete attended Waco public schools until the ninth grade, playing sports, becoming an Eagle Scout, and throwing newspapers for the Waco Tribune – Herald. Pete left Waco when his family moved to Washington D.C., where his father began his career at the Department of Justice.

Pete’s parents have always been an example to Pete. As Bill Sessions (Baylor BA and JD) rose from the Department of Justice to U.S. Attorney, then Federal Judge and, finally, to Director of the FBI, he impressed upon Pete a sense of duty and integrity for all positions of public service – elected and unelected. Pete moved back to Texas as his father became the U.S. Attorney in San Antonio, where Pete graduated from Churchill High School.

After graduating from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Pete joined the Southwestern Bell Telephone company, where he worked for 16 years, never missing a day of work and taking early retirement as District Manager, just prior to running for Congress.

Throughout his professional life, Pete has been very involved in community activities, serving in various leadership roles with the Boy Scouts of America, disability assistance and local conservation groups, as well as serving on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater for twelve years.

In 1994, Pete ran for Congress by challenging liberal Democrat congressman John Bryant in a district that stretched from east Dallas to many counties now in the 17th Congressional District. Falling just shy of pulling off an upset, Pete ran again in 1996, winning that year and serving in Congress from 1997 to January of 2019.

While in Congress, Pete was part of the Republican House majority that balanced the federal budget four years in a row from 1998 to 2001. He led the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) as its Chairman from 2009 through 2012, directing the party to regain the House majority with a net 63-seat victory in 2010, which removed Nancy Pelosi as Speaker.

In 2018, Democrats spent $10 million against Pete in a district that went dramatically for Beto O’Rourke over Ted Cruz, in a year that swept Nancy Pelosi back into office as House Speaker.

Returning to the private sector, Pete watched in amazement as Pelosi and her House Democrats openly adopted socialist policies.

While contemplating how he could help reverse the nation’s lurch to the left and the young generation’s fascination with socialism, Pete began receiving calls from conservative activists in Central Texas. They encouraged him to run for his hometown seat.

After talking with his wife and family, Pete decided to jump back in the fight and is committed to achieving five specific accomplishments in Congress:

  • Keep
    America safe through a strong national defense
  • Balance
    the federal budget without raising any new taxes
  • Stand
    with President Trump to build the wall and strengthen our immigration laws
  • Deliver
    better health care to families at lower costs
  • Ensure
    the U.S. stays competitive with a renewed commitment to Research and
    Development

When I ran for Congress, I did so to stand for the principles that have made America the greatest nation on earth, a democracy based on our Constitution and three equal branches of government. However, to work, our legislative system requires elected representatives to respect each other as a show of respect for all citizens.

Democrats erode our nation by disrespecting elected representatives who dare oppose their policies, and many have lost integrity in how they advocate for their proposals. Opponents are “racist” when seeking true equal treatment under the law, “conspiracy theorists” when wanting election integrity, and “nativist” when calling for enforcement of our immigration laws.

For these reasons, I am committed now more than ever in expanding our conservative Republican majority in the House of Representatives.