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Jody Hice

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Jody Hice
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 10th district
In office
January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byPaul Broun
Succeeded byMike Collins
Personal details
Born
Jody Brownlow Hice

(1960-04-22) April 22, 1960 (age 64)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Dee Dee Hice
​
(m. 1983)​
Children2
EducationAsbury University (BA)
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv)
Luther Rice College and Seminary (DMin)

Jody Brownlow Hice (born April 22, 1960) is an American politician, radio show host, and political activist who served as the U.S. representative for Georgia's 10th congressional district from 2015 to 2023. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Hice was a candidate in the 2022 Georgia Secretary of State election, running against incumbent Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican. Raffensperger refused to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia after former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, including Hice, made baseless claims of fraud. After Hice announced his candidacy, Trump endorsed him.[1] On May 24, 2022, he lost the primary to Raffensperger.[2]

Early life and education

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Hice is a native of Atlanta and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Luther Rice Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia.[3]

Ministry

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In 1998, he became senior pastor of the Bethlehem First Baptist Church in Bethlehem, Georgia, until April 2010. [4] In addition, he was first vice president of the Georgia Baptist Convention (2004–05) and Professor of Preaching at Luther Rice Seminary. In 2002, he started Let Freedom Ring, a talk radio show originally heard on WIMO 1300 AM, Bethlehem, Georgia.[5] Hice was senior pastor at The Summit Church, a Southern Baptist church, in Loganville, Georgia, from 2011 until December 2013, when he stepped down to run for office.

U.S. House of Representatives

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Official freshman portrait (114th Congress)

Elections

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2010

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Main article: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia § District 7

Hice unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in Georgia's 7th congressional district in 2010, losing the runoff to former congressional aide Rob Woodall.[6]

2014

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Main article: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia § District 10

Georgia's 10th congressional district became an open seat when the sitting representative, Paul Broun, announced his bid for U.S. Senate in 2014.[7] Hice was the second to formally enter the race on April 15, 2013, citing government spending as his foremost concern.[8] He was soon joined by five other candidates, leading to a seven-way primary campaign. Hice finished first in the May 20 primary with 34% of the vote, followed closely by trucking company owner Mike Collins with 33%.[9]

Since no candidate won 50% of the vote, a primary runoff election between Hice and Collins ensued. The race quickly grew heated amid accusations of campaign sign theft from both sides and reports of supporters being harassed at debates.[10] Hice won the runoff with 54% of the vote.[11]

Hice won the November general election with 66.52% of the vote in a Republican wave year.[12]

2018

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Main article: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia § District 10

After winning the Republican primary with 78% of the vote, Hice faced Democratic nominee Tabitha A. Johnson-Green.[13]

During an October 2018 campaign event in which he appeared with Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, Hice decried former President Barack Obama as having "pushed his own socialist agenda" during his two terms in office. Hice urged the small crowd to oppose the resurgence of Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterm elections, saying, "it's time for this so-called blue wave to be body-slammed!"[14] He defeated Johnson-Green in the general election.[15]

2020

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Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia § District 10

After winning the Republican primary, Hice once again faced Democratic nominee Johnson-Green. He won the general election.[16]

In January 2021, Hice made an unsuccessful objection to the counting of Georgia's electoral votes. Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler had planned on objecting to Georgia's electors, but withdrew her objection after the 2021 United States Capitol attack earlier in the day. Hice was one of the 139 Republican representatives who voted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Congress that day.[17]

Committee assignments

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Caucus memberships

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2022 Georgia Secretary of State election

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Main article: 2022 Georgia Secretary of State election

On March 22, 2021, Hice announced that he would run against incumbent Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, in 2022.[23] Raffensperger refused to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia after Trump and his Republican allies, including Hice, made false claims of fraud.[24][25][1] After Hice announced his run, Trump endorsed him.[1][26] During his campaign, Hice continued to make numerous false claims about the 2020 election.[27] On May 24, 2022, Hice lost the primary to Raffensperger, who garnered enough votes to avoid a runoff.[28]

Political positions

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Hice speaking at the 2016 Conservative Political Action Conference

Hice calls himself a "constitutional conservative."[29] He has a history of repeatedly sharing quotes falsely attributed to the Founding Fathers.[29] He has been described as a staunch Trump loyalist and an America First Republican.[30]

Economic issues

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Hice supports a balanced budget amendment.[31]

Hice supports auditing the Federal Reserve and its activities around mortgages. He co-sponsored the Federal Reserve Transparency Act.[31]

Hice voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[32][33]

Along with all other Senate and House Republicans, Hice voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.[34]

Abortion

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Hice opposes abortion.[35] He has said that supporters of abortion rights are worse than Adolf Hitler.[35] Hice believes that life begins at fertilization or cloning. He opposes family planning assistance that includes abortion.[36]

U.S. Capitol Police

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In June 2021, Hice was one of 21 House Republicans to vote against a resolution to give the Congressional Gold Medal to police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6.[37]

Foreign policy

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In 2021, during a House vote on a measure condemning the Myanmar coup d'état that overwhelmingly passed, Hice was one of 14 Republican representatives to vote against it, for reasons reported to be unclear.[38]

In July 2021, Hice voted against the bipartisan ALLIES Act, which would increase by 8,000 the number of special immigrant visas for Afghan allies of the U.S. military during its invasion of Afghanistan, while also reducing some application requirements that caused long application backlogs; the bill passed in the House 407–16.[39]

Hice was one of 19 House Republicans to vote against the final passage of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.[40]

In February 2022, Hice co-sponsored the Secure America's Borders First Act, which would prohibit the expenditure or obligation of military and security assistance to Kyiv over the U.S. border with Mexico.[41]

Interest group ratings

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Hice has a "D" rating from pro-marijuana legalization group NORML for his voting history regarding cannabis-related issues.[42]

LGBT rights

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Hice opposes same-sex marriage.[43] According to Right Wing Watch, he compared homosexuality to alcoholism and opposed a ban on conversion therapy.[44] In a 2012 book, Hice wrote that gay people were plotting to recruit and sodomize children, citing as proof an essay by gay writer Michael Swift that he took out of context.[35] In 2015, Hice cosponsored a resolution to amend the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.[45] Hice condemned the Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex marriage bans violated the constitution.[46] He has compared gay relationships to incest and bestiality.[35]

Religious issues

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Hice was a leading supporter of the public display of the Ten Commandments in government buildings; he founded Ten Commandments Georgia, Inc., a group advocating for the display of the Ten Commandments in every Georgia county courthouse. Hice began the initiative as a pastor, waging a fight against the American Civil Liberties Union over a display in the Barrow County Courthouse, and later supported similar efforts in the Morgan County Superior Courthouse.[47]

In September 2008, Hice was one of 33 pastors across America to participate in "Pulpit Freedom Sunday"[48] in opposition to the Johnson Amendment, a provision of the tax code that prohibits tax-exempt organizations (such as churches) from endorsing or opposing political candidates. In the sermon, Hice endorsed Senator John McCain for President.[49]

Hice has argued that Christians have been "tricked" into a "false belief" in separation of church and state.[50][51] He asserted that church-state separation leads to government corruption.[50]

In his 2012 book A Call to Reclaim America, Hice wrote, "Although Islam has a religious component, it is much more than a simple religious ideology. It is a complete geo-political structure and, as such, does not deserve First Amendment protection."[52] In his book It's Now or Never, Hice quoted former U.S. general William G. Boykin as stating that there is a Muslim Brotherhood plot to take over the United States.[53]

Texas v. Pennsylvania

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In December 2020, Hice was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated Trump.[54] The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[55][56][57]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." She also reprimanded Hice and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[58][59]

Biden administration

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Hice supported efforts to impeach President Joe Biden. During the 117th United States Congress, Hice co-sponsored two resolutions to impeach President Biden.[60][61] During the 117th Congress, Hice also co-sponsored a resolution to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas[62] and a resolution to impeach Secretary of State Antony Blinken.[63]

DC statehood

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In March 2021, in a statement on the House floor, Hice argued against statehood for the District of Columbia and HR 51 by claiming that D.C. would be the only state "without an airport, without a car dealership." Hice was criticized for his statements because airports and car dealerships are not prerequisites for statehood and because D.C. does have car dealerships. Representative Jamie Raskin called his argument "frivolous" and accused Republicans of attempting to "gin up whatever arguments they can think of" to oppose D.C. statehood.[64]

Immigration

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Hice voted against the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, which authorizes DHS to nearly double the available H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2020.[65][66]

Hice voted against the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1158),[67] which effectively prohibits Immigration and Customs Enforcement from cooperating with the Department of Health and Human Services to detain or remove illegal alien sponsors of Unaccompanied Alien Children.[citation needed]

Personal life

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He is married to Dee Dee Hice.[68]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Haberman, Maggie (March 22, 2021). "Trump endorses Jody Hice, a congressman, to run against Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  2. ^ Edelman, Adam (May 25, 2022). "Brad Raffensperger, targeted by Trump, wins Ga. GOP primary for secretary of state". NBC News. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  3. ^ "Bio of Jody Hice". Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  4. ^ Bob Allen, Baptist preacher wins Georgia House seat, baptistnews.com, USA, November 6, 2014
  5. ^ GDP, Gwinnett Gab, gwinnettdailypost.com, USA, Apr 1, 2006
  6. ^ "Congressional candidates court Barrow voters". BarrowNewsJournal.com. June 9, 2010. Archived from the original on June 23, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
  7. ^ Killough, Ashley (February 6, 2013). "Georgia Rep. Paul Broun to run for Senate". CNN. Archived from the original on September 10, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  8. ^ Galloway, Jim (April 15, 2013). "Jody Hice enters GOP race to replace Paul Broun". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  9. ^ "Ga Election Results". GA Secretary of State Page. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  10. ^ Cochran, Kelsey (July 20, 2014). "Hice, Collins campaign heats up with reports of sign thefts, 'shenanigans'". Athens Banner-Herald. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  11. ^ "Georgia – Summary Vote Results". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  12. ^ "covnews.com, Jody Hice wins seat in U.S. House, November 4, 2014". covnews.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  13. ^ Webb, Ashlyn. "Georgia's 10th Congressional District: Democratic candidate Tabitha Johnson-Green". The Red and Black. Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  14. ^ Gambino, Lauren (October 29, 2018). "Republican congressman: time to 'body-slam' Democrats' midterm hopes". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  15. ^ Holland, Maggie (November 6, 2018). "Breaking: Jody Hice seals third term as Georgia District 10 Representative". Red and Black. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  16. ^ Raffensperger, Brad. "November 3, 2020 General Election Official Results - Totals include all Absentee and Provisional Ballots". Georgia Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  17. ^ Yourish, Karen; Buchanan, Larry; Lu, Denise (January 7, 2021). "The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  18. ^ "What is the House Freedom Caucus, and who's in it?". Pew Research Center. October 20, 2015. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  19. ^ "Members". Congressional Western Caucus. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  20. ^ "Members of the Veterinary Medicine Caucus". Veterinary Medicine Caucus. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  21. ^ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  22. ^ "Committees : Congressman Jody Hice". hice.house.gov. Archived from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  23. ^ Bluestein, Greg (March 22, 2021). "Hice launches challenge to Raffensperger in race for Secretary of State". AJC. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  24. ^ Salamy, Elissa (December 31, 2020). "Congressman Hice: I'm totally convinced' of voter fraud in Georgia". KECI. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  25. ^ "VERIFY: Video Trump tweeted about Fulton re-scan report is wrong". 11Alive.com. November 11, 2020. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  26. ^ Fowler, Stephen (March 22, 2021). "Rep. Jody Hice, Who Pushed False Election Conspiracies, Announces Secretary Of State Run". Georgia Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  27. ^ Dale, Daniel (March 30, 2021). "Fact check: Trump-backed candidate for Georgia elections chief begins campaign with false claims about 2020 election". CNN. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  28. ^ "Georgia Primary Secretary of State Election Live Results 2022 – NBC News". NBC News. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  29. ^ a b Kaczynski, Andrew (August 26, 2014). "Nearly Every Founding Fathers' Quote Shared By A Likely Future Congressman Is Fake". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on January 3, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  30. ^ Zanona, Melanie (March 9, 2021). "Trump's House GOP fans don his mantle as they seek higher office". POLITICO. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  31. ^ a b "Doug Collins on Budget & Economy". On the Issues. Archived from the original on October 27, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  32. ^ Almukhtar, Sarah (December 19, 2017). "How Each House Member Voted on the Tax Bill". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  33. ^ Yeomans, Curt (December 23, 2017). "POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: Gwinnett's Republican representatives in Washington celebrate tax bill passage". Gwinnett Daily Post. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  34. ^ Carl Hulse (March 6, 2021). "After Stimulus Victory in Senate, Reality Sinks in: Bipartisanship Is Dead". New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021.
  35. ^ a b c d Murphy, Tim (May 21, 2014). "GOP House candidate: there's a gay plot to recruit and sodomize your kids". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  36. ^ "Doug Collins on Abortion". On The Issues. Archived from the original on October 27, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  37. ^ Grayer, Annie; Wilson, Kristin (June 16, 2021). "21 Republicans vote no on bill to award Congressional Gold Medal for January 6 police officers". CNN. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  38. ^ Diaz, Daniella; Wilson, Kristin (March 19, 2021). "14 House Republicans vote against a measure condemning military coup in Myanmar". CNN. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  39. ^ Quarshie, Mabinty (August 17, 2021). "These 16 Republicans voted against speeding up visas for Afghans fleeing the Taliban". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  40. ^ "S. 1605: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 -- House Vote #405 -- Dec 7, 2021". Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  41. ^ "H.R.6648 - 117th Congress (2021–2022): Secure America's Borders First Act". February 8, 2022. Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  42. ^ "Georgia Scorecard". NORML. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  43. ^ Sullivan, Sean (July 23, 2014). "Jody Hice is likely headed to Congress". The Washington Post.
  44. ^ Sarlin, Benjy (July 22, 2014). "Anti-Islam pastor Jody Hice wins Georgia primary". MSNBC. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  45. ^ Huelskamp, Tim (February 12, 2015). "Cosponsors - H.J.Res.32 - 114th Congress (2015–2016): Marriage Protection Amendment". www.congress.gov. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  46. ^ "Hice Statement on SCOTUS Decision on Marriage". Congressman Jody Hice. June 26, 2015. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  47. ^ Tia Lynn Ivey, Commandments placed inside courthouse Archived March 1, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, Morgan County Citizen (September 2, 2020); Tia Lynn Ivey, [1] Archived January 20, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, Morgan County Citizen (March 11, 2020); Carol McLeod, Historical documents now on display in courthouses Archived September 28, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Augusta Chronicle (April 4, 2012).
  48. ^ "Jody Hice Returns To National Spotlight With Presidential Endorsement". onlineathens.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  49. ^ "Churches await IRS response after protest". NBC News. April 24, 2009. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  50. ^ a b "Rep. Jody Hice: Church-State Separation Encourages Corruption". Right Wing Watch. People for the American Way. June 17, 2015. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  51. ^ "Congressman Jody Hice: Christians 'Tricked' Into Believing Separation Of Church And State". Fox News Radio. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015.
  52. ^ Bookman, Jay (June 23, 2014). "Is the First Amendment only for Christians?". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014.
  53. ^ Hice, Jody. It's Now or Never, pg. 155
  54. ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  55. ^ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  56. ^ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  57. ^ Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  58. ^ Smith, David (December 12, 2020). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  59. ^ "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  60. ^ "H.Res.635 - Impeaching Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors". www.congress.gov. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  61. ^ "H.Res.680 - Impeaching Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., President of the United States, for the high crimes and misdemeanors of betrayal of the public trust". www.congress.gov. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  62. ^ "H.Res.582 - Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors". www.congress.gov. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  63. ^ "H.Res.608 - Impeaching Antony John Blinken, Secretary of State, for high crimes and misdemeanors". www.congress.gov. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  64. ^ Dorman, John L. "GOP Rep. Jody Hice argued against DC statehood by incorrectly citing a lack of car dealerships". Business Insider. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  65. ^ "H.R.1865 - Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020". Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  66. ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives". clerk.house.gov. December 17, 2019. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  67. ^ "H.R. 1158: DHS Cyber Hunt and Incident Response Teams Act … -- House Vote #690 -- Dec 17, 2019".
  68. ^ "Trump-Backed QAnon Candidates Launch Group to 'Control the Election System'". www.vice.com. October 27, 2021. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
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Wikiquote has quotations related to Jody Hice.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 10th congressional district
2015–2023 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative 		Succeeded byas Former US Representative
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