Jim Nussle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 36th Director of theOffice of Management and Budget | |
| In office September 10, 2007 – January 20, 2009 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Deputy | Stephen McMillin |
| Preceded by | Rob Portman |
| Succeeded by | Peter Orszag |
| Chair of theHouse Budget Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | John Kasich |
| Succeeded by | John Spratt |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIowa | |
| In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Tauke |
| Succeeded by | Bruce Braley |
| Constituency | 2nd district (1991–2003) 1st district (2003–2007) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Allen Nussle (1960-06-27)June 27, 1960 (age 65) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (before 2021) Independent (2021–present) |
| Spouse(s) | Karen Nussle |
| Education | Luther College (BA) Drake University (JD) |
James Allen Nussle (born June 27, 1960) is an American businessman and retired politician who has been president and chief executive officer of theCredit Union National Association from 2014 to 2024 and of its successor groupAmerica's Credit Unions since 2024. Nussle served as aRepublican member of theUnited States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2007 and was the Republican nominee for the2006 Iowa gubernatorial election, losing to DemocratChet Culver. He was then appointed director of theOffice of Management and Budget (OMB) in 2007 by PresidentGeorge W. Bush, an office he retained until 2009.
Nussle was born inDes Moines, Iowa. After high school, Nussle studied inDenmark. He then received aB.A. in international studies, political science, and economics fromLuther College in 1983,[1] and aJ.D. degree fromDrake University inDes Moines in 1985.[2][3][4] After graduation from Drake University law school, Nussle was elected as theDelaware County, Iowaattorney inManchester.[2]
In 1990, then 2nd congressional district representative,Tom Tauke, ran againstSenatorTom Harkin.[5] Nussle ran as the Republican candidate for Tauke's House seat against Eric Tabor and won.[6][7]
In 1992, as a result of redistricting, Nussle's district was merged with the 3rd congressional district of DemocratDavid R. Nagle. Nussle defeated Nagle and won reelection.[8]
Nussle's first exposure to national attention came when he made a speech from the well of the House while wearing a paper bag over his head to protest the "shameful" ethical behavior involved in theHouse banking scandal.[9]
He became Chairman of theHouse Budget Committee in 2001, the first Iowan to serve as chair of the committee. His position brought national and international interest to his district, including theONE Campaign, the lobbying group formed byBono of the rock bandU2. The group has targeted Nussle's district with billboard and radio ads. On March 23, 2006, they placed a statement in Nussle's article onEnglish Wikipedia, regarding poverty inAfrica and Nussle's budget influence, hoping to influence Nussle. The statement was quickly removed by editors as it violated English Wikipedia policies on maintaining a neutral point of view. On March 24, 2006,The Des Moines Register contained a story about this revision in which ONE confirmed that they had placed the statement.
Nussle's voting record was relatively conservative, despite representing a district with a slight Democratic lean. He had a lifetime rating of 85 from theAmerican Conservative Union. His district has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1988. Typical conservative positions Nussle embraced are supporting restrictions on abortion and supporting President Bush's tax cuts. His district was renumbered as the 1st District as a result of the 2000s (decade) round of redistricting, and became even more Democratic with the addition of much of Iowa's share of theQuad Cities. However, Nussle was reelected handily in 2002 and 2004.
When Iowa GovernorTom Vilsack announced that he would not seek a third term in 2006, a number of people from both parties began exploring running for the governorship. That included Nussle, who began considering a run shortly after Vilsack made his announcement. On June 2, 2005, Nussle announced he would run for the position. His only serious primary challenger,Bob Vander Plaats, withdrew from the race to endorse Nussle and become his running mate.
On February 21, 2006, the Iowa Democratic Party filed an ethics complaint against Nussle for not reporting any in-kind donations from the federal "Nussle for Congress Committee". On July 12, 2006, the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board unanimously voted to close the investigation with a finding of no probable cause to believe that a violation of a statute or rule under the board's jurisdiction occurred.
On June 6, 2006, Nussle won the Republican primary, but lost the general election to Iowa Secretary of StateChet Culver on November 7 by a wide margin.[3] After the defeat, he first started his own consulting business.[3] In 2007, he was nominated to become Director of theOffice of Management and Budget by President Bush.[10]
Three Republicans and four Democrats announced their intentions to seek the House seat Nussle was vacating in January, 2007. The primaries pared the candidates down to DemocratBruce Braley and Republican Mike Whalen. Braley won Nussle's former seat.
Nussle was nominated by George W. Bush to replaceRob Portman as OMB Director. He was sworn in on September 10, 2007.[11] A March 9, 2005 quote of Nussle's was included in the2006World Almanac and Book of Facts's list of notable quotes in 2005 (p. 39): "Everyone wants to get to heaven, but no one wants to die." According to the almanac, the quote refers to opposition to his proposed budget, which included cuts to several earmarks and programs; the statement was made during Nussle's tenure as House Budget Committee Chairman.
After leaving the Bush administration in January 2009, Nussle founded the Nussle Group, a media and strategic consulting firm. In November 2010, Nussle became president and COO of Growth Energy. In September 2014, it was announced that he would become the president and chief executive officer of theCredit Union National Association, a trade group forcredit unions.[3][12]
In 2021, Nussle said that he would no longer affiliate with the Republican Party, following theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack.[13]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 2nd congressional district 1991–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 1st congressional district 2003–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Budget Committee 2001–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Baby of the House 1991–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Doug Gross | Republican nominee forGovernor of Iowa 2006 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Director of theOffice of Management and Budget 2007–2009 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
Chairs of theUnited States House Committee on the Budget | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
