Mike Bost

Bost served on the following state legislative committees:[20]

• Appropriations-Higher Education
• Bio-Technology
• Higher Education
• Public Utilities

In 2014 Bost ran for U.S. Congress in Illinois's 10th congressional district. He was unopposed in the Republican primary, and faced incumbent Democratic Representative William Enyart in the general election.[21]

Illinois's largely agricultural 12th district was historically Democratic-leaning, but had been trending Republican, with President Obama having carried it by only 2 percentage points in his 2012 bid. Enyart was considered vulnerable due to being a freshman member in a competitive seat. Additionally, Democratic Governor Pat Quinn, who was running for reelection in 2014, was unpopular in the district.[13] The Cook Political Report rated the race a "Toss Up" and the National Journal ranked the district the 21st most likely to flip Republican in 2014.[13][22]

In a radio interview, Bost said some scientists believe in anthropogenic climate change while other scientists do not.[23]

Bost said he ran because "the federal government has basically blown everything they are doing right now." He says he intended to fight for job growth and immigration reform.[24] Bost challenged Enyart to as many as a dozen debates.[25]

john was endorsed by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.[26]

Bost won the election with 53% of the vote to Enyart's 42%, with independent candidate Paula Bradshaw taking 6%.[27] He won primarily by dominating the areas of the district outside the St. Louis suburbs, taking all but three of the district's 12 counties.[28] He also benefited from the coattails of Bruce Rauner's successful run for governor; Rauner carried every county in the district.

After being elected to the House, Bost said he did not plan to acquire a second residence, but would sleep in his office while in Washington.[14]

Bost ran for reelection in 2016. He was unopposed in the Republican primary, and faced Democrat C.J. Baricevic and Green Party candidate Paula Bradshaw in the general election.[29] Bost won the general election on November 8 with 54% of the vote.[30]

Bost was endorsed by the Illinois Education Association, Illinois's largest labor union. In its endorsement, the union cited Bost's "strong record in support of public education in the Metro East and Southern Illinois."[31]

Bost ran for and won re-election in 2018. In the Republican primary, he defeated challenger Preston Nelson with 83.5% of the vote. In the general election, Bost defeated Democratic nominee Brendan Kelly. Bost received 51.8% of the vote to Kelly's 45.2%, with Green Party candidate Randy Auxier taking 3%.[32]

Bost was sworn into office on January 6, 2015.[33]

In November 2014, Bost described President Obama, his former colleague in the Illinois legislature, as a "fluke" and said that "nobody ever thought he was going to rise." He recalled a time when Obama, speaking to a group of reporters as Bost walked by, had said to them: "There you have it, one of the rich Republicans." Bost purportedly responded, "that just proves you don't know me at all." He said that was his last exchange with Obama.[14]

After James Hodgkinson shot at GOP congressmen who were playing baseball in Virginia on June 14, 2017, injuring Steve Scalise, Bost said that his office has previously received phone calls from the attacker. "He's contacted us just about 10 times, on every issue," Bost said. "(He) was argumentative, but never threatening."[34]

Bost is a member of the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership[35] and the conservative Republican Study Committee.[36]

At a March 2017 meeting with editors of the Southern Illinoisan, Bost said that he did not do "town halls" because they had become too combative. "You know the cleansing that the Orientals used to do where you'd put one person out in front and 900 people yell at them? That's not what we need. We need to have meetings with people that are productive." His use of the word "Orientals" made national headlines. Bost apologized, saying he had "used a poor choice of words." His spokesman said that Bost had been referring to public humiliation sessions during China's Cultural Revolution.[37][38]

In April 2016, a Bost bill to change how the government defines farms and ranches as small businesses passed the U.S. House with bipartisan support.[39]

At a March 2017 "telephone town hall," Bost spoke about health care with several constituents who criticized Obamacare. Bost expressed support for the new American Health Care Act, saying, "doing nothing is not an option." He promised the new bill did not portend a return to pre-Obama health care. "It's not intended to go back to what it was prior to the Affordable Care Act," Bost said. "We have to move forward because the system is collapsing." He also praised "plans to strip money from Planned Parenthood and shift it to local health departments that help with women's needs."[40]

On May 4, 2017, Bost voted in favor of the American Health Care Act of 2017.[41]

Bost voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[42] Bost believes the bill will enable businesses to compete globally and therefore will improve the economy. The individual tax cuts expire in 2022. Bost wants to make them permanent.[43]

In December 2017, Bost signed a letter requesting that two education-related portions of the Internal Revenue code, one providing tuition breaks and the other incentivizing employees "to accept tax-free educational assistance from employers," be left unchanged in the new tax bill. The letter pointed out that seven out of ten college students graduate with student loan debt, which "harms our economy because it prevents many young adults from buying a house, purchasing a car or saving for retirement."[44]

Bost has a "D" rating from marijuana legalization advocacy organization the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) for his voting history regarding cannabis-related causes.[45]

In December 2020, Bost was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed 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 prevailed[46] over incumbent Donald Trump. 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 the election held by another state.[47][48][49]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Bost 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."[50][51] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Bost and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[52]

• Committee on Agriculture[53]
  • Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research
  • Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit
• United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

• Republican Study Committee[54]
• Tuesday Group [55]