representative United States Representative from Utah
Ethnicity:
Chaffetz claims his ancestors lived in Belarus and emigrated to the USA.
Jason Chaffetz was born on March 26, 1967 in Los Gatos, California. Along with his brother Alex, Chaffetz was brought up in Arizona and Colorado. The father of the two siblings, John A. Chaffetz, was Jewish, and their mother, Margaret A. Wood - a Christian Scientist.
Jason Chaffetz attended the university on an athletic scholarship, recruited as a placekicker in a football team. Now he still holds the records for most extra points attempted in a game, most extra points made in a game, and most consecutive extra points made in a game. He claims to have travelled to the college with only a few hundred dollars, and all his belongings piled into his car.
As a senior student he converted from Judaism to Mormonism. During his studies, Chaffetz stood for the interests of the Democratic Party.
Chaffetz turned to the Republicans in 1990 after meeting Ronald Reagan. He'd spent 16 years in local business community and managed his communications firm.
Margaret fought with cancer and passed away in 1995. Jason was moved by the support of the Huntsman family given to those struck by the disease. When Chaffetz knew Jon Huntsman, Jr. went on for gubernatorial campaign, he arranged a meeting, and in 2004 he was announced a campaign manager for a Utah candidate Jon Huntsman. After the latter's election victory, Chaffetz became Huntsman's chief of staff. At the end of 2005 he had to leave the post to run his own corporate communications and marketing company, Maxtera Utah. In 2006 Jon Huntsman appointed Chaffetz as a trustee for Utah Valley State College.
Jason Chaffetz has been a member of the Highland City planning commission and a chairman for the Utah National Guard adjutant general review. In 2003 he applied to be a Secret Service agent, but was ejected.
He has been a member of the United States Congress from 3rd Utah district since 2009. In January, 2015 he was appointed to the post of the Chairman of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee. In the year of his appointment Cummings told The Hill, “The chairman’s leadership has been a sea change from the way the committee was run in the past, primarily because he has been willing to work with Democrats and because, for the most part, he has avoided overreaching.” Chaffetz states that in order to deal with the problem, they need to act, and not only to highlight things.
November 2009 - Chaffetz co-sponsored a bill with Jim Matheson to block the importation of foreign nuclear waste into the US.
December 2009 - Chaffetz limited the use of full-body imaging scanners at airports if there is no need for more screening indicated. He regards this procedure as invasive.
February 2015 - Chaffetz threatened Washington, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser with inprisonment for possible implementation of Initiative 71 implying legalization of small amounts of cannabis in the district. The initiative, however, was approved by more than 64 percent of the voters in 2014.
He has co-sponsored legislation such as the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015, and the Commemorative Coins Reform Act of 2015.
While being involved in his senior year at university, he converted from Judaism to Mormonism. Now Chaffetz belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Jason Chaffetz has promised to go back to the basic conservative principles of accountability, strong national defense, limited government and fiscal discipline.
In November 2011 Chaffetz announced a Social Security proposal. The described provisions include increasing retirement age, increasing benefits by 5% for those who are 85 and older and other.
Chaffetz criticizes some of the policies of the incumbent president and points out the latter hasn't fulfilled some of the prominent promised made during his campaign.
Chaffetz has opposed federal protection for Utah's greater sage grouse, a bird whose population is rapidly decreasing.
He stands for the rights of legal immigrants and has promised to fix the citizenship issue, and also to deal with the incentives of illegal immigration.
Jason Chaffetz points out the importance of national defence. He investigated the terrorist attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012. He criticised Obama's policy in Afghanistan, stating he doesn't have any clear strategy.
Quotations:
"Federal spending is atrocious."
"You know, I think what people want more than anything is they just want people to do what they say they are going to do."
“We want to have the president do what he has said he would always do, and that is, be open and transparent. Thus far, the White House has not done that.” (about Obama's presidency)
Jason Chaffetz creates the impression of a direct person. By his actions he proves to despise waste of time and "trivial resolutions". He repeats "they have to make choices and priorities in the country".
He is quite a determined person and has always been like that. Shirley Johnson, an assistant to football coach at BYU states: "He was real bright and clever and he's articulate. He was more of a loner. Most of them palled around with each other. He just had his own agendas and his own thoughts and he had confidence in himself."
Quotes from others about the person
Republican State Senator Howard Stephenson:
"He has core principles about limited government, individual responsibility, individual rights and freedom and he believes in those things so deeply."
Married Julie Marie Johnson, February 1991. Children: Max, Ellis, Kate.
