Editing Ron Paul (section)

== Later congressional career (1997–2013) ==
[[File:Ron paul.jpg|thumb|upright|An earlier congressional portrait of Paul, c. 1997]]
[[File:Paul 65396u (cropped) (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Paul in his Congressional office, September 1999]]

=== Elections ===
{{further|Texas's 14th congressional district}}

;1996 campaign
During 1996, Paul was re-elected to Congress after a difficult campaign. The [[Republican National Committee]] endorsed incumbent [[Greg Laughlin]] in the primary; Paul won with assistance from baseball pitcher, constituent, and friend [[Nolan Ryan]], tax activist and publisher [[Steve Forbes]]<ref name=ny/> and conservative commentator [[Pat Buchanan]] (the latter two of whom had run in the [[1996 Republican Party presidential primaries]]). Paul narrowly defeated Democratic attorney Charles "Lefty" Morris in the fall election, despite Morris' criticism over controversial statements in several [[Ron Paul newsletters|newsletters that Paul published]].

;1998–2013
In 1998 and 2000, Paul defeated Loy Sneary, a Democratic [[Bay City, Texas]], rice farmer and former [[Matagorda County]] judge.<ref name=drno/>
In the 2008 Republican primary,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/02/09/politics/p092049S41.DTL |title=Paul Vows to Remain a Republican in Race |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=February 9, 2007 |access-date=February 12, 2007 |agency=Associated Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411131229/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fn%2Fa%2F2008%2F02%2F09%2Fpolitics%2Fp092049S41.DTL |archive-date=April 11, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> he defeated [[Friendswood]] city councilman [[Chris Peden]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/stories/MYSA052207.EN.PAUL.94898f61.html |title=Paul gets primary challenger |author=Martin, Gary |date=May 22, 2007 |access-date=July 11, 2007 |work=[[San Antonio Express-News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511091000/http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/stories/MYSA052207.EN.PAUL.94898f61.html |archive-date=May 11, 2008}}</ref> with over 70 percent of the vote<ref>{{cite web |url=http://enr.sos.state.tx.us/enr/mar04_135_race4.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709211901/http://enr.sos.state.tx.us/enr/mar04_135_race4.htm |archive-date=July 9, 2008 |date=March 4, 2008 |access-date=March 5, 2008 |title=2008 Republican Party Primary Election |publisher=[[Texas Secretary of State]]}}</ref> and ran unopposed in the general election.<ref>Gamboa, Suzanne (November 5, 2008) {{cite web |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D948JSCG0.html |title=Olson upends Lampson in closely watched race |access-date=November 5, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208183914/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D948JSCG0.html |archive-date=December 8, 2008}}, Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 7, 2008.</ref> In the 2010&nbsp;Republican primary, Paul defeated three opponents with 80&nbsp;percent of the vote.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pershing |first=Ben |date=March 3, 2010 |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/03/ron-paul-easily-fends-off-prim.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112123237/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/03/ron-paul-easily-fends-off-prim.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 12, 2012 |title=Ron Paul easily fends off primary challenges |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=July 17, 2010 |url-access=limited}}</ref> On July 12, 2011, Paul announced that he would not seek re-election to the House in order to pursue the [[Ron Paul 2012 presidential campaign|2012 presidential election]].<ref name="free">{{cite news |url=http://detnews.com/article/20110914/POLITICS03/109140373/Ron-Paul-attracts-loyal-following |title=Ron Paul attracts loyal following |work=The Detroit News |access-date=September 14, 2011}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} [http://www.oldhydepark.org/2011/09/13/ron-paul-attracts-loyal-following/ Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140506164416/http://www.oldhydepark.org/2011/09/13/ron-paul-attracts-loyal-following/ |date=May 6, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/07/the-end-of-the-ron-paul-era/241826 |title=The End of the Ron Paul Era? |author=Good, Chris |work=The Atlantic |date=August 5, 2011 |access-date=August 9, 2011 |url-access=limited}}</ref>

=== Tenure ===

;Legislation
{{Main|List of legislation sponsored by Ron Paul}}

Of the 620 bills that Paul had sponsored through December 2011, over a period of more than 22 years in Congress, only one had been signed into law—a lifetime success rate of less than 0.3%.<ref name=WPHR2121>{{cite news |last=Fahrenthold |first=David A. |title=Ron Paul's House Record Marked by Bold Strokes, and Futility |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ron-pauls-house-record-stands-out-for-its-futility-and-tenacity/2011/12/23/gIQA5ioVJP_story.html |access-date=January 30, 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 26, 2011 |url-access=limited}}</ref> The sole measure authored by Paul that was ultimately enacted allowed for a federal customhouse to be sold to a local historic preservation society (H.R. 2121 in 2009).<ref name=WPHR2121/>

[[File: Ron Paul, official Congressional photo portrait, 2007 (1).jpg |thumb|left|2007 congressional portrait]]

By amending other legislation, he helped prohibit funding for [[national identification numbers]], funding for federal teacher certification,<ref name=drno/> [[International Criminal Court]] jurisdiction over the U.S. military, American participation with any U.N. [[Tobin tax|global tax]], and surveillance of peaceful [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] activities by citizens.<ref>{{cite news |title=Paul says Americans' freedoms under siege |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1007/6277_Page2.html |author=Bresnahan, John |work=[[Politico]] |date=October 10, 2007 |access-date=October 10, 2007}}</ref>

In November 1997, Paul was one of eighteen Republicans in the House to co-sponsor [[1997 impeachment resolution by Bob Barr|a resolution]] by [[Bob Barr]] that sought to launch an [[Impeachment inquiry in the United States|impeachment inquiry]] against President [[Bill Clinton]].<ref name="pace1">{{cite news |last1=Pace |first1=David |title=17 in House seek probe to impeach president |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/498562556 |via=Newspapers.com |newspaper=The Record |agency=The Associated Press |access-date=4 March 2021 |language=en |date=6 Nov 1997 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="hutcheson"/> The resolution did not specify any charges or allegations.<ref name="hutcheson">{{cite news |last1=Hutcheson |first1=Ron |title=Some House Republicans can't wait for elections |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/197738955 |via=Newspapers.com |newspaper=Asheville Citizen-Times |agency=Knight-Rider Newspapers |language=en |url-access=subscription |date=17 Nov 1997}}</ref> This was an early effort to [[Federal impeachment in the United States|impeach]] Clinton, predating the eruption of the [[Clinton–Lewinsky scandal]]. The eruption of that scandal would ultimately lead to a more serious effort to impeach Clinton in 1998.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Barkham |first1=Patrick |title=Clinton impeachment timeline |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1998/nov/18/clinton.usa |website=The Guardian |access-date=6 March 2021 |language=en |date=18 November 1998}}</ref> On October 8, 1998, Paul voted in favor of legislation that was passed to open [[Impeachment inquiry against Bill Clinton|an impeachment inquiry]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Roll Call 498 Roll Call 498, Bill Number: H. Res. 581, 105th Congress, 2nd Session |url=https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/1998498 |website=clerk.house.gov |publisher=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives |access-date=1 March 2021 |language=en |date=8 October 1998}}</ref> [[Impeachment of Bill Clinton|On December 19, 1998]], Paul voted in favor of all four proposed [[articles of impeachment]] against Clinton (only two of which received the needed majority of votes to be adopted).<ref>{{cite web |title=Roll Call 546 Roll Call 546, Bill Number: H. Res. 611, 105th Congress, 2nd Session |url=https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/1998546 |website=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives |access-date=6 March 2021 |language=en |date=19 December 1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Roll Call 545 Roll Call 545, Bill Number: H. Res. 611, 105th Congress, 2nd Session |url=https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/1998545 |website=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives |access-date=6 March 2021 |language=en |date=19 December 1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Roll Call 544 Roll Call 544, Bill Number: H. Res. 611, 105th Congress, 2nd Session |url=https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/1998544 |website=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives |access-date=6 March 2021 |language=en |date=19 December 1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Washington |first1=U. S. Capitol Room H154 |last2=p:225-7000 |first2=DC 20515-6601 |title=Roll Call 543 Roll Call 543, Bill Number: H. Res. 611, 105th Congress, 2nd Session |url=https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/1998543 |website=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives |access-date=6 March 2021 |language=en |date=19 December 1998}}</ref> Two days prior, on December 16, Paul had stated that he would vote to impeach based on Clinton's military attacks in the Middle East, namely the [[1998 bombing of Iraq]] and [[Operation Infinite Reach]], and not necessarily the Lewinsky scandal, which he described as far less serious than the "unconstitutionality of presidents waging wars".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?116695-1/situation-iraq-impeachment |title=Situation in Iraq and Impeachment &#124; C-SPAN.org |website=www.c-span.org}}</ref>

;Affiliations
Paul was honorary chairman of, and is a member of the [[Republican Liberty Caucus]], a political action committee that describes its goal as electing "liberty-minded, limited-government individuals".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rlc.org/?p=FAQ |title=Frequently Asked Questions |year=2002 |access-date=March 17, 2007 |publisher=[[Republican Liberty Caucus]]}}</ref> He is an initiating member of the [[Congressional Rural Caucus]], which deals with agricultural and rural issues, and the 140-member [[Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.refugenet.org/New-issues/refugecaucus.html |title=The Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus |publisher=[[National Wildlife Refuge]] Association |date=January 15, 2008 |access-date=February 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228110238/http://www.refugenet.org/New-issues/refugecaucus.html <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=December 28, 2007}}</ref>

=== Committee assignments ===
Paul served on the following committees and subcommittees.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.house.gov/paul/bio.shtml |title=Who is Ron Paul? |access-date=September 27, 2007 |publisher=[[U.S. House of Representatives]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070924205837/http://www.house.gov/paul/bio.shtml |archive-date=September 24, 2007}}</ref>
* [[United States House Committee on Financial Services|Committee on Financial Services]]
** [[United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology|Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology]] (chairman)
** [[United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade|Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade]]
* [[United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs|Committee on Foreign Affairs]]
** [[United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations|Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations]]

With the election of the [[112th United States Congress|112th Congress]], and a resulting [[Republican Party (United States)|GOP]] majority in the [[United States House of Representatives|House]], Paul became the chairman of the [[United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology|Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology]] starting in January 2011.<ref name=ronpaul01216>{{cite news |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2010/12/16/qa-ron-paul-on-his-new-perch-to-fight-the-fed/?KEYWORDS=News+Ron+Paul |author=Sudeep Reddy |date=December 16, 2010 |title=Q&A: Ron Paul on His New Perch |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=February 23, 2011 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Paul's congressional career ended on January 3, 2013, with the swearing in of the [[113th United States Congress|113th Congress]].