Buck McKeon

A new 25th District was created in the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys in north Los Angeles County and the communities of Chatsworth, Granada Hills, Northridge, and Porter Ranch in the northwestern San Fernando Valley.

McKeon was thus the first congressman to represent the new district.

California's 25th District holds several military bases, including Fort Irwin, Edwards Air Force Base, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, and the Marine Mountain Warfare Training Center.

Although he has spoken strongly against Obama's budgets and governmental support of the economy and has encouraged reducing spending, McKeon opposed cutting the military budget, stating, "a defense budget in decline portends an America in decline."

Howard Philip "Buck" McKeon (born September 9, 1938) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from California's 25th congressional district from 1993 to 2015.

He is a member of the Republican Party.

He is a former chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Education Committee.

Born in Tujunga, Los Angeles, California, McKeon graduated from Verdugo Hills High School.

He spent two years as a Mormon missionary before enrolling at Brigham Young University.

He later received his Bachelor of Science degree in animal husbandry in 1985, after previously putting his studies on hold to raise a family and establish his early business career.

He was an owner of a Western-themed clothing retail chain, Howard & Phil's Western Wear.

McKeon was a one-term councilman of Santa Clarita, being one of the first to hold that post after the city incorporated in 1987.

He held that position until entering the House.

In 1992, California gained seven additional seats following the census.

Along with Dean Gallo of New Jersey, McKeon introduced the Religious Freedom Restoration Act on March 11, 1993.

McKeon was a member of the Republican Study Committee.

The business went bankrupt in 1999, though at that point he hadn't worked for the chain in years.

He had also worked as the chairman of a small, regional bank.

McKeon gained his first political experience when he was elected to the William S. Hart High School District board of trustees.

In the 2002 reapportionment, the San Fernando Valley and portions of the Antelope Valley were removed from the 25th District.

To make up for the loss of population, the district was pushed all the way to the Nevada border, taking in all of Inyo and Mono counties and about half of the land area within San Bernardino County.

The Los Angeles County portion of the district still included the cities of Santa Clarita, Palmdale, and part of the city of Lancaster.

During the 2006 election cycle, McKeon received 60% of the vote in his district, defeating Democrat Robert Rodriguez and Libertarian David Erickson.

The district has been considered to be "safe" for the Republican Party because it included predominantly Republican areas in the Antelope and Santa Clarita Valleys and conservative rural areas of the High Sierra and desert regions of California.

McKeon handily won reelection with 58% of the vote in 2008, even though Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama carried the district over his Republican rival John McCain.

McKeon's campaigns received the greatest financial support from the defense industry, especially aerospace companies such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing.

Additionally, he is endorsed by the National Rifle Association, the National Federation of Independent Business, and the California Pro-Life Council.

McKeon served as the chairman on the Armed Services Committee.

In 2009, McKeon served as ranking member of the House Committee on Education and Labor.

In June, President Barack Obama nominated Representative John M. McHugh of New York, who was the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, as Secretary of the Army.

On June 9, the House Republican leadership appointed McKeon as the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee.

Under rules of the House of Representatives, McKeon was required to step down from his position as ranking member of the Education and Labor Committee, though he continued to serve on the committee.

McKeon was named chairman of the Committee on Armed Services in January, following the Republican takeover of the House in the November 2010 elections.

As a member of the House, he made education and defense issues two of his main priorities.

He was greatly involved in the reform of the Student Loan Aid Program, which reduced interest rates but controversially increased federal control over education policy, such as teacher training.

He also supports a strong national defense budget.

He held the position from January 2011 to January 2015.

He was previously the ranking member of the committee.

In 2012, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission drew new lines for the 25th district, pushing it well to the north and making it somewhat more compact.

It retained its share of Los Angeles County, added parts of Porter Ranch and Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley, and expanded into parts of Ventura County, including most of Simi Valley.