John Shimkus

He served overseas with the 54th Infantry Regiment in West Germany.

Shimkus earned a teaching certificate from Christ College Irvine (now Concordia University Irvine) and began teaching at Metro East Lutheran High School in Edwardsville.

John Mondy Shimkus (, born February 21, 1958) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from 1997 to 2021, representing the 20th, 19th and 15th congressional districts of Illinois.

Shimkus is a member of the Republican Party.

He earned an MBA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 1987.

Shimkus first ran for office in 1989, when he was elected a Collinsville Township trustee.

A year later, he was elected as Madison County treasurer—the first Republican elected to a countywide post in 10 years.

In 1992, while still serving as Madison County treasurer, he won the Republican nomination to run for the U.S. House seat in what was then the 20th district.

He was defeated by 10-year Democratic incumbent Dick Durbin.

Four years later, Durbin gave up the seat to make what would be a successful run for the United States Senate.

Shimkus won a crowded six-way primary, and faced State Representative Jay C. Hoffman in a close general election, which Shimkus won by just over 1,200 votes.

However, he would never face another general election contest nearly that close.

In 1994, Shimkus became the first Republican to be re-elected as county treasurer in 60 years.

That year, Illinois lost a district as a result of the 2000 census, and his district was merged with the 19th district, then held by two-term Democratic representative David Phelps.

The new district retained Phelps' district number, but was geographically and demographically more similar to the old 20th district, as Shimkus retained 60% of his former territory.

The campaign was very bitter, with both men accusing the other's staffers of stalking their families.

He faced only one credible Democratic opponent since his initial reelection, in 2002.

After serving his five-year United States Army commitment, he entered the United States Army Reserve, retiring in 2008 as a lieutenant colonel.

While in the U.S. Army, Shimkus earned the Expert Infantry Badge, Ranger Tab, and Parachutist Badge.

On March 25, 2009, in introductory remarks made to Christopher Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, during a United States House Energy Subcommittee on Energy and Environment hearing, he made the following statement regarding the role of carbon dioxide in global warming:

"It's plant food ... So if we decrease the use of carbon dioxide, are we not taking away plant food from the atmosphere? ... So all our good intentions could be for naught. In fact, we could be doing just the opposite of what the people who want to save the world are saying."

Shimkus has quoted the Bible to allay concerns of global warming induced rise in sea levels, stating that God had promised mankind through Noah that the earth would never again be destroyed by a flood.

He acknowledged that climate change is real, but questioned the benefit of spending taxpayer money on "something that you cannot stop versus the changes that have been occurring forever".

Shimkus has been a proponent of legislation to increase the ability of the Food and Drug Administration to institute recalls of tainted foods.

He has served as one of the chief Republican negotiators on the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which was passed by Congress and signed by the president.

Of the bill, he said: "When you're talking about the health and safety of folks, if the FDA has enough evidence to make a declaration of recall, I think that most Americans would support the government having that authority."

In May 2013, Shimkus stated he would renew his support for the Keystone Pipeline.

The project would be an oil pipeline, bringing Canadian crude oil through the Midwest, including Illinois.

As a supporter, he stated that he would rather see Canada as an energy partner than ship in oil from overseas.

Shimkus was a key leader in the effort to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act, which was amended in 2016 by the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act.

Shimkus voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Shimkus spoke positively of President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to temporarily curtail immigration from specified countries until better screening methods are devised.

He stated that "This temporary halt will give Congress and the new Administration time to evaluate and improve the vetting process, and in the meantime gives Secretary Kelly authority to grant exceptions to the restrictions as needed. One of those exceptions must be to green card holders, who have already undergone extensive screening."

On August 30, 2019, he announced that he would not seek re-election for his seat in 2020 and was succeeded by fellow Republican Mary Miller.

Shimkus is a lifelong resident of Collinsville, part of the Metro East portion of the St. Louis metropolitan area.

He is the son of Kathleen N. (née Mondy) and Gene L. Shimkus.

His paternal grandfather was of Lithuanian descent.

Shimkus earned his bachelor's degree at the United States Military Academy.

In October 2019, he criticized Trump for withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria, and resigned as a co-chair for Trump's 2020 campaign in Illinois.

Shimkus has a "D" rating from marijuana legalization advocacy group NORML for his voting history regarding cannabis-related causes.