Rob Portman has been closely allied with both Bush administrations, in roles ranging from White House staffer, shepherd of legislation through the House and stand-in on debate rehearsals.
He portrayed Democrat Joe Lieberman to help Vice President Dick Cheney prepare for debates in the 2000 presidential campaign. Then when George W. Bush took office, Portman’s name turned up on the short list for several administration jobs, including secretary of the Commerce Department and director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Portman, an occasional overnight guest at Camp David, had been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate in the event Cheney decided down. He served as the Ohio communications chairman for the Bush campaign.
Portman insists that he’s happy in his role as congressional liaison to the White House and the man to talk to about anything related to the federal budget or pension issues. “I am situated pretty well,” he said. “And, I have a loyalty and allegiance to making them (the Bush administration) successful.”
Portman was an associate counsel in the White House during the first Bush administration and eventually became director of its Office of Legislative Affairs. He remained in touch with many people he worked with and talks to them frequently in his role as the go-between for the White House and House leadership.
In that role, Portman frequently is called upon to move Bush-backed legislation through the House, such as the bill creating the Department of Homeland Security.
Among fellow members of Congress, the soft-spoken and meticulous Portman is known for his detailed knowledge of tax and finance issues and for the calm way in which he approaches colleagues.
He worked on legislation that, when signed into law in 1998, simplified the tax code and increased Internal Revenue Service oversight and accountability. Liberal groups, however, said his IRS proposals and attempts to change federal pension law to help small businesses do too little for average workers.
It’s on pension issues that Portman had a rare disagreement with Bush. The president had proposed creating tax-free savings accounts as part of his economic recovery package. Portman said such accounts would reduce the incentive for business owners to offer retirement plans to their employees. “We’ve agreed to disagree,” Portman said.
In 1995, Portman helped guide through the House legislation to prevent unfunded federal mandates, requirements imposed by Congress on state and local governments. In 1998, he sponsored the Tropical Forest Conservation Act, which offers incentives to countries that safeguard their rain forests. The measure passed both houses with overwhelming support after Portman urged colleagues to vote for the bill as a way to promote U.S. interests in a variety of areas, including the fight against narcotics trafficking.
He has written legislation to preserve and protect historic sites of the Underground Railroad and supported a bill to allow display of the Ten Commandments in public places.
Back home in Ohio, Portman is known for the community drug-fighting effort he organized in 1995 in Cincinnati that relies on churches, schools and local media but no federal money. He considers his work on bills that promote drug-free communities to be his biggest accomplishment. He serves on the House Ways & Means and Budget committees.
The American Conservative Union gave Portman’s 2003 voting record 84 points out of 100; the liberal Americans for Democratic Action gave him 5 points.
