Frank Wolf

Frank Wolf

Republican Party

Prior offices

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Department of the Interior

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U.S. House Virginia District 10

Successor: Barbara Comstock

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Compensation

Net worth

$491,454

Education

Bachelor's

Pennsylvania State University

Other

Georgetown University Law Center

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army Reserve

Years of service

1962 - 1967

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Frank R. Wolf (b. January 30, 1939, in Philadelphia, Pa.) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives representing Virginia's 10th Congressional District.

Biography

Wolf earned his bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University and his LL.B. from Georgetown University Law School. He served in the United States Army Reserve from 1962 to 1967. Prior to his election to the U.S. House, Wolf served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of the Interior from 1974 to 1975. He was a staffer for U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Rogers C.B. Morton, from 1971 to 1974. He was also a staffer for U.S. Rep. Edward G. Biester, Jr. from 1968 to 1971.

Career

The following is an abbreviated list of Wolf's professional and political career:

• 1981-2015: Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia's 10th Congressional District
• 1974-1975: Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior
• 1971-1974: Staffer for U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Rogers C.B. Morton
• 1968-1971: Staffer for U.S. Rep. Edward G. Biester, Jr.
• 1962-1967: Served in the United States Army Reserve

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

Wolf served on the following committees:

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science Chair
  • Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

2011-2012

Wolf served on the following House committees:

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Chair
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

Key votes

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. For more information pertaining to Wolf's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.

National security

NDAA

Wolf voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.

DHS Appropriations

Wolf voted in support of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.

Keystone Pipeline Amendment

Wolf voted in opposition of House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.

CISPA (2013)

Wolf voted in support of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities. The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.

Economy

Farm bill

On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill. The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop. It also cut the food stamp program an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states. Wolf voted with 161 other Republican representatives in favor of the bill.

2014 Budget

On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014. The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582-page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill. The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations. It increased the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel by 1 percent, increased Head Start funding for early childhood education by $1 billion, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and protected the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Wolf voted with the majority of the Republican Party in favor of the bill.

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201. At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference. Wolf voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.

The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Wolf voted for HR 2775.

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Wolf supported House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status. The vote largely followed party lines.

Healthcare

Repealing Obamacare

Wolf supported all attempts to repeal or delay the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Social issues

Abortion

Wolf supported HR 1797 - Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The resolution passed the House on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 228 - 196. The purpose of the bill was to ban abortions that would take place 20 or more weeks after fertilization.

Government affairs

HR 676

See also: Boehner's lawsuit against the Obama administration

On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. Five Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas—voted with Democrats against the lawsuit. Wolf joined the other 224 Republicans in favor of the lawsuit. All Democrats voted against the resolution.

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal cliff

Wolf voted against the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003, while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 151 Republicans that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.

Issues

Presidents' Day

In February 2014, Wolf re-introduced legislation that called for Presidents’ Day to be celebrated on February 22, George Washington's birthday. “I believe Congress has unwittingly contributed to this lack of historical understanding by relegating Washington’s Birthday to the third Monday in February to take advantage of a three-day weekend,” Wolf said.

Elections

2014

See also: Virginia's 10th Congressional District elections, 2014

Wolf did not seek re-election in 2014.

2012

See also: Virginia's 10th Congressional District elections, 2012

Wolf won re-election to the U.S. House, representing Virginia's 10th District in 2012. He ran unopposed in the June 6th Republican primary and defeated Kristin Cabral (D) and Kevin Chrisholm (I) in the general election on November 6, 2012.

U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Kristin Cabral	38.8%	142,024
	Republican	Frank Wolf Incumbent	58.4%	214,038
	Independent	Kevin Chisholm	2.7%	9,855
	Write-In	N/A	0.1%	527
Total Votes				366,444
Source: Virginia State Board of Elections "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Frank Wolf, click [show] to expand the section.

2010 On November 2, 2010, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Jeffery R. Barnett (D) and William B. Redpath (L) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 62.9% 131,116      Democratic Jeffery R. Barnett 34.8% 72,604      Libertarian William B. Redpath 2.2% 4,607      N/A Write-in 0.1% 229 Total Votes 208,556 2008 On November 4, 2008, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Judy Feder (D) and Neeraj Nigam (I) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 58.8% 223,140      Democratic Judy Feder 38.8% 147,357      Independent Neeraj Nigam 2.2% 8,457      N/A Write-in 0.1% 526 Total Votes 379,480 2006 On November 7, 2006, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Judy Feder (D), Wilbur N. Wood (I) and Neeraj Nigam (L) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 2006 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 57.3% 138,213      Democratic Judy Feder 41% 98,769      Independent Wilbur Wood 0.9% 2,107      Libertarian Neeraj Nigam 0.8% 1,851      N/A Write-in 0.1% 194 Total Votes 241,134 2004 On November 2, 2004, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated James Socas (D) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 63.8% 205,982      Democratic James Socas 36.1% 116,654      N/A Write-in 0.1% 375 Total Votes 323,011 2002 On November 5, 2002, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated John B. Stevens, Jr. (D) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 71.7% 115,917      Democratic John B. Stevens, Jr. 28.1% 45,464      N/A Write-in 0.1% 234 Total Votes 161,615 2000 On November 7, 2000, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Brian Brown (I) and Marc Rossi (I) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 2000 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 84.2% 238,817      Independent Brian Brown 9.9% 28,107      Independent Marc Rossi 5.7% 16,031      N/A Write-in 0.2% 682 Total Votes 283,637 1998 On November 3, 1998, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Cornell Brooks (D) and Robert Buchanan (I) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 1998 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 71.6% 103,648      Democratic Cornell Brooks 25.2% 36,476      Independent Robert Buchanan 3.1% 4,506      N/A Write-in 0.1% 125 Total Votes 144,755 1996 On November 5, 1996, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Robert "Bob" Weinberg (D) and Gary Reams (I) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 1996 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 72% 169,266      Democratic Robert "Bob" Weinberg 25.2% 59,145      Independent Gary Reams 2.8% 6,500      N/A Write-in 0% 102 Total Votes 235,013 1994 On November 8, 1994, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Alan Ogden (I) and Robert "Bob" Rilee (I) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 1994 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 87.3% 153,311      Independent Alan Ogden 7.8% 13,687      Independent Robert "Bob" Rilee 4.7% 8,267      N/A Write-in 0.2% 266 Total Votes 175,531 1992 On November 3, 1992, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Raymond "Ray" Vickery, Jr. (D) and Alan Ogden (I) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 1992 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 63.6% 144,471      Democratic Raymond "Ray" Vickery, Jr. 33.4% 75,775      Independent Alan Ogden 3% 6,874      N/A Write-in 0% 71 Total Votes 227,191 1990 On November 6, 1990, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated N. MacKenzie Center III (D), Barbara Minnich (I) and Lyndon LaRouche, Jr. (I) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 1990 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 61.5% 103,761      Democratic N. MacKenzie Center III 33.9% 57,249      Independent Barbara Minnich 3.1% 5,273      Independent Lyndon LaRouche, Jr. 1.4% 2,293      N/A Write-in 0.1% 249 Total Votes 168,825 1988 On November 8, 1988, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Robert Weinberg (D) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 1988 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 68.1% 188,550      Democratic Robert Weinberg 31.9% 88,284      N/A Write-in 0% 74 Total Votes 276,908 1986 On November 4, 1986, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated John Milliken (D) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 1986 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 60.2% 95,724      Democratic John Milliken 39.8% 63,292      N/A Write-in 0% 7 Total Votes 159,023 1984 On November 6, 1984, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated John Flannery II (D) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 1984 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 62.5% 158,528      Democratic John Flannery II 37.5% 95,074      N/A Write-in 0% 23 Total Votes 253,625 1982 On November 2, 1982, Frank Wolf won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Ira Lechner (D) and Scott Bowden (I) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 1982 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf incumbent 52.7% 86,506      Democratic Ira Lechner 45.9% 75,361      Independent Scott Bowden 1.3% 2,162      N/A Write-in 0% 6 Total Votes 164,035 1980 On November 4, 1980, Frank Wolf won election to the United States House. He defeated James Fisher (D) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 1980 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Frank Wolf 51.1% 110,840      Democratic James Fisher 48.9% 105,883      N/A Write-in 0% 21 Total Votes 216,744 1978 On November 7, 1978, Joseph Fisher won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Frank Wolf (R) in the general election. U.S. House, Virginia District 10, 1978 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Joseph Fisher incumbent 53.3% 70,892      Republican Frank Wolf 46.6% 61,981      N/A Write-in 0% 9 Total Votes 132,882

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Frank Wolf campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2012	U.S. House (Virginia, District 10)	Won	$1,091,197	N/A**
Grand total			$1,091,197	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Personal Gain Index

See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Wolf's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $449,457 to $533,451. That averages to $491,454, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican House members in 2012 of $7,614,097.96. Wolf ranked as the 268th most wealthy representative in 2012. Between 2004 and 2012, Wolf's calculated net worth decreased by an average of 2 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.

Frank Wolf Yearly Net Worth
Year	Average Net Worth
2004	$579,301
2012	$491,454
Growth from 2004 to 2012:	−15%
Average annual growth:	−2%
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). In the 113th Congress, Wolf was the chair of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science. Wolf received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Real Estate industry. Comparatively, the top industry employer in Virginia's 10th Congressional District was Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services, according to a 2012 U.S. Census survey.

From 1989-2014, 23.12 percent of Wolf's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.

Frank Wolf Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$11,165,508
Total Spent	$10,938,522
Chair of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science
Top industry in the district	Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services
Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
Real Estate	$835,616
Retired	$604,758
Lawyers/Law Firms	$461,472
Lobbyists	$345,681
Computers/Internet	$334,250
% total in top industry	7.48%
% total in top two industries	12.9%
% total in top five industries	23.12%

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Wolf was a "centrist Republican," as of August 2014. Wolf was a "rank-and-file Republican," in July 2013.

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracked the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she voteed most and least often. The results included a member from each party.

Wolf most often voted with:

• Steve Womack
• Mike McIntyre

Wolf least often voted with:

• Walter Jones
• Barbara Lee

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Wolf missed 224 of 19,929 roll call votes from January 2011 to August 2014. This amounted to 1.1 percent, which was better than the median of 2.5 percent among congressional representatives as of August 2014.

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Wolf paid his congressional staff a total of $888,936 in 2011. Overall, Virginia ranked 29th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013

Wolf ranked 190th in the conservative rankings in 2013.

2012

Wolf was one of two members who ranked 197th in the conservative rankings in 2012.

2011

Wolf ranked 219th in the conservative rankings in 2011.

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Wolf voted with the Republican Party 90.9 percent of the time, which ranked 197th among the 233 House Republican members as of August 2014.

2013

Wolf voted with the Republican Party 90.0 percent of the time, which ranked 202nd among the 234 House Republican members as of July 2013.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Wolf and his wife, Carolyn, have five children and fifteen grandchildren.

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term Frank + Wolf + Virginia + House

Frank Wolf News Feed

See also

• Virginia's 10th Congressional District
• Virginia's 10th Congressional District elections, 2012
• United States House of Representatives
• List of U.S. Congress incumbents not running for re-election in 2014

External links

• Biographies:
  • U.S. Congress
• Political profiles:
  • GovTrack
  • Project Vote Smart
• Financial (federal level):
  • FEC contributions
  • OpenSecrets.org
  • LegiStorm.com
• Interest group ratings:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions:
  • On The Issues
  • Project Vote Smart
• Public statements:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Voting record:
  • Project Vote Smart
  • Washington Post
• Media appearances:
  • C-SPAN
• Media coverage:
  • New York Times
  • Washington Post

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Joseph L. Fisher	U.S. House of Representatives - Virginia, 10th District 1981-2015	Succeeded by Barbara Comstock
Preceded by '	Deputy assistant secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior 1974-1975	Succeeded by '
Preceded by '	Staffer for U.S. Secretary of the Interior Rogers C.B. Morton 1971-1974	Succeeded by '
Preceded by '	Staffer for U.S. Rep. Edward G. Biester, Jr. 1968-1971	Succeeded by '