Charles Eugene “Chip” Roy is the current U.S. Representative (Republican) for Texas’s 21st Congressional District, encompassing portions of Austin, San Antonio, and the Hill Country. (Do you live in Roy’s district? Click here to find out.)
- Roy won election in 2018 with just 50.2% of the vote.
- Roy votes in line with President Trump 93.4% of the time.
- Roy believes COVD-19 is a hoax and opposes coronavirus relief efforts; demands the immediate “re-opening” of America, including schools; has attacked immunologist and NIAID leader Dr. Anthony Fauci; and refuses to wear a face mask in public.
- Roy owns stock in Kinder Morgan, the pipeline company that is confiscating his constituents’ land and poisoning their water.
- Roy criticizes the Washington “swamp” and styles himself a proud Texan, but he was born in Maryland, raised in Virginia, and did not move to Texas until he was almost 30 years old.
- Roy does not live in the district he represents.
Since taking office in 2019, Roy has become notorious in the House of Representatives for his disruptive, attention-seeking behavior:
October 8, 2020: Chip Roy’s Involvement in Paxton Scandals Resurfaces
As Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton faces new criminal allegations, Chip Roy’s own history with Paxton is under renewed scrutiny. Roy’s departure from the AG’s office in 2016 was clouded by accusations that he received “hush money” from Paxton, in the form of undeserved benefits. His sudden calls for Paxton to resign suggest he may be worried what further investigation of the AG’s office would reveal about his tenure there.
August 22, 2020: Chip Roy pleads back pain, ducks House vote on USPS
After attending a fundraiser in Austin, Rep. Roy used a “sciatic nerve issue” as an excuse to skip out of a House vote on critical U.S. Postal Service funding. Read more.
July 30, 2020: Chip Roy claims COVID-19 is a hoax
As COVID-19 deaths in Texas passed the 9,000 mark, Rep. Chip Roy insisted that the virus was a hoax, perpetrated by Democrats to help them win the election. Read more.
July 7, 2020: As Texas COVID rate skyrockets, Roy goes AWOL from TX-21
In the midst of a pandemic spike, with infection rates and deaths soaring, Rep. Chip Roy deserted his district, taking a road trip to visit a series of East Coast tourist destinations. He ignored the health crisis currently engulfing the nation, tweeting instead about “Twitter mobs” threatening statues. Read more.
April 3, 2020: Roy’s Conflict of Interest Grows as Kinder Morgan Pollutes TX-21 Water
After TX-21 residents reported tan, foamy or mud-colored water coming out of the taps at their homes, pipeline company Kinder Morgan admitted an “underground fluid loss” had occurred during drilling for the controversial Permian Highway Pipeline. Roy owns stock in Kinder Morgan–a fact that may explain his weak and ineffectual response to the contamination of his constituents’ water supply. Read more.
April 4, 2020: Roy Pushes Disastrous Plan to End COVID-19 Health Precautions
Despite clear warnings from health experts around the world, Roy continues to advocate for a “Coronavirus D-Day”— a randomly-chosen date for ending social distancing protocols and “re-starting the economy.” This delusional plan would not help the economy, and would cause many more unnecessary deaths. Read more.
March 27, 2020: Roy Praises Delay of COVID-19 Stimulus Bill, Skips Vote
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across America, Roy took to Twitter to praise Rep. Thomas Massie’s obstruction of the $2 trillion emergency relief bill. Roy used Massie’s grandstanding as an excuse to talk tough and attract media attention, but then did not even bother returning to Washington to vote on the bill. Read more.
January 3, 2020: Chip Roy Flip-flops on Congressional Oversight of U.S. Warfare
Mere months after calling for more Congressional oversight of America’s involvement in the Middle East, Roy reversed his stance, flattering President Trump for assassinating an Iranian general without notifying Congress. Once again, Roy tries to have it both ways, posing as a defender of the Constitution while cheering on illegal behavior in the Oval Office. Read more.
November 22, 2019: Chip Roy Rejects U.S. Intelligence Community, Embraces Russian Disinformation
Despite unanimous agreement among America’s national security experts that stories of Ukrainian election-meddling are “a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services,” Roy has fully embraced the Russian conspiracy theories. He continues to repeat and spread them even though the U.S. intelligence community has warned Congress that doing so advances Russia’s attacks on our democracy. Read more.
Chip Roy Rants about “Cartels” During Oversight Committee Hearing on White House Emails, Storms out of Room
In a July 2019 House Oversight Committee hearing, Roy became agitated during discussion of subpoenas for White House staff who were suspected of violating federal record-keeping laws. He launched into a bizarre rant about drug cartels on the Mexican border, then stormed out of the hearing. Read more.
Chip Roy Defends Big Pharma Profiteering in “Red-faced Meltdown”
At a May 2019 House Oversight Committee hearing, Roy declared himself “offended” by questions about the high price of HIV prevention drugs, calling them “an attack [on] the capitalistic system.” Roy said he was “really glad” about the drugmakers’ obscene profits–“And I hope they make a lot more!” Read more.
Chip Roy Delays Disaster Aid to Texans
Also in May 2019, Roy used a procedural rule to block passage of a bipartisan bill designed to help victims of wildfires and storms. Roy gave conflicting reasons for his actions, which earned him intense media coverage. Read more.
Chip Roy Rejects the Violence Against Women Act
In April 2019, Roy angrily denounced, and voted against, the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). He claimed that a provision to close the “boyfriend loophole” by preventing convicted domestic abusers from owning firearms would “violate our god-given rights.” Read more.