Susan Combs (born February 26,1945)[1] is an American politician,having served elected office in Texas and as the assistant secretary of policy,management and budget at the U.S. Department of the Interior under President Donald Trump.
Combs' first electoral outing was for the 47th legislative district,in Travis County. She won the Republican runoff election by seven votes over intraparty challenger Bill Welch. Combs polled 2,279 votes (50.07 percent) to Welch's 2,272 (49.92 percent). The two had led a five-candidate field in the primary.[4] In the general election,Combs handily defeated the Democrat Jimmy Day,45,355 (65.4 percent) to 23,987 (34.6 percent).[5] Combs served two terms in the Texas House of Representatives from 1993 and 1996,resigning midway in her second term to join the staff of U.S. SenatorKay Bailey Hutchison as the lawmaker's state director. She was succeeded by fellow Republican Patty Keel of Austin.
Combs served as the Texas agriculture commissioner from 1999 to 2007,being the first woman to serve in the position.[3] She succeeded Rick Perry as commissioner,who was instead elected as lieutenant governor.
As agriculture commissioner,Combs worked with the Environmental Defense Fund to protect the golden-cheeked warbler.[6] In partnership with Combs and the Texas Department of Agriculture and a coalition of other organizations,Environmental Defense Fund coordinated the development of a market-based credit exchange.[6] It allowed Fort Hood to quickly obtain offsets from nearby landowners to counteract losses from live-fire training activities and troop movement through core habitat areas. Over a three-year period,there were eight auctions,or bid rounds,conducted –one every three to four months –and there were 21 successful bidders out of a total of 44.[citation needed]
Texas comptroller of public accounts
Combs was elected as Texas comptroller of public accounts to succeed Carole Strayhorn. Combs served as comptroller from 2007 to 2015. In 2010,Combs was unopposed for a second term as comptroller in the Republican primary,and she faced no Democratic opponent in the November 2 general election. Unsuccessful nominees of the Green and Libertarian parties did seek the position. Combs did not seek reelection to a third term as comptroller or any other statewide office in the 2014 elections.[7]
On July 10,2017,U.S. presidentDonald Trump nominated Combs to be the assistant secretary for policy,management,and budget at the United States Department of the Interior.[9] Earlier in the year,Trump had considered naming Combs to be the secretary of agriculture,a position which went instead to Sonny Perdue,a former governor of Georgia.[10] Her nomination to be the assistant secretary for policy,management,and budget was approved on a party-line vote in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. However,the full Senate did not take up her nomination and sent it back to the White House at the end of 2017. In 2018,the Trump administration re-nominated Combs to the same position. More than 70 conservation organizations sent a letter to the Senate opposing her nomination. She was confirmed by the United States Senate with a vote of 57–36 on June 5,2019.[11][12][13] On April 13,2020,Combs submitted her resignation,which went into effect on April 25,2020.[14]
After leaving state politics in 2015,Combs launched the Texas Smart Schools Initiative,intended for parents and officials as a data-driven approach to show which public schools and districts are achieving the highest student performance for the lowest cost.[16][17] The material,arranged on a five-star scale,was made available without charge.[18] It is funded from her leftover campaign contributions.[16] "Public education is one of the largest items in the state budget;so Texans need to know where their dollars are getting the highest return in terms of student performance," Combs said.[19] Also with leftover campaign cash,Combs formed a 501(c)(4) nonprofit called the Anywhere Woman Project,an online platform aiming to help women ask questions and exchange ideas.[18]
In 2016,Combs launched "HERdacity" a "nonprofit online platform and mobile app" intended to "give women with shared interests and career ambitions a forum to exchange ideas and offer each other support."[20] HERdacity's goal is to help women have the "audacity" to seek their own paths. In addition,she wrote a memoir entitled Texas Tenacity.[20]
As a member of the Texas House of Representatives in the 1990s,Combs championed legislation prohibiting state wildlife officials from gathering endangered species data from private lands without permission,according to the Austin Chronicle. It also sought to restrict the state from sharing endangered species data with the Fish and Wildlife Service.[citation needed]
In August 2019,the Women's Suffrage Celebration Commission elevated Combs to chairwoman. Prior to that,Combs was a Commission member,appointed to that position in December 2018.[21]
Awards
At the December 2,2014,meeting of the Texas Interagency Task Force on Economic Growth and Endangered Species,Dr. Benjamin Tuggle presented Susan Combs,Texas Comptroller and Chair of the Task Force,with a plaque in recognition of her efforts to promote conservation in the State of Texas and the Southwest Region.[22] Dr. Tuggle thanked the Comptroller for her dedication and commitment to expanding species research efforts and supporting on the ground conservation efforts in the State of Texas.[22] He praised the Comptroller for her ability to bring together diverse stakeholder groups to tackle difficult conservation issues for a number of species including the dunes sagebrush lizard,the lesser prairie-chicken and the golden-cheeked warbler.[22] Her willingness to work with the Fish and Wildlife Service on challenging issues benefited both the wildlife in Texas as well as the State's landowners and economy.[22]
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