In 2004, Nehls was elected constable for Fort Bend County, while he was serving as a reservist in Iraq.[4] He retired from the Army Reserve with the rank of major in 2009.[4]
In 2012, Nehls was elected sheriff of Fort Bend County, taking office in January 2013.[7] He was reelected in 2016. In July 2019, he announced that he would not seek reelection as sheriff in November 2020.[8]
In October 2008, Nehls was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) for his service in Afghanistan in March 2008. In March 2023, the military rescinded the award of the badge to Nehls, because he was not eligible to receive it – he was neither an infantryman nor a special forces operator, but was instead a civil affairs officer. The revocation became public in May 2024.[9] Nehls continued to wear the badge, saying that he disagreed with the revocation, and that he believed "this is a concerted effort to discredit my military service and continued service to the American people as a member of Congress."[10] Nehls subsequently stopped wearing the badge owing in large part to these Stolen Valor claims against him.[11]
In mid-July 2019, Nehls created a website where he asked Fort Bend County residents whether he should run for Congress in the 22nd congressional district, which covers Katy, Sugar Land, and Pearland.[13] On July 25, 2019, Olson announced he would not seek reelection in 2020.[14] In December 2019, Nehls announced that he would run for the seat.[15]
Nehls finished first in the March 2020 Republican primary[16] with 40.5% of the vote. In the July runoff, he defeated second-place finisher Kathaleen Wall, receiving 70% of the vote.[17][18]
According to his campaign website, Nehls ran in order to improve mental and physical health care for veterans and to protect oil and gas jobs in Texas.[19] Two days after he became the nominee, the "Standing with President Trump" page on that website was removed.[20]
In the general election in November, Nehls faced Democratic nominee Sri Preston Kulkarni.[18] He defeated Kulkarni, 52% to 45%, and assumed office on January 3, 2021.[21][22]
117th Congress
In his first week in the U.S. House, Nehls and other members of Congress were seen assisting U.S. Capitol Police in barricading the door to the House floor from protesters during the 2021 United States Capitol attack.[23] Nehls admonished rioters trying to enter the House chamber.[24]
On January 7, 2021, Nehls joined 121 other Republican members of Congress in objecting to counting certain electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election.[25] On January 13, 2021, he voted against the second impeachment of President Donald Trump.
After President Joe Biden delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress in April 2021, Nehls approached Biden and said he wanted to work together on criminal justice reform. Biden administration staff subsequently reached out to Nehls's office.[26] On May 25, 2021, Nehls partnered with Representative Val Demings to introduce H.R. 3529, The Second Chance Opportunity for Re-Entry Education (SCORE) Act, to direct grant funds to county jails for career training programs for non-violent, incarcerated individuals to reduce jail recidivism.[27]
In the wake of the FBI search of presidential records at Mar-a-Lago in 2022, Nehls announced his support for Donald Trump for president in 2024 and denounced the FBI and Department of Justice as "corrupt".[31]
The PACT ACT which expanded VA benefits to veterans exposed to toxic chemicals during their military service, received a "nay" from Nehls in March 2022.[32] Regarding cannabis, despite lobbying from VSOs such as the DAV,[33] Nehls voted in April 2022 against 2022 MORE Act.[34][35]
in 2022, Nehls published his book The Big Fraud: What Democrats Don’t Want You to Know about January 6, the 2020 Election, and a Whole Lot Else,[36] which laid out his thoughts on events around that presidential election.[37]
Nehls's bill, H.R. 6064, passed the House by a vote of 414-2 and was signed into law by President Joe Biden on December 27, 2022. H.R. 6064 directs the VA and National Academies of Science and Medicine to review VA examinations that are provided for mental and physical conditions linked to military sexual trauma and assess the impairments of individuals arising from such trauma.[38]
118th Congress
In 2023, Nehls was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.
Nehls voted in favor of H.R. 3746, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which increased the federal debt limit, established new discretionary spending limits, rescinded unobligated funds, and expanded work requirements for federal programs.[39]
Nehls in January 2024 indicated that he would not support an immigration bill regarding the Mexico–United States border being negotiated by the Senate and the Biden administration, because the bill would "help Joe Biden's approval rating".[40] Nehls further said that "Congress doesn’t have to do anything to secure our southern border and fix it."[41]
On March 26, 2024 the United States House Committee on Ethics announced Nehls was the subject of an investigation. The Committee did not specify the focus of the investigation, but Nehls said it was related to his campaign's finances.[44] On May 10, 2024, the independent Office of Congressional Ethics reported its findings that probable cause was determined, indicating that Nehls had converted campaign funds for personal use, and recommended further review.[45][46]
Following a GOP conference meeting with President-elect Trump on November 13, 2024,[47] Nehls enthused to gathered news reporters:
"So now he’s got a mission statement of his mission and his goals and objective. Whatever that is, we need to embrace it. All of it. Every single word. If Donald Trump says jump three feet high and scratch your head, we all jump three feet high and scratch our heads. And that's it. He's the greatest thing since sliced bread!"[48]
On May 18, 2023, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) awarded Nehls its Real Solutions Champion award for "his contributions to keeping communities safe during his law enforcement and Congressional career".[57]
Personal life
Nehls has a twin brother, Trever. Trever Nehls served in the Army Reserve for 24 years, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another brother, Todd, served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and is a former sheriff of Dodge County.[4] Trever succeeded Troy as a constable for Fort Bend County in 2013,[7] and won the Republican nomination to succeed him as the sheriff of Fort Bend County in March 2020.[58]
Nehls and his wife, Jill, an educator, have three daughters.[5]
