Bryan George Steil ( ; born March 3, 1981) is an American attorney, businessman, and Republican politician from

Janesville, Wisconsin Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 65,615, making it the List of cities in Wisconsin, tenth-most populous city in Wis ...

. He is a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 1st congressional district since 2019. In the 118th Congress, he is chair of the House Administration Committee. Prior to his election to Congress, he served as a member of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents.

Early life and education

Steil attended Joseph A. Craig High School in

, where he was born and raised. He earned his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in

business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

, and his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the University of Wisconsin School of Law.

Earlier career

In 2003, Steil spent a year working as an aide to U.S. representative

Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member of the ...

. Before his election to Congress, Steil spent a decade in the manufacturing industry in southeast Wisconsin. He was an executive for plastics manufacturer Charter NEX Film. He also spent time working for

Regal Beloit Regal Rexnord Corporation is a manufacturer of electric motors and power transmission components based in Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company has manufacturing, sales, and service facilities throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, ...

, spending a short stint in China while working for the company, and also spent time at McDermott Will & Emery as an attorney. In 2016, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker nominated Steil to the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

Board of Regents, and the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...

unanimously approved him.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018

Steil won the 2018 Republican primary in the race to succeed retiring incumbent and then speaker of the House

in Wisconsin's 1st congressional district. He went on to face Democratic nominee Randy Bryce in the general election. During the campaign, Steil was endorsed by, among others, Ryan and

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. Steil defeated Bryce with 54.6% of the vote.

2020

Steil was reelected in 2020 with 59.3% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Roger Polack.

2022

Steil was reelected in 2022 with 54.1% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Ann Roe and Independent Charles Barman.

2024

Steil was reelected in 2024 with 54.0% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Peter Barca and

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

nominee Chester Todd Jr.

Tenure

Committee assignments

* Committee on House Administration, Chairman * Committee on Financial Services ** United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets ** United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion

Caucus memberships

* Republican Governance Group * Middle Class Jobs Caucus (Co-Chair) * Freshmen Working Group on Addiction * Future of Work Caucus (Founder/Co-Chair) * Republican Study Committee * Republican Main Street Partnership * Problem Solvers Caucus * Congressional Coalition on Adoption * Congressional Blockchain Caucus * Rare Disease Caucus

Political positions

Steil has stated his top issues are workforce development, trade, and the student loan debt crisis. He opposes

gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...

measures, but supports funding for instant background checks. Steil has stated that he favors making more trade partnerships with other countries. He has also advocated for more funding to be allocated to the region near the United States' southern border including support for finishing the Mexico–United States border wall. He also has called for more price transparency in the medical industry. Steil is an opponent of abortion and supports overturning ''

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...

''. In 2020, he voted against federal aid for paid sick leave related to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, which passed 363 to 41 in the House. He later voted for the December 2020 COVID-19 relief bill backed by then-President Trump, the fifth-largest piece of legislation in American history. On January 6, 2021, Steil condemned the

2021 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...

, but did not call for Trump's removal from office, voting against the subsequent impeachment resolution on January 13. He voted against the Republican-sponsored objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electoral votes, thus helping to certify

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. In May, he voted against forming the January 6 commission to investigate the attack. On July 19, 2022, Steil and 46 other Republican representatives voted for the

Respect for Marriage Act The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA; ) is a landmark United States federal law passed by the 117th United States Congress in 2022 and signed into law by President Joe Biden. It repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), requires the U.S. federal ...

, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law. Steil is the House Administration chairman. In this role, he helped oust the scandal-plagued Capitol official Brett Blanton.

Personal life

Steil is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. In November 2020, he tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. Steil was born and raised in Janesville and attended Janesville Craig High School, Georgetown University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School.

Electoral history

References

External links

Congressman Bryan Steil
official U.S. House website
Campaign website
* * , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Steil, Bryan 1981 births 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives American Roman Catholics Catholic politicians from Wisconsin Living people Joseph A. Craig High School alumni McDonough School of Business alumni Politicians from Janesville, Wisconsin Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin Republicans United States congressional aides