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Michelle Eunjoo Steel ( Park, born June 21, 1955) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for California's 45th congressional district from 2023 to 2025, previously representing the 48th congressional district from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, she concurrently served as a member of House minority whip
Steve Scalise Stephen Joseph Scalise ( ; born October 6, 1965) is an American politician who has been the House majority leader since 2023 and the U.S. representative for since 2008. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was ...
's Whip Team for the 117th Congress. Steel ran for re-election to a third term in 2024, but she was defeated in the general election by Democratic challenger Derek Tran. Steel served as the member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors from the 2nd district from 2015 to 2021 and of the California State Board of Equalization from the 3rd district from 2007 to 2015. Steel, fellow California Republican
Young Kim Young Oak Kim (, born October 18, 1962) is a South Korean-born American politician and businesswoman serving as the U.S. representative for California's 40th congressional district, previously representing the 39th congressional district fr ...
and Democrat Marilyn Strickland of Washington are the first Korean-American women to serve in Congress.


Early life and education

Steel was born in
Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
, South Korea. Her father was born in
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
to Korean expatriate parents. Steel was educated in South Korea,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, and the United States. She holds a degree in business from
Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private university, private Christianity, Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pepperdine's main campus consists ...
and an MBA from the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
. She can speak Korean, Japanese, and English.


California politics

Steel has been active in Republican Party politics and served on various commissions in the
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
administration.


California State Board of Equalization

Steel was elected to the California State Board of Equalization in 2006 when Republican incumbent Claude Parrish ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer. Throughout her tenure, she served as the country's highest-ranking
Korean American Korean Americans () are Americans of full or partial Korean ethnic descent. While the broader term Overseas Korean in America () may refer to all ethnic Koreans residing in the United States, the specific designation of Korean American impli ...
officeholder, and California's highest-ranking Republican woman. She represented more than eight million people in the 3rd district, which then included all of Imperial, Orange, Riverside and
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
counties and parts of
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and San Bernardino counties. In 2011, she was elected vice chair of the Board of Equalization.


Orange County Board of Supervisors

In 2014, Steel was elected to the
Orange County Board of Supervisors The Orange County Board of Supervisors is the five-member governing body of Orange County, California, along with being the executive of the county. Membership The board consists of five supervisors elected by districts to four-year terms by t ...
representing the 2nd district, defeating state assemblyman Allan Mansoor. In March 2018, Steel was the only elected official to greet President
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 ...
when he landed at LAX on his first official visit to California as president. In 2019, Trump appointed her to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Steel chaired the Orange County Board of Supervisors in 2017 and again in 2020. During 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 ...
, she opposed mandatory face masks in Orange County. She voted against requiring face coverings for retail employees and opposed mask mandates in public schools. She questioned masks' efficacy in preventing the virus spread. On September 15, 2020, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved plans that could lead to increased private jet traffic at John Wayne Airport. Steel was criticized by her Democratic opponent, Harley Rouda, for taking campaign contributions from ACI Jet, the corporation that was awarded the contract. Steel and her husband Shawn supported the 2020–21 recall initiative against California governor
Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom ( ; born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2019 as the 40th governor of California. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served from 2011 to 201 ...
and endorsed Larry Elder to replace him. In 2024, Steel was criticized for her management of $1.2 million allocated for food aid during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. With funds from the federal government
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, is a $2.2trillion Stimulus (economics), economic stimulus bill passed by the 116th United States Congress, 116th U.S. Congress and signed into law by Presiden ...
, each Supervisor contracted to provide meals for needy senior citizens in their district. Steel awarded the contract to a marketing company she was using for her campaign, a company that reportedly had no prior experience with this type of government funding. An audit revealed that the meals had been considerably more costly than in other Orange County districts.


U.S. House of Representatives


Elections


2020

In 2020, Steel ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in
California's 48th congressional district California's 48th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that covers East County, San Diego as well as the Temecula Valley. Major cities in the district include Temecula, Murrieta, and portions of Es ...
. She received 34.9% of the vote to advance from the primary and defeated
incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be ...
Democrat Harley Rouda in the November 3 general election with 51.1% of the vote. Steel raised $200,000 more than Rouda.Denkmann, Libby
Four Lessons From The Southern California House Seats Republicans Reclaimed In 2020
, '' KPCC, 89.3 FM, Southern California Public Radio'',
Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...
, December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
During her campaign, Steel spoke out against COVID-19 mask mandates. Her platform included opposition to
abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
,
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
, and the creation of a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. A conservative, she aligned herself with President
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 ...
.


2022

On December 23, 2021, Steel announced that she would run in California's 45th congressional district in 2022 due to redistricting. She was endorsed by
Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 55th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from January until he was Remova ...
,
Young Kim Young Oak Kim (, born October 18, 1962) is a South Korean-born American politician and businesswoman serving as the U.S. representative for California's 40th congressional district, previously representing the 39th congressional district fr ...
, Ken Calvert, Mimi Walters, Andrew Do, and the Republican Party of Orange County. During the campaign, Steel faced protests over her campaign ads aiming to portray her Democratic rival, Naval reserve officer and Taiwanese-American Jay Chen, as a Chinese Communist Party sympathizer. Steel defeated Democratic nominee Jay Chen in the November 8, 2022, general election.


2024

Steel ran for reelection in the district in
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
. During the campaign, Steel sought to characterize her Democratic opponent Derek Tran as a communist sympathizer by sending mailers of Tran alongside
Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...
and a hammer and sickle. Tran is a second-generation Vietnamese American. During the campaign, Steel, who is Korean-born, said "I am more Vietnamese than my opponent." Tran defeated Steel in the November 5, 2024, general election.


Tenure

Along with several other Republican U.S. House freshmen, Steel was a member of the Freedom Force, an informal group styled as a Republican counterpart to the Democratic group The Squad. Steel 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 ...
in January 2021. She referenced her own mild symptoms from her bout with COVID to advocate for opening up schools and businesses. Steel did not vote on the certification of Joe Biden's Electoral College victory. She voted against the second impeachment of Donald Trump on January 13, 2021. In early February 2021, Steel called for the reopening of schools in California. On February 25, 2021, Steel voted against the Equality Act, a bill that would prohibit discrimination based on
gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with the in ...
and sexual orientation by amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act to explicitly include new protections. On February 27, 2021, Steel voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief and stimulus bill. In March 2021, Steel introduced a bill that would block federal funding from being used to support California's high-speed rail project, which she called a "failure." In June 2021, Steel was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the AUMF against Iraq. In 2021, Steel joined a majority of Republican representatives in signing onto an ''amicus'' brief to overturn '' Roe v. Wade''. In July 2022, Steel voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which would require the U.S. federal government to recognize the validity of
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
s. As of December 2022, Steel had voted in line with President
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 ...
's stated position 21% of the time. In September 2023, Steel was among a bipartisan group of eight U.S. House members who co-sponsored a mental health focused bill aimed at integrating behavioral health services for Medicare beneficiaries in primary care settings. Steel was a co-sponsor of the Life at Conception Act introduced in January 2023 during the 118th Congress. After a 2024 Alabama court ruling made clear that the bill's language could endanger the ability to administer in-vitro fertilization, Steel said "I do not support federal restrictions on IVF." She added further, "As someone who struggled to get pregnant, I believe all life is a gift. IVF allowed me, as it has so many others, to start my family. I believe there is nothing more pro-life than helping families have children." In March 2024, Steel rescinded her co-sponsorship of the bill due to her support for IVF.


Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress: * Committee on Education and the Workforce ** Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education ** Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions * Committee on Ways and Means ** Subcommittee on Health ** Subcommittee on Work and Welfare * Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party


Caucus memberships

* Conservative Climate Caucus * Republican Governance Group


Post-congressional activities

In February 2025, Steel was appointed by Speaker of the House
Mike Johnson James Michael Johnson (born January 30, 1972) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2023. A member ...
to a bipartisan commission designed to study the feasibility of establishing a new national museum dedicated to the history and culture of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.


Personal life

In 1981, Steel married Shawn Steel, who was the
California Republican Party The California Republican Party (CAGOP) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in the U.S. state of California. The party is based in Sacramento and is led by chair Corrin Rankin. As of October 2023, Republicans represent app ...
chairman from 2001 to 2003 and has been the
Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...
man from California since 2008. They have two daughters and live in
Seal Beach, California Seal Beach is a coastal city in Orange County, California, United States. It was originally known as Bay City before it was incorporated into Orange County under its current on October 24, 1911. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,242 ...
. She is a Protestant
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
.


Electoral history


See also

* List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress * Asian American and Pacific Islands American conservatism in the United States * Asian Americans in United States politics * Women in the United States House of Representatives


References


External links


Representative Michelle Steel
official U.S. House website
Campaign website
* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Steel, Michelle Park 1955 births 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives 21st-century American women politicians American women of Korean descent in politics Asian conservatism in the United States California politicians of Korean descent California Republicans Christians from California Female members of the United States House of Representatives Living people Marshall School of Business alumni Members of the United States House of Representatives of Asian descent Orange County Supervisors Politicians from Seoul People from Seal Beach, California Pepperdine University alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California South Korean emigrants to the United States Tea Party movement activists Women in California politics