congress Steve Scalise Contact information

Steve Scalise proudly represents the First Congressional District of Louisiana, stretching from the beautiful Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain and the culturally distinct New Orleans suburbs to the vibrant bayous and wetlands abundant in natural resources. He was elected to Congress in 2008 after serving in the Louisiana State Legislature from 1996-2008. He serves his colleagues as the House Republican Whip, the second highest position in House Republican leadership.

Scalise is a strong leader who upholds the Constitution, advocating for the principles of fiscal discipline, lower taxes, a robust national defense, and conservative values.

From the House repeal of Obamacare, to the reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program, to the largest pay increase for our troops in nearly a decade, to the historic passage and enactment of the historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – Scalise is focused on issues that affect Americans the most.

Scalise knows the importance of energy development to Louisiana, and the necessity to achieve American energy dominance. As a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Scalise fights to enact a national energy strategy that increases the supply of American energy through enhanced production and technological innovation to lower prices at the pump and reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern oil.

Scalise is effective at working with Republican and Democrat colleagues to pass legislation on issues important to Louisiana. A steadfast defender of Louisiana’s coast, Scalise led the effort in the House to pass the RESTORE Act, which was signed into law in July 2012. The RESTORE Act dedicated the vast majority of Clean Water Act fines from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to coastal restoration. This legislation is widely regarded as the single most significant action taken to restore Louisiana’s coast. Whip Scalise also is a strong supporter of revenue sharing and leads the fight in Washington to protect Louisiana’s GOMESA funding, ensuring that Louisiana has access to the hundreds of millions of dollars dedicated to restoring our coast.

Critically wounded at a Congressional baseball practice on June 14, 2017, Scalise was saved by a heroic response from U.S. Capitol Police Special Agents and Alexandria Police Officers. Scalise fought for his life and returned to Congress, inspiring the nation with his resilience and optimism. Throughout his recovery, he was moved by the outpouring of prayers and support he and his family received from the American people.

A native of Jefferson Parish, Scalise graduated from Archbishop Rummel High School and Louisiana State University, where he earned a degree in Computer Science and a minor in Political Science. Scalise and his wife, Jennifer, have two children, Madison and Harrison.

2nd Amendment

A strong supporter of the Second Amendment, Congressman Scalise has sponsored and cosponsored legislation protecting citizens’ right to keep and bear arms. The ability of law abiding citizens to bear arms and the right to self-defense is a fundamental constitutional right of every law-abiding American. Congressman Scalise supports law-abiding citizens’ ability to purchase firearms and national reciprocity for concealed carry permit holders. Congressman Scalise’s pro-gun stance has earned him an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association. A member of the Congressional Second Amendment Task Force, Congressman Scalise will continue fighting to protect every citizen’s Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

Agriculture

Agriculture was a critical building block in America’s foundation and has played a crucial role in the culture and economy of Louisiana and the First Congressional District. The First District is blessed with an abundance of agriculture resources, and Congressman Scalise understands the importance of protecting these invaluable resources.

As energy and other input costs rise, our farmers are struggling every day to maintain their operations. Moreover, farmers have endured a 45 percent drop in net farm income over the last three years, the largest three-year drop since the start of the Great Depression. With this agricultural downturn, we must always remember that America was founded on the strength of agricultural production. It is this strength that has led to America becoming one of the most prosperous countries in the world.

To help provide our farmers with the assurance they will make it through tough times, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law a new, five-year Farm Bill in 2018. After successful negotiations between the House and Senate, this comprehensive legislation afforded greater economic stability to farmers.

Communication and Technology

Broadband internet and mobile communications networks have spurred innovative services and devices that have transformed nearly every aspect of our daily lives. Congressman Scalise has seen firsthand how connectivity is advancing opportunities for small businesses, creating additional options for health care and education, improving public safety, and allowing friends and family to keep in touch.

Congressman Scalise believes that technology companies are good examples of how market competition, rather than prescriptive regulations or red tape, spur innovation and more choices for consumers. He supports maintaining the bipartisan “light-touch” regulatory approach that has fostered incredible innovations and consumer benefits over recent decades, and is working with his colleagues in Congress to streamline archaic regulations that harm consumers.

Congressman Scalise is proud to serve on the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee, where he serves an active and important role in overseeing issues related to the internet, consumer protection, communications networks, and the Federal Communications Commission.

Education

Congressman Scalise is committed to ensuring that students in Louisiana and around the country receive the highest quality education. As a state legislator and Member of Congress, he has continuously supported excellence in education at the primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels.

He understands that parents, teachers, and administrators are keys to student success. As a former board member of Teach for America of New Orleans, Congressman Scalise supports programs and incentives that recruit good teachers and help them successfully educate our young children. He is in favor of education reforms that empower teachers and encourage students to succeed. Scalise is also working to ensure that schools have the tools and flexibility they need to effectively educate students

As a father of two, Congressman Scalise knows firsthand the importance of a quality education. As a first-generation college graduate, he understands how essential receiving an education can be to a person’s future success. Congressman Scalise is working to ensure that students have the best education possible and, therefore, the opportunity to succeed in the global community.

Energy

Congressman Scalise strongly believes in and fights for an ‘America first’ energy strategy that will put our country on the path to energy dominance. As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over American energy policy, Congressman Scalise believes that Congress must enact a national energy strategy that leverages our abundant fossil resources like oil and natural gas, explores alternative energy solutions, and keeps prices for consumers as low as possible.

Congressman Scalise fully supports efforts to roll back many of the ill-conceived policy choices of the previous administration. Congressman Scalise supports increasing energy production both onshore and offshore, reducing regulatory burdens, and streamlining permitting processes to allow projects to be completed more quickly. With greater access to natural resources and shorter timelines for infrastructure, investment will continue to be made in the energy sector that will create jobs and grow our economy.

So much of this production and development of energy takes place in Congressman Scalise’s southeast Louisiana congressional district. Port Fourchon is the service base for over 90% of the deepwater drilling rigs and production platforms and is the main facility transporting supplies and people to these offshore locations. This infrastructure is critical to not only the economic health of Louisiana; it is also critical to the economic health of the nation.

Congressman Scalise supports robust offshore energy production in the Gulf of Mexico for another reason: revenue sharing. Now, for the first time, Louisiana has a chance to share in the dollars that flow from offshore oil and gas production. In Louisiana, those dollars are dedicated to restoring our vanishing coastline. Energy production is not just about economic growth; in Louisiana, it is also about saving precious wetlands from additional erosion and subsidence.

Congressman Scalise will continue to fight for bold energy policy that protects Louisiana and strengthens the United States at home and abroad.

Family Values

Congressman Scalise is a proven leader when it comes to protecting Louisiana’s family values. Congressman Scalise has fought to promote traditional marriage and the right to life and continues to fight against attempts to weaken these values. Congressman Scalise was the 2017 recipient of the Louisiana Family Forum’s “Gladiator Award” for his demonstrated commitment to the principles of life, liberty, and limited government. Congressman Scalise is a member of the House’s Values Action Team and as a father and husband, he understands how important protecting these values is to our future.

• Protecting the Sanctity of Marriage

Congressman Scalise has worked diligently throughout his career to protect traditional marriage. Scalise has co-sponsored legislation to amend the Constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. As a member of the Louisiana State Legislature, Congressman Scalise authored a similar amendment to the Louisiana Constitution that protects traditional marriage.

• Protecting the Lives of the Unborn

Congressman Scalise believes that human life begins at conception and is fighting to protect the rights of the unborn. Congressman Scalise has supported several pro-life bills and is a member of the House Pro Life Caucus. Congressman Scalise has a 100% pro-life voting record with the Louisiana Right to Life Federation and will continue to fight for the rights of the unborn.

Health Care

Access to affordable health care is out of reach for too many people. Congressman Scalise believes that Obamacare has failed the American people and our economy. He is working with his colleagues in Congress to enact meaningful legislation that will provide patients’ rights to choose the coverage that best suits their needs.

Congressman Scalise believes health insurance should be portable between jobs, and Congress should provide incentives to make private insurance more affordable for those individuals who do not have access to employer-based insurance.

Congressman Scalise also supports Health Savings Accounts that allow individuals to save a limited amount of money for health expenses tax-free and Associated Health Plans that would allow small businesses to band together to purchase health insurance for their employees at a lower cost. Additionally, Congressman Scalise will fight to reduce frivolous lawsuits against physicians, which cause doctors to abandon certain practice areas and add to the rising cost of health care.

Congressman Scalise will continue to support legislation that will increase access and promote and expand individual choice in the health care market.

Hurricane Recovery and Coastal Restoration

Hurricane Katrina and the numerous natural disasters that have caused destruction to our state since have reminded us how important levee protection is to our area and underscored the critical role of our coastal wetlands.

Louisiana is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, including nearly half of the coastal wetlands of the lower 48 states. But this resource is disappearing at a rapid rate. Louisiana loses a football field of wetlands to erosion every hour and more than 16 square miles of coastline a year.

This is alarming, especially since these wetlands are Louisiana’s first line of defense against powerful Gulf storms. Congressman Scalise has been a long-time proponent of comprehensive hurricane and flood protection as well as coastal restoration efforts.

• The Importance of Offshore Revenue Sharing to Louisiana

Louisiana alone produces a quarter of America’s domestic oil and gas supply. With the passage of GOMESA in 2006, Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states have been patiently waiting to receive a portion of the revenues generated from offshore oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico.

In 2017, these states were slated to begin receiving this funding. Voters in Louisiana overwhelmingly voted to pass a Constitutional amendment in 2006 dedicating GOMESA funds to coastal restoration and hurricane protection projects. In order to increase the revenue that Louisiana will receive for coastal restoration, Congressman Scalise recently worked with Sen. Cassidy to secure a provision in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to lift revenue sharing caps.

This legislation, which was signed into law in December 2017, provides new funding for coastal restoration and hurricane protection. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, revenue sharing for Gulf States would be increased by $300 million, and Louisiana should expect to receive at least $100 million of that funding to restore our coast and protect against future storms. This is a landmark victory for coastal restoration and puts down an important marker for future increases in Louisiana’s revenue sharing.

Congressman Scalise will continue leading the effort in the U.S. House to provide Louisiana with its fair share of offshore revenues and finally make the critical investments necessary to restore our vanishing coast.

• Focusing on Hurricane Recovery, FEMA Reform, and Effective Disaster Preparation

Over the course of 2017, our country was ravaged by a number of natural disasters. In order to help those in need and provide necessary reforms for disaster mitigation and recovery, Congress passed a disaster relief package in early 2018. This disaster relief package contained funding to increase hurricane protection and mitigation projects vital to the safety of the economy of our coastal communities, including those in Louisiana. Additionally, the package included major reforms to FEMA recovery, including the elimination of the duplication of benefits ban that has prevented many in Louisiana from receiving grant funding for flood recovery. Other provisions in the legislation will help communities mitigate and become more resilient to disasters.

Immigration

The United States was founded on immigration and it was also founded on the rule of law. Congressman Scalise wants to secure the United States’ borders with stronger security, including a border wall, and supports the Administration’s purposeful enforcement of existing laws.

Legal immigration has and always will be an integral part of our national identity. However, our legal immigration processes must be respected and followed. Congressman Scalise is opposed to giving amnesty to the millions of illegal immigrants currently living in our country. He does not want to reward those who have committed a crime. Amnesty programs will only encourage more illegal aliens to cross our borders and drain our nation’s resources. In 1986, the federal government granted amnesty to illegal immigrants, and millions more illegal immigrants have crossed our borders since. Amnesty failed then, and it will fail now.

Maritime

Inland waterways and harbors are important components of the nation’s transportation system. Like highways and runways, our nation’s 12,000-mile Mississippi inland waterway system, which funnels into the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth in Louisiana, is an important transport resource. The Mississippi River moves approximately 500 million tons of cargo, such as raw materials, various liquids, and agriculture commodities, to ports located along the Mississippi River system each year.

Since the 1700s, Louisiana has played an important role in connecting our nation’s economy both domestically and internationally through deep-water shipping and use of the aforementioned inland waterway system. This tradition, dating back generations, is no less important today as evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of jobs supported by the industry. This is especially true in Louisiana, since our state leads the American domestic maritime industry with 54,860 jobs and $11.361 billion in annual economic impact.

Congressman Scalise is a strong advocate of the Jones Act, and is committed to supporting the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, sustaining the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, and ensuring our harbors and waterways are dredged appropriately so that Louisiana can continue to meet our nation’s maritime demands.

Congressman Scalise was recently named the Champion of Maritime by the American Maritime Partnership. This award is given to Members of Congress who demonstrate exceptional support for the hardworking men and women of the American maritime industry. The Congressman was honored to receive this award, and will continue to fight for common sense policies that reduce bureaucratic barriers that stunt economic activity and job growth in our country.

National Security

Congress must protect the security of the United States, both at home and abroad. America faces a diverse range of threats, from radical Islamic terrorists determined to destroy our way of life, to emboldened rogue regimes such as North Korea who seek to threaten the U.S. and our allies with the development of nuclear ballistic missiles. To win the War on Terror and protect ourselves from the reckless behavior of North Korea, Congressman Scalise believes we must remain vigilant, determined, and united in support of the armed forces.

Congressman Scalise is working to ensure America’s armed forces have the funding and resources they need to defeat America’s adversaries. The United States has the strongest and most effective fighting force in the world, and Congressman Scalise is determined to keep it that way. He believes the best way for America to achieve peace during these dangerous times is to remain strong.

To protect the United States against terrorist attacks, Congressman Scalise also believes we must do more to protect our borders and improve security at our ports of entry. He is also dedicated to ensuring that local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies have the tools and support needed to protect families in Louisiana and throughout the United States.

Social Security

Congress has a duty to preserve the Social Security program for workers and retirees who have played by the rules and paid into Social Security throughout their careers. Congress must also work to make the program sustainable for future generations.

For years, the Social Security trust fund ran surpluses, but unfortunately nothing prevented the government from spending those surpluses on unrelated government programs. According to the most recent report released by the Board of Trustees for the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds, Social Security’s combined Trust Funds – the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund – will not be able to pay full benefits in 2034, at which point beneficiaries would face a 23 percent benefit cut if action is not taken.

That is completely unacceptable. Congressman Scalise believes that Congress has a responsibility to protect these trust funds from bloated government spending. Congressman Scalise is committed to protecting and strengthening Social Security and ensuring that the program will fulfill its promises to America’s seniors while improving the long-term stability of Social Security.

Taxes and Economy

For decades, Washington’s spending problem led to a tax code that hurt American families, small businesses, and our nation’s economy. In 2017, Congress passed and the president signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This bill creates a simpler and fairer code for all Americans. It creates and keeps jobs here at home while giving small business owners the flexibility they need to grow. Most importantly, this plan allows you to keep more of your hard-earned paycheck.

In this plan, we double the standard deduction and get rid of special interest loopholes, leveling the playing field for the middle class, and allowing you to keep more hard-earned income in your wallet. In fact, the average American family will see a tax cut of $2,059. And by overhauling the code to make it simple and fair, we finally end the days of wasting time and money just trying to figure out how to file your family’s tax return.

With passage of this law, America can once again be the world leader in job creation and economic growth, and we can rebuild our middle class by making sure those high-paying jobs are created right here at home instead of foreign countries. Since passage of this bill, numerous companies across the country and in Louisiana have announced bonuses, pay raises, new hiring, and more investments in the American economy. The facts don’t lie, tax reform works.

The bill also included some big wins for Louisiana. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, revenue sharing for Gulf States would be increased by $300 million, and Louisiana should expect to receive at least $100 million of that funding to restore our coast and protect against future storms. This is a landmark victory for coastal restoration and puts down an important marker for future increases in Louisiana’s revenue sharing.

Additionally, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act protected the Historic Tax Credit, which has been used across Louisiana to preserve of state’s unique architecture and history. The important benefits of the historic tax credit will help Louisiana continue to preserve and revitalize areas across our state.

This law also provided tax relief to victims of major floods across Louisiana during 2016. Tens of thousands of Louisianans were affected by flooding during 2016. This disaster tax relief will allow individuals and families to take a tax deduction for the property losses they suffered because of those storms, and it also eliminates IRS’s early withdrawal tax penalty for those who used their retirement funds to recover and rebuild.

Simply put: This reform puts more money into the pockets of hard-working families, creates more jobs at higher wages, and gets our economy growing again.

Congressman Scalise will continue to support and fight for legislation that lowers taxes, cuts wasteful government spending and strengthens our economy.

Veterans Affairs

Congressman Scalise believes we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to our nation’s veterans. Throughout American history, the men and women of the armed forces have answered their nation’s call to battle. These men and women have bravely sacrificed for their country and defended its freedom while risking their lives and livelihoods. Congressman Scalise is grateful for the courage veterans have displayed and the sacrifices they have made in order to protect America and its freedom.

Protecting and providing for America’s veterans is a top priority for Congressman Scalise. He is working to ensure that veterans receive the benefits they deserve and access to quality healthcare. Congressman Scalise believes the Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Health Care System should be fully funded and should provide the best care available for America’s veterans. America’s veterans have served their country with honor; it is only fitting that Congress serve them with the same honor.