Steve Scalise Biography

Steve Scalise was born on October 6, 1965, in New Orleans, Louisiana, US, to real estate broker Alfred Joseph Scalise and his homemaker wife, Carol Schilleci. He had two siblings, Glenn and Tara Scalise.

He is of Italian descent. His great-grandparents immigrated to the US from Italy in the late 1800s and opened a grocery store

The Jefferson Parish, Greater New Orleans native graduated from the Archbishop Rummel High School and then obtained a BS degree in computer science and political science from the Louisiana State University (LSU). Following his education, he briefly worked as a software engineer and a marketing executive at a technology company.

However, even before stepping into full-fledged politics, at the age of 18, he registered as a Republican and became associated with the College Republicans, volunteering for George H.W. Bush’s 1988 presidential campaign. He was also part of the LSU student government and had been the speaker of the student government association twice. At LSU, he had been a member of the Acacia Fraternity, too.

Steve Scalise first entered the political scene of Louisiana in the mid-1990s. from 1996 to 2008, he served as a Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 82nd district.

He also briefly served as a Member of the Louisiana Senate from the 9th district. In 2008, he won a special election for the US House of Representative seat that had been vacated by Bobby Jindal before he took over as the governor of Louisiana.

Steve Scalise thus took over as a Member of the US House of Representatives from Louisiana's 1st district on May 3, 2008. He was later re-elected.

From 2011 to 2012, he served on the Energy and Commerce Committee, which included subcommittees on Energy and Power, Communications and Technology, and Oversight and Investigations.

In 2012, he was elected to lead the Republican Study Committee. In 2014, after the primary defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Scalise beat Peter Roskam of Illinois and Marlin Stutzman of Indiana and became the Majority Whip. He served in the position till 2018. From 2013 to 2014, Scalise again served on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

From 2015 to 2016, Scalise served on the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, while from 2017 to 2018, he was again named to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

From 2019 to 2022, Steve Scalise was a House Minority Whip and unified the Republican Conference. During the current 118th Congress, he was elected to be the House Majority Leader, which was the second highest position in the House Republican Leadership. He assumed office on January 3, 2023.

From 2019 to 2020, Steve Scalise was again named to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, while from 2021 to 2022, he was assigned to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Sub-Committee on Communications and Technology.

As a Conservative leader, he was known for his commitment to lower tax rates and handle fiscal restraints. He passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and repealed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, while he was lauded by the National Rifle Association for supporting gun rights.

He also supports building a strong national defense and border security. During COVID-19, he stressed on the importance of reducing the US’s reliance on China. He also passed the USMCA trade deal and boosted the US economy. Scalise is also known for his support to energy development in Louisiana.

Scalise has been against the legalization of cannabis and has gained a "D" rating from National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws for consistently voting against the use of cannabis.

Considered one of "the most anti-LGBT” lawmakers, he was against the repeal of the US military's discriminatory Don't Ask Don't Tell  (DADT) policy that restricted the LGBT community from joining the US military.

He also included sexuality under hate crime legislation and has prominently opposed same-sex marriage, praising the 2014 Robicheaux v. Caldwell ruling instead. Scalise has also spoken against the Supreme Court decision in the Obergefell v. Hodges case, which held that banning same-sex marriages would violate the constitution. Scalise also denies the impact or existence of climate change.

On April 9, 2005, Steve Scalise married Jennifer Ann Letulle, a former English teacher. They have two children, a son, Harrison, and a daughter, Madison.

He is a staunch Roman Catholic. A football fan, he has been a life-long supporter of the New Orleans Saints football team.

On June 30, 2018, Scalise and his family received death threats from an unknown man, who was later identified as Carlos Bayon. Bayon was convicted of the crime and sentenced to a 5-year prison term.

On June 14, 2017, Scalise was shot and critically wounded by a left-wing extremist gunman named James Hodgkinson during a Congressional baseball practice in Alexandria. Though he was eventually saved by the US Capitol Police and Alexandria Police officers and later returned to Congress, it is believed over 50 rounds were fired and several policemen and congress staffers were wounded in the incident.

Scalise was greeted with a standing ovation when he returned to the House. Hodgkinson, who was 66 at the time of the crime, was killed by police at the scene of the shooting.

Steve Scalise has previously been in trouble for his alleged association and support to the European-American Unity and Rights Organization, a white supremacist group established by Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.