What is Steve Scalise’s Net Worth?
Steve Scalise is an American politician who has a net worth of $100 thousand. At various points during his career in politics, Steve has been ranked as one of the poorest members of Congress. In 2015 his financial disclosure showed that his net worth was actually negative $670,000. His most recent disclosure estimated his net worth at as low as $50,000.
Steve Scalise has served as the U.S. representative from Louisiana’s first congressional district since 2008. In 2023 he became the House majority leader 2023 and He is a member of the Republican Party. Prior to his career in national politics, he served in the Louisiana State Senate and the Louisiana House of Representatives.
Early Life
Steve Scalise was born on October 6, 1965 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was born to parents Alfred Joseph Scalise and Carol Schilleci and raised with his siblings, Glenn and Tara. His father worked as a real estate agent to support the family. Scalise’s great-grandparents immigrated to the United States from Italy in the late 1800s.
Scalise attended Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie in Jefferson Parish. He then earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University where he majored in computer science and minored in political science. While at LSU, he was a member of the Acacia Fraternity.
Career
Scalise began his career in politics in Louisiana in 1995 after then state representative, Quentin Dastugue, made an unsuccessful bid for Governor of Louisiana, leaving his seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives vacant. The Republican Party recruited Scalise to run for the seat and he won the election. Scalise was reelected to the seat in 1999 and 2003. He served until 2007.
In October 2007, Scalise was elected in the nonpartisan blanket primary to the District 9 seat in the Louisiana Senate after the seat was vacated by term-limited Ken Hollis. The same year, Bobby Jindal was elected to the governorship of Louisiana. He left his U.S. House of Representatives seat vacant. Scalise announced his intentions to seek the seat and he received backing from the Republican party. He was sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives on May 7, 2008 after winning over Democrat Jim Harlan. In 2010, he won his bid for reelection after he defeated opponents Myron Katz and Arden Wells.
While in the U.S. House, Scalise has served in a number of committees and caucuses. He has been a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, the Congressional Western Caucus, and the Republican Study Committee.
In 2011, Scalise became a co-sponsor of the Stop Online Piracy Act. In 2013, he voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. The same year, he sponsored a bill called the FCC Consolidated Reporting Act which makes the FCC consolidate several of their reports into one report. In 2014, he became the House Majority Whip when the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives.
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2017 Shooting
In June 2017, Scalise and three other people were shot and wounded by James Hodgkinson, a left-wing extremist with a record of violence, who had opened fire during a baseball practice of the Republican team for the annual Congressional Baseball Game. Scalise was the only member of Congress to be hit, taking one shot in the hip. He was in critical condition following the shooting, which has fractured his bones, injured internal organs, and caused severe bleeding. He only stabilized three days after the shooting, though he still remained in critical condition. He did not return to the U.S. House of Representatives until September 28.
2018 – Present
After the Republicans lost their majority in the 2018 House of Representatives elections, Scalise was elected as House Minority Whip, with Kevin McCarthy of California the Minority Leader. He assumed the position in January 2019. After the 2020 Presidential election, by which Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden, Scalise voted to de-certify President-elect Biden’s victories in Arizona and Pennsylvania. In February 2021, over a month after Biden’s inauguration, Scalise refused to acknowledge that the election was not stolen or fraudulent. In October of that year, while being interviewed on Fox News, he again refused to acknowledge the loss of Donald Trump.
Throughout his political career, Scalise has taken a traditionally conservative viewpoint on many issues. He opposed the Affordable Care Act and is an opponent of gun control. After being shot at the baseball practice, he reiterated that new gun laws would not fix gun violence issues in the United States, but rather just make it harder for law-abiding citizens to own a gun. He has described the Second Amendment as unlimited. He also opposes the legalization of marijuana, which he deems a gateway drug to other drugs. He opposed same-sex marriage and in general is opposed to policies and laws protecting the rights of LGBT people. He also has rejected the theory of climate change.
Personal Life
Scalise married his wife, Jennifer Ann Letulle, on March 19, 2005. They have two children together. The family is Roman Catholic and has a home in New Orleans. In August 2023, Scalise announced he had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma. He said the cancer was detected early and very treatable. In September of that year, he was able to return to work after begin chemotherapy treatments. He completed his chemotherapy treatments in December.
