Congresswoman Michelle Steel is serving her second term in the House of Representatives, where she serves the people of California's 45th District. Born in South Korea and raised in Japan, Michelle immigrated to the United States to build her own American Dream. She is one of the first Korean American women to ever serve in Congress.
After fleeing North Korea during the Korean War, her parents met and built a life in South Korea before moving to Japan. Her father, a diplomat, encouraged Michelle at a young age to move to the United States to become fluent in English. Her mother and younger sisters joined her in America, where they opened a clothing store in downtown Los Angeles.
After seeing how difficult it was for her non-English speaking mother to navigate the tax laws and state regulations, she ran for the State Board of Equalization - the nation's only elected tax board - where she represented more than nine million residents, including all of Orange County. At the time, she was the highest-ranking Korean American elected official in the United States.
Michelle later served her community as Supervisor and Chairwoman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. She continued her work fighting for California taxpayers, while working to protect the Orange County coastline, and helping families and businesses fight back against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michelle currently serves on the Committee on Ways and Means, the Committee on Education and Workforce, the Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
Michelle has been married to her husband Shawn for 39 years. They have two adult daughters.