Michelle Steel A Proven Record of Fighting for Orange County
Advocating for Taxpayers
- Michelle Steel has spent her career advocating for taxpayers. On the California State Board of Equalization, she led efforts to return over $400 million dollars to California taxpayers and small businesses.
- In Congress, Michelle is working to extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which is set to expire in 2025, to prevent an increase in taxes on family-owned businesses.
- Michelle led the fight against Biden’s misguided Inflation Reduction Act that would spend $80 billion in taxpayer funds to hire 87,000 new IRS agents that would target working class families.
- Michelle has voted against every tax increase, including a reckless plan that would eliminate tax relief and would burden Americans with $1.5 trillion in new taxes.
- As gas prices soar, Michelle sought to give California families some relief by demanding that Governor Newsom suspend California’s gas tax, which is the highest in the nation and continues to crush working class families.
- Michelle Steel introduced legislation that would increase the standard deduction and allow millions of families to keep more of their hard-earned money, including more than 305,000 households in her district.
- To address California’s housing crisis, Steel supported bipartisan efforts to expand and strengthen the Low-Income Housing Tax cCedit, which allows financing the expansion of affordable housing.
- Government is broken. Thats why in Congress, Michelle stood up against wasteful spending – introducing legislation to prevent federal stimulus funds from bailing out California’s decade-long failed high-speed rail project.
- Californians pay some of the highest taxes in the country. Michelle is keeping her pledge to fight for Orange County taxpayers, having cosponsored legislation to repeal the cap on state and local tax deductions, to allow Orange County residents to keep more of what they earn.
- Throughout her career, Michelle has consistently opposed new taxes – including gas taxes, a proposed mileage tax, split roll taxes, and recording taxes for government housing, and has consistently defended Proposition 13.
- On the Board of Supervisors, Michelle introduced a County Charter amendment that makes it harder for the county to increase taxes on residents, which unanimously passed the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Fighting for Higher-Paying Jobs
- As one of her first acts in Congress, Michelle worked to do-away with burdensome regulations holding back entrepreneurs and independent contractors by introducing legislation that would modernize outdated labor laws and make it easier for entrepreneurs and independent contractors to earn more income.
- Michelle Steel has consistently advocated for small business and voted against a bill that would cost employers up to $47 billion and limit their ability to hire.
- As our economy recovered from COVID-19, Michelle Steel ensured small businesses had the resources and relief they needed to weather the pandemic and continue to grow their small business.
- Michelle Steel has worked to cut taxes for small businesses so they can keep more of their profits and continue to hire more employees and grow their businesses.
Holding China Accountable
- Michelle Steel is holding China accountable in Congress. She was selected to serve on the Congressional Executive Commission on China, where she is standing up to the Chinese Communist Party for their horrific human rights violations and censorship of free speech.
- Michelle has made combating the propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party, and its growing influence on US universities a priority. That’s why she cosponsored the End College Chinese Communist Partnerships Act, to restrict federal funding from going to schools or universities owned or affiliated with the People’s Republic of China.
- Michelle has been a vocal supporter of Taiwan, visiting in December 2022 and meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen in 2023 to affirm America’s commitment to their free democracy.
- Michelle has also introduced key legislation to combat Communist China’s aggression, such as legislation that combats Chinese espionage and a bill that authorizes the President to lend or lease defense supplies to Taiwan should the CCP show any aggression.
- Michelle Steel led the effort in Congress to hold Communist China, the world’s largest polluter, to match emission standards established by the United States.
- Following escalating tensions in the South and East China Seas, Michelle urged Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to adopt a more aggressive stance against the CCP’s repeated violations of international maritime law. As a member of the Taiwan caucus in Congress, she called for greater U.S. action in coordination with regional allies to counter CCP aggression towards the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
Modernizing Our Infrastructure
- Michelle has supported the Senior Mobility Program (SMP), designed to fill the gap between local fixed-route buses and ADA paratransit, or ACCESS service, by providing local transportation services to seniors in participating cities in Orange County.
- Michelle opposed adding toll roads to the 405, which increase the cost to travel on the freeway and limit free lanes for all commuters.
- Michelle supported widening the 405, 5, and 55 freeways and improvements on the 91, 605, and 22 freeways, to reduce congestion and ease traffic for Orange County residents.
- Michelle supported Senior Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (SNEMT) Program provides transportation to older adults who are in need of low-cost transportation to and from medical appointments, dentists, therapies, exercise programs, testing and other health related trips.
- Michelle has supported infrastructure projects to improve flood channels and dams, and to increase flood protection, which have already led to reduced flood insurance rates for County residents, and will eventually lead to the elimination of federal flood insurance requirements once the county achieves 100-year flood protection.
- Michelle has supported infrastructure projects to improve flood channels and dams, and to increase flood protection, which have already led to reduced flood insurance rates for County residents, and will eventually lead to the elimination of federal flood insurance requirements once the county achieves 100-year flood protection.
Addressing the Homelessness Crisis
- To address the homelessness crisis, Michelle voted for new homeless shelters for Orange County and employment training services for the homeless, and to allow law enforcement to preserve order on the streets by removing encampments and directing the homeless to services.
- Michelle has consistently supported housing development in Orange County, and voiced her support for CEQA reform.
- Michelle has supported bipartisan efforts to expand and strengthen the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, which allows financing the expansion of affordable housing.
Protecting Our Communities
- As a proud first generation American from South Korea, Michelle has been appalled by the recent wave of discrimination and violence directed towards members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. In Congress, she worked with Democrats and Republicans to sponsor a resolution condemning this discrimination in the strongest degree.
- Michelle Steel has been outspoken against the discrimination Asian-Americans are facing at universities and higher education institutions throughout the country.
- In Congress, Michelle voted to expand opportunities for LGBTQ+ businesses and ensure they are protected against any form of discrimination when seeking financial support or access to credit.
Improving Public Health
- Throughout her career, Michelle has been a major advocate for services for those suffering mental health crises. Michelle helped enact the first-of-its-kind Be Well OC mental services hub, a public-private partnership to provide mental health supportive services to all Orange County residents, and Crisis Stabilization Units to help those suffering mental health crises get appropriate care adjacent to emergency rooms.
- While serving on the CalOptima Board of Directors, Michelle worked to secure $100 million for homeless health programs to secure coverage and service for at-risk residents. The program places mobile teams of doctors and medical assistants in the community to provide urgent care services.
- Michelle also helped expand CalOptima’s programs for seniors by enabling a partnership between the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly and select Community-Based Adult Services centers.
- Michelle led the board in expanding children’s dental services by splitting funding to provide the most access to services for children in need of the services.
- In 2019, Michelle helped CalOptima put together the 2020 launch of the Health Homes Program, which expands services to those with physical health or mental health conditions.
- In Congress, Michelle has made expanding telehealth access for patients with Limited English Proficiency a priority, introducing legislation that aims to improve telehealth services for patients with Limited English Proficiency, providing a pathway towards increased access to behavioral health care at a time when there is a mental health crisis in this country.
- In Congress, Michelle has worked to expand access to quality healthcare by improving tele-health options so every American gets the care and attention they need.
- Michelle worked on bipartisan legislation that would expand access to healthcare for seniors and improve Medicare Advantage and supported legislation lowering prescription drug costs for seniors and placing caps on out-of-pocket costs for high-price drugs like insulin.
Supporting Our Veterans
- In her first term, Michelle opened a Satellite Veterans Service office at Joint Forces Training Base-Los Alamitos to help Veterans access services such as benefits, disability pension claims, and counseling.
- Michelle has also supported and will continue to support veteran housing vouchers and other transitional housing services to help those in need get a helping hand to permanent housing and self-sufficiency.
- Michelle supports our servicemen and women on and off the battlefield, and is a leading supporter of a program to aid post-deployment veterans, who may be facing PTSD or disability, through a service dog training program.
- In Congress, Michelle co-led the Hire Our Student Veterans Act, providing tax credits to businesses that hire student veterans receiving VA education benefits, encouraging businesses to hire Veterans, and helping expand opportunities for Veterans to have a smooth transition and gain professional experience that will be invaluable in their long term careers.
- Michelle introduced the VA Same-Day Scheduling Act, requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to schedule appointments during a veteran’s initial phone call. This ensures easier access to VA clinics and holds the VA accountable for providing timely services.
- Michelle introduced the bipartisan “Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals (VAREP) Congressional Charter Act” to expand the reach of VAREP, a nonprofit aiding veterans with VA housing benefits and home ownership assistance. Source
- Michelle hosts frequent seminars for Veterans in the district, providing guidance on obtaining VA benefits, navigating the job market, and understanding the various benefits available through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- Michelle led the charge against Governor Newsom’s double taxation of veteran retirees, demanding an end to taxing military pensions and Survivor Benefit Plan payments. She advocates for immediate tax relief for California’s veterans and their families.
- Michelle introduced the bipartisan Driving Veterans Success Act, establishing a program to ensure at least 10 percent of federal highway and transit contracts go to veteran-owned small businesses. This bipartisan effort supports veterans in achieving business success and economic stability.