About Stephen Lynch

"Lynch, representing the decidedly blue-collar 9th congressional district, has tapped his own roots as a former ironworker to champion issues that benefit working families such as higher education fund availability, housing assistance for veterans, pension, health and financial education for the elderly and worker retraining, to name a few." - Patriot Ledger 2008  

Common Man. Uncommon Leader.

Stephen F. Lynch was sworn in to the United States Congress in October 2001, following the passing of legendary and fifteen-term Congressman John Joseph Moakley. His primary election took place on September 11, 2001.

The son of Francis Lynch, an ironworker, and Anne Lynch, a postal clerk, Stephen was born and raised in South Boston's Old Colony Public Housing Development with his five sisters. While attending South Boston High School, Stephen joined his father as a member of Ironworkers Local 7 in Boston.

For eighteen years, he put on his work boots and climbed the iron, working as a structural ironworker. Working the high iron gave him a unique perspective. From the top of those skyscrapers, he never lost sight of the public housing project where he spent his childhood. He never lost sight of the lessons taught by hard working parents. And he never lost sight of the promise of America - that with courage, hard work and determination, anyone can go higher and further.

As an early testament to his leadership skills and commitment to serving working people, he was elected to serve as President of Ironworkers Local #7 - the youngest president in the history of the 2,000-member union. He went to school at night and on weekends to earn his Bachelor's Degree in Construction Management from Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Stephen continued his advocacy on behalf of working families through a second career as a labor and employment attorney, after receiving his law degree from Boston College Law School and being admitted to both the Massachusetts and New Hampshire Bars.

In 1994, Stephen's experience in addressing the cares and concerns of working people transformed into a career in public service when his neighbors elected him to the Massachusetts House of Representatives.  Just fourteen months later, he was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate in a special election. He served as Chair of the Joint Committee on Commerce and Labor and led efforts to better safeguard worker rights and promote responsible business development in the Commonwealth. In 1999, he earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Common Sense. Uncommon Courage

Currently in Congress, Stephen has earned a reputation as a leader who takes principled stands in tough political environments and applies a common sense approach to his votes. He was one of only 95 Democrats to vote against the "Bank Bailout", feeling that hard working Americans would unjustly have to foot the bill while the people being bailed out continued to pay themselves huge bonuses. And that's just what happened.

Refusing to bend to tremendous political pressure, he voted a principled "no" on the Senate version of Health Care Reform, knowing that he would pay a political price. But he also knew that simply adding 32 million people into a broken system - no matter how noble an effort - will not fix the problem. The bill allowed insurance companies to continue to operate as monopolies and did nothing to drive down costs. It also taxes the health insurance benefits of hard working Americans, many of whom stood on picket lines and took less money in their paychecks to ensure that they had good insurance coverage.

As Democratic Chair of the Anti-Terrorist Financing Task Force, he remains one of the Democrats' most active members of this bipartisan coalition in the effort to track and disrupt the financing of terrorist activity. He worked with House Republicans to monitor national and international efforts to track and stop the flow of funds to terrorist groups and worked to strengthen international anti-terrorist finance strategy.  

He currently serves as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the chief oversight and investigatory panel in the House of Representatives. In addition, he serves as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Federal Employees, the Postal Service and the District of Columbia.

He served on the Government Reform Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, where he had consistently fought for worker safety and environmental regulations. He also sits on the Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations, where he continues to advocate strengthening our nation's rail and port security.

In addition, Congressman Lynch serves on the House Committee on Financial Services, a panel that covers a variety of issues that reach far beyond banking regulation. He authored the Retirement Security Education Act, which aimed to enhance financial knowledge as well as reduce financial abuse and fraud among seniors.

Throughout his time in public office, Stephen has been a staunch supporter of our nation's military men and women. His dozens of trips to to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan have prompted him to fight for better equipment for our troops; better health care and housing assistance for veterans and he fought for enhanced services to veterans with amputations and prosthetic devices.

Stephen Lynch has a strong belief that government should work for the people it serves. He has an outstanding record of responding to the needs of his constituents and helping them to navigate through the red tape of government agencies. Whether it's a missing social security check, assistance with housing, or a lost passport, his office has a well earned reputation as the place to go when you need help.

Congressman Lynch has been a lifelong resident of his hometown of South Boston, where he and his wife Margaret are raising their daughter Victoria and niece Crystal. Though he works in Washington during the week, he prides himself on his commitment to get home to the district when his votes in Congress are done and regularly attends local town meeting. He strives to stay in close touch with all of the cities and towns in the 9th district.