Blueprint for Success in Congress

Engineers are on the rise in Congress. Two decades ago, there were only four engineers walking elected officials. Today there are nine.

That still may seem like a small number given that there are 535 elected members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. But consider this: While engineers comprise just 0.5 percent of the total U.S. population, they make up 1.7 percent of Congress, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Still, to hear from some of the engineers now serving in Congress, the nation might be better off if it elected even more from the profession.

“That might allow us to see emerging issues coming sooner, such as the influence of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and biotech,” says Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, (D-Pa).

Rep. Bruce Westerman, (R-Ark.), adds, “Having more professional engineers on Capitol Hill would bring more common sense and scientific understanding to energy and transportation bills.”

It makes sense. The work of an engineer is often highly complex. Multiple variables—from the strength of materials to environmental factors—may have to be considered on any given project. So, too, do the needs of different stakeholders.

Governing is similarly complex work. Lawmakers must carefully craft legislation, ensuring that it will be effective and will have a positive impact on the electorate—all while trying to build a consensus with fellow lawmakers, including those who may sit across the aisle.

Legislators with engineering backgrounds often look at practical, rather than simply philosophical, ways to address issues, says Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kan.) “What you learn with the engineering approach is logical problem-solving using facts.”

Engineers also bring special expertise to STEM issues, making them especially well suited to work on legislation and policies related to U.S. infrastructure, as well as energy and the environment. They also may be better prepared to address the workforce shortage of engineers. Demand for engineering skills will jump 13 percent by 2031, according to an analysis by the Boston Consulting Group, meaning the United States will need about 400,000 new engineers every year. And yet, Boston Consulting says there’s an “alarming possibility that nearly 1 in 3 engineering roles will remain unfilled each year through at least 2030.”

THE ROAD FROM ENGINEERING TO LAWMAKING

The job of a politician can be a topsy-turvy one. On some days, you’re sticking a shiny silver shovel into the dirt to break ground on a new manufacturing facility, which Westerman did in East Camden, Arkansas, in February 2023. The next day you might be presenting a Silver Star to a Vietnam War veteran, which Houlahan did at Pennsylvania’s Valley Forge Military Academy and College back in March. And then the next day you could be sitting in a committee meeting, pushing through the adoption of your own bipartisan legislation that aims to ensure proper staffing levels at nursing homes, which Estes did in May.

But for all the ways the work can differ, the engineers in Congress have one thing in common: an early attraction to math and science, which led them to careers in engineering.

“Throughout high school, two of my favorite subjects were math and science,” Estes says. “I always had an interest in both, so engineering felt like a natural fit when I was looking at colleges to attend.”

Westerman echoes this sentiment, saying, “Science, math, and agriculture were the areas in high school that piqued my interest the most, along with projects that involved building and repairing.”

Houlahan came to engineering with a similar interest in math and science that was encouraged by her parents. She became an engineer in part because astronaut Sally Ride inspired her. “I really wanted to be an astronaut when I was young, and an Air Force ROTC scholarship allowed me to afford to dream big,” Houlahan says.

THE RIGHT SKILLS FOR LEGISLATING

The journey from engineering to Congress may seem unconventional, but for these lawmakers, their technical background was the foundation for a political career. Each followed a different path to Washington, but their engineering training equipped them with problem-solving skills that now guide their legislative work.

Westerman, for example, worked as an engineer and forester at Mid-South prior to the start of a local political career in Arkansas that led him to a successful congressional campaign in 2014. Westerman says, “Engineers solve problems by properly defining the problem, coming up with a plan to solve the problem, executing the plan, and convincing others that it’s the right answer.” He has found that approach to be “tried and true both in engineering and in politics.”

Estes leveraged his bachelor of science in civil engineering and MBA degrees to land consulting and management jobs with firms like Procter & Gamble and Bombardier Learjet. He was first elected to Congress in 2017 after serving as treasurer of Kansas’ Sedgwick County and Kansas state treasurer. His foundation in engineering has shaped how he approaches policymaking.

“Logical problem-solving techniques are applicable to a variety of issues, whether you’re looking at good tax policy, affordable health care, or how to grow the economy and be successful as a country,” Estes says. “That might not fit into what one might think of as an engineer, but the building blocks of engineering are relevant to addressing the many types of issues our country faces.”

Houlahan also says engineering-style problem-solving factors into her approach to policymaking. Prior to being first elected to Congress in 2018, she received an engineering degree from Stanford and served in the Air Force, working on air and space defense technologies. She later was chief operating officer for sportswear company AND1 and taught science at a high school in Philadelphia, working with the Teach for America program.

These days, Houlahan says, many of the bills she works on are driven by data and systems—just like her engineering projects were. She cites her work as the co-chair and co-founder of the House bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group as one example. That group was developed to address the lack of a comprehensive paid leave policy. “Our working group is centered on data analysis and has an eye on effective and efficient implementation,” Houlahan says.

She introduced a bill in 2021 (and reintroduced it in 2023) called the STEM Restart Act that would provide funding to support midcareer internships, known as “returnships,” for workers who either want to come back to or transition into STEM jobs. “Given my own experience,” Houlahan says, “I know how crucial investing in the STEM pipeline is—not only in, first, creating talent but in retaining that talent as well.”

Still, Houlahan would like to see more engineering talent working alongside her in the halls of Congress. While she says the Capitol does have “great champions” for industries that rely heavily on engineers, such as energy and transportation, she adds that “having more professional engineers or STEM professionals in Congress would allow for a more effective body and perhaps better implementation-focused policymaking.”

There does seem to be plenty of room for more engineers on the Hill, where the leading profession in both chambers is still lawyer: 51 percent of those in the Senate have law degrees or have practiced law, as have 30 percent of the members of the House. Another 18 percent of all Congressional representatives have worked in education.

Westerman would also like to see more engineers getting involved. “You will be surprised at how much you can bring to the table as a professional engineer serving in a world where political scientists and lawyers seem more at home,” he says.

More engineers on the Hill could have one other benefit, as Westerman sees it. It could lead to Congress adopting “the engineering code of ethics, which calls to weigh in on subjects where you have expertise and to listen when you don’t.” If Congress took that route, he says, “the meetings would be much shorter and more productive.”