About Tim PDF Print

Tim Ryan was first sworn in as a member of Congress on January 7, 2003. Now in his fourth term, Ryan has proven himself to be strong advocate for the working families of Ohio's 17th District and a dynamic leader in the House of Representatives.

In 2006, Ryan was chosen by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to join the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which is responsible for nominating Democratic Members to serve on House Committees and advising the Speaker on policy. That same year, the Steering and Policy Committee appointed Ryan to the powerful House Committee on Appropriations. He currently serves on the the Subcommittee on the Defense, the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Related Agencies ("Labor-HHS"), and the Subcommittee on Financial Services. Prior to serving on the Appropriations Committee, Ryan served on the House Armed Services Committee, the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Ryan's primary focus remains on the economy and quality-of-life of his Northeast Ohio congressional district. He works closely with local officials and community leaders to advance local projects that enhance the economic competitiveness of Northeast Ohio and help attract high-quality, high-paying jobs.

In Congress, Ryan serves as co-chair of the Congressional Manufacturing Caucus and remains a leader in the fight to strengthen America's manufacturing base and reform U.S. trade polices. Ryan is also a champion of efforts to make college more affordable, revitalize America's downtowns and improve the health and well-being of American families and children. His work on these and other issues has garnered the attention of the national media and earned Ryan appearances on CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC Evening News, Fox News, National Public Radio, the Washington Post and other outlets.

Prior to being elected to Congress, Ryan served as an Ohio State Senator. In the Ohio Senate, Ryan served as the ranking minority member on the Senate Ways and Means Committee. He was also a member of the Senate Committee on Highways and Transportation, the Judiciary Committee on Criminal Justice, and the Senate Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committee. Senator Ryan spearheaded efforts to establish a state-based earned income tax credit, to standardize community school data reporting, and bring college students into the debate over higher education funding.

Before his time in elected office, Ryan served as President of the Trumbull County Young Democrats, as well as Chairman of the Earning by Learning program in Warren, Ohio. He began his career in politics as a congressional aide with the U.S. House of Representatives in 1995 and later served as an intern for the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office. Ryan holds a law degree from the Franklin Pierce Law Center, Concord, NH, studied abroad as part of the Dickinson School of Law's International Law Program in Florence, Italy and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Born July 16, 1973 in Niles, Ohio, Tim Ryan is the younger of two sons, both raised by their mother, Rochelle Ryan with the help of grandparents, Anna and John Rizzi. He resides in Niles, Ohio.