Joe Seidel is the utility infielder of the House Banking Committee's Republican staff, and his fingerprints can be found on almost every piece of legislation that works its way through the panel - from the high-glamour bills like interstate branching to the less noticed measures such as the Equitable Escheatment Act.
Known as a workaholic, Mr. Seidel is often found in the office evenings and weekends, a trait that comes in handy on the chronically short-handed Republican staff.
Most Republicans look enviously on the resources that Democrats lavish upon themselves a privilege that comes from their majority status in Congress. But Mr. Seidel thinks there is an advantage in running a little tighter.
"As a practical matter, a leaner staff can be more efficient," he says. "And a smaller staff gives you an opportunity to get involved in more issues."
Unlike Democratic aides, who sometimes find themselves bird-dogging the same issue, day after day, Republican aides are forced to go from one bill to another, sometimes several times a day.
Mr. Seidel graduated from Johns Hopkins in 1980 and spent the following year studying at the London School of Economics, following in the footsteps of his future boss, Rep. James Leach of Iowa, the banking committee's senior Republican.
He started law school at American University, but began working on banking policy even before he finished law school. While enrolled at American, he joined the staff of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on a summer program.
Mr. Seidel found he liked the work, so he stayed with the agency during the fall and spring semesters, logging 36 to 40 hours a week at the FDIC while taking a full load of classes.
"It was a good way to get experience," he says. In those days, He played the role of a tough cop, litigating cases against bankers and others whose actions hurt an insured institution. "There were lots of fines, lots of removals from the industry," he says.
And the FDIC, which was still years away from staffing up to fight the battles of the thrift bailout and the banking crisis, turned out to be a good training ground for a future Republican staffer.
"In those days, the FDIC was a lean, mean fighting machine," he recalls. "We had a very small staff of dedicated, hardworking people."
Joseph Seidel
Republican general counsel,
House Banking Committee
607 O'Neill House Office Building
New Jersey and C Streets SE
Washington, D.C. 20515
202-226-3241
