Sam Graves

Sam Graves
Born	Samuel Bruce Graves Jr. 7 11, 1963
Birthplace	Tarkio, Missouri, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, farmer
Known for	Chair, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Education	University of Missouri (BS)
Children	3
Awards	Most Effective House Republican (118th Congress, Center for Effective Lawmaking)
Website	[graves.house.gov Official site]

Samuel Bruce Graves Jr. (born November 7, 1963) is an American politician and farmer who has served as the U.S. Representative for Missouri's 6th congressional district since 2001. A member of the Republican Party, Graves has built a lengthy career in public service, beginning in the Missouri General Assembly in 1993 and advancing steadily through state and federal legislative bodies. He serves as the Chair of the influential House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, a position through which he has shaped federal policy on surface transportation, aviation safety, and water resources. His district encompasses most of the northern third of Missouri, stretching from the Kansas border to the Illinois border, with the bulk of its population residing in the northern portion of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Upon the retirement of Senator Roy Blunt in 2023, Graves became the dean of Missouri's congressional delegation, a distinction reflecting his longevity and seniority within the state's representation in Washington. The Center for Effective Lawmaking, a joint project of Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia, ranked him as the most effective House Republican in the 118th Congress (2023–2025).

Early Life

Samuel Bruce Graves Jr. was born on November 7, 1963, in Tarkio, a small city in Atchison County in the far northwestern corner of Missouri. Growing up in a rural agricultural community, Graves was raised in an environment shaped by farming and small-town values characteristic of northwest Missouri. The region's economy has historically been tied to agriculture, and Graves himself would become a farmer, maintaining a connection to the land throughout his political career.

Graves is the brother of Todd Graves, who served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. The Graves family's involvement in public service extended across both brothers, though they pursued different paths within the legal and political spheres.

Tarkio, situated near the convergence of the Missouri and Kansas borders with Iowa and Nebraska, provided Graves with a perspective on the rural Midwest that would later inform his legislative priorities, particularly regarding agriculture, transportation infrastructure, and small business development. The community's reliance on highway networks and infrastructure for economic connectivity would become central themes in Graves's congressional career.

Education

Graves attended the University of Missouri in Columbia, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy. His academic focus on agricultural science was consistent with his rural upbringing in northwest Missouri and his ongoing work as a farmer. During his time at the University of Missouri, Graves was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, an agricultural fraternity with chapters at universities across the United States.

Career

Missouri General Assembly

Graves began his political career at the state level in Missouri. In 1992, he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives, representing the 4th district. He took office on January 6, 1993, succeeding Phil Tate. His tenure in the state House was brief, lasting a single term, as he quickly moved to the upper chamber of the Missouri legislature.

In 1994, Graves won election to the Missouri Senate, representing the 12th district. He succeeded Glen Klippenstein and served in the state Senate from January 4, 1995, through January 3, 2001. During his six years in the Missouri Senate, Graves developed experience in the legislative process and built a political network across northern Missouri that would prove instrumental in his subsequent campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. His service in the state legislature provided him with direct engagement on issues affecting Missouri's rural communities, including agricultural policy, state transportation funding, and small business regulation.

U.S. House of Representatives

Election to Congress

In 2000, Graves ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Missouri's 6th congressional district, seeking to succeed retiring Democratic incumbent Pat Danner. He won the general election and took office on January 3, 2001. The 6th district, which encompasses most of the northern third of Missouri from the Kansas border to the Illinois border, has a population concentrated primarily in the northern suburbs and exurbs of the Kansas City metropolitan area, along with numerous rural communities and smaller cities.

Graves has been re-elected consistently since his initial victory. His Federal Election Commission candidate filings document his continued participation in congressional elections over more than two decades.

Committee on Small Business

Graves rose to prominence within the House Republican Conference through his committee assignments. He served as the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Small Business from January 3, 2009, to January 3, 2011, succeeding Steve Chabot in that role. When Republicans won the House majority in the 2010 midterm elections, Graves ascended to the chairmanship of the Small Business Committee, serving as Chair from January 3, 2011, to January 3, 2015. He succeeded Nydia Velázquez, who had chaired the committee under the Democratic majority, and was in turn succeeded by Steve Chabot when Republican Conference term limits required him to rotate off the chairmanship.

As Chair of the Small Business Committee, Graves oversaw hearings and legislation related to the Small Business Administration, regulatory burden on small enterprises, and access to capital for small business owners. The committee's jurisdiction included matters of particular relevance to the rural and small-town communities that Graves represented in Missouri's 6th district.

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

Graves's most prominent legislative role has been his leadership of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, one of the largest and most influential committees in the U.S. House. He served as the Ranking Member of the committee from January 3, 2019, to January 3, 2023, during which time Peter DeFazio served as Chair under the Democratic majority. When DeFazio retired and Republicans regained the House majority following the 2022 elections, Graves assumed the chairmanship on January 3, 2023.

Graves's continuation as Chair has been notable within the Republican Conference, as he has been able to exceed the term limits on committee chairmanships normally enforced by the Republican leadership. This exception reflects his stature within the conference and the breadth of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's legislative portfolio.

The committee's jurisdiction encompasses a wide range of federal policy areas, including highways and transit, aviation, railroads, water resources, the Coast Guard, pipelines, and federal buildings. Under Graves's leadership, the committee has been involved in the reauthorization of major surface transportation legislation and oversight of transportation safety agencies.

Surface Transportation Policy

As Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Graves has been a leading voice on surface transportation reauthorization. In a June 2025 op-ed, Graves previewed his vision for the next surface transportation reauthorization bill, calling for what he described as "a return to basics" in how the federal government funds and manages highway and transit programs. This approach signaled a potential shift in how federal transportation dollars would be allocated, with implications for state and local governments across the country.

The committee under Graves's leadership has also signaled a preference for increased formula funding that flows through state and local governments, as opposed to discretionary grant programs. Organizations such as the National League of Cities (NLC) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) have engaged with the committee on the structure of federal infrastructure funding.

In February 2026, the House was preparing to resume work on the next Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), a major piece of infrastructure legislation that falls within the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's jurisdiction, alongside highway bill considerations and ongoing government funding negotiations.

Aviation Safety Legislation

In 2025 and 2026, Graves emerged as a central figure in congressional efforts to overhaul aviation safety regulations following the deadly midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in January 2025. The crash prompted bipartisan calls for legislative action addressing multiple aviation safety concerns, including air traffic control staffing, pilot training, and coordination between military and civilian aircraft operations.

On February 20, 2026, Graves led 47 lawmakers in introducing the ALERT Act, described as a sweeping bipartisan bill aimed at overhauling aviation safety. The legislation represented a comprehensive response to the various safety issues raised by the DCA collision and was developed in cooperation with bipartisan leaders of the relevant House committees.

The path to a House vote on aviation safety legislation involved internal Republican disagreements. Graves and at least one other committee chair were reported to be privately upset with Speaker Mike Johnson's deal to hold a House vote on a separate Senate bill addressing aviation safety, reflecting tensions between committee prerogatives and leadership-driven legislative scheduling.

By late February 2026, the House was poised to vote on the aviation safety legislation, though disagreements among some Republicans about specific provisions continued. Graves delivered a statement on the House floor during consideration of the ROTOR Act, another piece of legislation within the committee's jurisdiction.

2008 Financial Crisis Vote

During the 2008 financial crisis, Graves voted against the $700 billion financial bailout package (the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008) in the U.S. House. His vote against the bailout was consistent with the opposition of many House Republicans at the time. His opponent in that year's congressional race, Democratic candidate Kay Barnes, also opposed the measure, placing both major-party candidates in the district in alignment against the bailout legislation.

Military Family Health Coverage

Graves has also engaged with defense-related policy, proposing changes to health coverage for military families. This legislative effort reflected the presence of military installations and veterans within his district and the broader Kansas City metropolitan area.

Legislative Effectiveness

The Center for Effective Lawmaking, a nonpartisan research initiative operated jointly by Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia, ranked Graves as the most effective House Republican in the 118th Congress (2023–2025). The ranking considers factors including the number of bills a member sponsors, how far those bills advance through the legislative process, and the substantive significance of the legislation. Graves's top ranking reflected his productivity as Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and his ability to advance legislation through committee and onto the House floor.

Personal Life

Graves resides in his district in the 6th congressional district of Missouri. He has three children. His brother, Todd Graves, served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri and has been involved in Missouri Republican politics.

In addition to his congressional service, Graves has maintained ties to farming and agriculture, consistent with his degree in agronomy from the University of Missouri and his upbringing in rural Atchison County. The agricultural character of much of Missouri's 6th congressional district has remained a defining feature of Graves's constituency throughout his time in office.

Recognition

Graves's most prominent recognition has been his ranking as the most effective House Republican in the 118th Congress by the Center for Effective Lawmaking. The designation was based on a quantitative methodology that assessed legislators' ability to move their sponsored bills through the legislative process, from introduction through committee markup, floor votes, and enactment. Graves's chairmanship of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, one of the House's most active committees in terms of legislative output, contributed significantly to his high ranking.

His continued leadership of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee beyond the normal Republican Conference term limits for committee chairs has itself been characterized as a recognition of his effectiveness and institutional knowledge by the Republican leadership.

As the dean of Missouri's congressional delegation following Roy Blunt's retirement from the U.S. Senate in 2023, Graves holds a position of seniority that carries informal influence over the state's representation in Congress.