Rep. Steve Buyer hails from rural Indiana, where he grew up along the banks of the Tippecanoe River. He is a graduate of North White High School in Monon, and a distinguished military graduate with a degree in Business Administration from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina.

Upon graduation from Valparaiso Law School, Rep. Buyer branch transferred to the Judge Advocate General Corps and was called to active duty for a period of three years. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army and served his country as a Staff Judge Advocate in the Gulf War. Rep. Buyer continues his service as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.

In 1992, he was elected to represent the twenty counties of Northern Indiana. In 2002, due to congressional redistricting, Rep. Buyer ran and won election to represent Indiana’s Fourth Congressional District, encompassing all or part of 12 counties in west central Indiana.

Rep. Buyer championed the TRICARE-for-Life and the Senior Pharmacy entitlement program for Medicare-eligible military retirees – one of the most comprehensive prescription drug benefit plans in history. In fact, his effort on behalf of many of America’s veterans was termed the “greatest expansion of health care benefits in a generation.”

In January 2005, Rep. Buyer was appointed Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and currently serves as Ranking Member of the committee.  Rep. Buyer is also a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

In November 2005, Rep. Buyer was honored by The Citadel with the naming of the Buyer Auditorium, recognizing the “outstanding accomplishments of one of The Citadel’s models of civic responsibility and dutiful public service.” Recently, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws from The Citadel.