from obamacare. >> reporter: he has tangled with al gore over the energy tax. in 2010 an after the bp oil spill off the coast of louisiana, steve scalise was quick to take on the white house. >> where is the president? does he not understand the magnitude of what is probably the worst environmental disaster in the country? we get mixed messages from the various cabinet secretaries who come down and say looks like they are satisfied with the coordination going on. >> reporter: he is a loyal supporter of president donald trump who even recorded a birthday mess aage for scalise' daughter. >> madison, happy birthday. listen to this man. he is a powerful man. >> you listen to the president, madison. >> reporter: before joining congress, scalise graduated louisiana state university and worked as a computer systems engineer. he and his wife jennifer have two children. despite his willingness to