Ryan K. Zinke
RepublicanU.S. Representative, MT-1| Age | 64 (b. 1961-11-01) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2015-01-06 (~11 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Catholic (formerly Lutheran) |
| Education | B.S. Geology, University of Oregon (1984); MBA, National University (1993); M.S. Global Leadership, University of San Diego (2003) |
| Prior occupation | U.S. Navy SEAL Commander (1986–2008); business executive and consultant (Continental Divide International, On Point Montana); Montana State Senator (2009–2013); U.S. Secretary of the Interior (2017–2019) |
| Military service | Yes: U.S. Navy (Commander) |
| Birthplace | Bozeman, Montana |
| Marital status | married — Lolita (Lola) Hand Zinke |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Whitefish, Montana (primary); also spends time in Santa Barbara, California and Washington, D.C. |
Pending research: languages · notable relatives · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2014 |
| Previous offices | Montana State Senate, District 2 (2009–2013) · U.S. Representative, Montana At-Large (2015–2017) · U.S. Secretary of the Interior (2017–2019) |
| Committees | House Appropriations Committee (Subcommittees: Interior, Environment and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies; Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies) |
| Caucuses | Congressional YIMBY Caucus (co-chair) · Northern Border Security Caucus (co-chair) · Public Lands Caucus (co-chair) · Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus · Western Caucus · Native American Caucus |
| Ideology | Conservative Republican; Heritage Action score 86% (119th Congress); previously scored 52% (114th Congress) indicating more moderate earlier positions. Notably opposed federal land transfers to states, diverging from many Republicans on public lands policy. |
| Signature legislation | PAWS Act (co-sponsor) — training/funding service dogs for veterans with PTSD · Providing Veterans with Overdue Care Act — authorized VA outpatient facility in Missoula, MT · Faster Care for Veterans Act (co-sponsor) · VA Accountability Act (co-sponsor) · Cottonwood Decision fix provisions included in 2026 Farm Bill |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $8,000,000–$34,390,000 (2021) · estimate
| Santa Barbara real estate (held by wife Lolita and her family) | real_estate · $6,000,000–$30,000,000 · 2021 |
| Bay Point Whitefish property | real_estate · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Double Tap LLC (Whitefish, MT — affordable housing) | business_owned · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
Top donors: ConocoPhillips PAC ($28,325) · Oasis Petroleum / Whiting USA Trust employees (Taylor Reid) ($40,400 (career)) · ExxonMobil PAC ($5,000) · Marathon Petroleum PAC · Koch Industries PAC ($2,500)
Top industries: Oil & Gas · Defense / National Security · Real Estate · Mining · Agriculture
Scandals & crimes ledger
closed — OIG Finding: False Statements to Investigators — Connecticut Tribal Casino Decision
The August 24, 2022 DOI OIG report found that Zinke and his chief of staff knowingly misled OIG investigators who were examining Interior's decision to block Connecticut tribal casino applications from the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes. Zinke denied discussing the matter with casino lobbyists, but investigators found extensive email and text evidence of such contacts. The report found Zinke's denials were knowingly false. The matter had been referred to DOJ, which declined prosecution.