Name: Michael Tadeo
Hometown: Wayne, Pa.
Occupation: Deputy communications director, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Age: 30
Alma mater: Fordham University
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Washington Examiner: What was your first job on Capitol Hill before coming to the energy committee?
Tadeo: I worked for Congressman John Fleming of Louisiana as a media outreach coordinator. My job was basically to put Doc Fleming on TV as much as possible. But he has a great story.
If you ever go to Shreveport, La., and you go to a Subway sandwich shop, there’s a good chance it’s one of his. He’s had a career in the Navy. He’s a small business owner. He’s a veteran. And he’s a doctor.
That was during the whole Obamacare debate. That was in 2011 when I came down to the Hill. The first day I showed up for work … I found out it was the communications director’s last day. So, I had never written a press release before. I knew the legislative process from School House Rock. I had no Capitol Hill experience whatsoever.
I had known it from the outside from my previous life at the Fox News Channel up in New York. I was there for about three-and-a-half years. I was under Neil Cavuto’s umbrella. I was there when their business network launched in 2007.
Examiner: How was it working with Neil?
Tadeo: So, Neil’s great. Neil is probably one of the most thoughtful television personalities. I don’t like calling him a personality because he’s an executive at Fox. But he’s probably one the most thoughtful people, and he always challenged us to never grab the low-hanging fruit on a story. And if I ever pitched a low-hanging fruit story to him, he goes, ‘that’s a CNN story.’ I learned a tremendous amount from him.
Examiner: How is it working for Sen. Lisa Murkowski?
Tadeo: She is probably one of the most talented legislators I know. Why? Because “no” is never an answer to her, especially with the energy bill. She is working tirelessly to get this bill over the finish line. The one thing I have learned very fast, if you cannot work with Lisa Murkowski, she’s not the problem. She will do everything she possibly can to work with her colleagues on energy policy, getting something through.
Examiner: What do you do in your down time? Are you finding much down time?
Tadeo: Something I like doing. My wife and I spend a lot of time with my parents and her parents. Her parents are in Arlington, and mine are in Philadelphia, which is not far. I have a lot of friends in the area. It’s weird, I moved down here. And then all my college friends move down here.
A friend of mine works for the U.S. Postal Service and the Inspector General’s Office. [My wife is] off the Hill, which is great. I can come home and not talk about politics, as much as I love energy.
Examiner: What do you do to get away from the government crowd?
Tadeo: I just got into golf last summer. My wife’s younger brother, he is a great golfer. When I can sneak out for a Saturday tee time with him out in Chantilly, it’s a lot of fun. I like spending time outside [but] I don’t consider myself an outdoors person.
