The 25 notable Capitol Hill staffers for 2026

The 119th Congress has had no shortage of pitched battles, fragile negotiations and high-profile scandals.

Lawmakers may have taken center stage in each, but today we’re featuring 25 staffers who worked diligently behind the scenes on the issues in the spotlight: the legislative director who drafted the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the Ethics Committee staff director entrusted with upholding the standards of conduct in the House, the leadership aide with an encyclopedic knowledge of Senate rules, and those behind the bills, hearings and messaging that have dominated the year.

At a time of extreme partisanship, there’s one thing lawmakers in both parties agree on: It’s these staffers that make Capitol Hill run.