Victoria Spartz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Victoria Spartz
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| Вікторія Спартц | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 5th district |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Susan Brooks |
| Member of the Indiana Senate from the 20th district |
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| In office October 1, 2017 – November 17, 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Luke Kenley |
| Succeeded by | Scott Baldwin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Viktoriya Kulheyko
October 6, 1978 Nosovka, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Nosivka, Ukraine) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Jason Spartz
(m. 2000) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Kyiv National Economic University (BS, MBA) Indiana University, Indianapolis (MAcc) |
Victoria Spartz (born October 6, 1978) is a politician and businesswoman from the United States. She was born in Ukraine. She serves as a U.S. representative for Indiana's 5th district. Victoria Spartz is a member of the Republican Party. Before joining the U.S. House, she was a state senator in Indiana.
Early Life and Education
Victoria Kulheyko was born in Nosivka, Ukraine, in 1978. At that time, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. She lived with her grandparents until she was five years old. Then, they moved to Chernihiv. There, she went to a special school called a lyceum and graduated with top honors.
Victoria Spartz earned two degrees from Kyiv National Economic University. She received a bachelor's degree in science and a master's degree in business administration.
In 2000, when she was 22, Spartz moved to the United States. She became a U.S. citizen in 2006. She also earned another master's degree in accounting from Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis.
Career
Victoria Spartz worked as a certified public accountant from 2010 to 2021. She also held a real estate broker license from 2003 to 2020 in Indiana.
She was one of the first members of the Tea Party in Hamilton County, Indiana. Before becoming a state senator, she was the chief financial officer for the Indiana Attorney General's office. Spartz also taught at the Kelley School of Business in Indianapolis. She has owned businesses in real estate and farming.
In 2017, Victoria Spartz was chosen to serve in the Indiana Senate. She represented the 20th district after the previous senator, Luke Kenley, left his position.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2020 Election
In 2019, the current U.S. Representative for Indiana's 5th district, Susan Brooks, decided not to run again. Victoria Spartz then announced she would run for the seat. She won the Republican primary election on June 2, 2020.
In the general election in November, Spartz won against Christina Hale, the Democratic candidate. This was a close race. Spartz won by getting more votes in her home county, Hamilton County.
2022 Election
In 2021, the voting districts in Indiana were redrawn. This made the 5th district more likely to vote Republican. The district no longer included parts of Indianapolis. Instead, it expanded to include cities like Muncie and Anderson.
Victoria Spartz ran for reelection without any opponents in the primary. She then won the general election against Jeanine Lee Lake, the Democratic candidate.
2024 Election
In late 2022, there were talks that Spartz might run for the U.S. Senate. However, in February 2023, she said she would not run for any office in 2024. But in December 2023, she changed her mind. She said that her colleagues and voters wanted her to run again. She also mentioned that there was a "better Speaker" leading the House.
On February 5, 2024, she confirmed she would run for reelection. She won the Republican primary election on May 7, 2024.
Time in Office
Victoria Spartz is the first person born in Ukraine to serve in the U.S. Congress.
In late 2020, Spartz joined a group of new Republican House members called the Freedom Force. This group said they were fighting against socialism in America.
In September 2021, it was reported that Spartz did not properly report a stock purchase. This was related to a law called the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012. This law helps make sure politicians are open about their financial dealings.
2023 Speaker Elections
In January 2023, during the election for the Speaker of the House, Spartz did not vote for the Republican nominee, Kevin McCarthy, on several ballots. She voted "present" instead. However, she did vote for McCarthy on the first three ballots and on the last four ballots, after which he became Speaker.
Later, she was critical of McCarthy's leadership. She voted against a move to remove him from his position, but in the end, she voted against his removal on October 3, 2023.
In the first vote for a new speaker in October 2023, Spartz did not vote for the party's nominee, Jim Jordan. Instead, she voted for Thomas Massie. She voted for the party nominee in all the votes that followed.
Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Victoria Spartz called the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 "a genocide of the Ukrainian people." She was one of the first U.S. officials to say that Russia's actions were "war crimes." When the invasion started, Spartz still had family in Ukraine, including her grandmother, who lived in Chernihiv. This city was under siege by Russia.
During the invasion, Spartz visited Ukraine twice in April 2022. Her first trip was a surprise visit to Bucha with U.S. Senator Steve Daines. They were the first two U.S. officials to visit Ukraine since the war began. Her second trip was to Lviv, Kyiv, and Odesa with Representative Tim Walberg. On this trip, Spartz met with Metropolitan Epifaniy. Spartz has spoken about her concerns regarding the speed and effectiveness of international aid to Ukraine.
In July 2022, Spartz criticized Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. She said he was "playing politics and theater" and not governing seriously. She also said that there was not enough checking of the weapons provided by the U.S.
Also in July, Spartz made several claims against Andrii Yermak, a high-ranking official in Ukraine's government. She asked the White House to look into these claims. The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine said Spartz's claims were "baseless speculation." Some other U.S. politicians disagreed with Spartz's accusations. They thought the claims could hurt the war effort and U.S. relations with Ukraine.
In 2024, Spartz voted against a large aid package for Ukraine. This vote came shortly after a Russian missile strike on Chernihiv, her hometown, killed many civilians. Some people in Chernihiv, who had been proud of her, felt "anger" and a "sense of betrayal" because of her vote.
Leaving Republican Conference
On December 16, 2024, Victoria Spartz announced she would leave the House Republican Conference. This means she will not receive committee assignments from the Republican Party. She said she would do this until she saw "that Republican leadership in Congress is governing." She stated that she would still be a member of the Republican Party.
Political Views
Healthcare Policy
In 2021, Spartz was chosen to be part of a special group looking at healthcare costs for the House Republican Caucus. In 2022, she proposed several bills to help lower healthcare costs. These bills aimed to stop unfair practices in the healthcare industry.
Spartz has also introduced laws to give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) more power to control hospital mergers. She believes that large hospital groups can harm healthcare.
Socialism
Spartz was born in Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union. Because of this, she has spoken out against the growing popularity of socialism in the United States. Her background helped form her belief that government involvement should be limited.
United States Government Debt
Spartz was one of the Republicans who voted against a bill called the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. This bill helped end a crisis over the U.S. debt ceiling. The act limited government spending and debt.
Spartz also voted against a compromise that prevented a government shutdown in September 2023.
In October 2023, Spartz said she would resign if a group to manage the national debt was not created by the end of 2024. She supports a bill called the Fiscal Commission Act of 2023, which would create this group.
Agricultural Programs
In 2023, Spartz introduced a bill to stop federal money from being used by certain agricultural programs. These programs support research and promotion for specific farm products. Farmers pay into these programs. Some farm groups disagreed with her bill. Spartz also supports a law that would add more oversight to these programs and stop them from being used for lobbying.
Committee Assignments
For the 118th Congress, Victoria Spartz is on these committees:
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement
- Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust
Caucus Membership
Victoria Spartz is a member of several groups in Congress, including:
- Republican Study Committee
- Congressional Ukrainian Caucus
- House Baltic Caucus
- Bulgaria Caucus
- French Caucus
- German-American Caucus
- Caucus on Hellenic Issues
- Slovak Caucus
- Caucus on Poland
- United Kingdom Caucus
Personal Life
Victoria Spartz met her husband, Jason Spartz, while she was in college. They met on a train traveling from Moscow to Kyiv. They got married in 2000. They have two daughters and live in Noblesville, Indiana. Victoria Spartz is Eastern Orthodox Christian.
See also
In Spanish: Victoria Spartz para niños
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
