Kentucky’s Sixth District abounds with agricultural blessings. From our signature Equine and Bourbon industries to the variety of crops that are produced all across the state, many Kentuckians’ livelihoods are influenced by agriculture. That’s why I have a proven record of agricultural support, including advocating for tobacco farmers, integrity in thoroughbred horse racing, bourbon distilling, coal production, and even bidding to bring the World Equestrian Games to Lexington for the second time.
Since our nation’s birth, Americans have taken pride in the United States as a land of opportunity – a place where any individual willing to work hard has the opportunity to succeed and achieve the American Dream. Throughout the years, our country has enjoyed the benefits of a lawful and organized immigration system.
Cited in both the Preamble and Article I of the Constitution, one of Congress’s fundamental responsibilities is to “provide for the common defense.” The 21st Century brings with it new conventional and unconventional threats to our national security, ranging from traditional military rivals to international terrorism to cyber-attack, and everything in between. As a Member of Congress, I am dedicated to ensuring our military’s readiness and providing our men and women in uniform with the resources they need to defend the United States of America.
One of my highest priorities as a legislator is securing a better world for my two young daughters and all future generations. Through education, we can prepare our most precious resource - our children - for a life of prosperity. As our district is the proud home to multiple universities, including the University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University, I will continue working to promote greater educational opportunity and give students all across this country greater certainty as they enter the workforce and look for jobs.
I believe that the United States needs a real “all of the above” energy strategy – one that engages our domestic energy industries as partners in an all-out effort to create jobs, lower electricity and gas prices, and secure American energy independence. This strategy must set a rational course toward sustainable and renewable energy by employing today’s proven resources as a bridge to the technologies of the future. But it must prioritize energy freedom and diversity that embraces the life-improving power of fossil fuels.
My seat on the House Financial Services Committee provides central and eastern Kentuckians with a voice to champion the important role of community financial institutions. I am focused on improving the regulatory environment that threatens our community financial institutions and limits Kentuckians’ access to responsible credit.
As the world’s largest economy and sole remaining superpower, the United States continues to have a unique role in shaping global affairs. In the House of Representatives, I am working to ensure our foreign policy advances America’s security interests, supports our allies, and holds hostile and aggressive regimes accountable.
I have worked in Congress to protect the American people from the consequences of Obamacare by voting to repeal the law and replace it with patient-centered reforms that will lower costs without growing government. Expanding access to affordable, quality care without putting bureaucrats between patients and doctors has been a top priority of mine.
Providing for the nation’s infrastructure is a power given to Congress in Article I of the Constitution. From the roads and bridges we drive, to the water we drink, to the locks, dams, and ports that transport the goods and commerce we rely on, infrastructure projects impact our lives on a daily basis. In Congress, I am working to find new and innovative ways to finance infrastructure projects in a way that protects the taxpayer. I am also working to provide greater transparency and accountability of the federal agencies in charge of updating our aging infrastructure, while preventing waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars and protect future generations from being burdened with crippling debt.
My primary focus in Congress is economic growth and job creation. The federal government currently imposes too many obstacles to job creation and wage growth, and years of the federal government piling on additional regulations and bureaucratic red tape have not helped. Washington must stop being a hindrance and allow the American economy – the greatest engine of prosperity the world has ever known – to put people back to work.
Between Obamacare, Dodd-Frank, and countless rulemakings by federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, we have seen an unprecedented onslaught of federal regulations and red tape over the last five years that is burying American businesses in paperwork, driving up costs, and constraining job creation. This avalanche of new rules has real costs – U.S. households are estimated to pay more than $14,700 annually in hidden “regulatory taxes” that drive up the costs of goods, services, housing, transportation, energy, and other sectors of the economy. That’s bad for American families and our country’s long-term growth, which I why I’m working in Congress to bring vital reforms to our regulatory system.
I believe that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms. Responsible gun ownership constitutes a vital part of our nation’s heritage, and remains central to Americans’ ability to defend themselves and their families.
My top priorities are getting Kentuckians back to work and restoring fiscal responsibility in Washington. Achieving these two goals will enable the government to keep its promise of retirement security for current retirees and future generations.
As a strongly pro-life father of two young girls, I consider protecting the unborn and the most vulnerable among us as one of my greatest responsibilities as a parent and legislator. In Congress, I maintain a pro-life legislative agenda that aims to enact laws protecting innocent human life and mothers.
I understand that Washington has a spending problem that only gets worse the longer we delay honestly confronting it. Rather than enact tax increases as a way to finance unprecedented levels of government spending, I believe that we must focus on living within a budget and setting our funding priorities.
The Sixth District of Kentucky is home to many decorated war service members and veterans. I am honored to serve these veterans through constituent casework, and by meeting quarterly with the Sixth District Veterans Coalition. The Veterans Coalition provides me invaluable feedback on veterans-related programs and legislation.
If we want to maintain the most vibrant, dynamic economy in the world, it is essential that we combine a pro-growth approach to tax reform with the capacity to control government spending. Otherwise, we face a future where our massive debt obligations and dramatically higher taxes will limit the potential of the American people.
Congressman Andy Barr has introduced a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would cap at 12 the number of consecutive years which members of the House and the Senate could serve in office.
