Andy Barr

Barr was born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1973. He earned his bachelor's degree in government and philosophy from the University of Virginia in 1992 and his J.D. from the University of Kentucky in 2001. His work experience included working as a legislative assistant for Rep. Jim Talent (R) from Missouri, as an attorney, as a part-time law professor at Morehead State University, and as the deputy general counsel to former Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher.[1][2]

U.S. Senate

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Campaign websiteBarr's campaign website stated the following:Close the Border, Deport the Illegals. Andy Barr believes we must deport all illegals and close the border. Andy has been a champion for border protection and supported President Trump as he secured the border during his first term. When Joe Biden opened our borders to millions of illegal immigrants, Andy fought them every step of the way. Andy cosponsored and voted for the Secure the Border Act, legislation that solidifies Trump border policies into federal law, such as:Restarting border wall constructionFunding to hire more border agentsReinstating the Remain in Mexico policyEnding catch and releaseAndy will always fight alongside President Trump to keep our border secure.Unleash The Middle Class, Extend TRUMP TAX CUTS.Andy partnered with President Trump to deliver the biggest tax cut in American history for Kentuckians in 2017, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). According to the Tax Policy Center, Kentuckians received a $1,600 tax cut on average in the first year of this law taking effect.In February of 2025, Andy voted for legislation in the House to extend these tax cuts for Kentuckians and he’s fighting every day to get the Trump economic agenda passed through Congress. With President Trump and Andy Barr, the best days for Kentuckians are yet to come.Keep Men Out of Girls' Sports.As the father of two daughters, Andy has long championed the protection of women and girls sports. He cosponsored and voted for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, prohibiting biological men from competing in women’s sports. Andy has been clear, there are two genders – God given, not doctor altered – and there should be no men in girls’ sports, locker rooms, or bathrooms.Andy has also fought to prohibit taxpayer money from being used for gender transition surgeries on minors.Honor and Defend Our Veterans.Andy Barr has led the fight for our veterans, passing the Veterans Fairness and Transparency Act, ensuring our veterans had access to key disability benefits when federal offices shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic.To help our veterans transition to successful civilian careers, Andy championed the Veteran STEM Scholarship Enhancement Act into law. This law boosted science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) scholarships for veterans.Most recently, Andy ushered through Congress legislation giving veterans more access to non-VA provided healthcare options.Andy created the Sixth District Veterans Coalition, a group of volunteer veterans and advocates who come together to advise him on veterans issues. Andy Barr will always take care of our veterans.Stand Proudly for Life.Andy is unabashedly pro-life and has consistently stood strong for life. Andy signed and delivered an amicus brief in support of overturning Roe v Wade in the Dobbs v Jackson case in 2022.During his Congressional tenure, Andy has voted numerous times for pro-life legislation, such as:The Born Alive Protection Act, requiring doctors and medical professionals to give medical care to babies born alive in botched abortions.The Hyde Amendment, prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortions.House resolutions condemning attacks on pro-life organizations and churches following the reversal of Roe.Kentucky Energy Powers America. No one fought Biden’s war on energy more than Andy Barr. Good, clean, Kentucky coal powers America, and Andy Barr will always stand up to anyone who comes after coal. And the radical environmentalists hate Barr for it.The first veto of Joe Biden’s presidency was a bill Andy wrote to block Biden’s ESG mandates to protect American’s retirement accounts and 401(k)s. And when Biden tried to backdoor the Green New Deal through financial regulators like the Federal Reserve and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Andy Barr held the line.Now, Andy is working with President Trump to restore American energy dominance and lower costs for the American people. He’s voted for legislation that would allow energy companies to drill baby drill, expedite permits for energy projects, and end Biden-era regulations limiting energy exploration.The Second Amendment is NOT Optional. When the Radical Left comes for your firearm or to impose more restrictions on law-abiding gun owners, Andy will stand in the breach and fight for our Second Amendment rights. Andy has consistently opposed gun control bills put forward to strip gun owners of their firearms without due process.Andy also led the Fair Access to Banking Act, which prohibits banks from discriminating against the firearms industry.In the last Congress, Andy had a perfect A+ voting record from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Andy also proudly received endorsements in the past from the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America.No one will work harder as your next U.S. Senator to protect your Second Amendment Right from every possible threat.Cut Waste, Grow Freedom.Andy believes that the American people know how to spend their money better than bureaucrats in Washington. Andy has voted for the largest spending cuts ever put forward on mandatory spending and is working to reign in the ballooning debt and deficit. A longtime supporter of a Balanced Budget Amendment, Andy cosponsored and voted numerous times to require the federal government to balance the budget just like Kentuckians do at home.Andy is a member of the Congressional DOGE Caucus, helping President Trump and Elon Musk as they extinguish fraud, waste, and abuse from our federal bureaucracy, and working to make those savings permanent.Communist China Must Be Defeated.Kentuckians have seen first-hand the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). From the COVID-19 virus they unleashed on the world, to the spy balloons across Kentucky, to the fentanyl they’ve produced that has destroyed Kentucky families.Andy Barr is leading the charge against the CCP. Andy led bipartisan legislation through the House sealing off American investment into Chinese military, surveillance, and technology companies, and he’s fighting to hold Communist China accountable for the fentanyl epidemic they have fueled.With President Trump and Andy Barr, Communist China will be held accountable.— Andy Barr's campaign website (February 23, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

U.S. House

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Campaign website

Barr's campaign website stated the following:

National Security

As Chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Treasury Department’s implementation of sanctions, Andy introduced a bill that imposes the toughest economic sanctions ever directed at North Korea. The legislation, which passed the House 415-2, was named in honor of Otto Warmbier, an American student who died after being returned to the United States in a coma following his kidnapping, detention and torture for more than a year by the Kim regime.

Andy voted for vital funding to rebuild our nation’s military, increase readiness, bolster our Naval forces, increase end strength of our Armed Forces and provide the largest pay raise for our troops in a decade.

Andy has led efforts to recapitalize and secure 16 new C-130 J model aircraft for the Air National Guard and is currently working with leadership of the U.S. Air Force and National Guard Bureau to secure a squadron of new J model aircraft for Kentucky’s Air National Guard.

As a member of the National Guard Caucus, Andy was awarded the 2017 Charles Dick Medal of Merit from the National Guard Association of the United States for distinguished service in providing “exceptionally strong support” to the National Guard.

Opioid Epidemic

Andy created the Sixth District Drug Abuse Task Force made up of professionals in prevention, education, law enforcement, treatment and recovery to tear down barriers in communication and make recommendations to facilitate action.

Andy voted for the largest investment to date, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, which is comprised of 58 individual opioid bills to improve prevention, treatment, and recovery initiatives to fight the opioid epidemic throughout our communities. This package of bills passed the House on June 22, 2018.

Andy introduced the Transitional Housing for Recovery in Viable Environments (THRIVE) Act, which allocates a limited number of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers for transitional housing non-profits, similar to many successful models in the Sixth District. These vouchers would be used to help individuals in recovery maintain sobriety, rise above government dependency, and gain valuable life and employment skills. This legislation was included in the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act.

Andy supported a $4 billion investment in funding for opioid treatment and prevention included in the FY18 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

Andy helped pass the 21st Century Cures Act, which funds new research and treatment for opioid addiction.

Andy introduced and passed an amendment to enhance resources for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program, bringing total funding to $280 million and helping a number of Sixth District counties fight drug trafficking.

Andy helped secure a $2.6 million grant for Chrysalis House in Lexington to provide treatment and recovery services to pregnant and postpartum women and their children struggling with addiction.

Andy helped secure a $4.9 million federal grant for the University of Kentucky’s PATHways/Beyond Birth Team which serves pregnant women battling addiction in rural areas.

Andy voted for the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which included his amendment recommended by the University of Kentucky to commission a federal study on the treatment options and outcomes for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome suffered by infants born to mothers who take opioids during pregnancy.

Financial Services

As the chairman of the Subcommittee on Monetary Policy and Trade, Andy is charged with oversight of the Federal Reserve, international financial institutions, exchange rates, and economic sanctions.

Andy supported the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, which is the most financial regulatory relief package in a generation. The legislation included two bills introduced by Andy:

The Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act, which extends the “qualified mortgage” legal safe harbor to small creditors, banks and credit unions, with total assets of $10 billion or less who originate and hold residential mortgage loans in portfolio, rather than selling or securitizing them, allowing those lenders to satisfy Dodd-Frank’s ability-to-repay rule.

The Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act, which clarifies the definitions of “high-cost” loans so that manufactures homes no longer fall under this designation that is harming access to affordable manufactured housing, allowing more Americans to own their home rather than rent.

Andy supported and helped pass the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, which is a comprehensive reform to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and the export control regime. This legislation closes loopholes and prevents adversaires, like China, from obtaining access to critical technology and infrastructure.

Economy & Jobs

Andy voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the first comprehensive reform of the tax code in over 30 years. This legislation:

Cuts taxes by $2,052 for the average median income family in the Sixth District

Doubles the standard deduction and child tax credit

Includes legislation Andy introduced to boost Kentucky’s horse and bourbon industries

Led to increased bonuses, wages and enhanced benefits for over four million workers nationwide

Lowered utility rates for families throughout Kentucky

As a member of the Financial Services Committee, Andy is a national leader in the effort to roll back burdensome regulations, authoring multiple bills that will increase Americans’ access to the financial system so that entrepreneurs, farmers and homeowners can access the capital they need to build businesses, create jobs and purchase a home.

As the Chairman of the subcommittee that oversees the Federal Reserve System, Andy is the top policymaker in Congress advocating for more conventional, predictable, and accountable monetary policy.

Energy

Member of the Congressional Coal Caucus

Member of the Congressional Recycling Caucus

Member of the Congressional Natural Gas Caucus

Member of the Congressional Decentralized Wastewater Recycling Caucus

Andy cosponsored a resolution expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy.

Andy cosponsored H.J.Res 38 which disapproves the Stream Protection Rule submitted by the Department of Interior. This legislation relieves regulations imposed by this rule and addresses the impacts of surface coal mining operations on surface water and the productivity of mining operation sites. H.J. Res 38 was signed into law by President Trump on February 16, 2017.

Andy cosponsored the Renewable Fuel Standard Elimination Act, which repeals the Environmental Protection Agency’s renewable fuel program. This program requires transportation fuel to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuel.

Andy cosponsored the Miners Protection Act, which amends the the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to transfer certain funds to the Multi-Employers Health Benefits Plan and the 1974 United Mine Workers of American Plan to provide health and pension benefits to retired coal miners and their families.

Andy cosponsored the New Source Review Permitting Improvement Act, which provides certainty in planning for upgrades and would create less costly and time-consuming modernizations for factories, power plants, refineries, and other facilities.

Healthcare

After nearly seven years of hearing constituents’ struggle with the one-size-fits all health care law that is now collapsing under its own weight, Andy supported the American Health Care Act to increase competition and choice, lower costs, and deliver relief to families throughout Kentucky. The American Health Care Act, which represented the largest entitlement reform in history, would have created a personalized, patient-centered health care system to encourage the health insurance marketplace to compete, ensure individuals with pre-existing conditions have access to affordable, quality health care and allow families to pick the plan that best fits their needs.

Andy supported repealing the individual mandate for health insurance, which penalized Americans for not choosing to purchase health insurance they did not want or was too expensive to maintain.

Andy supported the Small Business Fairness Act to allow small businesses to bind together to offer high quality, lower cost health insurance plans to their employees, relieving them from the costly state-mandated laws that make health care coverage exorbitantly expensive.

Andy cosponsored the Childhood Cancer STAR Act, which advances pediatric cancer research and child-focused cancer treatments. This legislation was signed into law by President Trump on May 29, 2018.

Andy led a Kentucky Congressional delegation letter in support of the University of Kentucky’s Markey Cancer Center’s application to renew its National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation. The University of Kentucky received its renewal NCI designation in August 2018.

Andy voted for the 21st Century Cures Act, which authorizes state block grants to improve the treatment of disease, mental health and addiction.

Andy voted for a $4 billion appropriation – the largest to date – to combat the opioid crisis and address prevention, treatment and enforcement

After hosting the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Sixth District to meet with local recovery organizations, Andy introduced a bill to provide more resources for transitional housing for opioid addiction recovery.

Andy has continued to support Community Health Centers and their work to provide accessible and cost-effective health care to many Kentuckians living in rural areas of the Sixth District.

Fiscal Responsibility

Andy supported H.R. 3, the Spending Cuts to Expired and Unnecessary Programs Act, which cuts wasteful spending and restores fiscal responsibility with the federal government’s use of hard-earned taxpayer dollars.

Andy supported reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that would place the program on a sustainable financial path for the future while ensuring it still offers affordable insurance to Kentuckians in flood prone areas. Some of the reforms that Andy supported included greater use of LIDAR for better flood maps, enhanced flood prevention resources to reduce the number and cost of claims, and changes to increase private sector participation. Today the program is $20.5 billion in debt and that is after a $16 billion bailout in 2017.

Andy supported reforms to government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that would increase access to mortgages for qualified, credit-worthy borrowers and minimize the risk of future taxpayer bailouts, similar to those that occurred during the 2008 financial crisis.

Andy voted for the Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment would prohibit total outlays for each fiscal year form exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year unless Congress authorizes the excess by a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber. This measure failed as it did not receive two-thirds support.

Andy supported the American Health Care Act, which would have been the largest reform to mandatory spending in our nation’s history.

Andy introduced the Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act, which would reduce wasteful spending in health care by up to $66 billion over ten years through comprehensive tort reform.

Andy supported the House Republican “Building a Better America” Budget that would balance the budget in 10 years without raising taxes.

Voted in favor for the Farm Bill, including reforms to SNAP that introduce work requirements for able-bodied, working age adults.

Andy has supported regular order for appropriations, which includes all 12 FY17 appropriations bills the House passed and Senate failed to consider. These appropriation bills contained numerous reforms to restore fiscal responsibility.

Co-Chaired the Republican Study Committee’s Empowerment working group, which aims to promote upward mobility and importance of work within our nation’s welfare programs to move individuals off government assistance and help them lead independent lives.

Veterans

Andy established the Sixth District Veterans Coalition, which meets quarterly and has helped hundreds of veterans resolve problems with the VA, appeal disability claims and even replace medals.

Andy introduced legislation to rename the two Lexington VA Medical Center campuses in honor of two Kentucky World War II heroes, Troy Bowling and Franklin Sousley. This legislation was signed into law on March 9, 2018 and were officially renamed in August 2018.

Andy supported the VA Mission Act, which consolidates the VA’s seven community health care programs into one program, funds the VA Choice Program, and expands the VA Caregiver Program to all eras.

Andy introduced the Military Sexual Assault Victims Empowerment (SAVE) Act, which would allow survivors of military sexual trauma (MST) to receive the treatment of their choice outside of the VA system.

Andy passed an amendment to increase funding for equine assisted therapy to help our returning warriors recover from the psychological scars of combat.

Andy supported the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, which expanded GI bill eligibility, removed the time restriction on the use of the GI bill for eligible recipients, and increased funding for Reservists and Guardsmen.

Andy succeeded in petitioning the Secretary of the Department of Interior to recommend the Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park in Jessamine County be designated a National Monument.[10]

—Barr for Congress[11]

Campaign advertisements

The following is an example of an ad from Barr's 2018 election campaign.

"All About Kentucky" - Barr campaign ad, released July 24, 2018

Campaign website

The following issues were listed on Barr's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

Economy & Jobs: America only works when Americans are working, and far too many Americans aren’t working under this president’s job-killing policies. During the 2008–2009 recession, the unemployment rate nearly doubled from its norm of about 5 percent to 9.8 percent. In the three years since, America’s unemployment rate has never dropped below 8 percent, making this the longest protracted period of high unemployment since the Great Depression. Kentucky’s unemployment rate is even higher than the national average.

Holding Washington Accountable: Many Washington career politicians have lost touch with reality. It is clear that Washington is broken and many of our government leaders are completely disconnected with the people they supposedly represent. But Washington is intended to work for you and represent your interests, and this is why I am fighting to bring new standards of accountability to Washington, D.C and be as accessible to you as possible.

Agenda for Veterans: No greater responsibility exists than ensuring that those who sacrificed for our freedoms have adequate representation in Washington, D.C. That is one of the main reasons I created the Sixth District Veterans Coalition. This coalition has enabled me to maintain a productive working relationship with veterans throughout the Sixth District and has better equipped me to advocate on their behalf in our nation’s capital.

Fiscal Responsibility: I ran for Congress to save the United States from bankruptcy. Day after day, the national debt continues climbing upward, mortgaging the next generation’s future deeper and deeper into debt. The national debt currently stands in excess of $17 trillion and is dramatically increasing by the minute. As out-of-control spending rages on, the obligation for our children’s share of the national debt ever increases, currently standing well in excess of $50,000 for every man, woman and child in the United States.

Healthcare: Healthcare must be made more available and more affordable. The most effective way for achieving availability and affordability is not through increased government involvement, but rather common sense reforms that allow the free market to work.[10]

—Andy Barr's campaign website, http://andybarrforcongress.com/issues/economy-jobs-2/

Campaign website

The following issues were outlined on Barr's campaign website.

Economy and Jobs

Excerpt: "The first step in getting Americans back to work would be to abandon the tax increases in Obamacare, defeat proposals to increase taxes on capital gains and dividends and prevent existing tax relief from expiring at the end of this calendar year."[12]

Tax Relief

Excerpt: "Those in Congress who give lip service to fiscal responsibility by insisting on raising taxes now and cutting spending later are part of the problem. Increasing taxes is a poor deficit-reduction strategy since higher taxes kill jobs and we need more taxpayers, not less, to bring revenues back to their historic level of 18 percent of gross domestic product."[13]

Healthcare Reform

Excerpt: "Congress should have never rammed through this 2,700-page monstrosity [ObamaCare] in the dead of night when most members of Congress had not even had a chance to read it. As Ben Chandler’s choice for Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, infamously said, '[w]e have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.' But as flawed as the process was in enacting ObamaCare, the substance is even worse."[14]

Agenda for Veterans

Excerpt: "We must never forget their service and sacrifice. So as the next Congressman for Kentucky’s Sixth Congressional District, I pledge to establish a working veterans task force to serve as a liaison between the congressional office and the broader veterans community and to work on the following priorities for central Kentucky’s many veterans and their families."[15]

Spending and Debt

Excerpt: "I will support a pro-growth strategy of tax reform, reigning in burdensome regulations, unleashing America’s energy potential and repealing Obamacare, because creating jobs, decreasing unemployment and increasing the number of productive taxpayers is the most effective way to balance the budget."[16]