Andy Barr
Andy Barr ran for Congress for a cause – to save America from bankruptcy, restore the American Dream and keep the American people safe and secure. Andy has never stopped fighting for these principles. Now more than ever, it is critical for central and eastern Kentuckians to have a strong, proven, and accountable leader representing them in Congress!
As a conservative, Andy believes that limited government and free enterprise empower the American people with the greatest opportunity to pursue happiness, provide for their families, and give their children a better life.
He has consistently voted to reduce the size and scope of the federal government, to stop regulatory overreach, and to preserving the rights guaranteed to the people in the Constitution.
Barr knows that the security and defense of the United States is his most important responsibility as a Member of Congress. He has voted to restore American leadership in the world, to improve national security and defense programs, and for reforms which would help prevent terrorist attacks. He is a member of the Task Force to Investigate Terrorist Financing, which is working to deny terrorists the funds they need to plan and carry out attacks.
Additionally, Andy was selected by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to serve on the House China Task Force (CTF). The CTF was created to develop policies to combat the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) military, technological and economic threat to the United States. Andy served as Co-Chair of Energy and Economics Subgroup as well as the Subgroup on Competitiveness.
As a senior member of the Financial Services Committee, Congressman Barr has been a leader in working to protect community financial institutions and their customers. Andy is also the Co-Chair of the Global Investment in America Caucus, promoting American jobs in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. In 2020, Andy served as Chairman of the Republican Study Committee’s American Worker Task Force, developing policies to empower the American middle-class to “Reclaim the American Dream,” through refocusing labor policy, reimagining our failed welfare policies and refining our education policies to
Congressman Barr is working to expand economic opportunities for Kentuckians. He has prioritized Kentucky’s signature industries such as horseracing, bourbon distilling, auto manufacturing, and coal. He is the Chairman of the Congressional Horse Caucus and is the Co-Chair of the Bourbon Caucus. These industries are unique to the Bluegrass and employ thousands of Kentuckians.
Since first being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, Andy Barr has set a new standard for service and accessibility to the people of the Sixth District. Through his “Accessibility Initiative” Barr travels extensively throughout the district meeting with local leaders and businesses, participating in local events, and hosting public forums such as Coffee with Your Congressman meetings. Hearing directly from the people he serves allows Andy to better know the challenges and opportunities facing every community in the district.
Andy’s casework staff has helped thousands of Kentuckians resolve problems with federal agencies such as the IRS, Social Security Administration, the VA, and the State Department. And while Andy is voting in Washington, his outreach staff hosts mobile office hours in every Sixth District county at least once a month.
Barr has placed special emphasis in making sure the veterans who have served our nation are given the care and resources they have been promised and have earned. In 2019, Andy was selected to serve on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and passed a critical amendment to the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship to expand access for veterans pursuing STEM education in July of 2019. In April of 2020, Andy introduced the Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act to protect veterans applying for VA disability benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. This bill unanimously passed the House and is pending action in the Senate. Finally, Andy’s amendments to provide unprecedented access for veterans to equine assisted therapy (EAT) treatments for mental health and post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) passed this year as part of a historic Veterans Suicide Prevention package.
Additionally, Andy established the Sixth District Veterans Coalition which meets quarterly so that he can hear directly from veterans about the service they receive, problems they may be experiencing, and to get their feedback on legislation related to veterans programs and military affairs. Because of the feedback he received from members of his Veterans Coalition, Congressman Barr fought for reforms at the VA before reports of misconduct were made public.
Andy is also committed to finding solutions to the epidemic of drug addiction which has devastated families across Kentucky. He formed the Sixth District Recovery Working Group made up of professionals in prevention, education, law enforcement, treatment and recovery to tear down the barriers in communication and make recommendations on which the Congressman can act.
Andy and his wife Davis reside in Lexington with his two daughters, Eleanor and Mary Clay. He is a native of Lexington and a 1992 graduate of Henry Clay High School. In 1996, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Philosophy. In 2001, Barr graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law.
From 1996 through 1998, Barr entered public service for the first time as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Congressman Jim Talent. He served as Deputy General Counsel for Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher. Andy spent several years as a practicing attorney, representing individuals and small businesses – many of which he helped to resolve disputes with the government. During his time in the private sector, he also taught constitutional law and administrative law at the University of Kentucky and Morehead State University.
