Andy Kim

Many of us have seen videos of Asian hate crimes appear across our news channel or social media. It is shocking and terrible to watch and has ignited many others to share their stories of Asian discrimination in our country. Andy took to twitter to tell a story about the time he was discriminated against while serving in the State Department – he received a letter restricting him from working on anything related to the Korean Peninsula. While the State Department denies they discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age they sometimes put restrictions to prevent targeting or harassment from foreign intelligence services. Regardless, could you imagine being in Andy’s position and feeling like the country you’ve pledged to serve doesn’t have your back?

Andy reintroduced the bipartisan SAVE Act, which looks to help states lower health care costs by authorizing grants to states that establish and run state-based exchanges. In other words, the states use subsidized plans to offer their residents coverage at a lower rate which is uniquely tailored to that particular state. Folks on both sides of the aisle agree that the data shows this to be an effective way for states to lower health care costs, except not every state offers this type of health coverage. Andy and Republican Congressman Fitzpatrick (PA) first introduced the bill in 2019, where it passed the House but failed in the Senate. Now, they hope there’s enough bicameral support to help improve the healthcare situation of many during this pandemic.

Andy is leading a bipartisan effort in the house to get a handle on the soaring Covid case numbers and deaths within our federal prisons. The Bureau of Prisons tabulates that 45,000 inmates, roughly one third of their entire system’s population, have tested positive for Covid, and another 220 have died. Andy and his colleagues are calling on the Justice Department to increase on-site testing of staff, ensure the appropriate use of compassionate release, and provide hazard pay to staff retroactively from the start of the pandemic. Throughout this entire pandemic, Andy, who sits on the Bureau of Prisons Reform Caucus, has been looking out for the safety of this often-forgotten subset of our federal government.

Sadly, we are hearing stories across America about the increase in a number of hate crimes against the Asian community. When will it stop? Dirty looks and verbal assaults have escalated to physical attacks and violence against innocent Asian Americans. Andy says the videos have left a personal impression on him and his colleagues. “The 91-year-old man being pushed, his body literally airborne… I saw in that image someone that could’ve been my father or my grandfather.” Needless to say, our government needs to take action, but unfortunately that might not be enough to stop these attacks.

By now you probably have seen the image of Andy picking up debris off the Capitol Rotunda floor after the attacks last month. As the country pushes forward with one of the other (checks notes) hundreds of other crises we face, Andy had an important message in an interview – “It’s a hard day to remember, but it’s one that’s necessary for us to remember.” We’ve seen many politicians, especially Democrats, coming forward with more detailed accounts of their experience on January 6th and Andy clearly wholeheartedly supports that public sharing so that we as a nation can indeed move on, but not forget. On a lighter note, he shared a photo of he and newly confirmed Transportation Secretary Pete Buttegieg from college and it is pure gold.

A lot of politicians talk the talk, but Andy is that rare someone who actually walks the walk and we got a tremendously moving glimpse of that from the now infamous photo of Andy literally cleaning up debris in the Capitol Rotunda. But Andy also has an enormous national security background, from serving at the Pentagon, to the State Department, to the White House National Security Council. So when Andy was among the first to publicly endorse then Defense Secretary-designee Lloyd Austin and call on the House to approve a special waiver for his confirmation, it stands to reason his colleagues ought to listen to him. “I’ve seen Secretary-Designee Austin in the Situation Room…and he is incredibly qualified.” The House followed Andy’s lead in granting that waiver after which General Austin was overwhelmingly confirmed by the Senate.

A photo of Andy went viral showing him on his hands and knees to clean up inside the U.S. Capitol at 1 in the morning. It shows him picking up water bottles, clothing, Trump flags and even a U.S. flag that was littered on the floor. When asked why he decided to help he responded, “When you see something you love that’s broken you want to fix it…What else could I do?” Andy’s official statement calls for immediate removal of President Trump from office, which he followed through on by voting for impeachment yesterday.

Andy serves on the bipartisan House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis and has introduced several pieces of legislation to assist individuals and businesses during the last (holy crap) 9 months. Most recently, he introduced the Covid-19 Vaccine Awareness Support Act of 2020, which would authorize a public advocacy campaign to promote vaccine participation and provide science-backed information about it. Funds from the bill would also go to the Dept. of Health and Human Services and the CDC to provide grants for most public awareness campaigns. “Earning the public’s trust is key to putting an end to this pandemic,” Andy said.

Andy recently served as a conferee to the bicameral conference committee for the National Defense Authorization Act and the fruits of his labor will no doubt be enjoyed by his constituents and the folks of New Jersey. The bicameral conference committee is tasked with drafting the final language and legislative minutia of the defense spending bill for the upcoming year, and in it, Andy secured pay raises for servicemen and women stationed at the Joint Base in his district, helped secure funding and protections for a critical air mission run out of the base, and championed several other provisions for increased cyber-security funding, health benefits for Vietnam Veterans, and various other structural improvements. The bill will soon go to the Senate for approval, thanks to lots of heavy lifting by Andy.

Will the Apprentice puns ever end?? Probably not… Andy introduced the Fast Track Advanced Apprenticeships Now Act, that would cut bureaucratic red tape to allow apprenticeship programs for emerging occupations to be approved faster. Many Americans started their career through apprenticeship programs and this bill helps reduce red tape so small and medium sized employers can start these apprenticeship programs. Bills like this help create a strong middle class and a clear path to a good-paying job, which will be even more important as the U.S. comes out of the COVID economy. Where do we sign up?!