Andy Kim

Andy served as a civilian advisor in Afghanistan in the Obama State Department, beginning his career as a national security official for the White House. Andy became the first Democratic member of Congress of Korean descent when he was elected in 2018. In the House, Andy has built an agenda to bring our nation together and strengthen its national and economic security. He became a viral sensation last year when a photo of him cleaning up the Capitol after 1/6 went viral!

So, it’s really hard not to love Andy. Whatever your politics he just seems like a great guy that’ll perk you up when you’re down. On the 1-year anniversary of Jan. 6th he posted a Twitter thread simply meant to lift our spirits. “You’ve seen lots of photos today of the Capitol at its worst, so I want to shift gears/end the day reminding you of its stunning beauty.” The subsequent tweets contain videos and photos of some remarkable views from the Capitol, many featuring Andy grinning proudly. Call us suckers, but we couldn’t help but smile!

Andy has been focused on our national security this year. 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. As the first Democratic member of Congress of Korean descent, the increase in Asian hate crimes this year left a personal impression on Andy. Andy also introduced the bipartisan National Guard Cybersecurity Support Act, which would give state governors the power to deploy their National Guard to respond to cyber security threats against critical government programs. He teamed up with PP leader Rep. Peter Meijer to introduce the Afghanistan War Commission Act to create a non-partisan and independent commission that would conduct a comprehensive examination of the war on Afghanistan. And, let’s not forget Andy’s moment in the spotlight when a photo of him cleaning up the Capitol Rotunda after the Jan. 6th attacks went viral.

This past November, the CDC announced that drug overdose deaths in the US had now surpassed 100,000 per year for the first time ever. Since more than 75% of those deaths were due to opioids, Andy has a new bill called the Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act, which just passed the House. The bill directs the CDC to conduct a public education campaign about the dangers of fentanyl and other lethal synthetics, as well as promote the treatment services available. The bill would also require the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to publish training materials for first responders. But Andy isn’t stopping there. He’s introduced a companion bill that, if passed, would eliminate red tape for healthcare providers to use buprenorphine, a proven treatment for those with substance use disorder.

Did I hear bipartisan? That is right? Andy is teaming up with PP leader Peter Meijer (R-MI) to introduce the Afghanistan War Commission Act to create a non-partisan, independent commission that would conduct a comprehensive examination of the war on Afghanistan. The commission will examine all aspects of the war, including combat operations, intelligence actions, diplomatic activities, and interagency coordination and would span all U.S. government agencies, such as the Department of Defense, State, Intelligence Community and NATO allies. Seems pretty legit…do you think all of these agencies will cooperate?