Congressman Brett Guthrie represents Kentucky’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Second District is the home of the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, Mammoth Cave National Park and Fort Knox.
Guthrie serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The Energy and Commerce Committee is the oldest standing legislative committee in the House with broad jurisdiction over our nation’s energy, health care, telecommunications and consumer product safety policies.
He is the top Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee. He also serves on the Communications and Technology Subcommittee and the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee. Last Congress, Guthrie was the top Republican on the Oversight and Investigation’s Subcommittee. In this role, Guthrie conducted oversight of COVID-19 response efforts. Guthrie also helped develop recommendations on the health care supply chain, COVID-19 testing, vaccines and more in a series of reports titled the Second Wave Preparedness Project.
Recognized for his proven leadership, Guthrie was also appointed to serve a second term as a Deputy Whip within the House Republican Conference for the 117th Congress. Guthrie was also selected by House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) to co-lead the Healthy Future Task Force to form a solution-based health care agenda.
Guthrie graduated in 1987 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and went on to serve as a Field Artillery Officer in the 101st Airborne Division – Air Assault at Fort Campbell. Guthrie later earned a Master’s Degree from Yale University in Public and Private Management.
Following his military service, he joined Trace Die Cast, the Bowling Green, Ky., based manufacturing business that was started by his father.
First elected to public office in 1998, Guthrie represented the 32nd District in the Kentucky Senate until being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008.
Married to the former Beth Clemmons, they have three children, Caroline, Robby and Elizabeth. In May 2020, Brett and Beth were blessed with their first grandchild Rowan, daughter of Caroline and her husband Ryan.
Agriculture
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this Page Share by Email There are almost 20,000 farms in Kentucky’s Second District, and I am proud to represent Kentucky’s farmers in Congress. I was proud to support the 5-year reauthorization of the most recent Farm Bill. The Farm Bill extends farm support programs, improves crop insurance, promotes agricultural exports and the opening of new markets for Kentucky’s farmers. It also provides resources to expand rural broadband development and to fight our nation’s ongoing opioid crisis. I also supported COVID-19-related assistance to farmers and producers in COVID-19 relief packages.
I strongly oppose Democrat policies like the methane tax, or proposed changes to the current stepped-up basis and capital gains tax that could force families to sell their farms. I will continue to stand up for Kentucky’s farmers and producers to ensure their voice is heard in Congress.
Education
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this Page Share by Email I am proud to represent the many fine elementary, secondary, and higher education institutions in the Second District, such as Western Kentucky University, Centre College, Asbury University, Brescia University, Kentucky Wesleyan College, and branches of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.
I have been a longtime supporter of improving financial literacy for Americans, especially for students and their families. I have supported legislation to help student borrowers better understand their financial obligations by receiving comprehensive counseling services.
Towards that bigger goal, I have also supported the bipartisan Net Price Calculator Improvement Act. This bill would provide better access and transparency for prospective students and their families to compare the cost of attending an institution of higher education.
I established the bipartisan Congressional Apprenticeship Caucus, which brings members of Congress together to explore how Congress can support apprenticeships as a way to help workers learn new skills. I strongly support apprenticeship programs as an opportunity for individuals to pursue a career of their choice. These programs provide students with an education, recognized credentials, and new skills for in-demand jobs as they earn strong wages. The Early Educators Apprenticeship Act and the PARTNERS Act encourage and advance work-based learning programs.
I introduced legislation to reauthorize the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). This legislation ensures continued federal support of efforts by state and local entities to recover missing and exploited children and was signed into law by President Trump.
Energy
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this Page Share by Email I strongly disagree with Democrat policies that undercut our energy independence and make our country more reliant on foreign oil. Crippling our energy independence leads to Kentuckians paying more for gas and utilities.
I am a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and believe we need an all-of-the-above energy strategy. We should utilize different types of domestic energy to power our country in a fiscally responsible way that protects American jobs and keeps our grid reliable.
I am a member of the Conservative Climate Caucus and think that climate change is a real and serious threat. However, I do not believe that radical solutions proposed in the Democrats’ “Green New Deal” are the solution. The Green New Deal is projected to cost up to $93 trillion over ten years, at an estimated cost of over $60,000 per year per household. I believe that we need innovative and market-based solutions to combat climate change.
Fort Knox
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this Page Share by Email I am proud to represent Fort Knox in Congress. Fort Knox is the home of the Army’s Human Resources Command, Recruiting Command, and Cadet Command. Fort Knox is a leader in military innovation with its award-winning energy conservation program, which allows the base to generate its own energy and go completely off the grid if necessary. This year, I was proud to work with Senator McConnell and Senator Paul to secure legislation in the National Defense Authorization Act to allow Fort Knox to continue using natural gas as an energy source at Fort Knox. This is a national security issue which will ensure Fort Knox is secure and well-positioned should a threat arise.
Fiscal Responsibility
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this Page Share by Email I am a strong believer in fiscal responsibility and believe we need to get our national debt under control. Our national debt stands at over $28 trillion dollars, and it is increasing every second. The Democrats’ proposed policies such as the Green New Deal, government-run health care, and other reckless spending packages would be disastrous for the financial stability of our country. I have consistently joined with my colleagues in supporting a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. I firmly believe we must balance our budget and address the growing national debt.
Health Care
I am proud to serve as the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. In this role, I have helped lead hearings on the resurgence of measles in our country and the importance of vaccines, as well as the rising costs of insulin. I am hopeful that by looking at insulin as a case study, we can work with President Trump and tackle the overall rising drug prices in our country that are crippling patients at the pharmacy counter.
I also serve on the Health Subcommittee for the House Energy and Commerce Committee. in the 116th Congress, I have introduced the following health bills:
The Cancer Drug Parity Act, which will fix a discrepancy that causes insurance companies to charge more for orally administered cancer medications than traditional intravenous cancer treatments;
The Improving HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act, which will ensure that patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s will receive proper care planning from their physician;
The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act, which will expand access to treatment options for Medicare beneficiaries affected by obesity;
And the EMPOWER Care Act, which will help certain Medicaid beneficiaries - such as the elderly or individuals with disabilities - transition from a health care facility to receiving care in their own homes or community if they choose to do so.
One of my top priorities has been combating our nation’s opioid crisis. During the 115th Congress I introduced the Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act (H.R. 5327) to establish a grant program for treatment facilities to offer all evidence-based treatments and FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder. This bill was signed into law on October 24, 2018, as part of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, a bipartisan package of over 50 bills that will address the opioid epidemic from four main angles: prevention, treatment and recovery, protecting communities, and fighting the illicit fentanyl trade.
The BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act (H.R. 4256/S. 2076), which I introduced during the 115th Congress, was signed into law on December 31, 2018. This law will create a public health infrastructure to support prevention, treatment, and care for patients with Alzheimer’s and related neurological diseases.
President Trump also signed my Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act into law last year. This bill provides legal protection for sports medicine professionals who cross state lines with their high school, college, or professional teams to take care of the athletes on their teams. Before my legislation, sports medicine practitioners were not legally protected when they crossed state lines with their teams unless they were also licensed in the state where the team was competing, putting athletes and practitioners potentially at risk.
During the 115th Congress, I introduced and passed into law the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act, which reauthorized a program to help make sure infants receive hearing screening and to provide services for the children who are found to be deaf or hard of hearing.
Jobs and the Economy
One of my top priorities is helping Kentuckians find jobs. I am a co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Apprenticeship Caucus. The caucus brings members of Congress together to explore how Congress can support apprenticeships to help workers learn skills on the job. Examples of legislation I have supported this Congress are the Early Educators Apprenticeship Act and the PARTNERS Act. These are two bipartisan bills I have reintroduced to expand career advancement through work-based learning programs. The Early Educators Apprenticeship Act would support states’ efforts to increase early childhood education apprenticeship programs. The PARTNERS Act would support the creation and expansion of industry partnerships to help small and medium-sized businesses develop apprenticeship programs.
I understand the important role small businesses play in our economy, which is why I supported the following bills:
- The PPP Extension Act of 2021: Extended the Paycheck Protection Program deadline to May 31, 2021, and provided an additional 30 days for the U.S. Small Business Administration to process loans. I supported the creation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in the CARES Act last Congress, which helped small businesses continue to pay their employees.
- The Microloan Transparency and Accountability Act of 2021: Enhances microloans in rural areas by offering a 5% technical assistance grant to SBA microloan intermediaries when these institutions work with rural small businesses.
- The Microloan Improvement Act of 2021: Removes barriers to increase the number of community-based lenders that are eligible for the lowest interest rate on loans from the SBA to ensure those lenders can offer credit to more small businesses.
- The ENTRÉE Act: Aims to provide grants to eligible food eatery establishments impacted from COVID-19 pandemic. The bill provides $60 billion to the SBA Restaurant Revitalization Fund and increases oversight responsibilities for the SBA to safeguard taxpayer dollars.
- The Save Local Business Act: Restores the definition of what it means to be an employer by clarifying that two or more employers must have “actual, direct, and immediate” control over employees to be considered joint employers.
- The National Right-to-Work Act: Preserves and protects the free choice of individual employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations if they so choose.
National Security
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this Page Share by Email As a former Army officer, I believe in having a strong military so that our country can stand up to growing threats abroad. Throughout my time in Congress, I have voted to improve our military’s technology and to give the troops pay raises.
One of the biggest threats facing our country is the crisis at our southern border. Our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed. We need to strengthen scanning technology at our ports of entry, hire more personnel, and work to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S.
Senior Citizens
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this Page Share by Email I am a strong supporter of Social Security and Medicare. One of my top priorities in Congress is protecting Medicare and ensuring that seniors have access to high quality health care. I have long been a champion of Medicare Advantage, which offers seniors additional services on top of their traditional Medicare plans. I was proud to lead my colleagues in a bipartisan effort to ensure that seniors in Kentucky can continue to choose Medicare Advantage as an option for their health care.
Technology
I currently serve on the Communications and Technology Subcommittee as well as the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee. These subcommittees have jurisdiction over the Federal Communications Commission, electronic communications, cybersecurity, privacy, and data security. I’m also the co-chair of the Congressional Spectrum Caucus. My focus is on improving cellular and broadband service in rural areas.
I hosted two broadband roundtables in the Second District so far in the 117th Congress. I connected local officials with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr and another representative from the FCC as well as representatives from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). These federal officials helped answer questions to local officials about broadband challenges in the community.
Below are highlights of the bills I have been working on this Congress:
The TRUSTED Broadband Networks Act: During the 116th Congress, I championed the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act to help small and rural telecommunications providers remove equipment from their networks that was sourced from Huawei and other bad actors, and this ensures that what replaces the old equipment is safe and trusted. The TRUSTED Broadband Networks Act builds on that effort by helping secure telecommunications networks more quickly by streamlining the permitting process to take out suspect equipment and install trusted equipment.
CLEAR Act: Would require the Federal Trade Commission to publish information online related to investigations the FTC has opened into unfair and deceptive practices. By increasing transparency, Americans would have more information to protect themselves from being scammed by similar practices.
The Open RAN Outreach Act: Builds upon my efforts to secure U.S. telecommunications networks by requiring technical assistance and outreach to be made available on Open RAN technologies at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Below are highlights of my bills that were signed into law before the 117th Congress
Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019: Strengthens the security of our telecommunications networks by removing and replacing untrusted equipment. This bill was signed into law on March 12, 2020, and was fully funded on December 27, 2020.
The American Competitive of a More Productive Emerging Tech Economy Act, or American COMPETE Act: Includes the Countering Online Harms Act and the Advancing Blockchain Act I introduced, which helps ensure American leadership in emerging technologies. This bill was signed into law on December 27, 2020.
The Beat China by Harnessing Important, National Airwaves for 5G Act of 2020 or The Beat CHINA for 5G Act: Helps boost connectivity, close the digital divide, and keep America’s competitive edge against China in 21st–century technologies by making more spectrum available to deploy 5G technology.
The USA Telecommunications Act of 2020: Builds on our efforts to secure our telecommunications networks and supply chain by promoting and accelerating the deployment and use of open interfaced, standards-based, and interoperable 5G networks throughout the United States.
Veterans
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this Page Share by Email I am proud to represent KY-02’s brave veterans in Congress, and I am committed to ensuring that veterans get the care and benefits they have earned. I have supported a number of bills that have improved services for veterans. Last Congress, I voted for the VA MISSION Act to streamline and improve community care available to veterans. The VA MISSION Act by President Trump was signed into law in June 2018.
If you are a veteran and need help navigating your services from the Department of Veterans Affairs, please my casework team at my Bowling Green District Office at 270-842-9896.
Veteran Suicide
In July 2019, I hosted a training session with the Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System’s Suicide Prevention Team focused on veterans suicide. In Kentucky, we lost 108 veterans to suicide in one year—and that is 108 too many. If you or someone you know is a veteran who may be at risk of suicide, please call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and press 1.
Transportation
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this Page Share by Email A modern infrastructure system is key to growing our economy. I was proud to work with Senator McConnell, Governor Begin, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, and members of the state legislature to get the William H. Natcher Parkway between Owensboro and Bowling Green officially designated as the William H. Natcher Expressway or I-165. Companies are more likely to do business off of a designated federal interstate, and being part of the interstate system makes the Natcher Expressway eligible for federal funding. I will continue to advocate for support for the Second District’s roads, bridges, and waterways.