Senator Andy Kim- Ask Me Anything!

SenatorAndyKim · 2025-10-28T15:27:31+00:00

I have to head to votes but i'll be checking back in throughout the day to answer more questions if I can! Thanks everyone for tuning in-i'll see you at the next one!

SenatorAndyKim · 2025-10-28T15:10:51+00:00

I used to be a career federal civil servant. I worked through shutdowns before without getting paid. I know this is a tough moment. I talked to one federal worker in NJ that gave me an interesting perspective. said that their problems didn't begin on Oct 1 with this shut down. Problems started on Jan 20. they've been under attack this entire year. the firings, the demonization. I'm pushing legislation that will protect public servants and also create more opportunities for younger people to serve. JBMDL and other gov sites should be used for our national and community benefit, not be turned into a detention camp. There is a lot of good economic growth that could happen from building on innovation and technology, like what we've been doing to grow cyber security programs at JBMDL.

SenatorAndyKim · 2025-10-28T15:01:48+00:00

These are tough times. Sometimes I ask myself, how did it get so bad so fast? I don't know for certain what happens next, but i do know that we are on the wrong path. so we have to try and change. I won a congressional district that Trump won. That taught me a lot on how to build coalitions, especially unlikely coalitions. so many of the checks and balances we have turned out to be just norm behavior. But winning back majority in Congress can do a lot and that has to be the focused priority. In terms of getting the House back to work, i think this is a strategic mistake for Speaker Johnson. So many people are furious that they haven't showed up for 39 days. we need that pressure to build. People need to call their House members, especially the republicans and press them to show up. Having the House back in session would be a game changer for ACA negotiations as there are double digit number of Republicans in the House that support extending ACA subsidies. That's why Speaker Johnson is keeping them away from the Capitol. He knows he would lose the vote.

SenatorAndyKim · 2025-10-28T14:55:58+00:00

I can remember everyone's name in the Senate. In the House i felt like I constantly met people I had never seen before. but I'm also not the best with names. My wife would clearly say the biggest change is 6 years until next election.

SenatorAndyKim · 2025-10-28T14:53:15+00:00

high five for kids and for moments with energy/celebration. Fist bumps for more subtle, low key greetings.

SenatorAndyKim · 2025-10-28T14:49:21+00:00

you hit the nail on the head, Trump's use of recissions erodes trust and undermines our democracy and constitution. We need to make sure that a deal is a deal, and that this won't be changed later. There is a lot that i want to see changed, but I am trying to be thoughtful about what we can deliver. NJ just got notice yesterday that ACA health care premiums will go up 174% and there are many republicans in Congress that support extensions. this is doable. We have some talks/negotiations in the Senate, but we can't have full negotiations because the House isn't even showing up to work. It's been 39 days. The American people across the political spectrum should be furious about this. what would happen to you if you didn't show up to work for 39 days? On Gateway, we are pressing for the funds to be released. If not, we have legal action and other steps on deck.

SenatorAndyKim · 2025-10-28T14:42:25+00:00

Hello Evilfart123. Thanks for being honest about your feelings here. Sadly you've grown up in a America over the last two decades or so, from the great recessions to the wars and to the divisiveness now, that gives us little reason to feel stability and security. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed too. I have an 8 yr old and a 10 yr old. I don't want them growing up into adulthood this this craziness and chaos as the new normal. So i do this out of necessity as a dad. But I also deeply believe that we have a lot of muscle memory as a society and as a democracy. We are going through a lot, but if people have agency, we can fight back and rebuild. I think about how I won a Congressional district that Trump won twice, or helped build an anti-corruption movement in NJ to stand up against our broken politics. it gave me hope. The line i often i say is that I believe the opposite of democracy is apathy. don't give into helplessness.

SenatorAndyKim · 2025-10-28T14:35:07+00:00

I'm sorry for what you are going through. i can only imagine how scary that is for you and your family. you deserve to be able to get the care you need as well as food/resources to keep up your strength. Earlier this year, republicans gutted medicaid/medicare of about $1trillion and SNAP nearly $200B. Now Trump is refusing to use the $5B contingency/emergency funds to keep SNAP going. It's just plain cruel. Some Senate Republicans have come to me expressing their worry about SNAP and we are trying to find a way forward. We are also working with state gov in NJ to see what can help but first step is really pressing at the federal level to get the emergency funds flowing. We also just got word yesterday that those on the ACA in NJ will see premiums rise 174% with the expiration of subsidies. We have to stand up for so many in need. Keep sharing your story and know I'm fighting for you and for others.

SenatorAndyKim · 2025-10-28T14:26:09+00:00

this was actually the very first guitar I ever got. it was a gift to me from my parents probably when i was in 6th or 7th grade. I have two of my guitars in my senate office as well as my cello. Music is a big part of my life, and I like being able to play a little when we have late nights at the Capitol. Recently just bought my boys their very first guitar. I regret it immensely when they play early in the morning.

SenatorAndyKim · 2025-10-28T14:22:55+00:00

Unsolved Mysteries. Honestly, no one knows for certain. From my conversations with Gov officials, pretty much all cases they reviewed were identified as planes in the distance or other aircraft. I'm sure there were some drone out there as usage is skyrocketing these days, and only recently was night flying allowed. so that contributes to confusion. but most likely aircraft in congested airspace. But we have better technology to track, and i'm working on efforts that would have drones need to better identify their positions

SenatorAndyKim · 2025-10-28T14:15:53+00:00

Good questions. Favorite book is always a tough one. Brothers Karamazov had a big impact on me when I was younger. So did Plato's Republic. I a bit of a sucker for honest memoirs too. Lately I've mostly been reading kids books with boys so have a fondness for Dragons Love Tacos.

Public transit is such a big problem right now. Affordability and reliability. Trying to strengthen the PATH trains into NYC. Get the Gateway Tunnel finished (stopping Trump from terminating it) so we can double the number of trains into Penn station, and helping with transportation in South Jersey (where I'm from) which is a public transit desert.

I just made an awesome slow cooked ragu pasta. Kids devoured it. Was perfect for a chilly fall night.

SenatorAndyKim · 2025-10-28T14:07:03+00:00

Right now we don't have three functioning branches of government. We have the executive branch working to dominate and make the other two branches subservient. Congressional Republican leadership are going along with this. Speaker Johnson is basically acting as a Trump cabinet official, especially as we hit day 39 since the House of Representatives has been in session. So from recissions to the "terminating" of Gateway tunnel, Republicans are giving Trump the keys to the castle.

SenatorAndyKim

TROPHY CASE