S. Brett Guthrie

Running for United States Representative in Congress Kentucky 2nd District

Age: 54 Party: Republican

Occupation: Manufacturing

Relevant experience: Bachelor of Science (economics), U.S. Military Academy at West Point, 1987.

Field Artillery Officer in the 101st Airborne Division – Air Assault at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Master’s Degree in Public and Private Management, Yale University, 1997.

Local businessman with Trace Die Cast, 1997-2009.

Kentucky State Senator, 1999-2009.

U.S. Congressman for Kentucky’s Second District, 2009-present

What is your platform?

Pretty simple – leave a better world behind for the next generation. We can do that by creating a better economy in which jobs and opportunity are plentiful. Over the last two years, our economy has really taken off. We have more job openings in America than people looking for work – it’s a comeback story that benefits every young person in this country.

I’m also focused on several quality of life issues that affect college students, such as the student loan problem.  I wrote the “Empowering Students through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act,” which provides tools to help students better grasp the amount of loans they are taking out and how it might affect their future.  This was passed by the House on September 5. It’s an example of how I can work with both sides of the aisle to pass important legislation.

Legislation I wrote was recently signed into law to combat the opioid crisis by providing more options for treating opioid addiction, including better tailoring treatments to match patients’ specific needs. We have to get people off opioids and back to their jobs and families. This crisis is destroying communities and families.

My work to stop human trafficking and the exploitation of children is very important to me. Since my legislation passed, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has helped find over 188,000 kids. This is a program that really works and has saved so many kids—it is very gratifying to hear the stories of families whose children came back to them.

In my committee work, I’m leading efforts to ensure that workers can obtain the skills they need to compete in today’s economy through apprenticeships and attainable higher education. I also led the effort to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which provides federal funding for in-demand job training. We need to make sure America’s workforce has the skills to compete for the jobs of the 21st century.

National security has always been a top priority for me. I voted to increase pay for the military and to beef up equipment for the troops. It was an honor to wear a U.S. Army uniform and I am grateful to any person who volunteers to defend our nation.

If elected, what would be your top priorities?

We must keep the economy rolling so up and coming college graduates like the ones reading this paper can find good paying jobs. Ideally, those jobs will be right here in Kentucky so we can keep our Hilltoppers in the Commonwealth to build our state’s future. I want to continue to focus on higher education issues, bringing down the cost of health insurance, and protecting Social Security and Medicare for future generations. There’s a lot at stake in this election and I hope following the midterm we can work in a bipartisan fashion in Washington to move our nation forward.

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