Congressional Catch-Up: Phil Andrew

Generations of Phil Andrew’s family have grown up in the Ninth Congressional District. A survivor of gun violence via a school shooting and a resulting hostage situation in his own home, Andrew went on to law school, and later, the FBI for 20 years, specializing in national security and gun violence prevention.

Economy

The minimum wage hasn‘t been adjusted to fit modern standards, according to Andrew. He used the example of SNAP benefits cutting off after a certain threshold — $60,000, for example — to point out economic models need to be looked at to determine how economic and tax policies are affecting people. 

Andrew said tax policy needs to incentivize the building of more units around transportation hubs, and more federal support needs to go toward infrastructure investment.

Immigration

Andrew said millions of people need to immigrate to the country, claiming it “defines who we are” as a nation and would build up the economy to “bring us into the future.” He said border control is necessary but needs to be operated in a humane and compassionate way.

Though he believes immigration reform — requiring rigorous background checks and training of agents — and enforcement is necessary to prevent public safety threats, he said ICE is creating a threat instead of combatting one. Andrew said coordination between state, local and federal agencies is important to understanding threats to any given community, and trust needs to be built within them.

Young Voters

Andrew said he thinks Trump’s victory in the 2024 election was the result of successful leverage of modern communication through social media influencers and thinks the Democratic party should embrace the same method. Additionally, Democrats should focus on creating a cohesive message to the people based on faith, trust and integrity.

Democracy

Andrew sees the removal of 17 inspectors general across government agencies — such as the FBI, FDA, DOJ — as an attack on their independence. He said those positions are the early detectors of abuse and waste in an administration. Additionally, he said the government is trying to suppress voting.

Israel

After working in national security for many years, Andrew said he thinks keeping the U.S. safe has a lot to do with robust relationships with allied countries. With those relationships, intelligence can be shared to counter threats like rogue nations and Iran’s funding of Hamas.

He said he thinks the Israel-Palestine conflict is a humanitarian crisis, but not a genocide, as he said it’s a legal term which needs to be determined. He thinks the role of the United States should be to lead toward peace and should hold “all parties and leaders accountable.”

Abortion

Andrews said he thinks women’s healthcare is a human right. He thinks Roe v. Wade should be codified.

Climate Change

Andrews said the United States needs to restore its place with other global leaders in fighting climate change. He said the country needs to invest in a renewable energy grid and technology and thinks the attack on science is a big threat, referring to it as the “COVID of democracy and progress.”

Most Important Issue

Andrew’s most important issue in this election is freedom. He said he thinks the people need to elect a representative who has the highest level of ethics and skills to meet the moment.