POLITICO Playbook: How Andy Barr turned tragedy into purpose

Presented by the Financial Services Forum

With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

DRIVING THE DAY

In June 2020, Rep. ANDY BARR blew a kiss to his wife, CAROL, before heading to the campaign office to make some work calls. The Kentucky Republican returned home a few hours later to find Carol’s lifeless body.

Barr called 911 and tried to resuscitate her. But by that point, the love of his life — and mother of his 7- and 9-year-old girls — had been dead for hours. She was 39.

A few months prior, Carol — who in the seventh grade had been diagnosed with a rare heart murmur called mitral valve prolapse — had complained of mild chest pain. During one episode, the family had to leave church suddenly because she felt like she was going to faint. During another, after a stressful day when their washing machine broke down, she felt it again.

While multiple doctors assured Carol that her condition was nothing to be alarmed about, Barr would later learn that a cardiologist who saw her weeks before her death scribbled a note in his file: Carol needed to get an echocardiogram — but since the state had just gone into pandemic lockdown, the doctor was waiting until the coronavirus surge had abated.

Carol never got that test. And that June day, the woman who danced, played tennis, worked as a pharmaceutical sales rep and was known for her local charity work died from sudden cardiac death.

“That was the most painful day of my life,” Barr told Playbook. “We will never know if that echo stress test would have led to the emergency surgery she would have needed before her heart attack, but it would have given her a chance. … The tragedy in all of this is she wanted to raise her girls, and she didn’t get to raise them.”

We ran into Barr at a holiday party recently and got to talking about how the entire situation changed him as a parent and as a legislator. Barr, now a widower, almost dropped out of Congress in grief but decided to stay on after private encouragement from fellow Kentuckian MITCH McCONNELL and House GOP Leader KEVIN McCARTHY.

He’s glad he did.

Just before Christmas, President JOE BIDEN signed legislation Barr poured his heart and soul into in the wake of Carol’s death: a bill providing $28 million for research into Carol’s condition, which causes about 25,000 deaths a year.

Still, life as a single-dad legislator is a bit complicated. Barr — who’s often seen FaceTiming his two girls on his way to the House floor — relies on family and an overnight nanny to watch his daughters while he’s in Washington. The day we spoke to him last week, Barr had been forced to ditch House proceedings early to fly home before a massive blizzard could wreak havoc on his holiday travel plans. He wasn’t about to miss Christmas with his daughters.

Barr’s story is a bitter reminder that while lawmakers are among the most powerful in the nation, they experience life just like the rest of us. Over our years covering the Hill, we’ve heard a number of stories about how tragedy changed members of Congress. We interviewed SUSAN WILD (D-Pa.) about her longtime partner’s death by suicide and how that triggered her to advocate for mental health awareness. Rep. JAMIE RASKIN (D-Md.) famously encouraged those offering remorse for his own son’s suicide to perform an act of kindness for a stranger in lieu of sending flowers.

Barr’s story also provides a rare window into how lawmakers rally across party lines in the face of misfortune. After his wife passed, McConnell and McCarthy both raised money for Barr’s re-election so he could spend that summer and fall with his girls. Rep. BRAD WENSTRUP (R-Ohio) invited Barr to move in with in Washington so he’d have a friend to keep a watchful eye. Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA (I-Ariz.) reached out and told him that her sister had died of the same condition when she was a teenager; Sinema later helped Barr get his bill through the Senate. House Majority Leader STENY HOYER, who lost his wife to cancer when he was younger, called Barr to offer condolences and told him his own story. Rep. KATHLEEN RICE (D-N.Y.) helped use her position on the Energy and Commerce panel to advance the bill. And other lawmakers who knew Carol well from CODELS or other spouse events — and even those who’d never met her — signed on as co-sponsors.

“I just talked to people on the other side about my wife … and I got like 180 co-sponsors,” Barr said.

At the congressional Christmas party a few weeks ago, Barr approached Biden to tell him about the legislation. “Hey Mr. President, there’s a bill that’s coming your way,” he said.

Biden, who lost his own first wife at a young age, vowed to take a look.

Good Tuesday morning, and thanks for reading Playbook. How are you spending the last week of 2022? Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.

WHAT RON KLAIN IS READING — “$4 gas could return as soon as May, GasBuddy projects,” by CNN’s Matt Egan

HEADS UP — “Ukraine FM aims for February peace summit,” by E. Eduardo Castillo and Hanna Arhirova

THE TALENTED MR. SANTOS — Rep.-elect GEORGE SANTOS set some of the record straight on Monday, telling the NY Post’s Victor Nava and Carl Campanile in an exclusive interview that he lied about his background on the campaign trail. The New York Republican’s past has come under scrutiny in the past week over allegations that he fabricated key details regarding his past work and education — accusations Santos confirmed to the Post.

— He lied about working for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup: “‘My sins here are embellishing my resume. I’m sorry,’ Santos said on Monday. Santos confessed he had ‘never worked directly’ for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, chalking that fib up to a ‘poor choice of words.’” (Worth flagging: The NRCC’s website still lists these fake claims on Santos’ bio page.)

— He lied about graduating from college: “He also admitted that he never graduated from any college, despite previously claiming to have received a degree from Baruch in 2010. ‘I didn’t graduate from any institution of higher learning. I’m embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume,’ he said. ‘I own up to that … We do stupid things in life.’”

— An instant classic on his claims that his family was Jewish and fled Nazis during WWII: “‘I never claimed to be Jewish,’ Santos said. ‘I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was “Jew-ish.”’”

WEATHER REPORT — “Thousands of Canceled Flights Upend Travel Plans Across U.S.,” by NYT’s Derrick Bryson Taylor and Daniel Victor

— “Southwest Airlines CEO Says More Cancellations Ahead as Airline Tries to Recover,” by WSJ’s Alison Sider: “[T]he carrier will operate just over one-third of its schedule Tuesday and Wednesday. … Between Thursday and Monday, the airline canceled about 8,000 flights, according to FlightAware.”

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PLAYBOOK READS

THE WHITE HOUSE

DOING THE WORK — “‘Most Pro-Union President’ Runs Into Doubts in Labor Ranks,” by NYT’s Noam Scheiber: “In recent weeks, after Mr. Biden helped impose a contract on railroad workers that four unions had rejected, partly over its lack of paid sick days, many labor activists and scholars have begun to ask: How supportive is the president, really? To those reassessing Mr. Biden, the concern is that the president, by asking Congress to intervene and avert a strike, missed a rare opportunity to improve workers’ bargaining power in ways that could extend beyond the rail sector. They worry that the move essentially validated an employer strategy of waiting out workers in hopes that the pressure would fizzle.”

THE STEPBACK — “First Congress revealed Biden’s generational ambition,” by AP’s Zeke Miller: “When he ran for the White House, Joe Biden told voters his presidency would be a bridge to the next generation. His first two years on the job have revealed it to be a much more ambitious venture.

“As he nears the halfway mark on his first term, Biden is pointing to legacy-defining achievements on climate change, domestic manufacturing and progress on the COVID-19 pandemic — all accomplished with razor-thin majorities on Capitol Hill and rather dim views from the public.”

GREAT NEWS — “White House sees light at the end of the monkeypox tunnel,” by Adam Cancryn: “National case counts have plunged from an average of more than 450 a day to just five. The persistent vaccine shortages that drove fears of another entrenched epidemic have largely abated.”

ALL POLITICS

SPLIT DECISION — “GOP’s ‘anti-woke’ crusade splits corporate America,” by Zachary Warmbrodt: “The political isolation of the world’s largest money managers is a window into how the GOP’s recent pivot to populism on Big Business can paralyze industry lobbying efforts. It’s also forcing companies to rethink how they message environmental and social goals, even if they’re aimed at satisfying customers, investors and employees.

“A growing list of major companies — not just limited to finance — are facing ire from Republican officials at the state and federal levels for their stances on climate and issues such as race, voting rights and guns.”

LISTENING TO THE ELECTORATE — USA Today’s Susan Page is up with an interesting piece analyzing data from a USA Today/Suffolk University Poll of 1,000 registered voters about what the idyllic presidential candidate would look like, from their background to their gender. (The poll was conducted from Dec. 7-11, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.) The most interesting findings:

  • How old should the president be? “The sweet spot is later middle age, between 51 and 65 years old, the age group chosen by 50% of those surveyed. An additional 25% picked earlier middle age, 35 to 50 years old.”
  • Is it time for a female president? “Most voters, a 55% majority, volunteered that gender doesn’t matter. … For a significant number of Americans, the Oval Office remains a man’s world. Overall, those who expressed a preference chose a man over a woman as ideal by more than 2-1, 28%-12%.
  • Leadership style: Compromise or not? “By double digits, 57% to 34%, Americans want a president who compromises in order to get things done, rather than one who stands on principle no matter what.”
  • Political experience? “Experience in politics was seen as a plus by most voters. Democrats preferred senators over governors, 37%-32%. Republicans, in what may reflect a GOP antipathy for all things Washington, preferred governors over senators by 3-1, 36%-11%.”

LOOKING AHEAD — “N.C. set for first $100 million governor’s race,” by Longleaf Politics’ Andrew Dunn on Substack

THE ECONOMY

ONE TO WATCH — “Cash Cushions Dwindle at U.S. Pension Funds,” by WSJ’s Heather Gillers: “Cash holdings are the lowest since the financial crisis at U.S. government pension funds and just above last year’s 13-year low for U.S. corporate pensions, heading into a year that many on Wall Street expect to test investors.”

BOUNCING BACK — “Laid Off Tech Workers Quickly Find New Jobs,” by WSJ’s Sarah Chaney Cambon and Gwynn Guilford

FED UP — “Retirees Are One Reason the Fed Has Given Up on a Big Worker Rebound,” by NYT’s Jeanna Smialek and Ben Casselman

POLICY CORNER

IMMIGRATION FILES — “In Record Numbers, an Unexpected Migrant Group Is Fleeing to the U.S.,” by NYT’s Alfonso Flores Bermúdez and Frances Robles in Managua, Nicaragua: “More than 180,000 Nicaraguans crossed into the United States this year through the end of November — about 60 times as many as those who entered during the same period two years earlier, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.”

FOR YOUR RADAR — “FDA Fast-Tracks Review of Overdose Drug Naloxone for Use Without Prescription,” by WSJ’s Julie Wernau

— “FDA, Concerned About Safety, Explores Regulating CBD in Foods, Supplements,” by WSJ’s Liz Essley Whyte

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

LABORATORIES OF DEMOCRACY — “These states tried an Obamacare public option. It hasn’t worked as planned,” by Megan Messerly: “With Republicans set to take control of the House in January, progressive plans to build on Obamacare at the federal level are going nowhere, leaving it to state lawmakers to inch toward Democrats’ goal of universal health coverage. The rocky implementation of the public option plans in these three western states illustrates the challenges the left faces in doing so as blue state ambitions run up against a powerful health care industry accustomed to getting its way.”

MAJOR INVESTIGATION — “‘This makes my brain hurt’: Connecticut used disaster aid to rebuild million-dollar homes,” by E&E News’ Thomas Frank: “Owners of 62 homes worth at least $1 million received recovery grants after Hurricane Sandy when HUD weakened rules meant to make needy people the priority, POLITICO’s E&E News found.”

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

WILD ONE — “For Sale on eBay: A Military Database of Fingerprints and Iris Scans,” by NYT’s Kashmir Hill, John Ismay, Christopher Schuetze and Aaron Krolik: “German security researchers studying biometric capture devices popular with the U.S. military got more than they expected for $68 on eBay.”

THE NEW COLD WAR — “Why the U.S. isn’t ready for a fight in the Indo-Pacific,” by Phelim Kine and Lara Seligman: “The U.S. has pledged to deploy so much firepower to the Indo-Pacific in 2023 that China won’t even consider invading Taiwan. Lawmakers and allies say it’s already too late.”

THE LATEST IN CHINA — “China starts to open borders, sparking hope for ‘zero-covid’ shutouts,” by WaPo’s Niha Masih and Joyce Lau

— “‘Tragic Battle’: On the Front Lines of China’s Covid Crisis,” by NYT’s Isabelle Qian and David Pierson

ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA — “S. Korea military sorry for failing to down North’s drones,” by AP’s Hyung-jin Kim

PLAYBOOKERS

Mike Pence is not (yet) running for president — at least, not officially.

Jair Bolsonaro is skipping out on Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s inauguration as the next Brazilian president, instead reportedly opting to spend New Year’s at … Mar-a-Lago.

MEDIA MOVE — Eli Saslow is joining NYT as a writer at large in February. He previously was a writer for WaPo. The announcement

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) … Laura Lott of the American Alliance of Museums … Shéhérazade Semsar … Emily Murphy … NBC’s Savannah Guthrie … Mercedes Schlapp … Kurt Volker … Andi Lipstein Fristedt … Gray Television’s Jacqueline Policastro … Osaremen Okolo … Jessica McCreight Brown … Marc Smrikarov of Chatham Strategies … James Burnham … Andi Pringle … Emily Hytha of Rep. Michelle Fischbach’s (R-Minn.) office … Kamau Marshall … CNN’s Tierney Sneed … Joe Harris … Josh Litten … BCW Global’s Karen Hughes … POLITICO’s Tim Ball and Nick Vinocur … Arthur Kent … Benji Backer of the American Conservation Coalition … Hemanshu Nigam … Andrew Chesley … former Reps. Abby Finkenauer (D-Iowa) and Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) … James King … Brennan Bilberry

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CORRECTION: An earlier version of Playbook misstated Jeff Fortenberry’s status in Congress. He is a former member.