Andy Barr needs to listen to his KY constituents, not just try to please Trump | Opinion

Barr’s duties

May 8, 2025, marks the 80th celebration of VE day, the day Nazi Germany officially surrendered to the allies, bringing to a close WWII in Europe. What would all those veterans have thought of the current regime that is so drastically, incompetently governing these United States now?

This government headed by a “President” who has had the nerve to call veterans “suckers and losers.” The congressman from the 6th district of Kentucky, U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., has decided to enter his hat in the ring to replace U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell. The first words out of Barr’s mouth alleged his duty first and foremost is to “help the President.”

I disagree with this. This should not be his first obligation. His first obligation should be to his constituency the people of this state. Kentucky deserves much better than Andy Barr.

Polk S. O’Neal, Lexington

How will Barr help UK?

When University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto released a statement weeks ago informing the public that President Donald Trump’s administration was attempting to cut “tens of millions” of dollars from UK biomedical research which Congress had already allocated, I immediately started contacting U.S. Rep. Andy Barr’s, R-Ky., office. I spoke with very nice administrative staff multiple times, asking them if Barr had released a statement; what is he doing to stand up for UK; and could he please do his utmost to protect our research funding.

I was told someone would get in touch with me. Here we are in mid-May, and not only have I heard nothing from his office, but it also seems clear that Barr supports the cuts. This is an outrage. We should be PROUD that cutting edge cancer treatment research is happening right here in Kentucky. Any elected official who does not support UK at this critical time is a coward.

Barr is a coward who does not deserve a Senate seat.

Eli Fels-McDowell, Lexington

How will Barr protect Medicaid?

On March 4, 2025, U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., said that low-income people on Medicaid just needed to get a job in the face of coming cuts to Medicaid.

I’d like to help with that with one group of those folks.

As of July 2024, Medicaid was the primary payer for 63 percent of nursing facility residents. Let’s find work for them. I do need a list of the type of work that would be appropriate and the potential employers, especially in Eastern Kentucky. Then I’ll get to work on it.

Now, they’d probably need remote work - work they could do from their hospital beds. And since they’re over 65, we’d have to do a lot of training to bring them up to speed on computers. That’ll be difficult for those who are illiterate or have dementia. I’m not sure how we’ll deal with the deaf and the blind. But, heck, let’s give it a try.

Since Medicaid provides more than half of these facilities’ revenue, a lot of them are saying the proposed cuts will shut them down. Then, all those patients we had put to work wouldn’t have a place to live. What would we do then?

Marilyn Daniel, Versailles

How will Barr support the arts?

As a constituent of U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., I urge him to stand up for Kentucky by supporting continued and increased funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). I also urge him to stop sucking up to President Donald Trump and agreeing to eliminate these organizations, even though this action hurts Kentuckians.

These organizations are not just vital to the cultural fabric of our nation—they directly benefit the people of Kentucky. Through the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Humanities Council, NEH and NEA funds support programs that reach into every corner of our state. They help preserve our shared history, nurture local artists, and strengthen rural and urban communities alike.

These programs create jobs, bring educational opportunities to schools, and drive tourism and economic development across Kentucky. They tell our stories, honor our traditions, and give voice to our diverse communities. Cutting or neglecting this support would hurt not just artists and educators, but every Kentuckian who values our cultural heritage and future.

Rep. Barr, please listen to the voices of your constituents. Stand up for Kentucky. Defend and fund the NEH and NEA.

Kathleen Pool, Lexington

When will Barr talk to his constituents?

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., declined to appear at the March 22 Town Hall at the Kentucky Theater. His staff told organizers that he had been advised against attending in-person town halls because of safety concerns. Could he really have been afraid of appearing in his hometown before hundreds of his constituents to answer their questions?

Maybe Barr was not actually fearful for his personal safety. Perhaps he feared admitting that the GOP Congressional budget plans to cut Medicaid by $800 billion over 10 years in order to fund Trump’s tax cuts for the uber-wealthy. Given that one in three Kentuckians are on Medicaid, he knew this would not be popular. Maybe he feared that people would ask if Elon Musk and DOGE were using the IRS to get personal information about tax holders. Admitting that in front of 900 constituents could be frightening. Perhaps he was nervous that folks would question why, after being a staunch supporter of Ukraine, he supports Trump’s decision to take Russia’s side in the war.

It seems that Barr, who loudly touts his loyalty to Trump, is afraid to admit how Trump’s policies will hurt the health, welfare and security of Kentuckians.

Rena Wiseman, Lexington

When will Barr listen to constituents?

I have called U.S. Rep. Andy Barr’s, R-Ky., office many times in the past 4 months, leaving messages requesting that he respond to my concerns. Instead, I receive the occasional emailed form letter that skirts the issues and leaves me feeling unheard.

This administration is waging an assault on the poor, the sick, and the hungry while members of Congress with insider information make money on the stock market. The newly unveiled Republican plan will cut more than $700 billion from health coverage, leaving over 8 million people uninsured. In addition, the ACA tax credits will not be renewed, raising the number of uninsured to 13.5 million people. In rural areas of Kentucky, the second largest employer (after the school system) is often the local hospital. Without Medicaid these hospitals will close, jobs will be lost, and rural Kentuckians will have difficulty receiving the healthcare they need.

Barr says the cuts will eliminate fraud, reduce improper payments and implement job requirements for able-bodied recipients. While this is a worthwhile objective, there currently is not $700 billion in fraud to remove from the system. Sixty-four percent of adults on Medicaid already work, and most of those not employed are caregivers, have disabilities or are in school.

Congressman Barr, please listen to your constituents.

Krisia Rosa, Lexington

Green spaces

A proliferation of “No Concrete in Green Spaces” signs dot homeowners’ yards around Ashland Park. We kindly ask for a pause on a “safety project” the majority of neighbors oppose as ill-conceived, unnecessary, and a waste of taxpayers’ dollars.

Councilwoman’s Liz Sheehan’s office publicized a meeting to “discuss the proposed pedestrian safety improvement project” on April 29. Beforehand, we were told no design was finalized. Yet the 100+ people in attendance were given two options — vote Option 1 to pave the islands for $83,000 or Option 2 to add crosswalks for $60,000. Discussion was not permitted, leaving us disgruntled and unheard.

The momentum of this so-called “safety issue” is baffling. We all want safety and should focus on 5th district areas that pose real danger. Cyclists and walkers with dogs or strollers dodge the speeding cars on Richmond Road daily. On an early morning in 2017 a neighbor was hit and killed at Richmond Road and Richmond Avenue. Similarly, pedestrians must scurry across Ashland Ave at Central. No pedestrian or car accidents have ever occurred at the Woodspoint/Fincastle intersection.

Let’s hope Sheehan will revisit safety concerns by listening to her constituents.

Margo Miller, Lexington

Diplomacy matters

As a retired U.S. diplomat, I am alarmed by efforts to weaken America’s diplomatic capacity through staff reductions, budget cuts, and the dismantling of USAID. These actions undermine our national security, economic competitiveness, and global leadership.

Career diplomats are America’s first responders overseas — opening markets for U.S. goods, assisting Americans in crisis, combating global health threats, and advancing democratic values. When we diminish diplomacy, the consequences reach home, including here in Kentucky.

In 2024, Kentucky exported $47.8 billion in goods, 17.1 percent of our state’s GDP, supporting over 122,000 Kentuckian jobs. Our top markets include Canada ($9.3 billion), the United Kingdom ($4.9 billion), France ($4.8 billion), China ($4.3 billion), and Mexico ($4.2 billion). The University of Kentucky hosts more than 1,300 international students while the U.S. State Department’s Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg employs more than 400 people.

Global engagement remains a key pillar to our state’s prosperity. Cuts to the foreign service risk Kentucky jobs, trade, and education partnerships. I urge our congressional delegation to reject these harmful reductions. It is imperative that we invest in a fully funded, professional foreign service. Diplomacy is a smart, strategic investment in America’s future.

Tom Canahuate, Retired Foreign Service Officer (Diplomat), Lexington

Pope Leo

As a priest of the Diocese of Lexington and a Papal Missionary of Mercy, I join the universal Church and the people of Kentucky in rejoicing at the election of Pope Leo XIV as our new Holy Father.

Though born in the United States, Pope Leo carries the heart of a missionary. His years spent among the poor and marginalized, especially in Latin America, have formed a shepherd who leads not from a throne, but from the trenches of service and compassion.

In these uncertain and divided times, the Holy Spirit has given us a pontiff of humility, wisdom, and courage. I believe Pope Leo will challenge all of us to live our faith not only within church walls, but out in the world—where mercy, healing, and hope are most needed.

Here in our own Diocese of Lexington, we are blessed to have a bishop who already lives this vision. Bishop John Stowe continues to model a Church that reaches beyond comfort zones, listens with compassion, and walks with the forgotten. In many ways, his heart beats in rhythm with Pope Leo’s call to mission, justice, and mercy. We are united with him in this new chapter of the Church’s journey.

Let us pray for Pope Leo XIV. And let us walk boldly with him—spreading the Gospel with joy, welcoming the stranger, and being instruments of mercy right here in the Bluegrass.

Pray for him—and pray for me—that together, we may do just that.

Fr. Jim Sichko, Lexington

Edited by Liz Carey