Larry Bucshon

Larry Bucshon
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 8th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Brad Ellsworth
Personal details
Born	Larry Dean Bucshon (1962-05-31) May 31, 1962 Taylorville, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Kathryn Bucshon
Children	4
Residence	Newburgh, Indiana
Alma mater	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois Medical School at Chicago
Occupation	Heart Surgeon
Religion	Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy Reserve
Years of service	1989–1998

Larry Dean Bucshon /buːˈʃɔːn/ (born May 31, 1962) is an American politician and heart surgeon who has been the U.S. Representative for Indiana's 8th congressional district since 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life, education, and early career

Bucshon was born in Taylorville, Illinois on May 31, 1962^[1] and raised in Kincaid, Illinois. His father, Ronald, was a coal miner, Navy serviceman, and lifelong Democrat while his mother, Barbara, was a nurse.^[2]

Bucshon graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and got his medical degree from the University of Illinois Medical School at Chicago. Following medical school, Bucshon completed a residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he served as chief resident in surgery and remained there to complete a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery. He also received training at the Milwaukee Veterans Affairs Hospital.^[2] During this time, he enlisted with the United States Navy Reserve, where he served for almost a decade.

Medical career

Bucshon specialized in cardiothoracic surgery and has performed hundreds of heart surgeries. From 1995 to 1998, he was in private medical practice in Wichita, Kansas.^[2] Bucshon joined Ohio Valley HeartCare in 1998, where he served as the group's president. He was named St. Mary’s Medical Staff Physician of the Year in 2007. He also served as Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Medical Director of the open heart recovery intensive care unit at St. Mary’s Hospital.^[3]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2010

Bucshon faced Democratic nominee State Representative Trent Van Haaften in the race to fill the seat vacated by Congressman Brad Ellsworth, who was running for Senate.^[3]

Bucshon received support from the National Republican Congressional Committee and was named a GOP Young Gun.^[4] During the campaign, Bucshon was endorsed by several conservative interest groups and elected officials, including the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Congressional Action Committee, United States Chamber of Commerce, National Right to Life Committee, Indiana Right to Life, Indiana Manufacturers Association, Campaign for Working Families, House Minority Leader John Boehner, U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.^[5] Bucshon received significant campaign contributions from medical groups.^[6]

Bucshon defeated van Haaften by a margin of 21 points, winning all 18 counties in the district.^[7]

2012

Bucshon again faced Kristi Risk in the 2012 Republican primary.^[8] Buschon edged out Risk in the 2010 GOP primary, with 16,262 votes to Risk’s 14,273.^[9]

In the general election, Bucshon defeated former state Rep. Dave Crooks.^[10]

2014

The conservative Club for Growth announced that it would target Bucshon for defeat in the 2014 Republican primary,^[11] but he was re-elected nonetheless.

Tenure

Taxes and spending

Bucshon supports lower corporate and individual taxes. He has called for freezing spending at 2008 levels, extending the Bush tax cuts for all income brackets, and reviewing all government programs for places to reduce spending.^[2] He has stated that Republicans need to "first admit we were partially to blame for the increased government spending over the past decade."^[2][12] Bucshon supports simplifying the personal and corporate tax codes.^[13]

Bucshon voted for the Budget Control Act of 2011, which created a Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. Bucshon also supported a balanced budget amendment that would require the federal government to spend no more than it collects in revenue each year. During his 2010 campaign, Bucshon said one of his campaign goals was to lower taxes for all Americans.^[13]

In 2010 Bucshon signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any Global Warming legislation that would raise taxes.^[14]

Health care

Bucshon supports the repeal of the Affordable Health Care for America Act. He does not believe in researching climate change.^[2] Bucshon supports reforms that expand and reform high-risk pools and federal reinsurance programs and lower costs.^[2] Bucshon wants to increase transparency in medical care costs.^[12] Bucshon has called for cuts in health care programs.^[15][16]

Gun laws

Bucshon, who describes himself as "an ardent supporter of protecting the Second Amendment", has supported several bills that loosen restrictions on gun ownership. Bucshon co-sponsored the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011, which requires all states to honor concealed carry permits from other states within their borders, irrespective of their own gun laws. The National Rifle Association and the Gun Owners of America have both given Bucshon an “A” rating.^[16]

Abortion

Bucshon is pro-life. During his time in Congress, he has supported bills that seek to establish a legal framework for challenging the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. He has said he believes that abortion should be legal in cases where the mother's life may be in danger. Bucshon co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act, which declares that life begins at the moment of conception and is entitled to legal protection from that point forward.^[16]

In October 2015, Bucshon was named to serve on the Select Investigative Panel on Planned Parenthood.^[17]

Social Security

Bucshon supports a comprehensive strategy to ensure the long-term sustainability of Social Security for current and future beneficiaries.^[2]

Energy

Bucshon describes himself as a "long term friend of coal." His biggest contributors include Koch brothers, Murray energy. ^[18] He supports the Keystone XL pipeline project.^[19]

Transportation

On November 2, 2011 the Evansville Courier & Press reported that Bucshon planned to introduce an amendment to the transportation funding bill that would allow governors to re-allocate federal transportation funding from designated programs to projects they designate as emergencies.^[20]

Federal grants

On July 10, 2014, Bucshon introduced the Research and Development Efficiency Act (H.R. 5056), a bill that would instruct the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish a working group under the authority of the National Science and Technology Council to review federal regulations affecting research and research universities and make recommendations on how to streamline them and reduce the regulatory burden on such researchers.^[21][22] Bucshon said that his goal is "to alleviate some of the burden placed on our research universities so they can get back to their main goal of conducting basic science research."^[23]

Climate change

During a September 17, 2014 hearing of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Buchson was questioning John Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. When Holdren encouraged Buchson to read the scientific literature on global warming, rather than simply citing public comments to the committee, Buchson replied "Of all the climatologists whose careers depends on the climate changing to keep themselves publishing articles? Yes, I could read that, but I don’t believe it."^[24][25]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Health
  • Subcommittee on Environment and Economy
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Personal life

Bucshon met his wife Kathryn, who is also a physician and a practicing anesthesiologist in Evansville, during his medical residency.^[26] They now live in Newburgh,^[27] Warrick County, Indiana with their four children. He is a member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Evansville.^[28]

Electoral history

See also

• Physicians in the United States Congress

References

External links

• Congressman Larry Bucshon official U.S. House site
• Larry Bucshon for Congress
• Larry Bucshon at DMOZ
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana 1st district Prince Call Boon Blake Boon Proffit Owen Embree Albertson Lockhart Miller Lockhart Niblack Law Niblack Fuller Heilman Kleiner Hovey Posey Parrett Taylor Hemenway Foster Boehne, Sr. Lieb Denton Luhring W. Wilson Rowbottom Boehne, Jr. Schulte Madden Benjamin Hall Visclosky 2nd district Jennings Carr Ewing J. W. Davis Ewing J. W. Davis Thompson Henley Dunham English Cravens Kerr Wolfe Williams Humphreys Cobb O'Neall Bretz Hardy Miers Chaney Cullop Bland Greenwood Durgan Halleck Landgrebe Fithian Sharp McIntosh Pence Chocola Donnelly Walorski 3rd district Test O. Smith Test Carty Carr Graham Carr J. L. White T. Smith Robinson Dunham Dunn Hughes Dunn Harrington R. Hill Hunter Holman Kerr Carr Bicknell Stockslager Howard Brown Tracewell Zenor Cox Dunbar Gardner Dunbar Crowe Pettengill Grant Crook Crumpacker Nimtz Brademas Hiler Roemer Souder Stutzman 4th district Lane Dunn T. Smith Cravens C. Smith Julian Parker Lane Cumback Foley Holman Farquhar Holman Julian Je. Wilson New Sexton New Holman Watson Holman Griffith Dixon Benham Canfield Farley Gillie Kruse Adair Roush Quayle Coats Long Souder Buyer Rokita 5th district McCarty Rariden Kennedy Brown Wick Brown Hendricks Parker Holloway Kilgore Julian Coburn Holman Browne Matson Cooper Overstreet Faris Holliday Moss Sanders N. Johnson Gillen Griswold Harness Walsh Beamer Roush Roudebush Hillis Jontz Buyer Burton Brooks 6th district Kinnard Herod Wick Wallace J. W. Davis Dunn Gorman Hendricks Barbour Gregg Porter Dumont Coburn Voorhees Hunter Robinson Myers Browne H. Johnson Watson Barnard Gray Comstock Elliott Larrabee Jenckes N. Johnson Harden Wampler Roudebush Bray Evans Burton Pence Messer 7th district Hannegan A. White Howard Lane Wright McGaughey Thompson McGaughey J. G. Davis Scott J. G. Davis Voorhees Washburn Orth Manson Cason Landers Hanna Matyr Peelle English Bynum Henry Overstreet Korbly Moores Updike Ludlow Greenwood Landis Noland Bray Myers Pease Kerns J. Carson A. Carson 8th district Pettit McDonald Mace Ja. Wilson A. White Orth Tyner Hunter Hostetler Peirce Lamb Johnston Brookshire Faris Henry Cromer Adair Vestal Boehne, Jr. La Follette Mitchell Denton Merrill Denton Zion Hayes Cornwell Deckard McCloskey Hostettler Ellsworth Bucshon 9th district Sample Cathcart Fitch Eddy Shanks Cason M. White Orth Doxey Ward Cheadle Waugh Hanly Landis Morrison Purnell Crowe E. Wilson Hogan E. Wilson Hamilton B. Hill Sodrel B. Hill Young 10th district Kennedy Rockhill Harlan Brenton Chamberlain Case Mitchell Edgerton Defrees Williams Sayler Haymond Calkins Motte T. Wood Owen Patton Hammond Hatch Crumpacker Peterson W. Wood Gray Springer Harvey Harmon Harvey Roudebush Dennis Sharp Jacobs, Jr. J. Carson 11th district Harlan Pettit Shanks McDowell Stilwell Shanks Packard Evans Cowgill Steele Martin Steele Landis Rauch Kraus Cook Hall Griswold Larrabee Ludlow Jacobs, Sr. Brownson Barr Bruce Jacobs, Jr. Hudnut Jacobs, Jr. 12th district Hamilton Colerick Lowry J. B. White McClellan McNagny Leighty Robinson Gilbert Gilhams Cline Fairfield Hogg Ludlow 13th district Baker Calkins Shively Ford Shively Conn Royse Brick Barnhart Hickey Pettengill At-large Hendricks Jennings Packard / Orth / Williams Territory Parke Thomas Jennings