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Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) lists affordability, democracy, national security and US economic competitiveness in international trade as key policy priorities for first Senate term
“I hope to one day not be unique”
NJ Sen. Andy Kim on historic Senate win and policy priorities
By Jessica Xiao
Washington, D.C-
In November 2024, Kim became the first Korean American elected to the U.S. Senate, and the first Asian American senator representing New Jersey after a national election season filled with anti-Asian racism and xenophobic rhetoric. He was sworn into office last month. Previously, he was a three-term member of the House of Representatives for South Jersey’s third congressional district. He escalated to national attention after the January 6 insurrection in 2021 when a photo of him cleaning up in the Capitol building went viral.
Kim said it “means an awful lot” to be the first senator of Korean American background and have his two sons witness him in a “job that only 2,000 people in the history of America have ever done.” He credits his parents, who immigrated to the U.S. fifty years ago, with instilling in him the value of service and playing a role in shaping America.
“I look forward to one day no longer being unique— to hopefully seeing other Korean Americans, other Asian Americans, stepping up and showing that this [representing a state of nine million people] is possible,” said Kim. “I can represent not just people who look like me, but I can represent anybody. And I hope that that’s something that we see a lot more of around the United States.”
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have specific needs, but broadly share the same concerns as other Americans that Kim aims to balance
When asked about his policy priorities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, he noted there are specific issues like anti-Asian hate and xenophobic legislation partly inspired by Trump’s rhetoric about China-US relations, senior care, language access, and data disaggregation, and there will be “real challenges” with the incoming presidential administration:
“Last time I went to buy a house, I didn’t have to show proof of my citizenship,” he said, referring to a Florida property ban barring Chinese citizens from owning property, “We could very well potentially see that kind of law now come up at the federal level.”
But he also stressed that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are “not a special interest group,” and shares concerns with other communities across the U.S. like healthcare costs, education, and the economy that he aims to address—concerns that he feels more equipped to address because his lived experiences and Asian American lens connect him to the “broader commonality between Americans.”
“Too often I find on Capitol Hill that leadership might only come to me about anti-Asian hate, but I have a lot to say about all these other things….I’m going to have a vote on every single nomination that the next president puts forward for their cabinet, for their ambassadors, for everything else, so I hope to have a voice that cannot be ignored.”
Domestically, Kim is focused on lowering costs, stabilizing the economy, and rebuilding American trust in governance
He has been assigned to four permanent committees: Commerce, Science, & Transportation; Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs; Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions; and Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs. He is also on the Special Committee on Aging.
His “top priority” is affordability, in response to concerns he’s heard from his constituents in New Jersey and across the country. “People are struggling right now. They feel like there’s a weight upon their chest….I’m trying to focus on how to help regular American people in New Jersey and all around the country live their lives without so much anxiety, friction, and so many obstacles in their way.”
He pointed to the January enactment of the healthcare legislation he co-wrote during one of his House terms to cap seniors’ out-of-pocket spending on medications at $2,000 as an example of progress.
He also plans to have an “aggressive and strong” anti-corruption and reform agenda to counter the “deep partisan divisions” and “distrust from American people in our governance,” citing his office was previously held by Bob Menendez, who was charged with bribery and corruption last July. He will continue to push legislation to ban members of Congress from participating in the stock market.
Internationally, Kim aims to “be a bridge” between the U.S. and Asia
Internationally, Kim is focused on economic competitiveness (stating his continued endorsement of the CHIPS and Science Act) and U.S. policy to Asia. He intends to be “a bridge between the United States and South Korea” to maintain and strengthen the strategic alliance through the transition of presidential administrations, and announced his endorsement of President Biden’s trilateral pact last year between South Korea, Japan, and the U.S., which includes sharing real-time data about missile launches, joint defense of the Indo-Pacific region, and collaboration on economic growth.
He emphasized his willingness to work across the aisle, but also his willingness to challenge any leaders who stand in the way of “American leadership”: “If we see a belligerence like what we see now with Donald Trump talking about Greenland or Panama, or military or economic coercion with partners in Asia, I will stand up against that vigorously….Our strength comes from coalition building, not this idea that America first means America only.”
He stated that he will oppose trade actions that harm Americans: “I don’t think people need to stock up on groceries at H-Mart, but if this incoming president does try to push efforts targeting our allies and partners, that is something I will oppose. All that’s going to do is strain our relationships with our partners, while increasing prices for American consumers. The ones that are most hurt are the working families, not the billionaires that are building rocket ships out to space.”
The incoming presidential administration is “unpredictable,” but Kim believes the “American Dream” is worth protecting
“We live in a very unpredictable moment in America,” said Kim, who believes that the “brokenness of the system” was one cause that led to Trump’s win.
Kim also stated that some Americans have “lost touch” with being part of a larger collective– the “essential” aspect of the American Dream captured by the official U.S. motto “E pluribus unum” (out of many, one)– while adding a superfluous one of greed:
“I’m somebody who doesn’t believe that greed is part of the American Dream….The vast majority of people I talk to right now just want a simple life. They just want to be able to have a good home—it doesn’t have to be some mansion. They just want to be able to have some more time with their loved ones, not to have to worry about putting food on the table and paying the bills,” says Kim.
But he hopes the uncertainty of the political moment inspires civic engagement to protect that version of the American Dream: “I hope it pushes people to pay more attention to what’s happening here on Capitol Hill, at the White House, within our politics, to get more engaged, and to have their voices heard.”
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