Kim Running Ad That Falsely Claims ‘I Wrote a Bill’ That Another Democrat Authored

For Immediate Release
Contact: Theresa Velardi
(732) 682-8923

MOORESTOWN, NJ – Healey for Congress Campaign Manager Theresa Velardi today issued the following statement:

“In a desperate act to win over voters, Rep. Kim is running a campaign AD that begins ‘…seniors at a town hall told me they were getting crushed by the cost of medicine, so I wrote a bill …’ 

Unfortunately, Andy Kim did NOT write the bill he’s now touting – another Democrat Congressman wrote the bill.

While Andy Kim is not the first politician to claim credit for something he did not do, it’s still a dramatic overstatement to produce an advertisement, look into the camera and tell voters ‘I wrote a bill’ that in fact Andy Kim did not write.

According to congress.gov, the official sponsor of the bill (H.R. 4417) is Congressman Steven Horsford (D-NV-04). Congress.gov — the official repository of House/Senate legislation — lists Kim not as the author, but simply as a co-sponsor, which is a legislative tactic to claim some support for a measure.¹ Rep. Steven Horsford sponsored this bill in the previous Congress as well.

In a second misrepresentation, Kim’s AD “Start Small” claims that ‘his’ legislation, “Capping Drugs for Seniors Act of 2021” (H.R. 4417), was inspired by interactions with his New Jersey constituents, when in fact he simply co-sponsored a colleague’s bill. 

Kim’s own website proves this point, citing a summary of the bill that is actually on Congressman Horsford’s own stationery.

No surprise that the Congressman would wait until the last two weeks of the election to claim credit for something he did not do.

If Congressman Kim wants the support of voters, he needs to be honest. That starts with taking down this fabrication of the truth.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time this Rhodes scholar has played fast and loose with the truth.

In 2018, The Washington Postgave Andy TWO PINOCCHIOS for overstating his professional experience in another Kim campaign AD.

Andy Kim’s desperation tactic can’t hide the fact that his votes in Congress have caused economic hardship for his constituents and November 8th is their chance to set the record straight.”

See fact sheet below that documents Andy Kim’s misleading AD.

FACT SHEET

Andy Kim for Congress’ latest misleading — “Start Small” — claims that his legislation, the “Capping Drugs for Seniors Act of 2021” (H.R. 4417), was inspired by interactions with his New Jersey constituents.

Here are four inconvenient facts surrounding the origination of the bill and its true author:

Fact # 1: On Congress.gov, the official repository of House/Senate legislation, Rep. Steven Horsford is listed as the ‘sponsor’, not Rep. Andy Kim.

H.R. 4417, the bill that Andy Kim claims to have written, has listed as its official sponsor* Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV-04). Rep. Kim is joined by Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI-11) as co-sponsors.  

*Definition of “sponsor /author”: The Congressional Research Services explains in a January 8, 2018 report that “several Members together may submit a bill, but only the Member whose name appears first on the bill is considered its sponsor; the others are cosponsors.” –(Source: “Sponsorship and Co-sponsorship of House Bills”, CRS, 01/08/2018)

Fact # 2: In 2019, the House passed H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, an ‘ambitious proposal to cut the cost of prescription drugs for all Americans.’ The Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act  was introduced by Frank Pallone.

The Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act introduced by Rep. Pallone coincidentally contains an identical version of the plan that Congressman Kim is now claiming he authored over 2 years later!

When H.R. 3 passed in 2019, Horsford took credit for this provision. 

Fact # 3: In Rep. Kim’s press release announcing the legislation, Congressman Kim provided a one-pager on the legislation, which is on Rep. Horsford’s office stationery. Horsford’s one pager summarizing the bill makes no mention of Rep. Kim.

Fact # 4: Andy Kim Takes Credit for Capping Prescription Drug Prices for Medicare Recipients

Kim Ad states: “So I wrote a bill to cap prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare” (the ad cites H.R. 4417). If Andy Kim learned about the problem at a town hall meeting, why wasn’t he the first one to sponsor the bill?

Fact # 5: In 2018, in another Kim campaign ad, Kim overstated his professional experience, saying ‘a kid from Marlton who became a national security officer for Republican and Democratic presidents…’

The Washington Post, gave Andy TWO PINOCCHIOS for that exaggeration.

¹ The Congressional Research Services explains in a January 8, 2018 report that “… only the Member whose name appears first on the bill is considered its sponsor” or author; and all others are cosponsors.” “Sponsorship and Co-sponsorship of House Bills”, CRS, 01/08/2018)