Andrew Peter Harris (born January 25, 1957) is an American politician and physician serving as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

for since 2011. The district includes the entire Eastern Shore, as well as several eastern exurbs of

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland. The county is part of the Central Maryland region of the state. Baltimore County partly surrounds but does not include the independent city ...

. He is the only Republican member of Maryland's congressional delegation. Prior to entering politics, Harris worked as an anesthesiologist at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

and served as a commanding officer for the Johns Hopkins Naval Reserve Medical Unit from 1989 to 1992. He was elected to the

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...

in 1998, after defeating incumbent F. Vernon Boozer in the Republican primary. He first represented the 9th district from 1993 to 2003, then the 7th district until 2011; both districts included parts of northeastern Baltimore County. Harris was first elected to Congress in 2010, after defeating incumbent

Frank Kratovil Frank Michael Kratovil Jr. (born May 29, 1968) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2011. Elected in 2008, he was defeated in his bid for reelection on November 2, 2010. Kratovil is a member of the Democrat ...

in the general election. He became the chair of the

House Freedom Caucus The Freedom Caucus, also known as the House Freedom Caucus, is a congressional caucus consisting of Republican members of the United States House of Representatives. It is generally considered to be the most conservative bloc within the chamber ...

in September 2024, after his predecessor, Bob Good, lost his Republican primary in June 2024.

Early life, education, and career

Harris's father was Zoltán Harris, an

anesthesiologist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative medicine, perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critica ...

who was born in

Miskolc Miskolc ( , ; ; Czech language, Czech and ; ; ; ) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the List of cities and towns in Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, ...

, Hungary, in 1911 and emigrated to the U.S. in 1950; his mother, Irene (Koczerzuk), was born in Zarice,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. Harris was born in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, grew up in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, and attended Regis High School in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. Harris earned his BS in biology (1977) and his MD (1980) from

. The university's Bloomberg School of Hygiene and Public Health conferred his MHS in 1995 in health policy and management and health finance and management.CongressmanAndy Harris: Biography
. Retrieved September 29, 2017. Harris served in the

Navy Medical Corps The Medical Corps of the United States Navy is a staff corps consisting of military physicians in a variety of specialties. It is the senior corps among all staff corps, second in precedence only to line officers. The corps of commissioned offi ...

and the U.S. Naval Reserve as a commander on active duty during

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. He previously worked as an

, an associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine, and as chief of obstetric anesthesiology at

Johns Hopkins Hospital Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1889, Johns Hopkins Hospital and its school of medicine are considered to be the foundin ...

. Harris also served as commanding officer for the Johns Hopkins Naval Reserve Medical Unit from 1989 to 1992.

Maryland General Assembly

Harris was first elected to the

in 1998 for District 9, including part of

. He defeated his predecessor, Minority Leader F. Vernon Boozer, in the 1998 primary election. A major factor in the race was Boozer's role in derailing an attempt to ban

partial-birth abortion Intact dilation and extraction (D&X, IDX, or intact D&E) is a surgical procedure that terminates and removes an intact fetus from the uterus. The procedure is used both after miscarriages and for abortions in the second and third trimesters of ...

a year earlier; the bill's sponsor, fellow state senator

Larry Haines Larry Haines (born Larry Hecht; August 3, 1918 – July 17, 2008) was an American actor. Early years Haines was born on August 3, 1918, in Mount Vernon, New York. (Some sources say August 18, 1918, in the same city). He had been active in dramat ...

, supported Harris's primary bid. In the general election he defeated Democratic nominee Anthony O. Blades. Harris's district was later redrawn to be District 7, representing parts of Harford County, succeeding

Norman Stone Norman Stone (8 March 1941 – 19 June 2019) was a British historian and author. At the time of his death, he was Professor of European History in the Department of International Relations at Bilkent University, Ankara, having formerly been a ...

. He defeated Democratic nominee Diane DeCarlo in the general election in 2002, and from 2003 to 2006 served as the

minority whip A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline (that members of the party vote according to the party platform rather than their constituents, individual conscience or donors) in a legislature. Whips ...

. He was reelected in 2006, defeating Patricia A. Foerster. He was succeeded by J. B. Jennings. In August 2001, following speculation that U.S. representative

Bob Ehrlich Robert Leroy Ehrlich Jr. (born November 25, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 60th governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. A Republican, Ehrlich represented Maryland's 10th legislative district in the House of Del ...

would run for governor of Maryland in 2002, Harris formed an exploratory committee to explore a potential run for Congress in

Maryland's 2nd congressional district Maryland's 2nd congressional district elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives every two years. The district comprises parts of Carroll and Baltimore counties, as well as a sliver of Baltimore City. The seat has b ...

. He ultimately decided against running.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2008

Harris defeated incumbent Republican

Wayne Gilchrest Wayne Thomas Gilchrest (born April 15, 1946) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives representing . In 2008, Gilchrest was defeated in the Republican primary by State Senator And ...

and state senator

E. J. Pipkin Edward Joseph Pipkin Jr. (born November 1, 1956) is an American activist, politician, and United States Republican Party, Republican former member of the Maryland State Senate, had represented Maryland's Maryland Legislative District 36, 36th Se ...

in the Republican primary for

Maryland's 1st congressional district Maryland's 1st congressional district encompasses the entire Eastern Shore of Maryland, including Salisbury, Maryland, Salisbury, as well as Harford County, Maryland, Harford County and parts of Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County; it i ...

. Harris ran well to the right of Gilchrest, a moderate Republican. He explained that he was upset with Gilchrest's decision to support a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

-sponsored bill setting a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq and suspected that many of his constituents also felt that way. He was endorsed by the

Club for Growth The Club for Growth is a 501(c)(4) political organization active in the United States, with a fiscally conservative agenda focused on tax cuts and other economic policy issues. Club for Growth's largest funders are billionaires Jeff Yass a ...

, which raised nearly $250,000 for him, former governor

, seven of 10 state senators who represent parts of the district, and House minority leader Anthony O'Donnell. His general election opponent, Queen Anne's County state's attorney

, criticized the Club for Growth's policies, and Harris for having its support. Gilchrest endorsed Kratovil.Gilchrest crosses party lines, endorses Democrat Kratovil, even cutting an ad for him
''Baltimore Sun'' On paper, Harris had a strong advantage in the general election due to its Republican lean. Although Democrats and Republicans are nearly tied in registration, the district has a strong tinge of

social conservatism Social conservatism is a political philosophy and a variety of conservatism which places emphasis on Tradition#In political and religious discourse, traditional social structures over Cultural pluralism, social pluralism. Social conservatives ...

that favors Republicans. It had been in Republican hands for all but 14 years since 1947, although Kratovil received a significant boost when Gilchrest endorsed him. On election night, Kratovil led Harris by 915 votes. After two rounds of counting

absentee ballot Absentee or The Absentee may refer to: * Absentee (band), a British band * The Absentee, a novel by Maria Edgeworth, published in 1812 in ''Tales of Fashionable Life'' * ''The Absentee'' (1915 film), a 1915 American silent film directed by Christy ...

s, Kratovil's lead grew to 2,000 votes. Forecasting that there was little chance for Harris to close the gap, most media outlets declared Kratovil the winner on the night of November 7. Harris conceded on November 11. Harris dominated his longtime base in Baltimore's heavily Republican eastern suburbs, which account for most of the district's share of Baltimore County, but failed to carry a single county on the Eastern Shore.

2010

Harris ran again in the 1st District in 2010. He defeated Rob Fisher, a conservative businessman, in the primary. Harris's primary win set up a rematch against Kratovil. Libertarian Richard James Davis and Independent Jack Wilson also ran. In the November 2 general election, Harris defeated Kratovil by 14%.

2012

The ''

National Journal ''National Journal'' is an advisory services company based in Washington, D.C., offering services in government affairs, advocacy communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy brands research for government and business leaders. It publishes ...

's''

Cook Political Report Amy Elizabeth Walter (born October 19, 1969)"Profile: Amy Walter"

named Harris one of the top 10 Republicans most vulnerable to redistricting in 2012, noting that

Maryland Democrats The Maryland Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the state of Maryland, headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, Annapolis. The current acting state party chair is Charlene Dukes. It is cur ...

could redraw Harris's home in Cockeysville out of the 1st. Instead,

Roscoe Bartlett Roscoe Gardner Bartlett Jr. (born June 3, 1926) is an American politician who served a member of the United States House of Representative from 1993 to 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party and was a member of the Tea Party Caucus. At ...

's 6th District was redrawn. Some of Bartlett's shares of Harford, Baltimore, and Carroll counties were drawn into the 1st, making this already strongly Republican district even more so. Harris was reelected, defeating Democratic nominee Wendy Rosen with 67% of the vote. Rosen withdrew from the race after being confronted with evidence that she had voted in both Maryland and Florida in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Rosen had property in Florida, and Maryland law allowed property owners to vote in local elections even if they live elsewhere. But her Florida voting registration reportedly also gave her access to state and federal elections there, which was prohibited by Maryland law. At the time Rosen withdrew, ballots had already been printed. John LaFerla, who had narrowly lost to Rosen in the primary, was endorsed as Rosen's replacement, but could only be a write-in.

2014

Harris defeated Democratic nominee Bill Tilghman with over 70% of the vote.

2016

Harris won the Republican primary, defeating three challengers with 78.4% of the vote. Former Maryland state delegate Mike Smigiel came in second place with 10.8%.Rachel Kurzius
Sorry, D.C.—Andy Harris Won His Primary Race
, ''DCist'' (April 27, 2016). Smigiel ran because he opposed Harris's strident opposition to marijuana decriminalization in the District of Columbia. In the general election, Harris won another term with 229,135 votes (67.8%),Maryland U.S. House 1st District: Results: Andy Harris Wins
, ''New York Times'' (December 13, 2016). defeating Democratic nominee Joe Werner, a "little-known Harford County attorney and perennial candidate" who received 94,776 votes (28%). Libertarian candidate Matt Beers received 14,207 votes (4.2%). In February 2016, Harris was the first congressman to endorse

Ben Carson Ben Solomon Carson Sr. (born September 18, 1951) is an American retired neurosurgery, neurosurgeon, academic, author, and government official who served as the 17th United States secretary of housing and urban development from 2017 to 2021. A pio ...

for the Republican nomination for president. Carson dropped out two weeks later after a poor performance in the

Super Tuesday Super Tuesday is the United States presidential primary election day in February or March when the greatest number of U.S. states hold primary elections and caucuses. Approximately one-third of all delegates to the presidential nominatin ...

March 1 primaries.

2018

While Harris was running for reelection, the Maryland Democratic Party accused him of ethics violations, alleging that he might have violated ethics rules requiring members to report the source of spousal income and assets. In response, the Harris campaign said the omission was a mistake, and Harris amended his filing once he became aware of the error. In the general election, Harris defeated Democratic nominee Jesse Colvin with 60% of the vote.

2020

Harris defeated Democratic nominee Mia Mason with over 63% of the vote.

2022

Harris had initially promised to serve only six terms (12 years) in the House, but opted to run again in 2022. Maryland state legislators had passed a new congressional map that gave Democrats an advantage over Republicans in all eight of the state's congressional districts, but the map was ruled unconstitutional by Judge Lynne A. Battaglia in March 2022. Afterwards, legislators passed a new map that was signed into law by Governor

Larry Hogan Lawrence Joseph Hogan Jr. (born May 25, 1956) is an American politician who served as the 62nd governor of Maryland from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party and son of three-term U.S. representative Lawrence Hogan, he served as co-ch ...

in April 2022, which returned the district to being solidly Republican. In the general election, Harris faced former state delegate

Heather Mizeur Heather R. Mizeur ( ; born December 6, 1972) is an American politician who served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from January 10, 2007 to January 14, 2015, representing the 20th district in Montgomery County, Maryland. She was a ca ...

, whom he sought to portray as a tax-approving liberal who would increase federal spending and support

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House or House speaker, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United ...

. Mizeur, in turn, characterized Harris as an ineffective legislator and criticized him for challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election and for supporting the Life at Conception Act. Harris defeated Mizeur with 54.4 percent of the vote, his closest race since his 2010 victory.

2024

Harris was re-elected to an eighth term in 2024, defeating Democratic challenger Blaine Miller III in the general election with 59.41% of the vote.

Committee assignments

For the

118th Congress The 118th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January ...

: * Committee on Appropriations ** Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (Chair) ** Subcommittee on Homeland Security ** Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

Caucus memberships

Freedom Caucus The Freedom Caucus, also known as the House Freedom Caucus, is a congressional caucus consisting of Republican Party (United States), Republican members of the United States House of Representatives. It is generally considered to be the most Cons ...

Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans The Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans (Turkey Caucus) was established by US Congressmen Robert Wexler (D-Florida), Ed Whitfield (R-Kentucky) and Kay Granger (R-Texas) in March 2001. The Turkey Caucus is a bi-partisan platform fo ...

Political positions

During the

117th United States Congress The 117th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January ...

GovTrack GovTrack.us is a website developed by then-student Joshua Tauberer. It is based in Washington, D.C., and was launched as a hobby. It enables its users to track the bills and members of the United States Congress. Users can add trackers to certain ...

rated Harris as the 60th most conservative member of the House of Representatives. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' described Harris as "an ardent supporter of President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

", whose right-wing populism he has called the "future of the Republican Party". He initially endorsed neurosurgeon

for president during the 2016 Republican primaries, but later backed Trump after Carson suspended his campaign. A member of the House Freedom Caucus, Harris unsuccessfully ran for chairmanship of the

Republican Study Committee The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a congressional caucus of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. In November 2024, Representative August Pfluger was elected as the chair of the RSC, ...

in 2016, during which he campaigned on uniting the caucus and committee.

Domestic policy

Abortion

Harris identifies as "

pro-life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in response to the lega ...

". During the 2000 legislative session, Harris introduced a bill to ban abortions after

fetal viability Fetal viability is the ability of a human fetus to survive outside the uterus. Viability depends upon factors such as birth weight, gestational age, and the availability of advanced medical care. In low-income countries, more than 90% of extr ...

. In 2004, Harris cosigned a letter opposing the Ronald Reagan and Christopher Reeve Stem Cell Research Act, which would require the state to provide $25 million toward

stem cell In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can change into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of cell ...

research annually. He also introduced the Human Cloning Prohibition Act, a bill to ban stem cell research in Maryland. In 2006, Harris

filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking ...

ed a bill to provide $25 million a year toward stem cell research. In 2006, Harris opposed a bill to allow pharmacists to provide patients with

emergency contraception Emergency contraception (EC) is a birth control measure, used after sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy. There are different forms of EC. Emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs), sometimes simply referred to as emergency contraceptives (ECs), ...

without a prescription. In July 2014, he praised the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

's decision in ''

Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. ''Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.'', 573 U.S. 682 (2014), is a landmark decision in United States corporate law by the United States Supreme Court allowing privately held for-profit corporations to be exempt from a regulation that its owners ...

'', which exempted privately held for-profit corporations from having to cover contraception under the Affordable Care Act. In 2023, Harris cosigned an amicus brief to the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: ...

supporting a lower court ruling in '' Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA'', which temporarily repealed the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

's approval of

mifepristone Mifepristone, and also known by its developmental code name RU-486, is a drug typically used in combination with misoprostol to bring about a medical abortion during pregnancy. This combination is 97% effective during the first 63 days (9 wee ...

. In 2015, following the release of undercover videos by the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-abortion group, that purportedly showed

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

selling tissues from aborted

fetus A fetus or foetus (; : fetuses, foetuses, rarely feti or foeti) is the unborn offspring of a viviparous animal that develops from an embryo. Following the embryonic development, embryonic stage, the fetal stage of development takes place. Pren ...

es, Harris spoke in support of a bill to block

Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...

funds from health care providers that performed abortions. He was later appointed to the United States House Select Investigative Panel on Planned Parenthood. During the 2019 State of the Union Address, Harris praised remarks made by President

on efforts to restrict women's access to abortion. In 2021, Harris cosponsored the Life at Conception Act, a bill to ban abortions without exceptions. In June 2022, Harris celebrated the Supreme Court's ruling in ''

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ''Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization'', 597 U.S. 215 (2022), is a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court in which the court held ...

'', which overturned ''

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...

''. Following the ruling, Harris said he would support a federal six-week abortion ban. In July 2022, Harris voted against bills codifying ''Roe'', to protect patients who travel across state lines to get an abortion, and to protect the right to

contraception Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

. During a debate in October 2022, he said he would support a bill introduced by Senator

Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (; born July 9, 1955) is an American politician and attorney serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A membe ...

that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Budget and economy

Harris supports a federal

balanced budget A balanced budget (particularly that of a government) is a budget in which revenues are equal to expenditures. Thus, neither a budget deficit nor a budget surplus exists (the accounts "balance"). More generally, it is a budget that has no budge ...

and opposes earmarks. He opposes increases to the debt ceiling without cuts to federal spending, and opposes increases to taxes and to the federal minimum wage. Harris supports eliminating

tax deduction A tax deduction or benefit is an amount deducted from taxable income, usually based on expenses such as those incurred to produce additional income. Tax deductions are a form of tax incentives, along with exemptions and tax credits. The diff ...

s and implementing a

flat tax A flat tax (short for flat-rate tax) is a tax with a single rate on the taxable amount, after accounting for any deductions or exemptions from the tax base. It is not necessarily a fully proportional tax. Implementations are often progressi ...

. In August 2013, Harris proposed using the debt ceiling to delay the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

's implementation by one year as opposed to voting to defund it. On October 16, 2013, Harris voted against the motion to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling. In March 2015, Harris proposed "shutting down the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

" by halving appropriations funding as opposed to a government shutdown. In January 2018, Harris voted for a Senate stopgap funding bill to end the

2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown The United States federal government Government shutdowns in the United States, shutdown from midnight Eastern Time Zone, EST on December 22, 2018, until February 9, 2019 (35 days) was the List of United States federal funding gaps, longest gov ...

. In March 2018, he voted against the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending package, calling it "fiscally irresponsible". In 2022, following a spike in gas prices as the result of the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

, Harris supported efforts to extend Maryland's

gas tax holiday In United States politics, the gas tax holiday or the gas tax loophole was originally a 2008 proposal made by presidential contenders Arizona Senator John McCain and New York Senator Hillary Clinton to suspend the federal excise tax on gasoline f ...

until the end of the year. In April 2023, Harris praised the Republican debt ceiling plan, which limited spending to pre-pandemic levels with one percent annual growth over a decade. He was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 On January 19, 2023, the United States hit its United States debt ceiling, debt ceiling, leading to a debt-ceiling crisis, part of an ongoing political debate within United States Congress, Congress about United States federal budget, federal ...

in the House. In May 2025, Harris voted "present" as one of five Republican holdouts on the

One Big Beautiful Bill Act The proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, also referred to as OBBBA, OBBB, BBB or OB3, is a budget reconciliation bill in the 119th United States Congress. OBBBA passed the House of Representatives on May 22, 2025, in a largely party-line vote o ...

Education

During the 2001 legislative session, Harris introduced legislation to create a statewide program to provide state-funded scholarships to students attending

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

Environment

Harris has questioned whether human activities have contributed to climate change, but supports using technological developments, such as hydrogen cells and

nuclear fusion Nuclear fusion is a nuclear reaction, reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei combine to form a larger nuclei, nuclei/neutrons, neutron by-products. The difference in mass between the reactants and products is manifested as either the rele ...

, to tackle climate change. He also supports providing federal funding toward Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts, having played an instrumental role in restoring $60 million in funding for the Chesapeake Bay cleanup program following earlier proposals that saw the program receive no funding. In July 2017, Harris amended the 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act to ban federal funding for any

wind farms A wind farm, also called a wind park or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an exten ...

projects that were closer than 24 nautical miles to the coastline. The amendment was seen as a response to the

Maryland Public Service Commission The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) is an independent administrative agency within the state government which regulates public utilities and certain taxi cab and other passenger services in Maryland. Similar to other state public utilitie ...

's approval of two wind farms off the coast of Ocean City, both of which were planned to be at least 17 miles from the shore; Harris claimed that the wind farms would be visible from the horizon and discourage tourism to Ocean City. He later called for the Ocean City wind farm project to be revisited, claiming that it would interfere with

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...

shipping channels and

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

military communications. In 2023, after a dead

humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh u ...

washed ashore

Assateague Island Assateague Island is a long barrier island located off the eastern coast of the Delmarva Peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean. The northern two-thirds of the island are in Maryland, and the southern third is in Virginia. The entire island is ...

, Harris called for a moratorium on wind farm construction, which he claimed without evidence was responsible for the whale's death. In 2018, Harris said that he supported

offshore drilling Offshore drilling is a mechanical process where a wellbore is drilled below the seabed. It is typically carried out in order to explore for and subsequently extract petroleum that lies in rock formations beneath the seabed. Most commonly, the ter ...

, but opposed offshore drilling off the coast of Maryland. In 2022, following a spike in gas prices as the result of the

, he said he supported restarting the

Keystone pipeline The Keystone Pipeline System is an Pipeline transport, oil pipeline system in Canada and the United States, commissioned in 2010, formerly owned by TC Energy. It is now owned by South Bow, following TC Energy's spin off of its liquids business i ...

to reduce gas prices. In 2023, Harris called for an increase in natural gas and coal production as a means to lower the national deficit and counter China's influence on global markets. In 2019, Harris voted against rejoining the

Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement (also called the Paris Accords or Paris Climate Accords) is an international treaty on climate change that was signed in 2016. The treaty covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance. The Paris Agreement was ...

. He also voted against the Coastal and Marine Economies Act, which would ban any new offshore drilling activity off the Pacific or Atlantic coasts. Following the

Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse On March 26, 2024, at 1:28a.m. Eastern Time Zone, EDT (05:28 UTC), the main Span (engineering), spans and the three nearest northeast approach spans of the Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore), Francis Scott Key Bridge across the Patapsco River ...

in March 2024, Harris called on state and federal officials to "immediately reduce the environmental and regulatory burdens" that would hamper reconstruction of the bridge.

Gun policy

Harris opposes restrictions on the right to carry, but says that citizens who commit or threaten to commit a crime with a firearm should receive harsh sentences. In 2017, he voted for the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, a bill that would require all states recognize concealed carry permits issued by other states. During the 2000 legislative session, Harris opposed legislation that would require handguns sold in Maryland to have integrated mechanical safety devices. In January 2016, Harris said he supported a proposal by presidential candidate

to eliminate gun-free zones at schools, arguing that gun-free zones led to an increase in school shootings. After the Sutherland Springs church shooting on November 5, 2017, Harris compared gun control efforts to Nazi gun control measures, saying "Jews were not allowed to own guns in Nazi Germany and that didn't end well". In 2018, Harris said he supported

arming teachers Arming teachers is equipping teachers in preschool through secondary school with firearms with the intent to prevent casualties from School shooting, school shootings. Such proposals have engendered public debate regarding with whom the respons ...

. In 2022, Harris voted against a bill to ban assault weapons.

Healthcare

Harris supports Maryland's " high-risk pool" healthcare system, voting in 2002 for a bill creating the health insurance pool. Harris opposes the

(ACA), which he has called a "government takeover of health care", and ran in 2010 on a promise to repeal it. During a town hall meeting in August 2013, he criticized the ACA's

individual mandate An individual mandate is a requirement by law for certain persons to purchase or otherwise obtain a good or service. United States Militia act The Militia Acts of 1792, based on the Constitution's militia clause (in addition to its affirmative ...

and employer mandates, which he said encouraged businesses to increase part-time hiring. Harris also said he supported protecting health insurance access for individuals with

pre-existing condition In the context of healthcare in the United States, a pre-existing condition is a medical condition that started before a person's health insurance went into effect. Before 2014, some insurance policies would not cover expenses due to pre-existin ...

s as well as removing caps on insurance benefits. In December 2013, he proposed using sequestration to increase the amount states would need to pay to expand Medicaid by 10 percent. In 2013, Harris introduced a bill that would repeal a provision of the ACA that required insurance companies to cover procedures performed by chiropractors, midwives, and similar medical staff. He also cosponsored the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act, a bill that allowed HIV-infected people to donate their organs to other HIV-infected people, which was signed into law by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

in November 2013. In 2014, Harris said he supported an

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Im ...

probe into glitches with Maryland's health insurance exchange, which was among the worst performing in the nation. The probe, which concluded in March 2015, found that the state lacked oversight and internal controls that led to the state improperly spending $28.4 million in federal funding. Harris was initially supportive of the

American Health Care Act of 2017 The American Health Care Act of 2017 (often shortened to the AHCA or nicknamed Ryancare) was a bill in the 115th United States Congress. The bill, which was passed by the United States House of Representatives but failed the United States S ...

(AHCA), which would have partially repealed the ACA. He later said he would vote against the AHCA following last-minute changes made to the bill that he said "simply won't lower premiums as much as the American people need". Harris dismissed

Congressional Budget Office The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the United States Congress, legislative branch of the United States government that provides budget and economic information to Congress. I ...

estimates that showed that eliminating cost-sharing subsidies would cause insurance premiums to grow 20 percent, calling it "another excuse by insurance companies to raise premiums". In May 2017, Harris voted for the AHCA. In September 2017, Harris said he supported the

Graham–Cassidy health care amendment Graham–Cassidy (sometimes written as Cassidy–Graham) or Graham–Cassidy–Heller–Johnson is the common name for Senate Amendment 1030 () to the American Health Care Act of 2017 (). S.Amdt. 1030 was introduced on September 13, 2017, ...

, which would have returned control of

back to the states. In October 2017, he said he supported the Trump administration's decision to end federal subsidies to help low-income people pay for out-of-pocket expenses under ACA. In 2018, Harris said he supported raising the full retirement age for

Social Security Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...

from 67 to 70 years old. He also said he supported imposing work requirements on "able-bodied adults" for Medicaid and

food stamps In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a Federal government of the United States, federal government program that provides food-purchasing assistance for Poverty ...

. In 2019, Harris voted against the Never Forget the Heroes Act, a bill authorizing permanent health benefits for first responders during the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. In 2022, he voted against the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, which would have eased the compensation claim process for federally employed firefighters diagnosed with

mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The area most commonly affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lini ...

Immigration

Harris does not support a

path to citizenship In the United States, a path (or pathway) to citizenship is proposed immigration reform providing a process whereby illegal immigrants can become citizens. Obama administration During his 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised to supp ...

for

illegal immigrant Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...

s, saying in August 2013 that "if you came here illegally, you should be very happy if what we do is just to allow you to remain and contribute to the economy illegally". He has also criticized amnesty as a "step back from the rule of law". Harris supports expanding

H-2B visa The H-2B visa nonimmigrant program permits employers to hire foreign workers to come temporarily to the United States and perform temporary nonagricultural services or labor on a one-time, seasonal, peakload or intermittent basis. The H-2B visa ...

s for agricultural and seasonal industries as well as

immigration policy of Donald Trump Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...

. In 2011, Harris co-signed a letter opposing a new

U.S. Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unem ...

rule to increase the hourly wages of H-2B visa workers. In 2014, Harris said he supported instituting a travel ban on

Ebola Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after in ...

endemic areas. In 2017, Harris said he supported

Executive Order 13769 Executive Order 13769, titled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States, labeled the "Muslim ban" by Donald Trump and his supporters and critics alike, and commonly known as such, or commonly referred to as the ...

, an executive order by President

to temporarily suspend the

United States Refugee Admissions Program The United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is an association of federal agencies and nonprofit organizations that works hand-in-hand to identify and admit qualified refugees for resettlement into the United States. Under Section 207 o ...

and ban travel from six predominantly Muslim countries. He also supported the Trump administration's plan to phase out the

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a Immigration policy of the United States, United States immigration policy that allows some individuals who, on June 15, 2012, were physically present in the United States with no lawful immigra ...

program. In February 2019, he said he supported Trump's national emergency declaration to fund the construction of the

Mexico–United States border wall The Mexico–United States border wall is a series of disjoined physical barriers built along portions of the Mexico–United States border. The barriers were constructed in a piecemeal manner over the course of several President of the United ...

, which he claimed would prevent drug trafficking, gang activity, and sexual violence. Later that year, Harris voted against blocking the emergency declaration and the American Dream and Promise Act, and voted for a bill to provide $4.6 billion in humanitarian aid for migrants at the Mexico–United States border. In 2019, Harris criticized

sanctuary city A sanctuary city is a municipality that limits or denies its cooperation with the national government in enforcing immigration law. Proponents of sanctuary cities cite motives such as reducing the fear of persons which illegally immigrated fr ...

policies, saying that they "create an environment of the lack of rule of law".

LGBT rights

In 2001, Harris led a filibuster of a bill prohibiting discrimination against

same-sex couples A same-sex relationship is a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil unions may exist in countries ...

, which lasted more than two hours and ended after two-thirds of state senators voted to limit debate. He also unsuccessfully sought to amend the bill to allow people to discriminate on the basis of religion. In 2006, Harris said he supported a proposed constitutional amendment to "protect marriage between a man and a woman", which he later cosponsored in 2013 and 2015. Harris said he was disappointed with the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in ''

Obergefell v. Hodges ''Obergefell v. Hodges'', ( ), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court which ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of th ...

'', which legalized

gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% ...

throughout the United States. In October 2014, the

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for L ...

placed Harris on its list of the 14 most "anti-equality" House members, citing his support for several

anti-LGBT The following outline offers an overview and guide to topics about LGBTQ people. ''LGBTQ'' is an initialism that stands for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer". It may refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual, non-heteroroman ...

bills including one prohibiting on the use of Department of Defense property in gay marriages and another banning federal discrimination against people and organizations on the basis of religious beliefs. In 2015, he cosponsored a resolution disagreeing with the Supreme Court ruling in ''Obergefell''. In 2021, Harris voted against the Equality Act, a bill to add

gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with the in ...

and sexual orientation to federal anti-discrimination laws. In 2022, he voted against the

Respect for Marriage Act The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA; ) is a landmark United States federal law passed by the 117th United States Congress in 2022 and signed into law by President Joe Biden. It repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), requires the U.S. federal ...

, which codified same-sex and interracial marriage rights. In 2023, Harris voted for the Protection of Women and Girls Sports Act, a bill to ban transgender women from competing in female sports. He also opposed a proposed

U.S. Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a United States Cabinet, cabinet-level department of the federal government of the United States, United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, havin ...

rule requiring elementary schools to allow students to participate in school sports programs based on their stated gender identity. In July 2023, Harris voted to strip funding for LGBTQ projects from the

2024 United States federal budget The United States federal budget for fiscal year 2024 ran from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. The negotiations for FY 2024 were particularly contentious. The 2023 United States debt-ceiling crisis led to the passage of the Fiscal Resp ...

, comparing its funding to a hypothetical

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

project because the "LGBTQ center organized a protest against conservative mothers".

Marijuana

In January 2003, Harris said he opposed legalizing medical marijuana in Maryland, saying that he preferred that the issue be handled at the federal level. In 2014, Harris was the leading congressional critic of marijuana decriminalization in the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

bill, and led efforts in Congress to block decriminalization from taking effect. Harris's amendment led to a call from D.C. mayor Vincent Gray to boycott tourism to Harris's district and the

boycott of Maryland's 1st congressional district The boycott of Maryland's 1st congressional district (also known as the Boycott of Ocean City and Boycott of the Eastern Shore) was conducted in response to 2014 congressional legislation that interfered with the ability of the District of Columb ...

, as well as an online campaign requesting that D.C.-area businesses refuse him service. Washington D.C. officials and marijuana activists called Harris's actions unwarranted congressional interference. In November 2014, D.C. residents voted to legalize recreational cannabis for adults, with 68% in favor. Despite this, Harris said he would use "all resources available to a member of Congress to stop this action". On December 9, 2014, congressional leaders announced a deal on a spending bill that included language that would prohibit the D.C. referendum from taking effect. Harris said that "the Constitution gives Congress the ultimate oversight about what happens in the federal district." He said he believes that cannabis is a

gateway drug The gateway drug effect (alternatively, stepping-stone theory, escalation hypothesis, or progression hypothesis) is a comprehensive catchphrase for the often observed effect that the use of a psychoactive substance is coupled to an increased probab ...

. In 2022, Harris added a provision to the $1.5 trillion spending omnibus package that barred D.C. from legalizing, regulating and taxing the sale recreational cannabis, overriding the will of D.C. voters. Democrats opposed Harris's provision, but Republicans sharply opposed attempts to remove the provision. In February 2024, amid federal efforts to lower the drug designation of marijuana from a schedule 1 substance to a schedule 3, Harris wrote to the

criticizing the agency for not "sufficiently examining the effect of daily marijuana use" and the impact of marijuana use on driving, pregnant women, and children.

Social issues

During the 2003 legislative session, Harris voted against a bill to impose a two-year moratorium on

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

sentences. In 2006, Harris voted in favor of a bill to legalize

slot machine A slot machine, fruit machine (British English), poker machine or pokie (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. A slot machine's standard layout features a screen disp ...

gambling in Maryland, but said he would only support a "limited plan" that required statewide and local referendums to legalize slots. In April 2009, Harris led opposition to the scheduled screening of the pornographic film '' Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge'' at the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD i ...

, threatening to withhold state funding from the university if it showed the film. Following this threat, the university cancelled the screening of the film. After portions of the film were screened by students at the campus lecture hall, Harris unsuccessfully sought to amend the state budget to block funding for the

University System of Maryland The University System of Maryland (USM) is a public university system in the U.S. state of Maryland. The system is composed of the eleven campuses at College Park, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Princess Anne, Towson, Salisbury, Bowie, Frost ...

until it adopted a policy on showing pornographic material on campus, which was later watered down into a compromise requiring the university system to develop policies on what kind of films could be shown on campus, which he supported. In November 2009, the University System of Maryland Board of Regents unanimously voted against adopting a policy to restrict the screening of pornographic films on campus. In 2010, Harris said he opposed the

Park51 Park51 (originally named Cordoba House) was a development originally envisioned as a 13-story Islamic community center and mosque in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The developers hoped to promote interfaith dialogue. Due to i ...

project, a proposal to build a mosque two blocks from the

World Trade Center site The World Trade Center site, often referred to as " Ground Zero" or "the Pile" immediately after the September 11 attacks, is a 14.6-acre (5.9 ha) area in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The site is bounded by Vesey Street to the north ...

of the

, calling it "blatantly disrespectful". In 2016, Harris voted against renaming a post office in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

after civil rights activist

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credi ...

, who he called a "communist sympathizer", citing her support for the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

. In 2019, Harris voted against renewing the

Violence Against Women Act The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) is a United States federal law (Title IV of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, ) signed by President Bill Clinton on September13, 1994. The Act provided $1.6billion toward investigat ...

. In 2020, Harris voted against removing an expired congressional deadline for the adoption of the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, United States Constitution that would explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. It is not currently a part of the Constitution, though its Ratifi ...

. In 2020, Harris said he supported President Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard in response to

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...

. He voted against removing a marble bust of Justice

Roger B. Taney Roger Brooke Taney ( ; March 17, 1777 – October 12, 1864) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the fifth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the United States, holding that office from 1836 until his death in 186 ...

from the U.S. Capitol, saying that while he supported proposals to add a bust of Justice

Thurgood Marshall Thoroughgood "Thurgood" Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme C ...

, he believed the Taney bust should remain as a "teaching moment".

Veterans

The PACT Act which expanded

Veterans Affairs Veterans' affairs is an area of public policy concerned with relations between a government and its communities of military veterans. Some jurisdictions have a designated government agency or department, a Department of Veterans' Affairs, Minist ...

benefits to veterans exposed to toxic chemicals during their military service, received a "nay" from Harris.

Governance

COVID-19 response

During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Harris opposed prohibitions on indoor dining during the

and

stay-at-home order A stay-at-home order, safer-at-home order, movement control order – also referred to by loose use of the terms quarantine, isolation, or lockdown – is an order from a government authority that restricts movements of a population as a mass qu ...

s, and was skeptical of face masks. In March 2020, he voted for, and later criticized, the

CARES Act The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, is a $2.2trillion Stimulus (economics), economic stimulus bill passed by the 116th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March ...

. On May 2, 2020, Harris addressed protesters in

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

attempting to pressure Maryland governor

to lift restrictions, saying, "I am a physician. Let me tell you something: It is safe to begin to reopen Maryland." Harris also called on the state to partially reopen areas with low cases of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

and to lift restrictions on "low-risk businesses", such as golf courses and small businesses. In February 2021, Harris cosponsored a bill that would block state or local governments from receiving federal COVID-19 relief funds if they enacted restrictions affecting small businesses. In August 2020, Harris promoted the use of

hydroxychloroquine Hydroxychloroquine, sold under the brand name Plaquenil among others, is a medication used to prevent and treat malaria in areas where malaria remains sensitive to chloroquine. Other uses include treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, an ...

to treat COVID-19, despite the lack of evidence for its effectiveness and the subsequent opposition from

NIH The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

and

WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...

to its use for the treatment of

in hospitalized patients. In December 2020, Harris voted against a measure to raise

stimulus check The federal government of the United States initially responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 pandemic in the country with various State of emergency#United States, declarations of emergency, some of which led to trav ...

s sent out under the

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 () is a $2.3trillion spending bill that combines $900 billion in stimulus relief for the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States with a $1.4trillion omnibus spending bill for the 2021 federal fiscal yea ...

to $2,000 per individual. In February 2021, he voted against the

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan, is a economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, to sp ...

. Harris supported

COVID-19 vaccination A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Knowledge about the structure and func ...

efforts, but opposed vaccine mandates. In March 2021, he led a letter to Acting

United States secretary of health and human services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

Norris Cochran urging him to review the two-dose strategy used for Pfizer-BioNTech's and

Moderna Moderna, Inc. ( ) is an American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that focuses on RNA therapeutics, primarily mRNA vaccines. These vaccines use a copy of a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA) to carry inst ...

's COVID-19 vaccines, arguing that a single-dose plan would "save the lives of up to 40,000 American seniors". In July 2021, amid a surge in COVID-19 cases resulting from the

delta variant The Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was first detected in India on 5 October 2020. The Delta variant was named on 31 May 2021 and had spread to over 179 countries by 22 November 202 ...

, Harris urged constituents to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Electoral reform

In 2004, Harris criticized a state plan to use

electronic voting machine An electronic voting machine is a voting machine based on electronics. Two main technologies exist: ''optical scan voting system, optical scanning'' and ''direct-recording electronic voting machine, direct recording'' (DRE). Optical scanning ...

s in the 2004 general election and introduced a bill requiring voting machines to print voters' choices onto a paper ballot. He later unsuccessfully sued to block the state from using electronic voting machines during the 2004 elections. In 2006, Harris again criticized the state for using electronic voting machines in its 2006 elections, claiming without evidence that it would lead to voter fraud and suggesting that Iraq and Afghanistan "had more secure elections than Maryland does". In 2008, Harris supported a bill that would require voters to show proof of citizenship to participate in Maryland elections. In 2018, Harris introduced the Protecting Election Systems from Foreign Control Act, which would ban state election boards from contracting with foreign election systems vendors. In October 2024, Harris suggested that the

North Carolina legislature The North Carolina General Assembly is the bicameral legislature of the state government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Vested with the state's legislative power by the ...

should pre-emptively override the popular vote results in the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

and award its electors to Donald Trump because of the impact that

Hurricane Helene Hurricane Helene ( ) was a deadly and devastating tropical cyclone that caused widespread catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the Southeastern United States in late September 2024. It was the strongest hurricane on record to ...

had on Republican-leaning districts.

= 2020 presidential election

= In August 2020, Harris dismissed accusations that U.S. postmaster general Louis DeJoy was attempting to undercut mail-in balloting, which he called a "conspiracy theory". He said he opposed using universal mail-in ballots to conduct the 2020 presidential election, claiming without evidence that it would "result in people who aren't qualified to have ballots getting them and in some cases people who are qualified not getting them". Harris later voted against a bill to increase

U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

funding by $25 billion to help the agency prepare for the election. After

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

won the 2020 presidential election and President Donald Trump refused to concede while making false claims of fraud, Harris defended Trump's efforts to overturn the election. Harris falsely claimed there were "large-scale voting irregularities" and "secret, unobserved vote counting in the swing states", and called on Attorney General

William Barr William Pelham Barr (born May 23, 1950) is an American attorney who served as United States Attorney General, United States attorney general in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1991 to 1993 and again in the first adminis ...

to investigate "these crimes". In December 2020, Harris was one of 126 Republican members of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

to sign an

amicus brief An amicus curiae (; ) is an individual or organization that is not a party to a legal case, but that is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. Whether an ''amic ...

in support of '' Texas v. Pennsylvania'', a lawsuit filed at the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked

standing Standing, also referred to as orthostasis, is a position in which the body is held in an upright (orthostatic) position and supported only by the feet. Although seemingly static, the body rocks slightly back and forth from the ankle in the ...

under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state. In July 2022, the

United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack The United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol (commonly referred to as the January 6th Committee) was a Select or special committee (United States Congress), select committee of the ...

revealed that Harris was present at a White House meeting with Republican House members on December 21, 2020, to discuss a plan to "encourage members of the public to fight the outcome on January 6". He confirmed his attendance to this meeting during a debate in October 2022, during which he said he would "take the invitation again" and added that it was "not planning an insurrection". Harris also said that he accepted the results of the 2020 presidential election at the debate, and called for national voter ID laws. In September 2022, Harris voted against the

Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022 The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022 is a revision of the Electoral Count Act of 1887, adding to procedures set out in the Constitution of the United States for the counting of electoral votes followin ...

, a bill that made multiple revisions to the voting, certification, counting, and transition process in wake of the

January 6 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...

Federal workers

In February 2025, Harris said he supported the laying off of thousands of federal civil service workers by

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...

Department of Government Efficiency The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is an initiative by the second Trump administration within the federal government of the United States. Its stated objective is to modernize information technology, maximize productivity, and cut ...

and the

second Trump administration Donald Trump's second and current tenure as the president of the United States began upon his inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. On his first day, Trump pardoned about 1,500 people convicted of offenses in the Janua ...

, telling constituents that reached out to him after being fired that Trump "was elected with a mandate to root out corruption and waste within the federal government". He also justified the furloughs in interviews by saying it would help cut the

federal deficit The "national debt of the United States" is the total national debt owed by the federal government of the United States to treasury security holders. The national debt at a given point in time is the face value of the then outstanding treasu ...

and improve worker productivity, calling rulings allowing the voluntary resignation program to take effect a "great first step", and blaming "liberal politicians and pundits" for ginning up concerns about the mass layoffs.

Impeachments

On October 31, 2019, Harris voted with his fellow Republicans in opposition to a resolution outlining rules for then-ongoing impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. On December 18, 2019, he voted against both

articles of impeachment An article of impeachment is a documented statement which specifies the charges to be tried in an impeachment trial as a basis for removing an officeholder. Articles of impeachment are an aspect of impeachment processes of many governments that ut ...

of the first impeachment of President Trump. Harris was one of four representatives who did not cast a vote regarding the second impeachment of President Trump on January 13, 2021. He tweeted that he opposed it, calling it divisive and a waste of time, and that he needed to be in the operating room caring for patients. During the

, Harris cosponsored two different resolutions to

impeach Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In Euro ...

President

. He also cosponsored a resolutions to impeach Attorney General

Merrick Garland Merrick Brian Garland (born November 13, 1952) is an American lawyer and jurist who served as the 86th United States attorney general from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as a circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Dist ...

and Secretary of State

Antony Blinken Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the 71st United States secretary of state from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor, deputy national security advisor ...

, who he blamed for the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan. Very early in the

, Harris cosponsored a resolution to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security

Alejandro Mayorkas Alejandro Nicolas Mayorkas (born November 24, 1959) is an American attorney and government official who was the seventh United States secretary of homeland security, serving from 2021 until 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, Mayorkas previ ...

Redistricting

Harris supports using independent redistricting commissions to draw redistricting plans for federal offices, calling it the "biggest thing you could do to increase cooperation between the two parties". He has described himself as a beneficiary of

gerrymandering Gerrymandering, ( , originally ) defined in the contexts of Representative democracy, representative electoral systems, is the political manipulation of Boundary delimitation, electoral district boundaries to advantage a Political party, pa ...

, pointing to the 1st district's configuration as having been carved out to elect a Republican to Congress and get more Democrats elected elsewhere in Maryland. During his time in the Maryland Senate, Harris sought to pass legislation requiring Maryland to use an independent commission to redraw its districts. During the 2020 redistricting cycle, the Maryland General Assembly redrew Maryland's congressional districts to make Maryland's 1st congressional district more competitive for Democrats by redrawing the 1st district from one that voted for Trump by 20 points to one where Biden slightly won in 2020, an effort that Harris opposed. He instead supported the maps drawn by Governor

's Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission, an independent redistricting commission made up of three Democrats, Republicans, and Independent voters. In March 2022, Judge Lynne A. Battaglia struck down the Maryland General Assembly's new congressional districts as an "extreme partisan

gerrymander Gerrymandering, ( , originally ) defined in the contexts of Representative democracy, representative electoral systems, is the political manipulation of Boundary delimitation, electoral district boundaries to advantage a Political party, pa ...

", prompting legislators to pass a new congressional map that undid changes to make the 1st district more competitive.

Storming of the Capitol

In an interview with

WBAL-TV WBAL-TV (channel 11) is a television station in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is the flagship property of Hearst Television, which has owned the station since its inception, and is sister to the company's sole ra ...

just after evacuating the Capitol after it was stormed, Harris downplayed the violence of the riot, saying "Obviously, later we heard there was a gunshot, but other than that, there was no indication that this was a truly violent protest, as violent as one as you would worry about." Harris also said he understood the rioters' frustrations and repeated false claims of election fraud. During a debate in October 2022, he denied that the Capitol attack was an "insurrection", stating that the only people who had weapons during the attack were Capitol police officers. On January 6, 2021, after the

2021 storming of the United States Capitol On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months after his defea ...

, Harris had a verbal altercation with Representative

Al Lawson Alfred James Lawson Jr. (born September 23, 1948) is an American businessman and politician who was the U.S. representative for Florida's 5th congressional district from 2017 to 2023. The district, which was eliminated following redistricting ...

on the House floor after taking offense at Representative

Conor Lamb Conor James Lamb (born June 27, 1984) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district from 2018 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the ...

's criticism of House Republicans for pushing unfounded conspiracy theories. During an interview the next day, Harris falsely claimed that leftist provocateurs were behind the storming of the Capitol. In May 2021, Harris voted against a measure creating the January 6 commission, calling it "another partisan stunt from Speaker Pelosi". In June 2021, Harris was among 21 House Republicans to vote against a resolution to give the

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...

to police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6, which he had called a "stunt".

Foreign policy

Harris supports increasing federal defense funding to combat threats to national security. In 2013, he said he supported cuts to the

and the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...

to support expanding the military. In 2015, Harris voted against the Trade Promotion Authority. In 2019, he voted for the

United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement The Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA)Each signatory has a different name for the agreement—in the United States, it is called the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) ...

, a successor to

NAFTA The North American Free Trade Agreement (, TLCAN; , ALÉNA), referred to colloquially in the Anglosphere as NAFTA, ( ) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that created a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The ...

Hungary

In 2018, Harris led a letter opposing a

U.S. State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs ...

plan to provide $700,000 for independent media in Hungary, which he charged as having "distorted the record" of Hungarian prime minister

Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian lawyer and politician who has been the 56th prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has also led the Fidesz political party since 200 ...

. In 2022, he praised Orbán's leadership in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Hungary. In 2022, Harris was one of 63 Republicans to vote against a nonbinding resolution to support

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

, which he later defended by saying that the military alliance had "unfairly criticized the governments of Hungary and Poland", both of which are members of NATO.

Iran

In 2015, Harris said he opposed the

Iran Nuclear Deal The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA; (, BARJAM)), also known as the Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal, is an agreement to limit the Iranian nuclear program in return for sanctions relief and other provisions. The agreement was finalize ...

, which he said would go toward buying "weapons that will end up killing Americans at some point in the future". He later called for increased sanctions on Iran, including a ban on any

nuclear enrichment Enriched uranium is a type of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 (written 235U) has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Naturally occurring uranium is composed of three major isotopes: uranium-238 (238 ...

in the country.

Israel

Harris supports Israel's right to defend itself and the

Abraham Accords The Abraham Accords are bilateral agreements on Arab–Israeli normalization signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain on September 15, 2020. Mediated by the United States, the announcement of August ...

. He has criticized the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

for funding what he called "illegal building" by the

Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a c ...

in the

Judea and Samaria Area The Judea and Samaria Area (; ) is an administrative division used by the State of Israel to refer to the entire West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967, but excludes East Jerusalem (see Jerusalem Law). Its area is split int ...

, and suggested in December 2022 that the United States should provide funding to Israel for developing infrastructure in these areas. In November 2023, amid the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

, Harris said he opposed providing humanitarian aid to Palestine and criticized the Biden administration for "interfering" with Israel's handling of the war.

Libya

In 2011, Harris voted to end the U.S. military presence in Libya and to limit the use of funds supporting

operations in Libya.

Myanmar

In 2021, Harris was one of 14 Republican representatives to vote against a measure condemning the

Myanmar coup d'état Myanmar coup d'état may refer to the: * 1962 Burmese coup d'état * 1988 Burmese coup d'état * 2021 Myanmar coup d'état A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when Elections in Myanmar, democratically elected me ...

Syria

In 2013, Harris said he opposed the

American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war {{Infobox military conflict , width = 440px , conflict = US intervention in the Syrian civil war , partof = Operation Inherent Resolve, the war against the Islamic State, and the foreign involvement in the S ...

. In 2014, after the Obama administration carried out over 150

airstrikes An airstrike, air strike, or air raid is an offensive operation carried out by aircraft. Air strikes are delivered from aircraft such as blimps, balloons, fighter aircraft, attack aircraft, bombers, attack helicopters, and drones. The official d ...

on the

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

in Syria, he called for a new authorization vote on the U.S.-led intervention. In April 2017, Harris said he supported the Trump administration's decision to launch airstrikes against the Syrian airfield believed to be responsible for the

Khan Shaykhun chemical attack The Khan Shaykhun chemical attack took place on 4 April 2017 on the town of Khan Shaykhun in the Idlib Governorate of Syria. The town was reported to have been struck by an airstrike by government forces followed by massive civilian chemica ...

. He also supported the April 2018 missile strikes against Syria following the

Douma chemical attack On 7 April 2018, a chemical warfare attack was launched in the city of Douma, Syria by the military of the Ba'athist regime led by Bashar al-Assad. Medics and witnesses reported that it caused the deaths of between 40 and 50 people and inju ...

. In 2019, Harris raised concerns over President Trump's withdrawal of troops from the Turkey-Syria border, but ultimately voted against condemning the withdrawal. In 2023, he was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President

to remove U.S. troops from

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

within 180 days.

Turkey

In 2019, Harris was one of 16 House members to vote against imposing sanctions against Turkey for its 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, invasion of northern Syria, and one of 11 House members to vote against Armenian genocide recognition, recognizing the Armenian genocide.

Ukraine

Harris is supportive of congressional efforts to provide Ukraine with various forms of aid amid the Russo-Ukrainian War, Russo–Ukrainian War. In April 2022, he co-signed a letter to President

urging him to extend temporary protected status to Ukrainian refugees who sought to enter the United States. During a town hall meeting in August 2023, Harris suggested that the U.S. should begin winding down on aid to Ukraine and negotiating for the end of the war, pointing to the national deficit and the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive, which he deemed to be a failure.

Roy Moore

During the primary race of the United States Senate special election in Alabama, 2017, 2017 special election to fill the Senate seat formerly held by Jeff Sessions, Harris endorsed Roy Moore in his primary campaign against the incumbent, Luther Strange. Following the news of Roy Moore sexual misconduct allegations, sexual misconduct allegations against Moore, Harris said Moore should withdraw from the race if the allegations were true.

Electoral history

Personal life

Harris was married for 30 years to Sylvia "Cookie" Harris, who died of a heart attack on August 28, 2014. They had five children. In July 2017, he married Nicole Beus, a Baltimore County political and marketing consultant who serves as the chair of the Maryland Republican Party. Harris lives in Cambridge, Maryland, Cambridge on the Eastern Shore, having previously lived in Cockeysville, Maryland, Cockeysville, a suburb of Baltimore. He considered himself a "citizen-legislator," having maintained his medical practice while in the State Senate. Harris has been an active member in the community as a member of the Knights of Columbus, an officer in the Thornleigh Neighborhood Improvement Association (vice president, 1984–85; president, 1985–86), a member of the Board of Directors of the Sherwood Community Association (1987–91), and vice president of St. Joseph's School Home-School Association from 1992 to 1994. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Leadership Council (1995–98), as a member of the North Central Republican Club (treasurer, 1997–98; vice president, 1998), and as a delegate to the 2004 Republican National Convention (2004), Republican Party National Convention. Harris received the Dr. Henry P. and M. Page Laughlin Distinguished Public Officer Award from the MedChi, Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland in 2001.

2021 gun incident

On January 21, 2021, Harris tried to enter the House floor with a gun, setting off a metal detector. This was in violation of new security measures adopted after the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, storming of the U.S. Capitol. Harris was not allowed to enter and returned 10 minutes later without a gun, at which point he was allowed entry. United States Capitol Police, U.S. Capitol Police began an investigation into the incident.

Ivermectin prescriptions

In October 2021, Harris said on a radio show he prescribed ivermectin to constituents for treatment of

. Ivermectin is used to treat parasites in livestock and river blindness in humans. It is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, FDA for treatment of COVID-19. During a discussion of vaccine mandates by the

in November 2021, Harris said that a complaint was filed against him with a physicians board for prescribing ivermectin.

References

External links

Congressman Andy Harris
official U.S. House website
Andy Harris for Congress
* * , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Andrew P 1957 births Living people American anesthesiologists United States Navy personnel of the Gulf War American Roman Catholics American nationalists American people of Hungarian descent American politicians of Polish descent Catholic politicians from Maryland Johns Hopkins Hospital physicians Johns Hopkins University alumni Johns Hopkins University faculty Republican Party Maryland state senators Military personnel from Maryland Military personnel from New York (state) People from Dorchester County, Maryland Politicians from Queens, New York Regis High School (New York City) alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland United States Navy Medical Corps officers United States Navy reservists American Catholics Physicians from Maryland 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Maryland General Assembly