Larry Bucshon

Larry Dean Bucshon ( ; born May 31, 1962) is an American politician and physician who was the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2025. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life, education, and early career Bucshon was born in Taylorville, Illinois on May 31, 1962, and raised in Kincaid, Illinois. His father, Ronald, was a coal miner, Navy serviceman, and lifelong Democrat; his mother, Barbara, was a nurse.

Education Bucshon graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and got his medical degree from the University of Illinois Medical School at Chicago. After medical school, he completed a residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he served as chief resident in surgery and remained there to complete a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery. He also received training at the Milwaukee Veterans Affairs Hospital.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2010

Bucshon faced Democratic nominee State Representative Trent Van Haaften in the race to fill the seat vacated by Brad Ellsworth, who was running for Senate. During the campaign, he was endorsed by several conservative interest groups and elected officials, including the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Congressional Action Committee, United States Chamber of Commerce, National Right to Life Committee, Indiana Right to Life, Indiana Manufacturers Association, Campaign for Working Families, House Minority Leader John Boehner, U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. Bucshon received significant campaign contributions from medical groups.

Bucshon defeated van Haaften by 21 points, winning all 18 counties in the district.

2012 Bucshon defeated Kristi Risk again in the Republican primary. Bucshon had defeated Risk in the 2010 primary, 16,262 votes to 14,273.

In the general election, Bucshon defeated former state representative Dave Crooks.

2014 The conservative Club for Growth announced that it would target Bucshon for defeat in the 2014 Republican primary, but he was reelected.

Bucshon is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership.

Tenure and political positions

Taxes and spending

Bucshon voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. After voting, he said there would be "dramatic" economic growth that would "fully cover the amount of revenue decreases" from tax cuts. Bucshon claimed that people would file their taxes on a postcard.

Bucshon supports lower corporate and individual taxes. He has called for freezing spending at 2008 levels, extending the Bush tax cuts for all income brackets, and reviewing all government programs for places to reduce spending. Bucshon supports simplifying the personal and corporate tax codes.

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

Health care Bucshon supports the repeal of the Affordable Health Care for America Act. He supports reforms that expand and reform high-risk pools and federal reinsurance programs and lower costs.

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

Social Security Bucshon supports a comprehensive strategy to ensure the long-term sustainability of Social Security for current and future beneficiaries. He supports the Keystone XL pipeline project.

Transportation On November 2, 2011, the Evansville Courier & Press reported that Bucshon planned to introduce an amendment to the transportation funding bill that would allow governors to reallocate federal transportation funding from designated programs to projects they designate as emergencies.

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

Climate change During a September 17, 2014, hearing of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Bucshon was questioning John Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. When Holdren encouraged Bucshon to read the scientific literature on global warming, Bucshon replied, "Of all the climatologists whose careers depend on the climate changing to keep themselves publishing articles -- yes, I could read that, but I don't believe it."

Israel Bucshon voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

Committee assignments For the 118th Congress: Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee on Health Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce

Caucus memberships Congressional Constitution Caucus Republican Study Committee Republican Governance Group Republican Main Street Partnership Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans

Personal life Bucshon met his wife Kathryn, a practicing anesthesiologist in Evansville, during his medical residency. They now live in Newburgh with their four children. He is a member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Evansville.

Electoral history