John Yarmuth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Yarmuth
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| Chair of the House Budget Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Steve Womack |
| Succeeded by | Jodey Arrington |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 3rd district |
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| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Anne Northup |
| Succeeded by | Morgan McGarvey |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Allan Yarmuth
November 4, 1947 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (since 1985) |
| Other political affiliations |
Republican (until 1985) |
| Spouse |
Catherine Creedon
(m. 1981) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Yale University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
John Allan Yarmuth (born November 4, 1947) is a retired American politician and newspaper editor. From 2007 to 2023, he served as a U.S. representative for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district, which includes most of the city of Louisville.
As a member of the Democratic Party, Yarmuth was the only Democrat representing Kentucky in the U.S. Congress from 2013 until he retired. He was also the chairman of the powerful House Budget Committee, which is in charge of the U.S. government's spending plan. In 2021, he announced he would not run for re-election the next year.
Contents
Early Life and Education
John Yarmuth was born in Louisville, Kentucky. His family members were Jewish immigrants who came to the United States from Russia and Austria. He went to Atherton High School in Louisville and later studied American studies at Yale University.
Career Before Congress
After college, Yarmuth worked as an aide for Republican U.S. Senator Marlow Cook from 1971 to 1974. He then returned to Louisville and started a magazine called Louisville Today. Later, he worked for the University of Louisville.
Yarmuth used to be a member of the Republican Party. However, he changed parties in the 1980s during Ronald Reagan's presidency. He said he disagreed with the party's growing connection to certain religious groups.
In 1990, Yarmuth started a weekly newspaper called the Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO). He wrote a political column for the paper that shared his liberal views. He sold the newspaper in 2003 but continued writing his column until he decided to run for Congress in 2006.
U.S. House of Representatives
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Yarmuth took office as a U.S. Representative on January 3, 2007. He represented the people of his district in Washington, D.C., for 16 years.
Elections
In 2006, Yarmuth ran for Congress for the first time. He won the Democratic primary election and then faced the current representative, Republican Anne Northup, in the general election. The race was very close, but Yarmuth won with 51% of the vote.
After his first win, Yarmuth was re-elected seven more times, usually by a large margin. He defeated Northup again in 2008. He served a total of eight terms in the House of Representatives before retiring in 2023.
Time in Office
During his first year in Congress, Yarmuth donated his salary of over $120,000 to charities in Louisville.
Yarmuth was a member of the Ways and Means Committee, an important group that works on laws about taxes, Social Security, and healthcare programs like Medicare.
He supported the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a major law passed in 2010 to change the healthcare system. He also supported the idea of "Medicare for All," which would create a government-run healthcare system for every American.
Yarmuth often worked on laws to make elections fairer. He introduced bills to create a public system for funding congressional campaigns. This was meant to reduce the influence of money from large companies and wealthy donors in politics.
In 2019, Yarmuth voted in favor of both articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. He was the only representative from Kentucky to do so.
As chairman of the House Budget Committee, Yarmuth played a key role in creating the country's budget. In 2021, he introduced the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. This was a major law signed by President Joe Biden to help the U.S. economy recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Committee and Caucus Work
A committee is a small group of representatives who focus on specific topics, like the budget or education. A caucus is a group of members of Congress who join together to support a shared interest or goal.
Key Committee Assignments
- Committee on the Budget (Chairman from 2019-2023)
- Committee on Education and Labor
Caucus Memberships
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- Climate Solutions Caucus
- Medicare for All Caucus
- Congressional Arts Caucus
Television Appearances
Before he was elected to Congress, Yarmuth co-hosted a local TV debate show in Louisville called Yarmuth & Ziegler. He presented the liberal viewpoint, while his co-host argued for the conservative side.
In 2007, Yarmuth appeared on the TV show The Colbert Report in a segment called "Better Know a District". The host, Stephen Colbert, joked with Yarmuth and called him a real-life Bruce Wayne (Batman's secret identity).
Personal Life
Yarmuth is married to Cathy Yarmuth, and they have one son, Aaron. He was the first Jewish person to be elected to Congress from Kentucky.
His son, Aaron, owned the Louisville Eccentric Observer (the newspaper his father started) for several years before it was sold to a media group in 2021.
See also
- List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
