Andy Biggs


Andrew Steven Biggs is an American politician and Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing. The district includes most of the East Valley, covering most of Mesa and Chandler and all of Queen Creek and Biggs's hometown of Gilbert.
Previously, he was a member of the Arizona Senate representing the 12th District from 2011 to 2017 and a member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing the 22nd District from 2003 to 2011. He was President of the Arizona Senate from 2013 to 2017.

Education

Biggs earned his B.A. in Asian studies from Brigham Young University, his M.A. in political science from Arizona State University, and his J.D. from the University of Arizona.

U.S. House of Representatives

Tenure

Biggs voted in support of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. After the vote, Biggs said that the bill would "provide much-needed economic relief" to Americans and businesses, claiming "families will be able to save more money to send their children to college. We are already seeing the positive economic impact based on the promise of tax reform. When this bill is signed into law, we will see an even more robust economy."
Biggs is a member of the Freedom Caucus and the Congressional Western Caucus. In 2019, Biggs was elected as the next leader of the Freedom Caucus, to succeed Mark Meadows in October.
On March 4, 2020, Colorado Republican Ken Buck joined Biggs as the only two Representatives to vote against an $8.3 billion emergency aid package meant to help the United States respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, Biggs said that the "larded-up bill" was "bloated". Biggs said he opposed the bill because it provided benefits to domestic partners, and argued that it "redefined the family.

Committee assignments

In 2016, Biggs ran for the United States Congress in the 5th District to replace retiring congressman and fellow Republican Matt Salmon. Biggs defeated Christine Jones by 27 votes, triggering an automatic recount, to become the Republican candidate.
He defeated Democrat Talia Fuentes in November, 64.1% to 35.9%. He was not required to give up his state senate seat under Arizona's resign-to-run laws, since he was in the last year of what would have been his final term in the chamber.
Biggs's primary victory virtually assured him of being the next congressman from this heavily Republican district; the 5th and its predecessors have been in Republican hands for all but one term since 1953.

State Senate

Abortion

Biggs opposes abortion of any kind, including those involving rape, incest or risk to the mother. He supports overturning Roe vs. Wade. He has argued in favor of changing Senate rules to make it easier for the "GOP pro-life agenda." He has attended an anti-abortion conference hosted by the pro-life group, Susan B. Anthony List.
He has received mixed ratings from special interest groups focused on abortion. In 2017, he received a 30% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America. He also has a 29% lifetime rating from Planned Parenthood, which supports legal access to abortion, as well as an 87% from National Right to Life Committee and a 100% from Campaign for Working Families which both oppose legal abortion.

Anthropogenic global warming

In comments at an April 2017 constituent town hall, as he was frequently interrupted with boos, Biggs rejected scientific consensus on climate change, asserting in a halting answer that, "There are
credible scientists who say it exists; we aren't sure why," at the same time he contended, "there are credible scientists who say it doesn't." Replying to a candidate survey from The Arizona Republic, Biggs wrote "I do not believe climate change is occurring. I do not think that humans have a significant impact on climate. The federal government should stop regulating and stomping on our economy and freedoms in the name of a discredited theory." Biggs submitted an amendment to the 2018 spending bill which would defund the National Climate Assessment. He urged president Trump to withdraw from the Paris Accords. In February 2020, when House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California attempted to make a modest effort to gather the support of concerned young voters via a restrained approach to address climate change, Biggs and other hard line denialists objected, Biggs, chairing the House Freedom Caucus said, "There are some that want to go that route, and some who don't... A number of people brought issues to me." "People are like, 'Is this an official rollout? It can't be official. We didn't vote on it'." Conservative, Koch-funded groups such as the Club for Growth and the Competitive Enterprise Institute, vigorously opposed any appeasement, and there are Republican party factions determined to continue climate disruption denialism. In 2018, Biggs was the sole House member to receive a 100% rating from the CFG.

Healthcare

In 2018, Biggs sponsored a bill "designed to let very sick patients request access to experimental medicines without government oversight", which passed in the House by a vote of 267–149. Biggs stated the bill is "not false hope; It is hope." On March 4, 2020, Biggs was one of only two Representatives to vote against an emergency bill to fund a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

LGBT rights

Biggs is a former policy advisor to United Families International, a nonprofit that opposes same-sex marriage.

Net neutrality

Biggs has gone on record as opposing net neutrality, and favors FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's plan to do away with governmental protections of the utility. In a letter sent to his constituents in reply to those favoring the continuation of Net Neutrality guidelines, Biggs has said that "the repeal of net neutrality also maintains consumer and anti-competitiveness protections enforced by the FCC and the Federal Trade Commission," and that he " not believe that adding an extra layer of regulations will help to protect consumers. Instead, we should allow the free market to expand the internet and its services." Biggs has accepted campaign donations in the past in the amount of $19,500 from the same members of the Telecom industry that stand to profit from the elimination of Net Neutrality guidelines.

Robert Mueller resignation demand

On June 23, 2017, Representative Biggs was one of three Republicans who called for the resignation of Robert Mueller, the prosecutor investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, on the grounds that Mueller can not conduct his investigation fairly because of events that happened when he had been the acting director of the FBI. On March 19, 2018, Biggs renewed his call for Robert Mueller to resign. On July 25, 2018, Biggs was among nine other Republican co-sponsors for a resolution to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Mueller's direct supervisor following the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. On April 8, 2019, an op-ed written by Biggs was published by The Arizona Republic on the topic of the initial findings of the Mueller investigation. In it, Biggs refers to the Mueller investigation as "an illegitimate attack on the executive branch," and the findings "demonstrate the weakness of the initial premise to investigate Trump, his family and campaign staff." He blamed the investigation on "he media that fueled this bogus attempt to overthrow the will of the American voter." Biggs's op-ed was published well ahead of the release of Mueller's entire report on April 18, 2019, and was most likely written after viewing a four-page summary of the report generated by Attorney General William Barr and released on March 24, 2019. Following the publication of the full report on April 18, Biggs posted a video on Twitter declaring that there was "no basis for an obstruction charge" to be brought against President Donald Trump, and chastising the Democratic party for attempting to "undermine the POTUS."

9/11 Victims Compensation Fund

In 2019, Andy Biggs was one of eleven Republicans in the House of Representatives to oppose funding for the September 11 Victims Compensation Fund bill H.R. 1327. On July 12, 2019, the measure passed the House by a vote of 402–12.

Texting while driving

Biggs used his powers as transportation chair and President of the Arizona State Senate in 2017 to block a bill banning driving while texting for holders of a learning permit.

Personal life

Biggs is married to Cindy Biggs. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In 1992, Biggs won $10 million in the American Family Publishers sweepstakes. He subsequently appeared in a TV ad with Dick Clark and Ed McMahon to promote the sweepstakes.