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Bucshon specialized in cardiothoracic surgery and has performed hundreds of heart surgeries. From 1995 to 1998, he was in private medical practice in Wichita, Kansas.[2] Bucshon joined Ohio Valley HeartCare in 1998, where he served as the group's president. He was named St. Mary's Medical Staff Physician of the Year in 2007. He also served as Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Medical Director of the open heart recovery intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital.[3]
Bucshon defeated van Haaften by 21 points, winning all 18 counties in the district.[7]
2012
Bucshon defeated Kristi Risk again in the Republican primary.[8] Bucshon had defeated Risk in the 2010 primary, 16,262 votes to 14,273.[9]
In the general election, Bucshon defeated former state representative Dave Crooks.[10]
2014
The conservative Club for Growth announced that it would target Bucshon for defeat in the 2014 Republican primary,[11] but he was reelected.[citation needed]
Bucshon voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[13] 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.[14]
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.[2] He has said that Republicans need to "first admit we were partially to blame for the increased government spending over the past decade."[2][15] Bucshon supports simplifying the personal and corporate tax codes.[16]
In 2010, Bucshon signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any global warming legislation that would raise taxes.[17]
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.[2] Bucshon wants to increase transparency in medical care costs.[15] He has called for cuts in health care programs.[18][19]
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.[19]
Abortion
Bucshon opposes abortion. During his time in Congress, he has supported bills that seek to establish a legal framework for challenging Roe v. Wade. He has said he believes that abortion should be legal in cases where the mother's life may be in danger. Bucshon co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act, which declares that life begins at the moment of conception and is entitled to legal protection from that point forward.[19]
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.[23]
Federal grants
On July 10, 2014, Bucshon introduced the Research and Development Efficiency Act (H.R. 5056), 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.[24][25] 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."[26]
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."[27]
Cannabis
Bucshon has a "D" rating from NORML for his voting history on cannabis-related causes. He opposes veterans having access to medical marijuana if recommended by their Veterans Health Administration doctor and if it is legal for medicinal purposes in their state of residence.[28]
Bucshon met his wife Kathryn, a practicing anesthesiologist in Evansville, during his medical residency.[36] They now live in Newburgh[37] with their four children. He is a member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Evansville.[38]
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