Governor Andy Beshear
Appearances
NPR News Now
NPR News: 05-18-2025 7AM EDT
Governor Andy Beshear says he has spoken with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and officials with FEMA and that they have vowed to help. He's also made an official request for a federal disaster declaration. Beshear, a Democrat who has often butted heads with the Trump administration, says politics have no place in natural disasters like this one.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 05-18-2025 7AM EDT
FEMA officials are already on the ground helping with flooding disasters. This is the third major natural disaster to hit Kentucky this year. For NPR News, I'm Stan Engold in Richmond, Kentucky.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
We don't end up having that specific conversation because even with all the laws the legislature's passed, union membership has gone up in Kentucky each of the last three years. They're booming, especially in the construction, in the building trades, and they're building all these facilities, getting them done on time and on budget.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
What we end up talking about the most is both getting their facility constructed on time, but then also workforce. While other states looked down on manufacturing for a long time, we never did. We believe in work. We believe that we need to make in the United States what the United States needs. And so we were reshoring manufacturing before the second Trump administration.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And the ironic thing is it has slowed down the pace of reshoring. That these tariffs that are supposed to encourage companies to build in the United States, those companies were already planning. on building in the United States. They'd done too much with China. They were trying to hedge in the United States. Our growth was bigger than just about any other country.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
But it takes three to five years and the tariffs will hit them right now. And even when they build their facility, they will need to import certain materials or parts for a long time. And so so these tariffs are actually stopping the the aim that the Trump administration claims that it has. And everybody's seeing it. Everybody's seeing pause projects, cancel projects.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And now we're even seeing layoffs. This is the single most damaging economic policy I've seen from a president in my lifetime. And the fascinating thing to me is more than anything I've ever seen in politics, it's attributable to one person and one person alone.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
It does. And making batteries in the United States right now takes foreign direct investment. So this is a joint venture between Ford that has a huge Kentucky presence and SK, which is a South Korean company. Okay.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And so when you look at these tariffs, it not only makes the operations and the cost of operations that much more difficult because we do have to import right now materials, and we're going to have to until we build out this industry, which is going to take time. But what's happening before this tariff policy, but you also are insulting and or attacking the countries where these companies are in.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
I mean, I never thought a president could push Japan and South Korea towards China. That's bad for foreign direct investment. That's bad for global security. I'll give you another example. The biggest Toyota plant in the world is in Kentucky. It's in Georgetown.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
In the world. Yeah. We make the Camry. We also make some Lexuses. Right. But when you push away countries that invest and their companies invest so much in us, it creates some significant concerns. I mean, you look at what's going on in Canada right now, where they rightfully feel attacked by this administration. Sure.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Or it's that guy that has walked with you everywhere you've gone, has tried to protect you, and then you turn on him.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, thankfully, we've got a really good pipeline of projects, and I think our economy will continue to be hot, but we're seeing a slowdown all over the country. In fact, this Derby week, Churchill Downs just canceled a $900 million project, or at least paused it. that would have added hundreds, if not thousands of construction jobs over the next year.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And their president talked about it being because of tariffs, the uncertainty of what things will cost. And as you know, John, it's not just the current tariff policy. It's that it changes every day. It's the uncertainty of it. Right. Or two or three times a day. And what it also suggests is they just don't know what they're doing.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
It permeates. It permeates with that small business owner that was expanding and is now looking at laying people off. Small businesses are the first to hire, the last to fire, because when they fire someone, they know them. They might go to church with them. They'll see them in the grocery store and know the impact on their lives. And so, sadly, people are feeling pain.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
pain in paying their bills, pain in running their company, and so that certainly permeates. But I tell you what I hear about just as much, and it's the potential cuts to Medicaid. Really? What it would do, first of all, for healthcare generally, I mean, Medicaid covers the people we love the most, our parents and our kids. 50% of Kentucky's kids have some Medicaid coverage.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
70% of our long-term care costs are covered by Medicaid and rural healthcare. is supported and cannot exist without Medicaid and at its current level without expanded Medicaid. So imagine if you live in rural America and they do these cuts, your hospital system, which is your number two employer behind the public school shuts down. All those jobs are lost. It hits your economy.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
But then you, whether you have private insurance or Medicaid, have to drive an hour or two for your appointment, for your parents' appointments, for your kids' appointments to see the same doctor who lost their job in your town in a bigger city.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, on the tariff side, we're seeing it right now. UPS just announced 20,000 layoffs, which is startling. What? Yes. Our bourbon industry has been hit. We've seen a bottling plant shut down.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, the last thing anyone should ever be deprived of is Kentucky bourbon. Sure. Because 95% of the world's bourbon is made here. The other 5% is counterfeit. And the whole world should be able to enjoy because with all this craziness going around. Sure. It can be helpful. But, you know, that does show how hurt Canada is, how it's not just these tariffs. It's the talk of the 51st state.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And, John, by the way, they'd have the most electoral votes out of any state if that happened.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
But so hurt that they're pushing back.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
It's gonna be a challenge. We have about a $17 billion annual budget. I've got about 30,000 employees that do important work from repairing our roads to doing different claims for healthcare, to ensuring our communities are safe. Government performs a lot of important functions. The federal government is doing a couple things right now that make it that much harder.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
First, they're trying to cancel programs and cancel programs that are enshrined in law that have had Congress appropriate to it, and that we have a contract with them. And we've probably already expended the funds.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
It can be from Doge. It can also come down from the cabinets themselves. We saw that with a lot of the FEMA funding that they were trying to pause or to cancel. What they call the COVID funding, which is really about stopping a future pandemic. Right. Money for addiction treatment.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And look at the cuts. The other part is not just freezing the money or bringing it back and we're going to court and we're winning on that. So I'm able to bring those dollars back in because I've got a contract. The government gave me their word. They even passed a law and I'm gonna stand up for my people.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
But then the other thing they're doing is that they're firing so many federal employees that the employees that are there don't know how the programs work. Some of our cabinets are on their fifth contact in a hundred days. And so it might be that the group is even trying in the federal government, but they're brand new or they've never done this part.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And that comes down and hurts the American people. Think about that senior on social security in Eastern Kentucky, and they closed the office where they're at. So now on a fixed income, they've got to drive a couple of hours
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
They've announced the closure and hazard and a couple other areas. And you can tell they just looked at a map and that they don't know how long it takes driving in Appalachia to get somewhere. But then they shut down the call center.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
So what they are trying to make happen is that senior, who in my state probably voted for Donald Trump, drives two hours and then doesn't have the documents that he or she needs. and thus don't get the next check that they paid into the system and that they should get.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
This is an area where if you are going to speak out against the Trump administration when they do wrong, you've got to give them credit when they're doing right. FEMA, in response to especially our February flooding, is doing some of the best I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot, 14 federally declared disasters since I became governor.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Which is ironic, because again, it's operating well. I think the Biden administration made a lot of these changes, but the current administrator came in, made commitments to us that he kept. Secretary Noem pushed through our request for individual assistance because the president signed off on it. A number of people in Kentucky are getting help.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
So I think it's important, even when you're a Democratic governor, that we have the credibility to say good job when administration does well, But then we stand up and speak out and sometimes file suit when they're doing wrong.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, we're making a lot of progress that I want to discuss, but let me start by saying Eastern Kentuckians and Appalachians helped build this country. They mined the coal that powered the industrial revolution. They powered us through two world wars. Yet when the energy economy started to change, The new jobs didn't go where the old jobs were.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
The idea of environmental justice came along a lot earlier than economic justice. And so you have an area that rightfully feels that the country that they helped build has turned its back on them and not invested what's needed. And the biggest challenge is infrastructure. You're in the mountains because that's where the coal was.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, to build an extra lane on a road many places may cost a couple million dollars. It costs a billion dollars if you're cutting into the side of a mountain. So take our mountain parkway project, which I believe is transformational. We're building the first four-lane highway into the heart of Appalachia.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
In Kentucky history, four lanes are important because a factory won't locate unless there are four lanes because they've got to be able to bring the trucks in and out.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And the water and sewer, but we've been using these federal dollars and other investments really targeted to move the needle in exciting ways. And now is the right time because for the first time I can remember, business is coming to people instead of expecting people to drive a couple hours to business.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Yeah, they're looking at the available workforce. So this is an exciting time where we can really change things. At the same time, we're building what are called high ground communities. We're taking people who live in the floodplain who've been hit over and over and over. We're building entire neighborhoods on top of abandoned coal mines.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
It's the toughest, but I think the most innovative rebuild in the history of the United States. But we're going to have thousands of people that will never have to worry about flooding again.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, everybody loves the dirt they're from, the property that their family has owned. But when your house has been swept away and when you've been holding on to your children to keep them from being swept away, we love our families a lot more than we'll ever love any piece of property. So we've got a huge amount of interest and we're addressing affordable housing in the area at the same time.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
But I will say it was outside the box. to try for government to come in.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, what we were able to do is the state ran the project. And we, of course, are the regulators up until the point where we were ready to build the houses. And that's when we bring in nonprofit and other partners. So you can actually get past a lot of the zoning and the regulatory burden if you look at it in that way.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And it's no different than what we do in economic development, where we say, we've got this great piece of land. Let's make sure we got all the utilities that need to go to it. So it's doing the work. And again, it's remembering that the most important things that we do for our people aren't political at all. It's it's it's creating good jobs.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
It's making sure they can get to their next doctor's appointment. It's safe roads and bridges, good education for our kids and public safety.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
So here's where real investment and treating people with dignity comes in. Coal mining was about an $85,000, $95,000 job. They were jobs that people were supporting two or three families with.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
I mean, it's in Kentucky at one point, you know, 100,000 plus jobs if you look at the mining and then the hauling of the coal and the utilities.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Because there's more small business if there's more economic activity that is in the area. So you take an $85,000 or a $95,000 job. The energy economy dries them up. You don't see any real federal or outside investment. And then someone comes in and says, well, I'll teach you to code for $35,000 a year. Right. That's hard. Right. That's hard.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And so as we look at changing economies that continue, to me, it's really important to make sure that Kentucky gets the next part of that economy. So when I was looking at the automotive industry, we have Ford, we have GM, we have Toyota, we have Rivian now, and so many others. I wanted to make sure that we didn't get hit twice. We didn't see the same thing happen.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And so that's why I went out there and made sure we were getting those battery factories so that we never got left behind again.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
What's going on? Are you having... What the heck is... I think you're hearing my dog. Winnie wanted to be a part. What's your dog's name? Winnie. Winnie is six years old and three days, I think. She's my Labradoodle. This is a 65-pound dog that everybody loves.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
I am the vice chair this year and the chair next year when we have 36 races.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Yes. So when you look at 2026, it's not just Congress, which everybody is rightfully focused on. It's how many Democratic governors we'll have out there. If we pick up Virginia this year, we'll be at 24. and then an opportunity to get either halfway or the majority in 2026. And what we see is that states that have Democratic governors, they govern well. Their people see jobs.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
We see the expansion of health care. And so for me to try to lift up even more leaders is good in 2026. I also think it'll be really good for 2028.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, our job is to get things done. And so what you find is we are practical. We also have to talk to our people every day, not once a week or once a month, which is what you see out of Congress that's up in DC. And we don't talk in terms of what is 0.3 bullet four underneath a clause of a bill that nobody has seen. That's really important for Congress.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
But we talk in terms of what's going on in our state, what's next, and how we can build that better life. And such great leaders that are out there. Everybody you mentioned, you look at Josh Stein and Roy Cooper before him. You look at Jared Polis. You look at Josh Green, Bob Ferguson, now coming in in Washington. Katie Hobbs in Arizona. Just Mara Healy in Massachusetts.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
I think it's three things that we as Democratic leaders ought to be doing. Number one, focus. focus on those core areas, spend 80% of your time, not just in what you're talking about, but what you're doing, focused on jobs, healthcare, infrastructure, education, and public safety. Second, talk like a normal human being. I mean, we've got all these sanitized words. John, unfortunately, my state,
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Has gotten hit with the opioid crisis more than just about any other, though we have two straight years of decreasing overdose deaths, thank God. Decreasing? Yes. Oh. Yes, and we hope it's a national trend, and I think I'm going to have some really good news next week that I'm really grateful for.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
A lot of hard work, a lot of great people working in recovery, a lot of great work by law enforcement. Sadly, all of us having lost a lot of people we care about and trying to make sure that it doesn't happen. Changes in prescribing, which has been really important. But let me tell you, everyone I know that has fought addiction has called it addiction. They don't say it's substance use disorder.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Everybody who's, yeah, everybody's experiencing hunger. None of them call it food insecurity, but I'll give you another one. Right. Justice-involved population. Say that again?
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, you get pressure by people who mean well to use them. But when we talk in terms, in those sanitized terms, it has no emotion and no feeling. And that's not how people talk to each other. And so it makes you seem distance, distracted, maybe even professorial.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
I don't think it is, but I think the point that you're making is you'd never hear that amongst your friends. You'd never hear that amongst coworkers. And so if you hear that from someone in office or running for office, how different does it sound? How detached from the world we live in? And that leads me into the last thing I think people need to do, which is explain your why.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Democrats talk about what they're for in minute detail. Every single bit of what they're for, but never why they're for it. So to give you an example, during my election year, I vetoed the nastiest piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation my state had ever seen. It was picking on kids.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
It was an anti-trans piece of legislation directly targeting children that are already picked on way too much. And when I explained my why, I told people that this is my faith that teaches me that all children are children of God. And that if the legislature was going to show hate towards these children, I wanted to show them love.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
I wanted them to see that a governor sees them and cares about them. And I'll never forget the next day I had somebody walk up to me and I thought, oh, no. Stuck out his hand. I shook it. And he said, I'm not sure I agree with what you did, but I know you're doing what you think is right. So when we talk about that, why?
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Sometimes we can get beyond that one hot issue and get more towards, are the people running our state or running for office trying to do what they think is right?
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
There is a super, super majority on the other side. I'm not sure that there's anything really super about it.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
They do. But I wanted those kids to know that I care about them. When I vetoed anti-diversity legislation, I wanted everyone to feel welcome. And there's a power in that, John, about a governor saying – I believe in you. I see you for who you are. And I believe that there's an important place in Kentucky for you. And I get to hear that, but I mainly do it just because it's the right thing.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And sometimes we get away from that. Oftentimes the right thing is the right political thing. But if people see you standing up for your principles, they can respect that even if they sometimes disagree. Quick break, then we're coming back.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, I think the first thing you do is explain your why, which I was able to do. Diversity is always a strength. It makes us better. But then the next day, you're opening that next factory. You're opening the new road that's going to save people 20 minutes each way.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Yes, those pieces of legislation may fly through, but they will never, even as politicized as they are, be as important to the American people as that good job or being able to afford their kid's prescription. And it's just not losing sight of that, that you stand up for your principles, but you recognize that you've got to spend the majority of your time on things.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
The greatest part about that focus is it helps everybody. A good job helps a Democrat, a Republican, an independent. It's truly that common ground. And so when I talk about what I think our road forward is, I'm hoping it's not just Democrats. I'm hoping it's Republicans, too. I don't want to leave a broken country to my kids. I don't want to see this type of division.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And I think that the most important things aren't partisan. And there should be a way in the future for us to come together.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, the Medicaid cuts would be devastating. That's the biggest one. Huge Medicaid cuts will wipe out rural health care across America, and that's not an exaggeration. It will wipe out rural health care.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
We will try, but the numbers are enormous. The numbers that would be required there would tax the rainy day funds of states very, very quickly. Medicaid is a part of our healthcare portfolio, and it's going to need to be a part in the future. Other things that keep me up at night are the doge cuts or the firings that impact our public safety. I think about firings of CIA analysts.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
I lost a classmate in 9-11. What they do is really important. Firings of FBI agents. I worked with them as attorney general to catch child predators, fewer FBI agents. fewer child predators are caught. Or the National Weather Service, which has given us a heads up on the last three major natural disasters. We've deployed people all over the state and made thousands of rescues.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, if we don't have that heads up, we can't help as many of our people. More people die in those disasters. So there are real world impacts that can even be life versus death to what this administration is doing.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
What I'm doing is pushing back. I am in court. My attorney general doesn't want to file these lawsuits. So I'm doing it as governor.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
No, no, but he's not challenging my ability to do it either. I don't want to be too tough because some other AGs might otherwise do it.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
It absolutely does, and it absolutely should. Interesting. What an interesting principle. Yes. I mean, when I was AG, my governor was a Republican who— attacked me just about every day, but it worked out okay. But I also didn't challenge his ability to file, knowing how important it could later be. So I pushed back in court, and then I'm doing everything I can to speak out.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
But it's more than just Democratic officials speaking out. John, I think how we changed the trajectory of what we're seeing right now is getting individual Americans to speak out. Everybody's got the cell phone, Everybody's got the camera and everybody's on one of these social media platforms. It's videoing how much more your groceries cost. It's showing that facility that's shutting down.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, I got to have this amazing experience. I got invited to Selma for the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. And I got to talk to some of those brave foot soldiers that are still here. And it just hit me that there wasn't one person speaking out. It was a collective courage that just changed the world in such an important moment.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
I did. I started the Andy Beshear podcast. I'm trying to take tips from you. We are on YouTube.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
I'm great. Thrilled to be on. It's Derby Week in the Commonwealth, so an exciting time.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, it's just a chance to talk to people directly, but more than that, it actually came from people asking me to do something like what we did during COVID. I mean, there's uncertainty out there. It's a scary world. The news hits you over and over. The level of stress on the American people is as big as it's been since that pandemic.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
So to try to talk through things like you do with humor or that I try to do with a conversation among friends, just trying to help people process, speak out, but then refresh themselves for the week ahead, because we're going to get hit by more.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
We've done an Ask Andy segment. We have guests on.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
That's right. Then we've had Senator Amy Klobuchar on. Senator Coons is coming on. But then we like to introduce people to folks that they haven't met. And in the first two episodes, my kids even teach me Gen Z lingo. Oh, for God's sake. It turns hysterical.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
If someone says your podcast is skippity, you're doing great. If they say it's fire, you're doing amazing. Your kids, how old are your kids? 15 and 14. And they're still talking to you? Sometimes. If I invite them on a podcast. All right.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, I think it shows that there's a path forward. And forward, I think, is the important word. In D.C., they worry about left and right. We worry about forward for all of our people. And I'd like to think that that gives us a path to heal and to ultimately bring people back together after the most divisive time I've ever seen in my lifetime.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
You know, I'd like to think there's some good ones, you know, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts. But I like to think Kentucky is the premier commonwealth.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, I think what the people of Kentucky want is what the people of America want. They want a better life. And if you can convince them that you are working your hardest to create that better life, then they'll give you that opportunity. I won in 2019 by 0.1%. It was a close election against a sitting incumbent.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
But I got to spend the next four years earning the faith and the trust of the people of Kentucky. We had two of the best years of economic development in our history. We brought in more private sector investment. We're building the two biggest battery plants on planet Earth. We created jobs that have some of the highest wages. in our history.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And so while we complicate politics and government a lot, it's supposed to be about creating a better life for all Kentuckians, for all Americans. And I think when people see that, you can break through regardless of your party.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
And what you have to do is get dirt on your boots, meaning you got to get out there and show your work.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
All right. But you've got to show your work so that people can see, feel, and touch it. Like the signing in the Rose Garden is no longer real to people. Right. You know, one job hasn't been created at the time of the signing. And so what we found is when I was running for reelection in 2023, again, we'd had our two best years ever for our economy.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
We were booming, biggest rainy day fund, biggest revenues, upgraded by all the bond rating agencies. But I only started up on my opponent on the economy by about three to five points. And he'd only worked in the private sector one year and actually worked for my law firm during that year.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Yes, and actually did assignments.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
No, and actually did assignments for me. It's a very small world. Yeah. But what we found was that people needed to be reminded. Like we did a focus group and we said, well, what about the battery plants? What about the new paper mill? What about this record number of jobs? And so we got out there to prove it.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
We made sure the message we were sending when we started that campaign was one of more opportunity. You can't take for granted that you pass three or four really good measures for the economy. You've got to show people how it happened. And then I think a challenge for the Biden administration was if you over-regulate
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
The programs you put into place, they take so long to create the jobs or get the internet out there that people don't feel it by the next election.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, the ARPA funds, when they came out, were really flexible. And we put those into hard infrastructure, including expansion of broadband. And it was incredible to see how fast we could do it and how effective it was. So part of the BEAD program, when it was passed, was based on Kentucky. But what we had to do was write about three Encyclopedia Britannicas to the regulators. Right.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
who had never instituted one of these programs, which we had. So instead of sending the money and then auditing what we did, watching what we did, overseeing what we did, we had to plan and double plan and triple plan. And because of that, there's not one inch of fiber from the BEAD program that's out there yet. So we as Democrats, we've gotta be honest with the American people about our failings.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
I think that the BEAD legislation was amazing. and transformational, but we've got to be practical and say our first job is to get things done, and we've got to set up a way of administering a program that does that.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
Well, sometimes you need some legislation, but most of the time it's your effectiveness. When people are looking at locating a huge investment, you gotta have the site, you gotta have the power, you gotta have the water, you gotta have the infrastructure, but then you've gotta be able to convince them and give them comfort.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
that you can get it done. On our major projects, every single cabinet that has a part reports to me every two weeks because my job is to get those built as fast as we can. And we sell speed to market to all these companies that if you come to Kentucky, We'll get you up and running faster than anywhere. So we brought everybody in as a team.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
The environmental permitters sit down with companies ahead of time because these companies want to do right by the environment. And we work together to see how fast we can do it and where the best placement of this or that would be to meet the goals and to protect the environment. Our building inspectors are ready ahead of time and are there. It's just about making things work.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
Kentucky on Track? with Gov. Andy Beshear
and understanding that when we make it easier for people to build that facility, then the jobs come to our people that much faster.