VoterLens
D’Youville College (now D’Youville University)—B.S. in Occupational Therapy; M.S. in Occupational Therapy
Data last updated 10/27/2026
Timothy M. Kennedy is a lifelong Western New Yorker who grew up in Buffalo and worked for 11 years as a licensed occupational therapist with geriatric and pediatric populations. He served in the Erie County Legislature from 2004 to 2010 and in the New York State Senate from 2011 to 2024 before being elected to the U.S. House in a special election on April 30, 2024.
Committee Assignments: House Homeland Security Committee · Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology · Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security · House Veterans' Affairs Committee
Timothy M. Kennedy frames affordable healthcare as a fundamental right and emphasizes protecting and expanding the Affordable Care Act, lowering prescription drug costs through Medicare negotiation, improving mental health services, supporting preventive care, and expanding access for veterans, seniors, caregivers, and people with disabilities. His healthcare record includes sponsoring occupational-therapy mental-health legislation and veterans’ healthcare legislation, while co-sponsoring bills on patient protection, caregiving access, and brain-health research.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Kennedy proposed legislation categorized under Health to advance occupational therapy’s role in mental health care and parity.
SourceKennedy proposed legislation addressing veterans’ healthcare access and equity.
SourceKennedy co-sponsored health legislation titled the Patients First Act of 2026.
SourceKennedy co-sponsored health legislation concerning essential caregivers and care access.
SourceKennedy states that he supports protecting and expanding the Affordable Care Act, preserving Medicare’s ability to negotiate prescription drug prices, improving mental health services, and prioritizing chronic disease prevention.
SourceTimothy M. Kennedy emphasizes a middle-class, Western New York-focused economic agenda: job growth through infrastructure, manufacturing, small-business support, affordable housing, and smoother U.S.-Canada trade and travel. He also supports reducing household costs through middle-class tax relief, expanded child tax credits, affordable child care, and preserving Social Security.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Kennedy says he supports rebuilding transportation infrastructure, investing in manufacturing, expanding affordable housing supply, helping small businesses, and lowering costs for lower- and middle-class families through tax relief and expanded family supports.
SourceKennedy has warned that escalating tariffs and a trade war with Canada could harm Western New York manufacturing jobs and increase the cost of living.
SourceKennedy proposed tax relief legislation for disaster victims, connecting tax policy to household financial recovery after disasters.
SourceKennedy proposed legislation related to loan equity for advanced professionals, a workforce and education-finance issue tied to career access and economic mobility.
SourceKennedy co-sponsored a bill to provide tax relief for AmeriCorps educational awards, supporting service members' education benefits and economic opportunity.
SourceTimothy M. Kennedy’s immigration record emphasizes border-process modernization and transparency, oversight of ICE/DHS detention and release practices, and protections or relief for immigrant populations such as TPS holders. He has sponsored several immigration-related bills focused on ports of entry, NEXUS processing, and DHS custody notifications, while also co-sponsoring temporary protected status legislation for Yemen.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Kennedy proposed legislation categorized as immigration policy to address security and operations at U.S. ports of entry.
SourceKennedy proposed technical corrections to immigration law under the McCarran-Walter framework.
SourceKennedy proposed requiring Customs and Border Protection to link family members’ applications during the NEXUS application process.
SourceKennedy proposed requiring DHS agencies such as ICE and CBP to notify a designated family member or attorney when an individual is about to be released from federal custody.
SourceKennedy co-sponsored legislation related to temporary protected status for Yemen.
SourceTimothy M. Kennedy supports climate action centered on cutting carbon emissions, green infrastructure, clean energy jobs, brownfield revitalization, clean drinking water, and protection of the Great Lakes. His record includes sponsoring water-infrastructure and climate-resilience legislation and co-sponsoring environmental-protection legislation related to the Endangered Species Act.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Kennedy proposed legislation to reauthorize federal stormwater infrastructure grants and create a Great Lakes Center of Excellence to strengthen water infrastructure and protect Great Lakes communities.
SourceKennedy proposed legislation focused on weatherizing infrastructure, aligning with climate-resilience and extreme-weather preparedness priorities for northern communities.
SourceKennedy proposed legislation addressing severe winter weather emergency management, a climate-resilience issue for Western New York communities affected by extreme storms.
SourceKennedy co-sponsored legislation to nullify a rule rescinding the definition of "harm" under the Endangered Species Act, supporting stronger wildlife and habitat protections.
SourceKennedy says he supports policies that cut carbon emissions, invest in sustainability and green infrastructure, strengthen the green-energy economy, redevelop brownfields, ensure clean drinking water, and protect the Great Lakes.
SourceTimothy M. Kennedy generally supports expanded access to quality public education, vocational training, lower higher-education costs, and support for teachers and faculty. His education-related record includes sponsoring legislation tied to student-loan equity for advanced professionals and co-sponsoring measures on STEM pathways and AmeriCorps education-award tax relief.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Kennedy proposed legislation categorized under education that addresses loan equity for advanced professionals, aligning with his stated goal of lowering the financial burden of higher education.
SourceKennedy co-sponsored legislation to support accounting-related STEM education pathways.
SourceKennedy co-sponsored legislation connected to tax relief for Segal AmeriCorps educational awards, supporting reduced financial burdens for service participants using education benefits.
SourceKennedy states that every child deserves high-quality education and says he will work to make K-12 education more accessible, invest in vocational programs, lower higher-education costs, and support teachers and faculty.
SourceTimothy M. Kennedy emphasizes public safety through gun violence prevention, emergency preparedness, homeland security, and protections for transportation workers and passengers. His record includes sponsoring bills to restrict enhanced body armor possession, improve emergency warning systems, strengthen winter-weather and terrorism readiness, and increase safety standards for rail and air travel.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Kennedy proposed legislation to restrict civilian possession of enhanced body armor, framed as a response to the 2022 racist mass shooting at Buffalo's Tops supermarket.
SourceKennedy proposed legislation focused on emergency readiness for northern communities facing severe winter weather and terrorism-related threats.
SourceKennedy proposed legislation requiring FEMA to administer the Next Generation Warning System grant program and disburse obligated funds, supporting emergency alert and public warning capacity.
SourceKennedy proposed legislation to improve safety standards for remote-control locomotive operations, addressing transportation-related public safety risks.
SourceKennedy supports stronger gun-safety policies, including tighter controls on access to guns and gun paraphernalia such as body armor, holding gun manufacturers accountable, strengthening gun regulations, and addressing social networks' role in gun violence.
SourceBallotpedia
https://ballotpedia.org/New_York%27s_26th_Congressional_District_election,_2026Fetched: biography
U.S. Congressman Timothy M. Kennedy
https://kennedy.house.gov/about/Fetched: biography, education, professional background, committee assignments
U.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives
https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/K/KENNEDY,-Timothy-M--(K000402)/Fetched: biography, age, location, education, professional background
FEC API
https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/candidate/H4NY26078/totals/Fetched: totalRaised, totalSpent, cashOnHand
OpenWatchdog
https://www.openwatchdog.com/member/K000402Fetched: partyAlignment, missedVotes, keyVotes
OpenSecrets
https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/timothy-m-kennedy/summary?cid=N00054366&cycle=2026Fetched: campaignFinance
Blue Voter Guide
https://bluevoterguide.org/district/NY/New_York_District_26/51789/830Fetched: endorsements
U.S. Congressman Timothy M. Kennedy - Healthcare
https://kennedy.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=74Fetched: issuePositions
U.S. Congressman Timothy M. Kennedy - Healthcare News
https://kennedy.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?IssueID=74Fetched: issuePositions
U.S. Congressman Timothy M. Kennedy — Jobs and Economic Development
https://kennedy.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=14891Fetched: issuePositions
U.S. Congressman Timothy M. Kennedy — Homepage/Featured News
https://kennedy.house.gov/Fetched: issuePositions
BallotReady — Timothy M. Kennedy profile
https://www.ballotready.org/people/timothy-m-kennedy-0c23cec7-667c-4963-a9b2-4b650433d961Fetched: issuePositions
Buffalo Toronto Public Media
https://www.btpm.org/local/2026-06-09/kennedy-bill-requires-advance-notice-of-release-from-federal-custodyFetched: issuePositions
U.S. Congressman Timothy M. Kennedy - Climate and Environment
https://kennedy.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=10177Fetched: issuePositions
U.S. Congressman Timothy M. Kennedy - Climate and Environment News
https://kennedy.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?IssueID=10177Fetched: issuePositions
League of Conservation Voters - Tim Kennedy
https://www.lcv.org/bio/tim-kennedy/Fetched: issuePositions
New York League of Conservation Voters - Tim Kennedy
https://www.nylcv.org/candidate/timkennedy/Fetched: issuePositions
U.S. Congressman Timothy M. Kennedy - Education
https://kennedy.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=73Fetched: issuePositions
U.S. Congressman Timothy M. Kennedy - Gun Violence Prevention
https://kennedy.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=15077Fetched: issuePositions
U.S. Congressman Timothy M. Kennedy - Biography
https://kennedy.house.gov/about/Fetched: issuePositions
Kennedy for U.S. Congress - Meet Tim
https://kennedyforuscongress.com/meet-tim/Fetched: issuePositions