Kansans in the Office Capitol Tour Candice Reinemund of Overland Park MeLinda Rybnick Lair of Shawnee John Michael Lair of Shawnee Tiffany Anderson of Overland Park Dustin Dick of Topeka Angela Dick of Topeka Zachary Buffington of Topeka Friedrich Maisberger III of Topeka Diane Kimsey of Topeka Cherryl Delacruz of Topeka D’Andre Phillips of Lawrence Machelle Van Trump of Ellsworth Gretchen Norris of Olathe Barbara Norris of Olathe Leeanna Burton of Manhattan Brandon Hall of Manhattan National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners Cassandra Newell of Fairway NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association Todd Houseman of Dodge City Craig Freeman of Wilson Shelly Hansel of Harper Kansas AAA Stars of Life Cindy Betts of Wichita   Kansas WIC Providers Laura Drake of Olathe Cassandra Florea of Topeka Clean Fuels Alliance and Kansas Soybean Commission Bob Haselwood of Berryton Dennis Gruenbacher of Andale Dennis Hupe of Perry Nex-Tech Jimmy Todd of Lenora Kansas H-2B Users W. Curby Hughes of Olathe Adrian O’Hara of Lenexa Curtis Stroud of Louisburg Nick Brummell of Blue Springs Chris Morris of Overland Park Nuclear Science Community Daniel Tapia Takaki of Lawrence Amrit Gautam of Lawrence KU Medical Center LEND Students Emily Wheeler of Olathe Bertha Guillen of Olathe Madisen Huscher of Kansas City Jessie Schulte of Shawnee Kansas National Guard Legislative Liaison Keith Marshall of Topeka State Department CBYX Students in Kansas Caroline Honscha of Kansas City Jule Kohorst of Kansas City       Kansas Common Sense November 13, 2023 Honoring Veterans Day Celebrating Veterans Saturday was Veterans Day, an opportunity to honor the brave men and women who served this great nation in our armed forces. I have a deep admiration for the more than 16 million veterans living in the United States and the nearly 200,000 veterans living in Kansas. The care and quality of life of former servicemembers is a top priority of mine. During my time on both the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees, I have worked to bring awareness to and address the unique set of challenges our veterans encounter as they transition from military service to civilian life. Thank you to all the men and women of Kansas and the United States who have served our great nation in the military. Your dedication to and sacrifice for this country will not be forgotten, and I will work to ensure that all veterans receive the care they deserve.

Success After Service
Veterans are extremely valuable assets to our nation during their military service, and they remain just as valuable to our country and their communities after they leave the service. Veterans start businesses at higher rates than non-veterans, and 32 percent of veterans work in public service or charitable organizations, a rate ten percent higher than non-veterans. Our newest generation of veterans, much like prior generations, want to be civically engaged and find new ways to continue to serve.

Serving our veterans well includes finding ways to understand and put to use the skills they developed in the military as leaders and public servants. Not only will this benefit our communities but will also help veterans find purpose and fulfillment that is critical in their post-military success. Veterans Day is a time to recognize veterans for their service to our country and for what they do for our communities after service

You can read my op-ed here in the Wichita Eagle.

Listening to the Needs of Disabled Veterans
This week, I had the honor of meeting with the Disabled American Veterans’ (DAV) new National Commander, Nancy Espinosa. Commander Espinosa is a service-connected disabled veteran of the Army Reserve and National Guard and was recently elected to lead the more than 1 million DAV members nationwide. Commander Espinosa served from 1975 until 1990 and is a member of DAV Chapter 14 in Layton, Utah.

In our conversation, I congratulated her on her election as National Commander and then discussed the importance of the services that DAV provides to the military and veteran communities in Kansas and across the country. I am particularly grateful for DAV’s advocacy for veterans suffering from toxic exposure and their support for the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act, which would expand home and community-based care options for veterans as they age.

 

DHS Secretary Mayorkas’ Argument is an Excuse to do Nothing
On Wednesday I questioned Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on President Biden’s $106 billion supplemental funding request, which includes funding for the southern border. Since President Biden has taken office, we have seen the largest year-to-year increase in migrants crossing the border. This has created a humanitarian and national security crisis. During the hearing, Secretary Mayorkas suggested that we need comprehensive immigration reform. Comprehensive reforms or changes are advantageous, but it has been my experience in my entire time in Congress that we keep waiting for comprehensive reform and as a result we do next to nothing to address the problem. The administration must use this opportunity to seriously work. It is my hope that through this bill Congress can both fund additional, practical border technology and make changes in the laws, particularly related to the claims for asylum that continue to encourage immigrants to come the U.S. so that future illegal immigration can be limited. We need to move ahead on serious and practical reforms we agree on now and not continue to kick the can down the road. It is critical to our national security.

You can watch my questioning to Secretary Mayorkas here.

Safe & Efficient Air Travel This Holiday Season
On Thursday, the Commerce Aviation Subcommittee held a hearing titled, “Addressing Close Calls to Improve Aviation Safety.” Following several recent near-miss incidents across the American aviation ecosystem, the subcommittee convened experts from across the aviation industry to identify safety solutions and ways to prevent serious incidents in the future. We also worked to identify any underlying issues that must be addressed to make certain our airspace system – the most complex in the world – is operating safely and efficiently, especially as we enter the holiday travel season. Last year, the traveling public witnessed multiple events that led to thousands of cancelled flights and delays, and I asked for assurance travelers would not experience that again. Such incidents further highlight the need for Congress to pass a long-term FAA Reauthorization and I will continue to work until we achieve that goal.

You can watch my opening remarks here.

Kansas City Captain Elwin Shopteese VA Clinic
This week, I introduced legislation with Sen. Roger Marshall to name the Kansas City, Kansas, Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic after Captain Elwin Shopteese. This legislation will formally designate the clinic as the “Captain Elwin Shopteese VA Clinic.”

Captain Shopteese was born in Mayetta, Kansas, on July 16, 1921, and immediately enlisted in the Kansas National Guard after graduating high school. His company was involved in the invasion of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. He received a battlefield commission for his leadership while in combat at Omaha Beach and earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his service during World War II. After the war, Shopteese returned to Kansas to attend Haskell University in 1946 before his service in the Korean War. He was a lifelong member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and upon returning home, he served as a Tribal Council member and was directly involved in the creation of the Indian Community Alcoholism Resources Expeditors (I.C.A.R.E.) Recovery Home, where he served as executive director until the time of his passing on June 25, 1992.

I am pleased to recognize a Kansas servicemember who dedicated his life to service for our country and the Native American community. It’s my belief that this legislation honors his legacy and preserves his story for generations to come, and I look forward to its passage in the House.

 

Meeting with Kansans
AAA Stars of Life Kansas Awardee
On Tuesday, I met with the American Ambulance Association (AAA) to congratulate this year’s ‘Stars of Life’ awardee, Cindy Betts of Wichita. The ‘Stars of Life’ award is presented annually to emergency services professionals who go above and beyond the call of duty in providing care to their communities. Cindy has more than 30 years of experience in health care, 25 of those years as a first responder on small passenger planes.

During our meeting, I also received AAA’s Legislative Recognition award for working to make certain access to emergency medical services and recent efforts to prevent the Department of Veterans Affairs from lowering air ambulance reimbursement rates. Thank you to the American Ambulance Association for the recognition and to Cindy Betts for her dedication to providing lifesaving medical services to rural Kansans.

 

Clean Fuels Alliance and Kansas Soybean Commission
The Clean Fuels Alliance America joined me in my Washington, D.C. office, to discuss their Farm Bill priorities, such as expanding crop insurance and various programs under the Energy Title. We also discussed the innovative growth opportunities for biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel.

Thanks to Dennis Hupe of Percy, Bob Haselwood of Berryton, and Dennis Gruenbacher of Andale for updating me on these issues that Kansas growers and producers face and the important role soybeans play in growth of the biofuels industry.

Dr. Tiffany Anderson
This week, I had the privilege of meeting with Topeka Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Tiffany Anderson who organized a trip to honor two incredible Topeka teachers: Mr. D’Andre Phillips and KS Region II Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Cherryl Delacruz. Mr. Phillips, a 7th grade math teacher, is also serving as an officer in the Kansas National Guard. He will be deployed to Qatar in December, so it was his wish to visit Washington D.C. before he did so. I want to thank all who came to share their inspiring stories and am grateful my staff could give them a tour of the Capitol.

 

Tour of Mid-Continent Aviation Services
Before returning to D.C., I visited Mid Continent Aviation Services (MCAS), a full-service maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at Wichita’s Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport. Founded as a fleet maintenance service for ICM Inc., MCAS added a business jet division which specializes in the Hawker 4000, Hawker 800-series and Beechcraft Premier model jets. As an FAA-approved Part 145 Repair Station, MCAS can also service a variety of aircraft across the Textron, Daher, Learjet, and Gulfstream brands, as well as an extensive parts and rotables sales division. Last summer, MCAS increased its MRO footprint with the completion of a fourth hangar. The $5.7M project replaced a 15,000 square foot hangar with a new 31,500 square foot hangar plus office space. This expansion will allow the company, which currently employs approximately 30 individuals, to accommodate expected growth of 40-50% over the next five years.

Thank you to owner Dave VanderGriend as well as finance director Shane Kirby and maintenance director Sam Stewart for leading our tour. And special thanks to Andrew Nave of the Greater Wichita Partnership and Toni Porter of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce for joining me Monday morning.