We are now just hours away from the September 30 midnight deadline to pass a bill to keep the federal government open. While the House passed a bill more than a week ago to keep the federal government open and funded, unfortunately the Senate has not yet passed that bill. Instead of a “clean” continuing resolution, which temporarily maintains current funding levels while negotiations continue on the 12 full-year appropriations bills, House and Senate Democrats are instead trying to push through a $1.5 trillion wish list.
We must get our fiscal house in order and begin to reverse the trends that have led to our $37 trillion national debt. We made a good start in the policies that were in the reconciliation bill passed this summer, which included $1.2 trillion in spending reductions over the next 10 years. The funding bills that have passed out of the House Appropriations Committee build on this effort by decreasing spending by $30 billion from FY25 levels. We can’t go back to business-as-usual and leave our children and grandchildren saddled with these massive debts.
I spoke with KVOE radio in Emporia on Friday about our efforts to keep the government open. 🔉 Listen here.
Supporting Victims of Violent Crime
Sadly, our news feeds recently have been filled with horrific instances of violent crime, from the assassination of Charlie Kirk to the stabbing incident on the train in Charlotte, North Carolina. In Kansas, we have had four law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in the past four months.
This morning, the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight, on which I serve, held a field hearing in Charlotte to hear directly from crime victims and their families on the impact the rise in violence has had on their community, and discuss policy solutions to begin to reverse these troubling trends.
Expanding Health Savings Accounts
One of the lesser-known provisions in the reconciliation bill passed earlier this summer was a big expansion in the number of individuals and families who are eligible to use Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to save and pay for medical expenses tax-free.
Effective January 1, 2026, all Bronze and Catastrophic plans purchased through the ACA Exchange will qualify as HSA-eligible plans. Bronze plans are selected by approximately 30% of enrollees. This change, coupled with changes in eligibility for Catastrophic plans, led the Council of Economic Advisors to estimate an additional 10 million Americans will be eligible for HSAs next year. Kansas families who are enrolled in these plans can now save hundreds of dollars by using pre-tax money to pay their healthcare expenses.
Last week, the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) released a new graphic novel featuring Kansas Medal of Honor recipient Fr. Emil Kapaun. The novel is part of AUSA’s ongoing series of graphic novels featuring Medal of Honor recipients.
Fr. Kapaun, a native son of Pilsen in Marion County, is the most decorated chaplain in Army history. He was known for his courage and spiritual guidance in a prisoner of war camp during the Korean War. He gave his meager rations to fellow soldiers and led clandestine prayer meetings. Fr. Kapaun was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2013. In 2021 — 70 years after his death — Fr. Kapaun’s remains were identified thanks to the ongoing efforts of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). He is now interred in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita, and is under consideration for sainthood in the Catholic Church. The Kansas Legislature has passed a bill to install a statue of Fr. Kapaun in the State Capitol in Topeka, and efforts are underway to bring that to fruition.
