Kansans in the Office Capitol Tour Jill Jones of Prairie Village Aaron Cain of Spring Hill Julie Cain of Spring Hill Jenna Cain of Spring Hill Wes Cain of Spring Hill Chelsea Powell of Hays Tommy Powell of Hays Thomas Powell of Hays Lila Montgomery of Hays Walter Montgomery of Hays Richard Vohs of Olathe Amanda Nedved of Lenexa Adelie Nedved of Lenexa Avalyn Nedved of Lenexa Alexa Nedved of Lenexa Nicole Huff of Cunningham Fred Frantz of Overland Park Audrey Frantz of Overland Park Gabrielle Frantz of Overland Park Freddie Frantz of Overland Park Justin Frantz of Overland Park Oliver Sowards of Olathe Natalie Sowards of Olathe Jackson Sowards of Olathe Reid Sowards of Olathe Matt Walker of DeSoto Megan Walker of DeSoto Lydia Walker of DeSoto Adalyn Walker of DeSoto Don Koci of Colwich Laurie Koci of Colwich Alvin Neville of Colwich Karla Neville of Colwich Ben Marquardt of Overland Park Caitie Marquardt of Overland Park American College of Cardiology Danish Bawa of Overland Park Rajendran Sabapathy of Overland Park Ashiya Khan of Overland Park WTA Advocates for Rural Broadband David Shipley of Allen Mark Gailey of Tyro MKC Dave Spears of Valley Center Community Care Network of Kansas Scott Anglemyer of Shawnee Sonja Bachus of Topeka American Association of Crop Insurers Doug Jakway of Lawrence CoBank KC Preisner of Dodge City American Psychiatric Association Cord Huston of Lenexa Kamalakar Surineni of Wichita National Children’s Alliance Christian Morgan of Overland Park Mesothelioma Applied Foundation Mackenzie Thomas of Lenexa Tiffany Thomas of Lenexa CARE USA Elysia Chao of Lenexa Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Jennifer Naylor of Rose Hill Hannah Soderstrom of Wichita Heather Soderstrom of Wichita MOARC Melissa Sieben of Lawrence PFLAG Lisa Wright of Overland Park Edith Guffey of Lawrence       Kansas Common Sense October 23, 2023 Recognizing National Down Syndrome Awareness Month In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated October as National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, ensuring Americans had an opportunity to celebrate individuals with Down syndrome. This week, I continued the tradition by introducing a bipartisan, bicameral resolution that outlines the improvements made to Down syndrome research and advocacy, the improved quality of live for the Down syndrome community, and commended the efforts of loved ones and caretakers who steadfastly care for individuals with Down syndrome. As co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Down Syndrome and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I am pleased that efforts to increase federal investment in Down syndrome research has significantly improved over the past decade. This month is an opportunity to honor the Down syndrome community, their families and caretakers, and leaders in the advocacy and medical research fields for their work to improve the quality of life for individuals with Down syndrome. You can watch my floor speech honoring Down Syndrome Awareness Month here.

Standing with Israel and Enforcing Sanctions on Iran
As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I was briefed on the intelligence that points to the conclusion that Israel did not bomb the Gaza Strip Hospital. Unfortunately, previous media reports otherwise will be hard to correct as anti-semitic groups are already spreading these falsehoods to stir up protests and anger. I spoke on the Senate Floor to express my support for Israel as it responds to the terrorist attack conduct by Hamas on October 7.

It is essential to keep conflict from expanding to other fronts, and that means we must help deter other enemies who may use this opportunity to escalate the war against Israel. The administration should no longer delay in trying to bloke Iran’s revenue stream – and that starts by freezing the $6 billion that was recently released by the Biden administration. Iran’s leaders must know the response of the United States awaits if they become directly involved. Since Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, it is necessary to enforce the bipartisan sanctions to choke its revenue that it distributes to proxies around the region.

You can watch my floor remarks here.

Helping Veterans Achieve Success after Service
On Wednesday, I led a joint hearing between the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee, to discuss how we can improve a servicemember’s transition out of the military and into civilian life and how government programs as well as community and stakeholder engagement can better support transitioning servicemembers and their families. Individuals from the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense and Labor as well the as the Government Accountability Office and veterans and military stakeholders discussed how the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) can be improved before a servicemember’s separation. During the hearing we focused on how to better improve success after service for the men and women who have served our country in the U.S. military and how we, in Congress, can prioritize a seamless transition while providing resources to reduce unemployment, homelessness, and suicide, to ultimately bolster military recruitment and support success after military service.

Success after service looks different for every servicemember and every servicemember’s family. That is why we must make certain veterans are equipped with the knowledge and resources they need to thrive.

I appreciate having Dr. Arthur DeGroat, Executive Director of the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs at Kansas State University (KSU) as a witness during our second panel. Along with his work at KSU, Dr. DeGroat is a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Army and is a member of the Kansas Governor’s Military Council. I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. DeGroat on multiple occasions, and I always appreciate his insight on military research. He continues to be a great partner as we continue our discussions on improving the lives of servicemembers and their families after the military

You can watch the hearing here.

Blocking Biden’s Amtrak Nominees
As the divide between urban and rural communities in America continues to expand, passenger rail services like the Southwest Chief are invaluable in connecting Kansans to the rest of the country while also bringing visitors from out of state to our local communities. During the Surface Transportation Reauthorization of 2021, I authored a provision requiring half of the Senate-confirmed Amtrak Board members to live in or near regions that are not in the Northeast Corridor. This provision was designed to ensure proper advocacy from the Amtrak Board of Directors on critical rail services provided across the nation, including Kansas. It is important the members who craft and guide Amtrak policies represent passengers from across rural and urban America.

Unfortunately, the Biden administration has violated the law by nominating five out of six people who reside in states that makeup the Northeast Corridor. As a result of the administration’s failure to comply with the provision requiring a geographically diverse Amtrak Board of Directors, I placed holds on three nominations from advancing out of the Senate until the White House conforms to current law and appoints a Board of Directors representative of the diverse geographic regions Amtrak serves.

Meetings with Kansans
Scoular
On Wednesday, I met with Scoular to discuss their new soybean and canola crush plant in Goodland. With an estimated demand of 12 million bushels/year, the facility will serve as an avenue for expansion of Canola production in Kansas. The crush facility will provide new marketing and agronomic opportunities to Kansas farmers. In addition, the Scoular plant creates 40 new jobs in the Goodland community, boosting the local economy. Special thanks to Ed Prosser, Ryan Shoemaker, Scott Parsons, Buddy Allen and Edmund Perry.

 

CoBank Ambassador
I met with CoBank Ambassadors in my Washington, D.C. office during their trip to our nation’s capital. During our conversation we discussed the upcoming Farm Bill and key policy areas that help our farmers and ranchers in the state, such as crop insurance and other farm safety net programs. Thank you to Jared Koester of Sterling, Colorado and K.C. Preisner of Dodge City for the conversation.

 

Powell Tour Group
I had the pleasure of catching up with some family friends from Hays. After our conversation, my staff was able to give them a tour of the Capitol. I would like to thank them for making the trip out to visit me.

 

Visiting SpaceX Starbase
On Monday before heading to Washington, D.C., I toured SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas. Starbase is a spaceport, production, and development facility for the company’s Starship rockets and has been under construction since the late 2010s. I toured the Starship production facility, as well as the rocket’s launch pad, used exclusively by SpaceX. The Starship rocket is the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond. I appreciated the opportunity to continue building the relationship after hosting SpaceX COO, Gwynne Shotwell, in Wichita this January and better understand how SpaceX utilizes Kansas’ commodities for their operations. As the lead Republican on the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee, it is important to witness how commercial space companies like SpaceX are operating in an effort to increase collaboration across the public and private sector to ensure America’s competitiveness.