Newsletter Archive
February 06, 2015
President Obama Sends Irresponsible Budget Proposal to Congress
President Obama submitted his Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Proposal to the Congress, and, sadly, it is more of the same tired, agenda-driven wish-list that taxes, borrows and spends too much.
The President’s budget is especially hard on Kansans. It raises taxes on savings and small businesses. It borrows so much that at the end of the President’s plan, annual interest costs would be larger than his proposed spending for national defense, Medicaid or the combined total of all non-defense agency spending.
The President also targets farmers, proposing to cut the crop insurance program and again placing a disproportionate share of federal budget cuts on the shoulders of producers. Following four years of extreme drought, Kansas is living proof that the crop insurance program works for the farmer, the taxpayer and the economy.
Our nation cannot afford the President’s course. Fortunately, the new Senate Republican Majority will soon debate a budget, one that will actually balance and one that will work for the taxpayer.
LOCAL Level Act Gains Support
As the Senate continues debate over elementary and secondary education programs, my Learning Opportunities Created at the Local (LOCAL) Level Act, designed to preserve state education autonomy by prohibiting the federal government from coercing states to adopt education standards like Common Core, is garnering outside support from some of the most influential voices in the education debate.
The LOCAL Level Act has the support of Heritage Action for America, the Home School Legal Defense Association, the Eagle Forum, FreedomWorks, and the Family Research Council. Setting high standards for our schools, our teachers and our children is the right thing to do, but those standards should be decided in Kansas, without bribes or mandates from Washington. We need to get the federal government out of the classroom, and return community decisions back to where they belong - in the community.
Seeing Child Nutrition Programs Firsthand
Last week, I had the opportunity to have lunch with some amazing young Kansans as part of my effort to see how our federal school nutrition standards are being implemented firsthand. I had lunch with students and several school officials at Mill Valley High School in Shawnee.
Mill Valley is an example of a school with a strong foodservice director with lots of resources, and even they have challenges in complying with the new federal nutrition rules. Imagine the challenges facing our rural schools, which have fewer resources. We need a policy that allows all schools to provide nutritious and fulfilling meals to our kids in an effective and efficient way.
As Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I will lead the discussion as we renew the federal child nutrition laws, which are set to expire in September. Mill Valley will be the first in a series of schools I visit to see how school meals programs can be improved or changed.
(Photos by Lindsay Roush at Mill Valley High School)
Taking on the Scandals at the IRS
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a mess. It has been plagued by scandals. The American people do not trust the IRS as impartial, non-partisan tax collectors. As a result, I have introduced two bills focused on cleaning up the IRS following the political targeting scandaland the revelation of inappropriate bonuses and performance awards to IRS employees who owe outstanding federal tax debt.
Federal employees who deliberately ignore the process and procedures for fulfilling their tax obligations must be held accountable. If these public employees serve at the IRS, their failure to pay their taxes calls into question the integrity of the entire agency. It’s really unconscionable that there are tax delinquents working as tax collectors. My bill would stop any bonuses and performance awards to Federal Employees, including those at the IRS, who fail to pay their taxes.
Further, the IRS has no business targeting groups or individuals for their political beliefs. The legislation I have introduced to fix this problem is very simple – we halt further action on the IRS’ proposed targeting regulations until the Justice Department and congressional investigations into the IRS’ previous targeting are complete. We cannot allow the IRS to regulate constitutionally guaranteed free speech.
The Fight to Repeal Obamacare Continues
This week I questioned the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on President Obama’s 2016 budget.
In light of Secretary Burwell’s refusal to answer questions about the future of Obamacare in the shadow of the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the latest challenge to the law, King v Burwell, I focused my questions on the potential for rationing in the President’s healthcare law. Click the video below to watch the full exchange between Secretary Burwell and me on IPAB.
Join Me at the Fort Riley Listening Session on Monday!
The Army is conducting a nationwide tour of installations to determine recommendations for future force cuts. No determination has been made yet, and it’s critical that the Army hear from you! Local support, impact, and input are the primary driver for the Army’s decision.
Please join me in the fight to keep the Big Red One in Kansas. President Eisenhower fought to bring the 1st Infantry Division back from Germany in 1955, as did I in 2005, because only Kansas provides the sprawling training ground and incredible community support necessary for a well-trained Infantry Division. Let’s remind the Army that there is no place like home for the Big Red One.
I invite Kansans to show their support and pride in the men and women of Ft. Riley by joining me at the U.S. Army’s Listening Tour this Monday, February 9th from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. at the Junction City Marriott Convention Center (310 Hammons Drive).
