Ft. Leavenworth Dedicates “Senator Pat Roberts Room”

In recognition for his support of Fort Leavenworth’s Command and General Staff College (CGSC), and the nation’s men and women in uniform, Ft. Leavenworth honored Senator Roberts by dedicating the Trophy Lounge as the “Senator Pat Roberts Room” at the Lewis and Clark Center. Since 2000, Senator Roberts has been involved in the replacement of Bell Hall, which housed the CGSC and helped to obtain funding for design and construction of the new Lewis and Clark Center. On a tour of Bell Hall in 2001, the Chief of Maintenance showed Sen. Roberts an extremely corroded and rusted piece of pipe that was indicative of the shape of the building. Roberts brought that piece of pipe to Washington as an example in committee hearings for the need to construct a new building to house the “intellectual center of the Army.”

In 2001, Senator Roberts began to work with Lieutenant General Steele to support his efforts to replace Bell Hall. Shortly thereafter, working with Lieutenant General Riley, Roberts secured the design funding for the Lewis and Clark Center, and then in 2003, with Lieutenant General Wallace’s leadership, secured funding for construction of this project. In July 2004, Senator Roberts helped the Army break ground on the new Lewis and Clark Center that opened in 2007. The CGSC is the senior educational institution for teaching tactics and staff procedures for the United States Army.

“I am deeply humbled the Army has chosen to name a room at the Lewis and Clark Center in my honor. It is an honor and a privilege to represent Ft. Leavenworth in the United States Senate and as a former Marine, I understand that anything I do or that the Congress does, pales in comparison to the sacrifices our men and women in uniform, and their families, make for our nation. This Command and General Staff College, now housed in this new technological marvel of a building plays a major role in educating and developing that needed leadership. I am proud that we will be able to provide the warfighter with the tools needed to complete their difficult mission ahead and return home safe. I know that the Lewis and Clark Center will help the Army safely pass the torch to future generations,” Senator Roberts said.

To view the dedication of the “Senator Pat Roberts Room,” go to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf7cXSrCVJE .

Delivering Meals on Wheels in Topeka

Senator Roberts hosted United States Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon to deliver Meals on Wheels (MOW) to seniors in the Topeka. Sen. Roberts and Under Sec. Concannon made three special meal deliveries in Auburn and Topeka and visited with each recipient.

Sen. Roberts invited Under Sec. Concannon to Kansas to see firsthand the importance of senior nutrition programs. Programs like Meals on Wheels rely on both surplus and bonus commodities to better serve our nation’s seniors, especially in rural areas. Bonus commodities are essentially free of charge, plus the price of shipping. The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) was tasked with determining how bonus commodities would be distributed among the various programs. Last year, FNS decided that senior nutrition programs would no longer receive bonus commodities. In response to that decision, in November, Roberts led a bipartisan group of Senators in writing to USDA to urge the reinstatement of senior nutrition programs’ ability to receive bonus commodities. In a step in the right direction, in June, USDA responded to our concerns by stating that they plan to give some bonus commodities to senior nutrition programs but only after distribution is awarded to other nutrition programs that, for the time being, hold a higher priority.

“Bonus commodities are extremely important to senior nutrition programs because they allow groups that serve seniors to stretch their budget further, at a time when they face significant budgetary shortfalls. In Kansas, and in our rural areas in particular, our elderly population is rising at unprecedented numbers and I am concerned about how these people will get meals if MOW cannot serve them. I want to thank USDA for their ongoing dialogue on this important issue and especially thank Under Sec. Concannon for coming to Kansas to further understand the importance of bonus commodities. And, thanks to Jane Metzger at Meals on Wheels in Topeka for hosting us - it sure was a treat to get out and deliver meals today and show USDA how critical these programs are,” Senator Roberts said.

Greensburg School Dedication

In one more, important step forward in Greensburg’s recovery, Senator Roberts was honored to attend the Kiowa County Schools Ribbon Cutting in Greensburg.

Senator Roberts remarked, “I remember well when I arrived the morning after the tornado in May 2007 and on my return visits when I toured the trailers that had been set up to educate the students of this community. It has not been easy and I want to commend USD 422 Superintendent Darin Headrick and the Greensburg community for their vision to come back better than before. They are to be congratulated on not only the opening of this tremendous new school, but also what was accomplished through most difficult circumstances. The commitment of all the students to return to school in Greensburg was an inspiration to everyone that Greensburg was coming back, bigger and better. This new building can also serve as an inspiration and a bright vision of the bright future for the students, Greensburg, and Kiowa County.”

Wichita State University Campus Visit

Reverting back to his days as a classroom teacher, Senator Roberts recently spoke to Professor Mel Kahn’s Political Science class at Wichita State University (WSU). Roberts took questions on the economy and students loan reforms, and many students had the opportunity to express their views as well. In addition, Sen. Roberts enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with WSU President Don Beggs, who updated him on the many happenings throughout the university.

 Also on campus, Sen. Roberts had the chance to visit the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at WSU and received an update on the many exciting innovations happening there. NIAR is currently doing cutting-edge research for both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Defense (DoD). Senator Roberts said, “This is a state of the art facility. It adds tremendous value to the Kansas economy, and I take pride that it is located at Wichita State.” To learn more about NIAR, go to: http://www.niar.wichita.edu/ .

Wichita Events: KIOGA, Chamber and Rotary

This month, Senator Roberts had the opportunity to participate in the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association’s (KIOGA) annual meeting’s congressional energy policy panel, “Energy Policy and Political Reality,” with Senator Brownback and Representatives Jenkins and Tiahrt. Senator Roberts said, “Kansas is a significant source and producer of oil and gas and many of our producers are small companies. Knee jerk reactions to the oil spill in the Gulf that place arbitrary moratoriums on energy production or regulatory impediments for small, independent companies to continue to produce energy will have a chilling effect on both Kansas’ and our nation’s economies. I recognize the need for responsible energy legislation that focuses on finding more energy from all sources, and using less energy as consumers.”

Also in August, Senator Roberts enjoyed addressing the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Wichita. Senator Roberts gave them an update on the current issues facing Congress this year including financial reform, health care reform, energy and taxes.

Senator Roberts said, “The overview of the past year in Congress includes the government take-overs of health care, the car companies, student loans, financial markets and the banking sector. I continue to hear from Kansans outraged by the overreaching federal government in these areas, and I couldn’t agree more. I went on to remind Kansans that in less than six months, the largest tax increase in U.S. history will take effect when the 2001 tax relief expires. Every individual, every family, will pay more in taxes to the federal government. The president and many on the other side of the aisle want to extend this tax relief to some, but not all. For taxpayers in the top brackets, they want to allow their taxes to increase. However, raising these rates will also harm small businesses who fall into the top tax brackets. It would subject up to $500 billion in small business income to higher taxes, raising taxes by at least 17% on these small businesses. The president acknowledges that small businesses create 70% of the jobs in the country. Yet 20 million Americans that work for small businesses would be subject to these tax hikes. This is the wrong approach to create jobs and grow our economy. Extending tax relief for all taxpayers, rather than more spending, will help get our economy back on track. I assured the Rotary Club and Wichita Chamber that I’m doing all I can to try and put the brakes on and make sure we are getting common sense policies that will encourage economic development and recovery in Kansas and Wichita.”

Open Fields Program Good for Kansas

The National Rifle Association (NRA) thanked Senator Roberts and Congressman Moran (R-KS) for their support to include an Open Fields initiative in the 2008 passed Farm Bill. The new, federal initiative will support state efforts to develop voluntary, incentive-based programs that expand public access to private lands for hunting, fishing and other recreational purposes. Earlier this month, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the program is now in effect for state governments interested in enrolling in the program or expanding their existing program. Chris Cox of the NRA said, “Our efforts will finally pay off for the millions of hunters and sportsmen across America looking for places to hunt and for new ways to experience our country’s rich hunting and wildlife heritage.”

The initiative encourages owners and operators of privately-held farm, ranch, and forest lands to voluntarily make their lands accessible to the public, and is expected to open up more than 10 million new acres of private land to the public each year. Landowners are compensated through rental payments and other types of incentives such as technical and conservation services. Senator Roberts said, “Those who enjoy outdoor recreation spend their dollars in rural communities, improving local economies, while gaining access to additional lands for hiking, fishing and hunting. By allowing this access, farmers and ranchers can take advantage of the beneficial incentive programs. I am pleased we were able to allow more states to participate in the program.”

-30-