Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, for the past 25 years, I have had the privilege of delivering over 5,000 babies. I am absolutely convinced that babies can feel pain at 14 weeks. At 16 weeks, they can recognize their mom's voice, their brother's voice, and their sister's voice.

Once or twice a year, I have been in that delivery room and have been forced to deliver a very premature baby, a 22-week or a 24-week baby. We are doing everything we can to save the life of that baby, calling in pediatricians and anesthesia people, doing everything heroically possible.

How can we live in a world where we are trying to save that baby's life in one room, and just down the road there are people killing that baby, tearing it apart limb by limb and decapitating it? What type of a world do we live in these days? How can both of those situations exist in this same country?

We have to ban these late-term abortions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and speak in support of my friends in Texas and Florida who are currently fighting and recovering from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. While my thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected, I am also reminded of the courage and resilience Americans display in these trying times. I am especially proud of my State of Kansas' National Guard, who has assembled and are currently assisting those affected.

Airmen in the 184th Intelligence Wing out of McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita, Kansas, are currently conducting incident awareness and assessment activities in both Texas and Florida. They are compiling information by analyzing video footage and imagery of the affected areas, pinpointing where immediate assistance is required.

Additionally, soldiers from the 69th Troop Command in Topeka are also advising senior National Guard leaders to ensure the National Guard is successful in their response efforts and critical information is effectively communicated to the public.

I am incredibly proud of the National Guard and all Kansans who are currently helping our neighbors in Florida and Texas in multiple capacities. It is incredibly empowering to watch Americans come together during these trying times and lend a hand to the most in need.

Acknowledging the Many Agricultural Producers Across Kansas

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the many agricultural producers across Kansas who work tirelessly to keep the very heart of our Nation beating. I represent the largest agriculture- producing district in the country, and over recess I spent a great deal of time traveling 2,000 miles and holding some 10 farm bill listening sessions to find out exactly how we in Congress can best serve the needs of our producers.

On one of my farm bill listening tours, I was reminded of just how important the farm bill is to my district and countless others across the Nation. We must protect our farmers and ranchers, especially in this depressed agriculture economy. Farming is one of the riskiest, high-tech, most intricately complicated businesses out there.

As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I look forward to working with my colleagues to take the voice of American farmers and translate it into an appropriate and well-defined farm bill. We must send the message to our farmers and small communities that we will continue to support them and ensure that their livelihoods are protected.

To do this, we must increase flexibility and make sure that crop insurance is available to all those who need it most. Crop insurance doesn't just protect the farmers, it protects the loan at the local bank, it protects downtown communities like yours and mine, it protects the co-ops, and it protects Main Street, America. America is protected by crop insurance.

I firmly believe it is our duty to make sure that those who put food on our tables aren't struggling to put food on theirs.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 1 o'clock and 32 minutes a.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until today, Thursday, September 7, 2017, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss education: the building block to a successful future.

As a father and, now, a grandfather for the second time, I know our education system is of the utmost importance. Education is truly one of the pillars of my life.

I am a strong advocate for limiting the scope of the Federal Government in education decisions. Our school boards and teachers understand what works best for these individual students, and providing them control to make their own decisions ensures the best results for our students.

I am encouraged to see the House retain and increase many of the Federal funding levels for education, including funding for career and technical education State grants. I am very pleased to see Congress increase funding for IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, by $200 million.

I urge my colleagues to also talk to their local teachers, administrators, and students to see what works and what doesn't.

Educating the next generation is one of the most sacred responsibilities, and I thank those like I met with who dedicate their lives to that cause.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Kansas' favorite son, a hero and mentor of mine, and the former occupant of the congressional office I now hold, Robert J. Dole. Senator Bob Dole never forgot where he is from, Russell, Kansas. Perhaps that is what made him so effective and so beloved by his constituents.

Now at 94 years young, Senator Dole continues to work every day for the causes he supports. He continues as a shining example of international leadership, whether it is in the causes he still champions or the work he did in Congress to help feed millions of people around the world. All this work, he does with humility and wit that endeared him to the Nation and that has been engrained in him as a Kansan.

Many weekends, he can still be seen greeting our Nation's veterans at the World War II Memorial, which he helped build, and he works today on promoting the national memorial to President Eisenhower, his hero and another great Kansan.

I cannot think of one living American more deserving of Congress' highest civilian award, which is why I am thrilled that tonight, this very night, the House will join the Senate in passing the Bob Dole Congressional Gold Medal Act.

I encourage the President to quickly sign this. I look forward to this vote as much as any I have taken. I am honored to call him friend. I am honored to participate in this vote.

Madam Speaker, there are 20,000 open jobs in Kansas and an unemployment rate of 3 percent. This is a 16-year low for our State. However, we face only a 63 percent national workforce participation rate.

Almost 40 percent of our country's labor force has given up on finding a job, or has lost motivation to work.

In Kansas, a top concern I have heard over our 40 townhalls this year is the need for a stronger workforce.

My colleagues and I must start work on a welfare to work program--a set of policies that will empower people to find a job that lifts them out of poverty and lifts their spirit with a sense of purpose.

Let's empower those across the country to get the training they need for a rewarding career and a quality of life that turns the tide of poverty and uncertainty toward personal and societal prosperity.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2333, the Small Business Investment Opportunity Act of 2017.

Constantly, we hear that access to capital is a major hurdle for small businesses. Despite an improving economy, small business lending has plateaued since the Great Recession.

The Small Business Investment Opportunity Act aims to improve access to capital by increasing the amount a small business investment company can provide to small businesses.

In Kansas, communities from Hutchinson to Shawnee, Newton to Parsons, have benefited from small business investment company programs, with more than $307 million in investments to over 110 small businesses across the State.

Small businesses are the Nation's job creators, and providing this sort of access to capital will spur job creation and growth.

Mr. Speaker, I recently finished my 39th townhall, and I dare say that at every townhall somebody asked me: Why can't Congress do anything in a bipartisan fashion?

Mr. Speaker, this is an example of both parties working together for bipartisan solutions to grow this economy.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this measure.

Mr. Speaker, the morning of June 14, 2017, I elected to not attend the Republican team's congressional baseball practice. Had I been there, I would have been in the bullpen right where the shooting began. I thank God every day I was not there that morning.

For my colleagues who were there, we have no doubt their lives were saved by the heroic response of Crystal Griner and David Bailey of the Capitol Police.

In the shooting's aftermath, we should do everything we can to ensure they have the full support of the U.S. Government and are allowed the support of groups like the USCP Memorial Fund.

Mr. Speaker, in gratitude for their bravery and sacrifice for running to the battle, I encourage my colleagues to support the Wounded Officers Recovery Act. I thank them again for their heroism.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2883, the Promoting Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure Act, introduced by my friend and Great Plains colleague to the south, Markwayne Mullin.

This bill could not come at a better time. As we continue to have discussions in this country about both our future as an energy leader and our trading relationship with Mexico and Canada, it is time to review bureaucratic permitting processes that constrain new energy transportation projects. This bill does just that. It improves and streamlines the permitting process for pipelines and energy transmission equipment when they are crossing U.S. international borders.

Energy trade within North America is a nearly $150 billion business that provides significant benefits here at home. This bill shows that we can focus on protecting our environment and being an energy leader. It maintains full environmental reviews and continues compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

We saw how broken our current regulatory structure was when politics and personal interests nearly ended the Keystone XL pipeline without any regard to science, facts, or the livelihoods of the people who needed those jobs. This legislation will allow American entrepreneurs to stop fighting endless red tape and uncertain timelines and get back to doing what we do best: creating jobs, innovating, and making North America a leader in energy production.

Voters have told us time and time again to get the bureaucratic morass of Big Government out of the way. They have asked us to promote an all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes oil and gas and to unleash the power of free trade and American innovation. They have asked for good jobs and more energy security.

I thank my good friend from Oklahoma for sponsoring this. I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 2838, the Promoting Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish former Kansas Senator Bob Dole a happy 94th birthday, which he celebrated this weekend.

Born in Russell, Kansas, 94 years ago, Senator Dole dedicated his life to being a public servant. In 1945, after nearly giving his life in World War II, then-2nd Lieutenant Bob Dole earned two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star for his combat valor in Italy. He would later, of course, win the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

After serving as the Representative for the First District, the district I represent, he became Senator Bob Dole in 1968. I well remember sitting in my own classroom of third grade in Ms. Hileman's class at Jefferson grade school and reading our weekly reader, reading about a very contentious race involving Bob Dole. And, of course, Senator Dole went on to win that race and to serve Kansas until his 1996 Presidential run.

To date, Senator Dole has the record for the longest serving Republican leader in the Senate. Currently, Senator Dole keeps a very busy schedule working here in Washington, D.C., and continues public service in a variety of ways. On many Saturdays, he can be seen greeting veterans at the World War II Memorial, something I have had the pleasure of doing with him.

His international impact is still felt in programs like the McGovern- Dole International Food for Education program, which helps fight childhood hunger and poverty by providing nutrition to more than 22 million school children in 41 developing countries.

Mr. Speaker, as this body debates legislation and its impacts, we would do well to keep in mind leaders like Senator Dole, who never forgot about the human impact of each bill, who has embodied public service his entire life, and who never forgot where he was from, Russell, Kansas.

Happy 94th birthday to my friend, our mentor, our fellow Kansan, Senator Bob Dole.

Welcome Home First Infantry Division

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome home our First Infantry Division Headquarters, who have been stationed in Iraq for the last 9 months, advising and assisting Iraqi security forces.

Approximately 150 soldiers in the division returned home this weekend, with the rest returning to Fort Riley later this month. Major General Martin, the commanding general of the First Infantry Division at Fort Riley, was among the soldiers who returned home recently. We thank him for his service abroad and are looking forward to working with him at Fort Riley.

This marks the first time that almost our entire division is back home together on one post. However, one aviation battalion is still currently deployed in the Republic of Korea. These soldiers and their families, especially their families, sacrifice greatly, and it certainly does not go unnoticed.

They are part of a distinguished division, the Big Red One, and return home just in time for celebrations of the division's 100th anniversary.

Welcome home to General Martin and the rest of his troops.

Honoring Amelia Earhart

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge one of Kansas' most well-known natives, Amelia Earhart.

Amelia was raised in Atchison, Kansas, and would be 120 years old this month, and this month also is the 80th anniversary of her disappearance.

After taking her first plane ride in 1920, she soared to the top of the aviation world attempting to accomplish the audacious flight around the world. Amelia's history has helped shape the future Kansas would have in aerospace industry today.

Her numerous accomplishments, such as being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and being elected president of The Ninety- Nines, a women's aviation club, has helped pave the way for Kansans today and make her print in history.

Thanks, in part, to Amelia, 67 percent of the general aviation fleet has been manufactured in Kansas since 1919. It is an honor to have her from Kansas, and on her birthday, to recognize all she has done for Kansas, aviation, women, and our national pride.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on an important piece of legislation, the National Defense Authorization Act. This funding is vital to our national security and the readiness of our military.

As our Nation continues to face threats around the globe, our soldiers must have the necessary equipment to complete missions and return home safely.

Just 2 weeks ago, 4,000 of our troops returned home from South Korea to loved ones at Fort Riley, Kansas. In a short number of weeks ahead of us this fall, the Dagger Brigade, also from Fort Riley, will travel to Europe for a 9-month deployment.

This legislation helps ensure readiness for brigade combat teams, such as the Dagger Brigade, and gives our troops a much-deserved 2.4 percent military pay raise. It also allows for over 17,000 more soldiers, and allocates $2.3 billion over the administration's request for maintenance and repair, which is so necessary.

Mr. Speaker, I refuse to send our troops to a gunfight with knives. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation to give our men and women in uniform the tools and support they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, this Saturday, my staff and I finished our 34th townhall in the home of one of America's greatest citizens: my mentor and my hero, Bob Dole. At every location we go, most often, several people ask me about the $20 trillion of deficit this country has and our debt, the $600 billion of deficit we have every year. Americans work too hard and there are too many worthwhile functions of government for the Federal Government to irresponsibly spend taxpayer dollars.

From the time I started thinking about running for office, it has been a priority of mine to help create a fiscally responsible plan to reduce our annual deficits and national debt. Yet again, this year, 70 percent of our budget is mandatory spending--70 percent of our budget is mandatory spending--and therefore is spent before the annual appropriations discussions even begin. If we hope to eliminate the deficit, we must address mandatory spending programs and be willing to engage in tough conversations.

This administration and Congress have taken steps to limit bureaucracy and rein in the size and scope of the Federal Government. In this spirit, we hope Congress stays true to this objective as we debate the upcoming budget in order to ensure that our limited taxpayer dollars are spent where they are most needed.

Clark County, Kansas

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring my colleagues up to date on my last visit to Clark County, Kansas.

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues may remember that earlier this year wildfires consumed a vast sum of Clark County. The wildfires wrought havoc for many ranchers, farmers, families, and landowners in Clark County and across much of southwest Kansas, not to mention parts of Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma. Besides the lives lost, including one in Kansas, thousands of livestock, 650,000 acres, and many family properties that had been passed down through generations burned in this disastrous blaze.

Through the perseverance of Kansans living in this region, a considerable amount of progress has been made since I visited right after the fires in March thanks to so many people throughout the country who donated hay as well as their personal services helping rebuild the hundreds of miles of fences that were burned down.

After visiting with the Giles family and the Grigsby family--both families impacted by the fires--their resilience, their strength, and their faith was made clear. These are the type of folks who are now working day in and day out to restore this section of the heartland.

I am delighted to see green rising in the pastures which was once scorched earth, burnt-to-the-ground grass. I am again reminded of the honor I have of working to represent some of the most hardworking Americans in the world: the Kansas agriculture, the Kansas farmers, and the Kansas ranchers.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment offered by gentleman from Tennessee. Like Dr. Roe, I, too, have been an

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I am not an attorney either, Mr. Speaker. I am a physician. As a matter of fact, I am an obstetrician. I think, of all the professions impacted by malpractice issues, perhaps, Mr. Speaker, obstetricians have been the most impacted.

I remember going back as a medical student and trying to figure out what type of doctor I wanted to become. My wife and I were blessed somewhere in there to have our first child. I remember when that little girl was given to me and I heard her cry, it was maybe the greatest single moment of my life.

As a young medical student, I was very impressed and said: That is what I want to do. I want to bring babies into the world and have that moment when I get to give a baby to a mom and she looks at that baby and it is just a very special moment. It is just the most agape love I have ever seen, a mom with a perfect heart towards that little baby. I wanted to do that.

So I started telling my professors I wanted to be an obstetrician. Every professor I met said: Don't do it. You are going to get sued. Malpractice prices are screaming. You are not going to like that job anymore. No one wants to go into obstetrics.

Well, guess what? My professors were right. I did it anyway.

The average obstetrician gets sued between three and four times in their career. Malpractice remains the biggest deterrent of physicians choosing to go into obstetrics. The average obstetrician has to spend 2 to 3 months every year just to pay for their malpractice insurance.

I am very blessed. Over 20 years ago, Kansas undertook similar tort reform as this, and our malpractice costs have stabilized. My malpractice insurance was pretty much the same 20 years after we enacted the legislation to curb some of these costs.

I think it will be true for me to say that my friends that are obstetricians in other States without malpractice tort reform, their premiums are often three times higher than ours in Kansas. We have seen this work very, very well in Kansas. The good news is that this legislation will not impact any of that work as well.

I very much am in favor of this malpractice tort reform and how it is going to impact healthcare. I predict that this will help lower premium costs some 3 to 4 percent when enacted.

Malpractice is a huge cost of the current cost of healthcare. This is a first step of many that Republicans are encouraging or want to implement to start lowering those costs of premiums.

Small Business Association members were here in D.C. just 2 months ago. When they walked out of that meeting, I was expecting them to come back and tell me their concerns were mostly regulatory concerns, but their number one concern was the cost of healthcare premiums.

This is a small step. If we can lower their healthcare costs 3 to 4 percent, this is a great, great opportunity for us to help them out.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support this bill. I encourage Members on both sides of the aisle to support this bill. It should be bipartisan support for this legislation that will help drive healthcare costs down.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Brigadier General Patrick D. Frank, who is currently serving as the acting senior commander of the 1st Infantry Division in Fort Riley, but departing soon for a new post after serving in this capacity since October 2016.

Brigadier General Frank was the first to welcome me as a new Member of Congress, and he and his wife, Jennifer, have always served as great ambassadors for the Big Red One.

Thank you to the general and Jennifer for always making me, as well as my staff, feel so very welcome at Fort Riley.

Brigadier General Frank has received numerous awards and served in multiple theaters, some of which include Operation Desert Storm, Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti, and Operation Freedom's Sentinel.

We commend him for his service to our Nation and wish him and Jennifer the best of luck and much success in his next post as deputy commander general of the Army Cadet Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He and Jennifer will certainly be missed at Fort Riley and in Kansas.

Enforcing Trade Agreements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the Trump administration for their recent work on enforcement of trade agreements.

Kansas is an export-dependent State. We supply food, feed, aircraft, and parts to countries all over the world.

As I have traveled the State over the past 6 months, I have heard repeatedly that we must find ways to open new markets for United States producers, including Kansans.

The good news is that this administration is focused on doing just that: opening new markets. The announcement that U.S. beef will be allowed back in China is a tremendous example. China is a $2.5 billion beef market, which the U.S. has been unfairly shut out of for 13 years. This bilateral success shows how serious the U.S. is about holding other countries accountable and that our negotiators are working on behalf of U.S. producers.

Recent confirmation that the U.S. is continuing World Trade Organization cases against China's import barriers for wheat, corn, and rice is also welcome news for United States farmers. China has flagrantly violated their WTO commitments, costing U.S. producers billions in lost farm income as China put up import barriers and stockpiled surplus grains that are weighing on world markets.

Our global rules-based trading system has brought tremendous benefits to American businesses, farmers, workers, and consumers. As global commerce has expanded, we have found that, when there is a free and level playing field, American producers can match any competitor.