Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, as America celebrates 250 years of independence, we should remember what has made this country great for two-and-a-half centuries: faith, strong families, hard work, personal responsibility, service to our neighbors, respect for those who defend our country and our communities, and the fundamental belief that government should serve the American people, not control them.

These values are alive and well in Kansas. I often say that the Big First District is the pilot light of America because the principles that built this country are still burning brightly in the communities I get to represent.

Today, our country faces a clear choice about the direction we are headed. Republicans believe in securing our borders, supporting law enforcement, strengthening our military, unleashing American energy, protecting our farmers and ranchers, and allowing hardworking Americans to keep more of the money that they earn.

We believe parents should have a say in their children's education. We believe government should live within its means. We believe Washington should get out of the way so families, small businesses, and communities can thrive.

We have watched as, time and time again, Democrats have offered a fundamentally different vision: more government spending, higher taxes, more regulation, weaker borders, and more control in Washington.

Over the last two years, Republicans have worked with President Trump to move our country in a different direction. We secured historic tax relief for working families, restored order at our southern border, cut burdensome regulations, strengthened American agriculture, and brought common sense back to Washington.

There is more work to do. The decisions our country makes in November will determine whether we continue down a path of freedom, opportunity, security, and American strength, or return to the failed policies that families across Kansas continue to reject.

Madam Speaker, I believe deeply in this country. The American experiment has survived for 250 years because every generation has accepted the responsibility of preserving it for the next.

Our responsibility now is clear: defend freedom, restore common sense, keep government accountable to the people, and leave our children a country that is stronger, safer, and freer than the one we inherited.

100th Anniversary of Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America's 100th anniversary.

GCSAA was founded in 1926 as the National Association of Greenkeepers of America by Colonel John Morley. GCSAA has now grown into a professional association, representing more than 20,000 members in more than 78 countries, and is headquartered in my Congressional District in Lawrence.

For a century, the men and women represented by Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, or GCSAA, have played an essential role in one of our Nation's favorite pastimes. They understand turf, water, soil, weather, pest management, equipment, and conservation. They manage not only the course that golfers see, but the natural resources and the ecosystems that surround it.

Perhaps the best way to understand the importance of golf course superintendents is through the words of one of golf's greatest ambassadors, Arnold Palmer, who said, ``The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and all golf course superintendents are probably the most important entity that we have in golf.'' That is a powerful statement from a man who knew the game better than almost anyone.

Madam Speaker, let us recognize the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America for a century of excellence and service. Let us thank the thousands of professionals who work behind the scenes to make the game possible.

Let us congratulate GCSAA on 100 years of keeping the game of golf on course and its commitment to making the next 100 years even better.

Madam Speaker, as America celebrates 250 years of independence, we should remember what has made this country great for two-and-a-half centuries: faith, strong families, hard work, personal responsibility, service to our neighbors, respect for those who defend our country and our communities, and the fundamental belief that government should serve the American people, not control them.

These values are alive and well in Kansas. I often say that the Big First District is the pilot light of America because the principles that built this country are still burning brightly in the communities I get to represent.

Today, our country faces a clear choice about the direction we are headed. Republicans believe in securing our borders, supporting law enforcement, strengthening our military, unleashing American energy, protecting our farmers and ranchers, and allowing hardworking Americans to keep more of the money that they earn.

We believe parents should have a say in their children's education. We believe government should live within its means. We believe Washington should get out of the way so families, small businesses, and communities can thrive.

We have watched as, time and time again, Democrats have offered a fundamentally different vision: more government spending, higher taxes, more regulation, weaker borders, and more control in Washington.

Over the last two years, Republicans have worked with President Trump to move our country in a different direction. We secured historic tax relief for working families, restored order at our southern border, cut burdensome regulations, strengthened American agriculture, and brought common sense back to Washington.

There is more work to do. The decisions our country makes in November will determine whether we continue down a path of freedom, opportunity, security, and American strength, or return to the failed policies that families across Kansas continue to reject.

Madam Speaker, I believe deeply in this country. The American experiment has survived for 250 years because every generation has accepted the responsibility of preserving it for the next.

Our responsibility now is clear: defend freedom, restore common sense, keep government accountable to the people, and leave our children a country that is stronger, safer, and freer than the one we inherited.

100th Anniversary of Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America's 100th anniversary.

GCSAA was founded in 1926 as the National Association of Greenkeepers of America by Colonel John Morley. GCSAA has now grown into a professional association, representing more than 20,000 members in more than 78 countries, and is headquartered in my Congressional District in Lawrence.

For a century, the men and women represented by Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, or GCSAA, have played an essential role in one of our Nation's favorite pastimes. They understand turf, water, soil, weather, pest management, equipment, and conservation. They manage not only the course that golfers see, but the natural resources and the ecosystems that surround it.

Perhaps the best way to understand the importance of golf course superintendents is through the words of one of golf's greatest ambassadors, Arnold Palmer, who said, ``The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and all golf course superintendents are probably the most important entity that we have in golf.'' That is a powerful statement from a man who knew the game better than almost anyone.

Madam Speaker, let us recognize the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America for a century of excellence and service. Let us thank the thousands of professionals who work behind the scenes to make the game possible.

Let us congratulate GCSAA on 100 years of keeping the game of golf on course and its commitment to making the next 100 years even better.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Wyoming, my friend, for hosting this well-deserved recognition for a group of fantastic people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Truck Driver Appreciation Week and the hardworking men and women who keep Kansas and our great country moving.

Across America, 3.6 million professional truck drivers spend their days on the road delivering the food, fuel, equipment, and countless goods that families and businesses rely on every day.

In Kansas, the trucking industry supports roughly 84,000 jobs, one out of every 14 jobs in our State. Trucks move 63 percent of Kansas freight by tonnage, including more than $21 billion worth of beef and poultry.

For an agriculture State like Kansas, this is especially vital. Our farmers and ranchers raise the best wheat, corn, sorghum, cattle, and other commodities in the world, but we still need dependable truck drivers and reliable roads to get those products to markets across the country and around the globe.

Nearly one-half of Kansas communities rely exclusively on trucks to move their goods. In rural communities throughout the Big First District, truck drivers are a critical link connecting farms, ranches, small businesses, manufacturers, and families with the rest of America.

Their work often means long hours, early mornings, late nights, and days spent away from their families, yet they continue showing up and delivering for the rest of us.

During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, I say thank you to the professional drivers in Kansas and across the country who keep our supply chains moving, our rural communities connected, and our economy running.

We appreciate all that they do.

Mr. Speaker, there is a fundamental choice before our country today: Do we trust the American people, or do we trust Big Government?

Conservatives believe that freedom grows when the American Government gets out of the way. We believe in rewarding hard work, protecting free speech, securing our borders, lowering taxes, giving parents autonomy, and creating an economy where Americans can build, grow, and prosper.

The Democratic Party is moving in the opposite direction. Socialism was once dismissed as a fringe movement in American politics. Today, its ideas are increasingly becoming the agenda of the Democratic Party: bigger government, higher taxes, more spending, and more control over the daily lives of Americans.

Their own DSA movement openly calls for extending voting rights to noncitizens. Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress continue to oppose commonsense election safeguards, like the SAVE America Act, even though more than 80 percent of Americans support requiring identification to vote. That tells you everything you need to know about the competing visions before us.

Republicans believe that American elections should be decided by American citizens. We believe taxpayers' dollars should serve hardworking American families and not pay for gender transition surgeries for people who entered our country illegally. We believe that Americans should keep more of what they earn. We believe a sovereign country must have a secure border.

President Biden and congressional Democrats gave us 4 years of chaos at our southern border. President Trump and House Republicans proved that chaos was a policy choice. We enforced the law, secured the border, and restored common sense.

There is an inverse relationship between the size of government and the freedom of its people. Democrats want to grow government and shrink freedom. Congressional Republicans want to shrink the reach of government and grow individual freedom. That is the choice before this country: government control or individual liberty, dependence or opportunity, socialism or free markets, crazy or common sense.

I know which side I am on.

farewell tel

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a dedicated public servant, a trusted member of my team, and a good friend, Tel Wittmer, as he concludes 3\1/2\ years of service to the people of the Big First District.

Tel is a Kansan through and through. He grew up in Holton, graduated from K-State, and, like me, had the privilege of serving as student body president at K-State.

From the beginning, I knew that Tel understood that leadership is ultimately about service. Tel first joined my office in Washington, where he quickly became someone who I trusted with some of the most difficult issues before the Congress. He brought tremendous thoughtfulness to his work as a legislative assistant, but he also brought personality and joy to the office.

My Washington, D.C., staff was incredibly sad to see him leave the Capitol when he and his wife, Madelyn, moved home to Kansas last February.

Fortunately for us, Tel was not leaving the team. He moved to Wamego and took on the responsibility of serving as my district director. Over the last 1\1/2\ years, Kansans across the Big First have gotten to know the same Tel who we knew in Washington.

His thoughtfulness is apparent to everyone he meets. He listens carefully, treats people with respect, and approaches every conversation with a sincere desire to help. He has represented me and his office extremely well, and now my district staff feels the same way that my D.C. staff did when he left Washington. They are going to miss him tremendously, just as I will.

However, the things I admire most about Tel go way beyond his work. He is a man of strong faith, a leader in his community, a devoted husband to Madelyn, and now a great father to their young daughter, Eve.

I thank Tel for the 3\1/2\ years that he has given the people of Kansas. I thank him for his friendship, his counsel, his leadership, and the care he has shown to every Kansan who walked through the door.

While we will miss having Tel on our team, I am grateful that he will continue serving our great State in a new capacity. I know that God has great things ahead for Tel, Madelyn, and Eve, and I look forward to watching the next chapter unfold.

May God bless Tel, and I thank him for his service to the Big First.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 1490 condemning socialism in all its forms.

For years, we were told that socialism was a fringe movement on the left that posed no threat to our country. That is simply no longer true.

Today, socialist candidates are building political machines and pushing their party further and further left in New York, Colorado, Michigan, California, and across the country.

Since the election of a Democrat Socialist as mayor of New York City, DSA-affiliated candidates have run in more than 100 elections across at least half of our States.

The message inside today's Democratic Party is becoming increasingly clear: Embrace the socialist agenda or step aside for someone who will.

We should remember what socialism really means. It means concentrating power in government, weakening private property rights and free enterprise, and replacing individual liberty with government control.

History is not ambiguous about the consequences. Socialist and Communist regimes have produced famine, repression, mass murder, and more than 100 million deaths worldwide.

America became the greatest country on Earth because we rejected that model. This House should do the same today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge every Member of Congress to vote ``yes'' and condemn socialism in all its forms.

Mr. Speaker, just over a year ago, President Trump signed the Working Families Tax Cuts into law on July 4, 2025.

One year later, the results are clear. American families are keeping more of the money they earn. Businesses are investing. Farmers and ranchers have stronger risk management tools, and our Nation is once again putting American workers first.

Our legislation prevented the largest tax increase in American history and made President Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent.

During the most recent filing season, 97 percent of taxpayers received a tax cut, and $82 billion was returned directly to the American people. Nearly 70 percent of those receiving relief earned less than $100,000.

This law was written for working families, small businesses, seniors, farmers, ranchers, and Americans who get up every morning and work hard to build a better life.

More than 7.5 million workers claimed the no tax on tips deduction. More than 29 million claimed no tax on overtime. Nearly 40 million families claimed the enhanced child tax credit, and more than 35 million seniors benefited from the enhanced deduction for seniors.

These are real savings for Americans buying groceries, paying rent, putting gas in the car, and raising a family.

The Working Families Tax Cuts also delivered for Kansas agriculture. I called this legislation farm bill 1.0 because it strengthened the farm safety net and gave family farms more options to invest in their operations and keep their agricultural assets in the family.

It expanded access to affordable crop insurance, improved risk management tools for livestock producers and specialty crop growers, strengthened disaster and conservation programs, and provided immediate tax relief for farmers, ranchers, and small rural businesses.

It also significantly increased the death tax exemption, protecting nearly 2 million family farms and helping ensure that land, livestock, and operations can be passed from one generation to the next.

In the Big First district, agriculture is our way of life. Producers face unpredictable weather, volatile markets, and rising input costs. They deserve certainty from Washington, not higher taxes and more red tape.

This law also made historic investments in rural America by creating the Rural Health Transformation Program and providing $50 billion over 5 years to improve rural healthcare access in places like the Big First district of Kansas.

The bill also supported President Trump's work to secure our border and restore integrity to Federal programs. American taxpayers should not be forced to fund benefits for people who enter our country illegally. The Working Families Tax Cuts helps ensure that Medicaid and SNAP resources serve eligible, working Americans while supporting the men and women serving our communities and enforcing our laws.

Mr. Speaker, 1 year ago, President Trump and congressional Republicans made a commitment to working families. We promised lower taxes, a stronger economy, support for rural America, and policies that put American citizens first.

Mr. Speaker, 1 year later, Americans are seeing the benefits. The Working Families Tax Cuts are helping families keep more of their money, protecting family farms, strengthening rural communities, and creating greater opportunity across our country. Promises made. Promises kept.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 70th anniversary of President Dwight D. Eisenhower signing the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956.

President Eisenhower, a proud son of Abilene, Kansas, understood that a strong transportation network was essential to America's future. His vision for the Interstate Highway System helped fuel generations of America's growth.

In Kansas, we see that legacy every day. Interstate 70 runs through the heart of our State, connecting communities like Goodland, Colby, Quinter, Hays, Russell, Salina, Abilene, Manhattan, Topeka, Lawrence, and Kansas City. It helps farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, and first responders move through the center of America while serving as a lifeline for Kansas.

Seventy years later, President Eisenhower's legacy still reminds us that

commonsense infrastructure strengthens our economy, improves our national security, and connects America's families. I am proud that the father of the Interstate Highway System called Abilene, Kansas, home, and I look forward to getting America back to building again.

Honoring Martha Mendoza

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Martha Mendoza for 25 years of dedicated service to the people of Kansas.

In July 2001, Martha began working for Senator Pat Roberts in his Dodge City office. Over the next two decades, she earned the trust of Kansans across the region and ultimately served as Senator Roberts' district director for 8 years.

When I was elected to Congress in 2021, Senator Roberts personally recommended I hire Martha because he knew her character, her work ethic, and the genuine care she brings to every Kansan who asks for help. I am grateful that she agreed to continue her service as my constituent services director.

Today, Martha still works in the same Dodge City office where she began her public service career 25 years ago. During that time, she has helped countless Kansans navigate Federal agencies, resolve difficult casework, and find answers during some of the most stressful moments of their lives.

Martha works long hours, follows through, and treats every person who calls her or walks through the door with dignity and compassion. She understands that public service is about helping people, and she has spent her career putting others' lives in front of her own.

Martha is a trusted colleague, a devoted mother of Joe, Gio, and Alexyss, and a tireless advocate for the people of the Big First District.

I thank Martha for her 25 years of faithful service to Kansans. Our State is better because of her work and I am honored to have her on our team.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as we honor and prepare to celebrate 250 years of American independence.

Mr. Speaker, 250 years ago, our Founders declared to the world that our rights do not come from government nor do they come from a king. They come from our creator. They declared that government exists to protect liberty, to secure the rights of people, and to preserve a nation where free men and women could build lives, raise families, worship God, and pursue opportunity. That idea changed the course of human history.

As we approach America's 250th birthday, we ought to look back with gratitude, but we should also look forward with clarity. America's success was not an accident. We were blessed by God with extraordinary resources, but it was freedom that allowed the American people to turn those blessings into the most prosperous Nation in the history of the world.

I often think about it this way: America was dealt three aces. First, we were given the largest stretch of fertile farmland in the world, which runs right through Kansas and the district that I am blessed to represent. In the Big First District, agriculture is not just an industry, it is our way of life. Our farmers, ranchers, feedlot operators, ethanol producers, researchers, truckers, and small businesses all play a role in feeding, fueling, and clothing the world.

Second, running through that great patch of farmland is the largest navigable river system on the planet, the Mississippi River system. That river system gave American producers the ability to move goods, reach markets, trade with the world, and build an economy that went well beyond the county line, a State line, or even a coastline.

Third, and most importantly, America was founded on faith, freedom, private property rights, the rule of law, and limited government. Fertile soil alone does not create prosperity. A river alone does not create opportunity. Natural resources alone do not make a nation great. Freedom does.

It was freedom that allowed families to farm the land, own the land, improve the land, pass it down to the next generation, and build communities around it. It was freedom that allowed entrepreneurs to take risks, churches to strengthen communities, families to flourish, and citizens to govern themselves.

That is why America became the most prosperous and free Nation the world has ever known. One of the reasons we remain free is because we have never had to rely on another nation to feed us.

Food security is national security. A nation that cannot feed itself cannot long remain independent. For 250 years, American farmers and ranchers have helped secure our freedoms while our brave servicemen and -women defended them on the front lines. Farmers have kept grocery store shelves stocked, strengthened rural communities, supported our economy, and ensured that America never had to turn to our adversaries to sustain us.

In Kansas, we understand that well. The Big First is the most productive agriculture district in the country, ranking first in cattle, wheat, and sorghum production. We help feed, fuel, and clothe the world. We know when agriculture is strong, America is strong.

Our State has always had an outsized role in the American story. We are home to Abilene, where President Dwight D. Eisenhower learned the values that helped him lead the Allied Forces to victory in World War II and later to lead this Nation as our President. We are home to leaders like Senator Bob Dole, who carried the values of faith, service, sacrifice, and duty from the plains of Kansas to the battlefields of Europe and the Halls of Congress.

I like to think that the Big First District is the pilot light of America because the values that make our country great are still alive and well in my hometown and across Kansas. Folks where I am from live by faith, family, hard work, personal responsibility, and service to their neighbors. As long as those values continue to burn bright in America, our brightest days are yet to come. However, preserving those values requires us to be clear-eyed about the threats we have to freedom.

History scholars know there is an inverse relationship between the size of government and the freedom of the people. The larger and more intrusive government becomes, the smaller the space becomes for families, churches, businesses, farms, and individuals to flourish. That truth is just as important today as it was in 1776.

Yes, America was blessed with fertile land, mighty rivers, abundant resources, and a people willing to work, but it was freedom that allowed those blessings to become prosperity. It was faith that gave our Nation its moral foundation, and it was family that carried our values from one generation to the next.

As we celebrate America's 250th birthday, let us do more than look back. Let us recommit ourselves to the principles that made our Nation possible: faith, family, freedom, limited government, private property, strong communities, gratitude, and faith in God.

We must protect this inheritance, strengthen it in our time, and pass it on to our children and grandchildren so that 250 years from now, America remains prosperous, secure, free, and rooted in the truth that our rights are derived from God, not from a king.

Mr. Speaker, may God bless Kansas and may God bless the United States of America. Happy birthday, America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the community of Burdett, Kansas, as it celebrates its sesquicentennial.

Located in Pawnee County, Burdett is a central Kansas town with a proud history and strong sense of community. For 150 years, the people of Burdett have helped carry forward the values that help make Kansas such a special place: faith, family, hard work, personal responsibility, and caring for their neighbors.

Burdett also holds a unique place in American history as the birthplace of Clyde Tombaugh, one of the most significant scientific figures ever to come from our State. Born on a farm outside of Burdett in 1906, he was a self-taught astronomer who built telescopes using farm equipment and went on to discover Pluto on February 18, 1930.

That is an incredible legacy, and it is a point of great pride for Burdett, Pawnee County, and the entire State of Kansas.

Mr. Speaker, as Burdett celebrates 150 years, I congratulate the community on this milestone. I thank the anniversary committee for its work and join Kansans in honoring the town's history, people, and lasting contribution to American science.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from Utah for hosting this Special Order hour. I thank him for his leadership as the vice chair of our Conference. This is important.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the fourth anniversary of the Dobbs Supreme Court decision. Dobbs was a historic and long-overdue victory for life. It corrected the great mistake of Roe v. Wade and returned the question of abortion policy to the American people and their elected representatives. For nearly 50 years, Roe distorted our Constitution and denied States the ability to enact laws that reflect the will of the people and protect the most vulnerable among us.

Thankfully, Dobbs restored that authority. In the years since, legislators across the country have acted to defend unborn children, support mothers, and affirm the dignity of human life.

Now, 4 years later, the work is far from finished. Far too many unborn children are still lost to abortion each year, and dangerous abortion drugs are being pushed across State lines, often without a doctor's visit, undermining the laws of pro-life States and putting women and unborn children at risk.

America was founded on the self-evident truth that every person is created equal and endowed by our creator with inherent dignity and the right to life. That right is the foundation of every other right that we enjoy. If we fail to protect life at its earliest and most vulnerable stage, we weaken the very principles that this great Nation was built upon.

As a father and person of faith, I believe that every child is fearfully and wonderfully made by God, every life has value, every child has purpose, and no child is a mistake.

Congress must continue advancing life-affirming policies, supporting mothers and families, defending longstanding protections like the Hyde amendment, strengthening adoption and foster care, and standing with the pregnancy centers and community organizations that serve women in need every day.

Dobbs was the new beginning in our pro-life movement. We must continue working, praying, and building a culture where every life is welcomed, valued, and protected.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Tony Mattivi and celebrate his confirmation by the United States Senate to serve as United States District Judge for the District of Kansas.

Mr. Mattivi has spent his career working to uphold the rule of law, protect Kansans, and keep our communities safe.

Before serving as the 13th director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, he spent more than two decades as a Federal prosecutor. In that role, he handled some of the toughest cases imaginable related to drug trafficking, violent crime, racketeering, organized crime, gangs, money laundering, and terrorism.

He served as the antiterrorism and national security coordinator for the district of Kansas, prosecuted cases involving threats tied to al- Qaida and ISIS, and helped bring justice in cases that directly affected Kansas communities, including an attempted attack at the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport.

As director of the KBI, he continued that work with a clear focus on public safety. Under his leadership, the KBI helped form the Joint Fentanyl Impact Team, expanded child victims units in western and southeast Kansas, and completed a major upgrade to Kansas' biometric identification system.

Tony Mattivi understands the law. He understands law enforcement. He understands Kansas. I congratulate him on his confirmation and thank him for his years of service to our State and our country. I am confident he will serve the people of Kansas well on the Federal bench.

recognizing university of kansas bseball team

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the University of Kansas baseball team for a historic and record-breaking season. The Jayhawks brought incredible pride to Lawrence, the Big First District, and the entire State of Kansas.

This season, KU won the Big 12 regular season title outright and then captured the Big 12 tournament championship for the first time in 20 years. They finished the year with 45 wins, tying the school record, and hosted the first-ever Lawrence Regional and Lawrence Super Regional.

Along the way, the Jayhawks set school records in conference wins, road and neutral site wins, home runs, and batters struck out. They also earned a spot in the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year, something the program has done only one other time in school history.

I congratulate Coach Fitzgerald, the players, staff, families, and all Jayhawk fans on an outstanding season. They made Lawrence proud, made Kansas proud, and showed the country that Kansas baseball belongs on the national stage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today at an important time for American agriculture. Across the country and certainly in the Big First District of Kansas, farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers are doing what they have always done. They are working hard, taking risks, caring for their land and livestock, and helping feed, fuel, and clothe the world.

Anyone who spends time with producers knows the truth: Farmers are facing real pressure right now. Producers are facing high input costs, tight margins, market uncertainty, and the lasting effects of 4 years of overregulation and sky-high inflation under the Biden administration.

Farmers and ranchers do not need Washington to make their jobs harder. They need Washington to understand the challenges they face and get out of their way. That is exactly what President Trump, Secretary Brooke Rollins, and House Republicans are doing.

We have real leadership that understands the basic truth that food security is national security. A country that cannot feed itself is not secure, and a world without access to American-grown commodities is worse off as a result.

That is why House Republicans have been focused on delivering results for farmers, ranchers, producers, and rural America.

At the end of April, the House passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, which gives producers the stability and certainty that they deserve, authorizes key farm programs, expands market access, improves access to credit, and invests in rural America.

In May, the House passed legislation to allow E15 fuel to be sold year-round nationwide, another commonsense win that strengthens markets for producers, supports American energy, and gives families more choices at the pump.

Later this week, the House will also vote on fiscal year 2027 Agriculture appropriations bills. This legislation keeps USDA focused on its core mission: supporting American agriculture, protecting our food supply, investing in rural communities, and making sure farmers and ranchers have the tools they need to succeed.

I am proud that I have pushed for the inclusion of Kansas priorities, such as funding for Food for Peace, McGovern-Dole, agricultural research, and efforts to align USDA more closely with American farmers.

One of the best examples of Republicans' dedication to the agricultural economy is Food for Peace. Food for Peace is a Kansas-born idea. It began when Cheyenne County farmer Peter O'Brien, whose proposal to use surplus American commodities to feed hungry nations was adopted by the Kansas Farm Bureau, sponsored in Congress by Kansas Senator Andy Schoeppel, and signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954.

More than 70 years later, that idea is still powerful: American farmers helping feed hungry people around the world. That program belongs at USDA, where American-grown commodities remain at the center of the mission. Moving Food for Peace back home to its rightful place is better not only for farmers but for taxpayers and a hungry world.

The farm bill we passed in April includes my legislation to permanently move Food for Peace to USDA, and the Ag appropriations bill continues funding for the program.

Last week, I was proud to host USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg in the Big First District of Kansas. We visited Kansas State University's milling science facilities and international grains programs, the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center, and the ADM milling facility in Abilene. Under Secretary Lindberg understands what Kansas producers know to be true: We need consistent buyers, strong markets, and a Federal Government that fights for American agriculture abroad.

President Trump and Secretary Rollins embody that well. They are putting producers first, expanding opportunities for American agriculture, and restoring common sense at USDA. After years of inflation, overregulation, and missed opportunities, this leadership is needed, and I am grateful for all the changes.

Mr. Speaker, agriculture is the backbone of the Big First District and our country. Our farmers and ranchers do more than just produce food. They strengthen our economy. They support rural communities. They fuel our Nation. They help feed a hungry world. They remind us that America's strength has always been with our hardworking farmers and ranchers.

House Republicans are delivering for those producers. We passed a farm bill that gives agriculture certainty. We passed year-round E15 to strengthen markets and expand consumer choice. We are advancing an Ag appropriations bill that supports USDA's core mission and invests in the priorities that matter to farm country.

Under President Trump and Secretary Rollins, we finally have an administration that understands American agriculture is setting our producers up for success. American farmers and ranchers feed, fuel, and clothe the world. They deserve a government that has their backs.

Mr. Speaker, that is what we are fighting for.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the importance of the BUILD America 250 Act, the surface transportation reauthorization that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is marking up today during National Infrastructure Week.

This marks 70 years since President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law. For Kansans, that anniversary carries special meaning. President Eisenhower understood that a strong transportation network was essential to the safety, commerce, and unity of the United States. His vision helped connect a growing country and gave future generations a highway system that changed the way Americans live, work, and move.

Seventy years later, America's transportation needs have changed, but Congress' basic responsibility remains the same. We have a duty to maintain a surface transportation system that allows people and goods to move across this country safely, efficiently, and reliably.

The entire House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has been hard at work for over a year to ensure the BUILD America 250 Act delivers for American travelers. This is one of the few major bills that we take up on a regular schedule, and it has historically been bipartisan because every district in America relies on roads, bridges, rail, airports, and freight movement. That is especially true in rural America.

In the Big First, our district alone has more than 83,000 miles of roads, 4,000 miles of railroads, and more than 100 airports. That infrastructure supports the farmers, ranchers, producers, manufacturers, small businesses, schools, hospitals, and families that keep our communities strong. We also have 11,172 bridges, more than any other congressional district in the country. That is why I am especially proud that our legislation provides the largest investment in our Nation's bridges in American history.

When a highway is unsafe, a rural bridge is closed, or a freight route is inefficient, the consequences are real. A farmer may have to take a longer route to get grain to market. A rancher may face higher costs of moving livestock. A manufacturer may struggle to ship products on time. A first responder may lose valuable minutes reaching someone in need.

Transportation policy in Washington has a direct effect on the daily lives of Kansans. That is why this reauthorization must get back to the basics.

In recent years, Washington has created new programs, expanded existing ones, and spent money our country does not have. This surface transportation bill, on the other hand, focuses our limited Federal resources on the fundamental needs of our transportation system: roads, bridges, freight movement, safety, and the infrastructure that helps Americans get where they need to go.

One of my top priorities is maintaining and expanding flexibility in Federal highway programs. States are best positioned to understand their own transportation needs. Kansans should not be forced into the same mold as New York or California. A rural road that carries wheat, cattle, schoolbuses, and animals serves a very different purpose than a major urban corridor. Federal policy should respect those differences.

The BUILD America 250 Act provides States and local communities with the flexibility to direct resources where they need it most. It also helps ensure taxpayer dollars are used effectively instead of being tied up in Washington-driven mandates that do not fit local realities.

Finally, we are addressing the long-term solvency of the highway trust fund. The trust fund was created to provide a dedicated revenue source for the construction of the interstate highway system. It was built on a user-pays principle, with Federal fuel taxes serving as the main funding source.

That principle is still the right one, but the current model is no longer sustainable. American vehicles have become more fuel efficient, and some Americans even drive electric vehicles. That is why our legislation updates the highway trust fund, ensuring owners of electric vehicles still contribute to the maintenance of the roads they also rely on.

We are preserving the conservative idea that those who use the system help pay for it, while modernizing the way we keep our trust fund solvent and focus on our core mission.

Mr. Speaker, America is a nation that builds. That spirit helped President Eisenhower, a proud Kansan, leave a transportation legacy that still serves our country today.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is honoring that legacy by focusing on the basics, respecting States, spending taxpayer dollars wisely, and strengthening the roads, bridges, and freight networks that keep America moving. I urge my committee colleagues to support the BUILD America 250 Act going forward.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support for year-round E15, this rule, and the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, which finally makes it a reality.

For too long, Washington has prevented Americans from having more choices at the pump. E15 is an available, affordable, American-made fuel that can help lower costs, strengthen our energy independence, and support the men and women who feed, fuel, and clothe the world.

This is exactly the kind of commonsense, all-of-the-above energy policy that House Republicans were elected to enact--one that embraces American resources, reduces our dependence on foreign oil, and trusts the American people to make their own decisions.

In the Big First District of Kansas, our farmers work hard every day to produce the feedstocks that power American ethanol. Year-round E15 is a

win for those farmers, a win for consumers, and a win for American energy.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 1346, this rule, and I support year-round E15.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for hosting this Special Order hour and for his leadership on this very important time for our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as our Nation prepares to celebrate 250 years of American independence. For nearly two-and-a-half centuries, America has been a nation not like any other, not because of the size of our economy, the strength of our military, or the power of our government, but because our founding was rooted in the simple and revolutionary truth that our rights are derived from God, not from government.

The Declaration of Independence says that we are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights. That belief has guided our country through war, hardship, division, and uncertainty. It has reminded generations that freedom is a gift, and with that gift comes responsibility.

Kansas understands this well. Our State was born in the struggle over freedom. From the days of Bleeding Kansas to the farmers, ranchers, teachers, pastors, and families who built our communities, Kansans have always known that liberty must be defended and faith has an important place in public life.

Growing up as a western Kansas farm kid, I was taught the value of faith, family, hard work, and personal responsibility. Those values shaped my life. My faith is my foundation. It shaped how I serve and how I approach the work before us in this Chamber.

Throughout our Nation's history, leaders have turned to God in moments of hardship. Benjamin Franklin, as mentioned before, called for prayer during the Constitutional Convention.

President Lincoln called the Nation to prayer during the Civil War.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., prayed for justice, courage, and freedom as he led a movement that helped America live up to its founding promise.

Today, we face challenges of our own. We see the breakdown of the family, adrift from faith and personal responsibility, deep divisions in our politics, and confusion about right and wrong. Washington cannot solve these problems through legislation alone. A free country depends on the character of its people.

This is why this 250th anniversary should be more than a celebration. It should be a moment of reflection, humility, prayer, and renewal. We should thank God for the blessings of liberty, repent where we have fallen short, and ask for the courage to preserve this country for the next and future generations.

Like Solomon, I pray for a discerning heart to govern and to distinguish between right and wrong. I pray that our leaders seek wisdom, that our families be strengthened, that our communities be restored, and that our Nation turn back toward the values that have sustained America from its beginning.

May God bless our families, our communities, the great State of Kansas, and the United States of America.