Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the importance of reauthorizing a 5-year farm bill. America's farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers deserve it; America's food and national security depend on it; and Congress must deliver it.

It has been said that the farm bill is like a Swiss Army knife: It does a little bit of everything. This 5-year bill tackles the whole scope of American food and agriculture policy, addressing things like how we conserve our resources to how we support research from our land grant universities to how we keep people fed.

Since it is a 5-year bill, the farm bill is long enough to provide certainty to ag producers, and it is short enough for Congress to respond to market changes and strengthen the farm safety net accordingly.

The farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers that provide us all with food, fuel, and fiber deserve a 5-year bill. The last farm bill was signed into law on December 20, 2018. That legislation was put in place to respond to the needs of producers at that time.

Since 2018, a lot has changed. We had a global pandemic that devastated the supply chain. War broke out between Russia and Ukraine, one of the top wheat-producing countries in the world. The Biden administration's failed trade agenda and delayed appointment of trade officials resulted in unprecedented market fluctuation. The list goes on and on, and we haven't even mentioned inflation or drought conditions yet.

Since 2018, when the last farm bill was signed, input costs on the farm have skyrocketed. At one point in 2022, when inflation was at its worst, fertilizer prices were up 222 percent, and diesel fuel prices were up 115 percent. For the producers whose operations even survived through that time, they are still shouldering the burden of an 80 percent increase in fertilizer costs compared to 2018 and diesel that costs $4.50 per gallon today compared to $3 per gallon in 2018. If you hear people talking about how input costs and inflation are coming down, it is an illusion if you compare it to 2018 when Congress signed the last farm bill.

Our national and global security depend on a new farm bill. Ninety years ago, Congress recognized the importance of protecting and strengthening America's food security, on which our national security depends. That is why the farm bill exists.

We cannot afford to have ag producers going out of business because of one bad crop year. Crop insurance helps us avoid that, and this year's wheat harvest in Kansas is a perfect example of why the program is so important.

In 2023, drought and market conditions caused producers to abandon the highest number of acres of wheat since World War I. Right now, crop insurance is helping thousands of producers keep their operations afloat until next year when they roll the dice again with Mother Nature and put their livelihoods on the line, all so that we can have stocked grocery shelves.

Crop insurance is one of the most successful public-private partnerships we have. I have said all along that my top priority for the farm bill is to strengthen and maintain it. If we make any changes to crop insurance, we need to use a scalpel and not a sledgehammer. It is the most cost-effective way to deliver a safe, steady, robust food supply.

Trade and trade promotion also help America remain competitive and secure, and our trade programs are authorized through the farm bill. Back in February, I introduced the Agriculture Export Promotion Act, which would allocate additional resources to the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program for 5 years.

Trade programs, which have longstanding records of success in America, represent the partnership between the public and private sectors of our country. These programs are essential because they spearhead innovative market access and new market development and promote agricultural sales overseas.

Between 1977 and 2019, USDA export promotion programs added 13.7 percent of additional export revenue, or nearly $648 billion, to the value of U.S. agricultural exports. These programs also created almost a quarter of a million American jobs between 2012 and 2019 alone.

The return on investment from private-sector contributions, which accounted for roughly 75 percent of export promotion between 2013 to 2019, is unparalleled. They must be addressed in a 5-year farm bill.

American agricultural producers already face endless hurdles as they work tirelessly to feed, fuel, and clothe the world, and a 5-year farm bill is our chance to support them with the tools they need to protect the future of America's food and agriculture.

As we work toward this, Congress must be brave enough to have difficult conversations and make smart compromises. If we aren't willing to do that, American agricultural producers will suffer the consequences.

If you think about a safety net, the higher the risk, the higher the fall, and the stronger the safety net that you need to survive. Producers' risk levels are at an all-time high because of inflation and input costs, which have shrunk their margins dramatically.

The livelihoods of American producers and consumers are on the line right now, and that means our food security and national security are on the line, too. America's farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers need certainty like never before, and Congress must deliver for them with a 5-year farm bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss my priorities for protecting America's future. We need to reduce and reprioritize government spending, secure the border, and end the weaponization of the Federal Government.

The Biden administration's spending has created massive inflation and increased our national debt to $33 trillion, and $2.4 trillion of that debt has accrued over just the last 365 days. That is over $76,000 every second.

The Biden administration's spending is out of touch with what Americans want, and it is crushing our economy. We are all feeling it, especially in middle America where new and costly regulations are forcing small businesses to close, gas is nearly $4 a gallon, and people's paychecks are overtaxed.

House Republicans have offered commonsense solutions to these problems. We have passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act to stop wasteful taxpayer spending, reclaim unspent COVID relief money and promote pro- growth economic policies, and we must stand firm in our commitment to reducing and reprioritizing government spending.

While the Biden administration is burning through taxpayer dollars like there is no tomorrow, there is also a humanitarian crisis raging at our southern border, and it is getting worse every day. This is a national security emergency. As we speak, fentanyl is flooding American streets, victims of human trafficking rings are getting abused and killed, and our brave border patrol agents are overwhelmed.

The funding to secure the border had already been appropriated by Congress before President Biden even took office, and then he killed the completion of the border wall by executive order. In response, House Republicans passed H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, which would force the Biden administration to resume construction of the border wall, increase the number of Border Patrol agents, protect unaccompanied children from human trafficking, and terminate catch-and- release policies.

We also passed the Schools Not Shelters Act and the HALT Fentanyl Act. We must keep pressing to secure the border and protect Americans.

In addition to wasting taxpayer dollars and ignoring the border crisis, the Biden administration is overseeing and directing an unprecedented weaponization of the Federal Government. President Biden's Department of Justice refuses to apply justice equally, and House Republicans are constantly fighting back against overreaching government regulations that are hurting agricultural producers and small business owners.

Even the Supreme Court had to step in and declare the Biden administration's definition of Waters of the United States was unconstitutional.

When government grows, freedom shrinks. So we must stop the weaponization of the Federal Government to protect our freedoms. The appropriations process is a critical opportunity to address all of these concerns. We must restore fiscal sanity. Americans deserve to have their taxpayer dollars used wisely, and giving the President endless, no-limit credit cards is no way to govern in a democracy.

It is hard for me to imagine how anyone would love $33 trillion of debt or love the open border or love losing to China or love $200 billion of unaccounted for COVID relief dollars so much they would be willing to shut down the Federal Government to maintain them.

We have 10 days to pass the remaining appropriations bills in a fiscally responsible way. We owe it to the American people to work tirelessly toward that end and to get our country back on track.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss the urgency of reauthorizing the farm bill. This is my 23rd speech about the importance of this legislation going back a year and a half. American consumers deserve the strongest possible farm bill as do the American farmers, ranchers, and producers who face endless hurdles as they work tirelessly to feed, fuel, and clothe the world.

Mother Nature is a fickle business partner, markets fluctuate, and overly burdensome Federal regulations only make things more difficult. We are seeing drought, high interest rates, and high input costs wreak havoc on the American family farm. And the farm bill is our chance to protect the future of American food and agriculture.

I said all along that my top priorities for the farm bill in order are: one to strengthen and maintain crop insurance; two, to promote trade; and three conduct rigorous oversight of the executive branch. This farm bill must invest powerfully in research innovation if America is going to remain the undisputed world leader in food science technology. Producers are working tirelessly. We need to work just as hard to pass something as soon as possible to ensure the strongest safety net possible for farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers across Kansas and the country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the face of a looming government shutdown to discuss fiscal responsibility and the importance of returning to regular order in this Congress.

The government borrows too much money and the government spends too much money. The Biden administration and Congressional Democrats' spending addiction has created massive inflation and caused our national debt to climb to nearly $33 trillion. They prioritize spending that is out of touch with what Americans are asking for and are killing the economy in the process.

Republicans have offered real solutions to fix this mess. All the other side has offered is enthusiasm for more reckless behavior.

House Republicans remain committed to limiting future government spending, reclaiming unspent COVID relief money, eliminating burdensome regulations, and promoting pro-growth energy and economic policies.

We need to get government spending under control and get our economy back on track, and we need to protect both our national defense and Social Security and Medicare benefits for seniors while we do it.

What we are seeing now is President Biden and Washington Democrats' failure to negotiate, which regular order mandates and which Congress is based on. We can't keep going down this road.

In my commitment to the Big First, I promised to do everything I can to end Washington's spending addiction, balance the budget, grow the economy, curb inflation, secure the border, and lower taxes for individuals and small businesses.

We must restore fiscal sanity. Americans deserve to have their tax dollars used wisely. Giving the President endless, no-limit credit cards is no way to govern in a democracy.

Let's secure the border. Let's decrease our country's dependence on Communist China. Let's commit to reining in government spending.

It is hard for me to imagine how anyone can love the open border so much, or love losing to China so much, or love $200 billion of unaccounted for COVID relief dollars so much that they would be willing to shut down the Federal Government to keep the situation as-is.

If the other side would spend as much energy on funding the government as they do on their liberal wish list, we would have solved this problem long ago.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the chairman from Arkansas, for his leadership on this effort and for the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the importance of this resolution, which pushes back on unnecessary and burdensome regulation that threatens the livelihoods of people throughout rural America. I introduced the House version earlier this year, and I am proud to see the Senate version passed the Senate earlier, and we are finally now coming to the House today.

The designation of the lesser prairie-chicken as ``threatened'' in places like Kansas is unacceptable, and this rule should have no force or effect until Congress is consulted.

Farmers, ranchers, and agriculture producers are American heroes. They are the backbone of America, and they are working tirelessly every day to keep us all fed while dealing with the burdens of inflation, drought, and market fluctuations. The last thing they need is the Federal Government handcuffing them with senseless red tape.

One southwest Kansas rancher recently told me that he spotted a lesser prairie-chicken on one of his pastures where his cattle were grazing. He did the right thing and reported that, and then he had to move all the cattle from not only that pasture but the adjoining pastures adjacent to it, just because U.S. Fish and Wildlife recorded that bird.

The truth is, Kansas producers have voluntarily conserved more than 40,000 acres of habitat for the lesser prairie-chicken through both private investment and conservation programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The population of the lesser prairie-chicken rises and falls with rainfall, not the normal activity of farmers and ranchers.

Last year, we were in a historic drought throughout the Great Plains. It is obviously affecting the lesser prairie-chicken population and also the wheat harvest, which was devastatingly small this year.

Big Government doesn't need to step in and force farmers and ranchers to upend their operations for the sake of this bird, whose population is predicted to bounce back on its own with rainfall as it did in 2016 after another devastating drought in 2013.

Make no mistake, the lesser prairie-chicken is being used as a proxy in the administration's war on fossil fuel and production agriculture.

With this vote today, we can either stand for Big Government overregulation that puts producers out of business, or we can stand with producers' rights to private property and self-determination.

Mr. Speaker, I know where I stand, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the direction of our country. In America right now, we are facing a lot of problems. House Republicans have done our part to pass commonsense solutions, but we still have a lot of work to do to get this country back on track.

In January, I released my commitment to the Big First, which is a legislative roadmap to create an economy that is strong, a Nation that is safe, a future that is built on freedom, and a government that is accountable.

Most of the glaring problems in America today fall into one of these four categories, and the reality is that House Republicans have commonsense solutions to all of them, but the Biden administration is refusing to listen.

We need to create an economy that is strong. Washington has a spending addiction. America is $32 trillion in debt, and the Federal Government is deficit spending to the tune of $1 trillion every year. The Biden administration has canceled the Keystone XL pipeline and pushed Green New Deal regulations on small businesses, while attempting at the same time to do away with stepped-up basis and impose a new farm killer capital gains tax on agriculture producers.

Here is the commonsense solution: When you stop the wasteful spending, you don't have to tax people to death. When President Biden took office, inflation was at just 1.4 percent. Inflation hit 6.4 percent in 2022. That is a tax on all Americans.

In the House of Representatives, we passed the Lower Energy Costs Act and the REIN IN Inflation Act to unleash American energy production and revitalize our economy, but the White House still isn't listening. America's position in the global marketplace is degrading, the value of the dollar has been plummeting for a year, and it is time to get our economy back on track before it is too late.

We also need to create a Nation that is safe. Violent crime is on the rise, the suicide rate is climbing, drug addiction and mental illness are spiking, and many parts of our country are basically in chaos. Meanwhile, we are still hearing calls from Washington Democrats to defund the police, and the Biden administration refuses to address the humanitarian crisis at our southern border where fentanyl, criminals, and victims of human trafficking come across every day, unfortunately, into our country.

Here is the commonsense solution: House Republicans passed legislation to secure the border, finish the wall, criminalize all forms of illicit fentanyl, and support the training and hiring of more State and local law enforcement officers. Today, we don't live in a Nation that is safe, but House Republicans have already passed bills that would stop the chaos and usher in safety and order.

We also need to create a future that is built on freedom. Each year I host at least one townhall in every one of the 60 counties in the Big First District. As I travel across the State and meet with Kansans, I listen to their concerns about Big Government, sweeping executive order, and infringement on basic rights, like the Second Amendment and the right to life.

House Republicans are standing for freedom in the face of Big Government overreach. We passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act that would defend the lives of innocent children following a botched abortion attempt.

We also passed the Parents Bill of Rights that states that parents have the right to know what their children are being taught. These are no-brainers. It is sad that we even need to pass bills like this because the rights to life and freedom are supposed to be foundational to America in the first place.

On the American farm we also see freedom under attack. The Biden administration vetoed legislation that would have revoked President Biden's Waters of the U.S. rule because his administration prefers to regulate every puddle and drainage ditch from sea to shining sea.

On top of that, the Biden administration hamstrung producers by adding the lesser prairie-chicken to the endangered species list, and I am looking forward to my colleagues' and my voting to disapprove of that rule.

Our message is this: Whether you are a parent, a child--born or unborn--a student, a farmer, or a small business owner, you don't need the Federal Government trying to control your life.

Finally, we need to create a government that is accountable. According to recent IRS whistleblower testimony made public by the Ways and Means Committee, it appears that President Biden was not only aware of his son, Hunter Biden's, corrupt foreign business deals, but was also in the room for them. We need to conduct rigorous oversight to root out corruption in the executive branch. We also need to hold the Federal Government accountable and rein in the White House's abuse of power.

As the Biden administration has proven time and time again, executive orders are out of control, and they are no way to govern in a democracy. That is why I introduced the More Accountability is Necessary Now Act, which requires the President to notify Congress and the public before issuing any new executive orders pertaining to agriculture, energy, natural resources, the right to life, the Second Amendment, and immigration. This is a commonsense way to hold the government accountable and stop some of the Big Government overreach that Kansans and the Big First are sick and tired of.

I don't serve in Congress to be a caretaker in the slow demise of America. I am here to do my part in making America stronger. We need to rebuild our country on behalf of Americans who have had their rights stripped from them, their taxpayer dollars wasted, their values shoved back in their face, and their country's economy brought to the brink of disaster by an administration that isn't getting the message.

We need everything from a balanced budget to a strengthened supply chain, from lower taxes to a secure southern border, and from a strong farm bill to robust police and military forces.

We have a lot of work to do, and if we open our eyes to the real problems that Americans are facing today and look at the commonsense solutions on the table, we can accomplish real meaningful change in our country.

With prayer and hard work, I believe America's brightest days are yet to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to deliver the 22nd installment of my farm bill impact series to discuss Congress' willingness to invest in agricultural research, which supports our Nation's food security and, ultimately, our national security.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for every public dollar spent, agricultural research returns $20 benefit to the economy. Despite this, Federal funding for agricultural research has declined in real dollars over the past two decades.

When you take a bird's-eye view of our investment in agricultural research, you see that the impact of the

investment is much larger than it initially seems. This isn't just about new laboratories and equipment. This is about a vision for the world where America is the undisputed leader in food science technology. It is just like when we invest in international food aid, and the return is staggering. We feed hungry people with American commodities, but we also stop wars before they start and create new international trading partners.

Agricultural research investment is the same story. The impact is wide-reaching, and the return on investment is enormous.

Just a few months ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture officially opened its new state-of-the-art National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in my home State of Kansas, where scientists will conduct research into serious animal disease threats. It will be an important backstop in protecting our Nation's food supply. I am proud to have this facility in my district and right down the street from my alma mater, Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Biosecurity Research Institute, creating a scientific hub that will lead the world in agricultural research and health.

In Congress, I am proud to represent Kansas State University, the first land-grant university created under the Morrill Act, and also Haskell Indian Nations University, which was granted land-grant status by an act of Congress in 1994. The idea for land-grant universities was originally proposed in the 1850s to educate students and increase agricultural expertise and U.S. productivity.

Over the years, these universities have surpassed that original vision and now represent the cutting edge of the agricultural research that supports food security around the globe. The faculty, staff, and students at K-State and Haskell have made it clear that we must support agricultural research, development, and innovation. When we do so, agricultural producers in the U.S. and abroad gain access to the technologies that increase their production even when challenges arise.

Earlier this summer, I co-introduced the Augmenting Research and Educational Sites to Ensure Agriculture Remains Cutting-Edge and Helpful Act, or the AG RESEARCH Act. This legislation would address the deferred maintenance at agricultural research facilities to ensure that America remains the world leader in research and innovation, instead of bowing to our adversaries and competitors.

Our work cannot stop there. Congress must also make strong investments in leveraging public-private partnerships to support research addressing the biggest food and agricultural challenges and quickly react to any research shortfall.

Madam Speaker, I look forward to working with Members of this Congress to ensure that this farm bill prioritizes research and innovation. I will be back on the floor soon to deliver another installment of my farm bill impact series and highlight more programs and titles within the bill that I believe Congress must understand and support to ensure that agriculture continues to thrive right here in America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to deliver the 21st installment of my farm bill impact series to highlight the tireless work of Kansas wheat farmers. Kansas is known as the wheat State, and our State's wheat farmers are feeding the world with their lifesaving commodity. With more than 15,000 wheat farms across the State and 5 million acres of wheat in the Big First District alone, our State leads the Nation in wheat production.

Wheat harvest is underway in Kansas, which begins in the southern part of our State and moves north over the next few weeks. As we speak, Kansas farmers are working tirelessly in the face of record-breaking drought to produce wheat, which is a staple for families in our country and all over the world. This year's drought and market conditions have caused Kansas producers to abandon the highest number of acres of wheat since World War I. Over the past 5 years, Kansas wheat farmers have harvested an average of 44 bushels per acre, but this year, USDA predicts that farmers will harvest roughly 29 bushels per acre. That is a 35 percent decrease.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Kansas wheat farmers and all our American farmers for working tirelessly to keep our country's food secure and self-determining as a Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss America's debt crisis.

We are in the exact same position today that we have been in for years. Our national debt is ballooning, and wasteful spending continues. In early 2025, we will hit the debt ceiling again and run out of money.

Congress must commit to ending the wasteful government spending that is causing this debt crisis in the first place.

America is bleeding out financially, and I am sounding the alarm. We must stop governing from crisis to crisis because all we are doing is organizing deck chairs on the Titanic. Our ship is sinking, and if we don't act fast, our economy, the value of the dollar, our children's future, and the future of this great Nation are going to be forgotten relics at the bottom of the sea.

Kansas and the Big First sent me to D.C. to stop the borrowing and spending spree. They sent me to pass legislation like this week's REINS Act, which would block costly rules and regulations. Today, America is $31 trillion in debt, and soon we will be at $34 trillion in debt. This must end.

We must work together now to create a real solution to this crisis, which means coming to the table, having the hard conversations, and getting this right for the future of the country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to deliver the 20th installment of my farm bill impact series and celebrate this week's ribbon cutting at USDA's National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas, in the heart of my district.

It has been 8 years since the facility's groundbreaking in 2015, and now this state-of-the-art, 700,000-square-foot research center is a national asset that will help protect animal agriculture against the threat and potential impact of serious animal diseases.

NBAF will be home to the only maximum biocontainment space in the country where USDA will conduct comprehensive research, develop animal vaccines and antivirals, and explore enhanced diagnostic and training capabilities. This facility isn't just about animal health. It is about public health, as well.

NBAF will replace the 60-year-old Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York, create 400 new jobs for Kansans, generate more than $100 million in total economic benefit for our State, and make Kansas the home of internationally recognized animal disease experts.

By bringing healthy animals into the facility, world-renowned research will happen here. I am proud to have this facility in my district and right down the street from K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine and the Biosecurity Research Institute, creating a scientific hub that will lead the world in agriculture research and health.

Last month, I chaired my first hearing of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry on animal health with USDA Under Secretary Moffitt. Animal health is at the forefront of livestock producers' minds, and so it is at the forefront of my mind on their behalf.

This year's farm bill is an opportunity to lead in the areas of innovation and research. We must get animal health right for our food security, economic security, and national security.

The 2018 farm bill contained special authorization for biosecurity planning and response, which helped make NBAF possible. NBAF is a concrete example of the impact that we can have when we reauthorize the farm bill in careful and creative ways.

Last year, I hosted House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson on an ag tour of Kansas, where I was proud to show him NBAF. Last month, I hosted House Agriculture Committee staff and congressional staff from agriculture districts around the country for a tour of NBAF. The technology, scale, and international significance of the facility are truly second to none.

Once fully operational, NBAF won't just support and protect agriculture. It will protect our country and the world.

I will be back on the floor soon to deliver another installment of my farm bill impact series and highlight more programs and titles within the farm bill that I believe Congress must understand and support to ensure that agriculture thrives right here in America.

Opposing a National Abortion Hotline

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to use my voice in defense of the voiceless.

Abortion has desensitized our Nation and resulted in the deaths of nearly 64 million unborn American citizens, which is basically the entire population of the Midwest.

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, rectifying a wrong that has plagued our country for decades. While that is a huge triumph for the right to life, there is still a lot of work to be done.

Last month, the Biden administration announced that it plans to use $1.5 billion of taxpayer money to establish a national abortion hotline to counsel individuals on how to obtain an abortion and certain other family planning services.

According to the administration, the project will operate as a supplement to the existing Title X Family Planning services grant. The grant information states that one of the hotline's purposes will be to offer information, counseling, and referral for pregnancy termination.

The Public Health Services Act of 1970 established Title X funds to help low-income and uninsured women access healthcare and family planning services. From the beginning, Title X funds were never intended to support abortion services, and the underlying statute explicitly prohibits it.

In October 2021, however, the Biden administration finalized a rule that

violated the spirit of this law by actively supporting abortion. It provided Title X funding to clinics that perform elective abortions by requiring grantees to make abortion referrals.

This new abortion hotline goes one step further.

Taxpayer dollars should never go toward funding abortions, but President Biden and his administration are continually attempting to use Title X funds to promote abortion services.

This week, I am leading a letter to President Biden to push back on this gross violation of the law, and I will be doing everything within my power to prevent this hotline from going live, including a piece of legislation that I plan to introduce soon.

I firmly believe that life begins at conception, and I will fight to protect the lives of all Americans, born and unborn. I will also continue to protect pregnancy resource centers and pro-life organizations from domestic terrorism.

As a proud father and member of the Values Action Team, I will strongly oppose any legislation that would endanger the lives of the unborn, and I will support legislation that protects the rights of the defenseless.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his leadership, his

friendship, and for having this Special Order tonight.

We have talked about a lot of different species this evening, and I rise to discuss the misuse of the Endangered Species Act as it pertains to the lesser prairie chicken and its negative impact on farmers, ranchers, agriculture, and oil producers throughout The Big First District of Kansas.

On April 19, President Biden didn't listen to Congress when it came to our bipartisan joint resolution of disapproval on his administration's flawed and burdensome Waters of the U.S. or WOTUS rule. He vetoed it.

Soon, I hope that President Biden will have another opportunity to listen to producers when it comes to the lesser prairie chicken.

Last year, the Biden administration proposed the listing of the northern and southern distinct populations of the lesser prairie chicken as threatened and endangered, respectively, under the Endangered Species Act. That ruling became active this March.

Under the Endangered Species Act, the normal activity of agriculture and energy production can be construed as harm and harassment of the listed species and thus prohibited.

This rule fails to provide adequate protections for producers, even going so far as to require third-party approved grazing plans for ranchers.

To make matters worse, when the lesser prairie chicken rule went into effect in March, the Fish and Wildlife Service had not approved any third parties. To date, there are only three across the entire habitat area.

Grazing plans change, and ranchers are always adapting. It is unacceptable to force ranchers to agree to a grazing plan under the threat of a fine.

This is another example of Big Government overreach jeopardizing the livelihoods of American producers. The truth is, the lesser prairie chicken population thrives or dwindles based on rainfall, not the activity of agriculture energy producers.

In response to this misguided listing, which would add to President Biden's other policies that threaten our Nation's food security and energy independence, I introduced a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to strike it down.

On April 28, the Committee on Natural Resources passed my resolution. On May 3, the U.S. Senate passed their version of the same resolution.

The designation of the lesser prairie chicken as threatened in places like Kansas is unacceptable, and this rule should have no force or effect until Congress is consulted.

I have been working hard on this issue since being elected to Congress, and I am encouraged to see that it passed the U.S. Senate.

Now it is time for my colleagues in the House to decide whether they want to stand for Big Government over regulation that will put producers out of business or stand for producers' rights to their private property and self-determination.

If my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives are willing to listen to producers, the resolution will pass and make its way to President Biden's desk.

If that happens, I hope that President Biden will listen to the people this time.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud that my House Republican colleagues and I passed H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, last week.

President Biden's open border policies have created chaos at our southern border and the resulting crime surge and fentanyl crisis. I urge my Senate colleagues to also pass this commonsense legislation, which would finish the border wall, add Border Patrol agents, end catch and release, protect children from human trafficking, and stop the fentanyl crisis.

The border crisis is getting worse and worse every day. People on the terrorist watch list are being apprehended regularly, and there is no telling how many have snuck in illegally. I have been to the southern border, and what I saw was shocking. I saw human heartbreak, scared children, overcrowded facilities, overwhelmed Border Patrol agents, and evidence of human and drug trafficking being committed by the Mexican cartels.

Mr. Speaker, I saw whole giant sections of the unfinished border wall, with the materials to finish these sections lying in piles in the sun. We need to fix this humanitarian crisis now, and we have done our part in the House to do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that the U.S. Senate and the President will step up to the plate, as well.

National Police Week

Mr. Speaker, this is National Police Week, and I am proud to use my voice and my vote in Congress to honor the brave men and women who wear the badge and put their lives on the line to protect all of us.

Since President Biden took office, crime rates have skyrocketed. In the last 3 years, the number of officers shot in the line of duty is up 52 percent; in major American cities, homicides are up 13 percent; rapes are up 23 percent; and aggravated assaults are up 33 percent. Meanwhile, Federal arrests are down 35 percent. These numbers confirm that we need to do a better job supporting our law enforcement officers and ensure that they have the resources they need to do their job.

I support law enforcement officers. This week, as a part of my commitment to the Big First, I am honored to support commonsense reforms to issues affecting police, oppose any efforts to defund them, and memorialize law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

I am going to memorialize four of those officers from the great State of Kansas now, who paid the ultimate price while protecting their fellow Kansans: David Leroy Ingle from Iola; Stacy Annette Murrow from Linn County; Robert Price Craft from Marion County; and Sidnee Taylor Carter from Sedgwick County. May they rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I ask everyone to join me in praying for law enforcement and in thanking your local police officers this week for their service.

Honoring Dr. Marty Vanier

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great Kansan and member of the Kansas State University family, Dr. Marty Vanier, who is receiving the Jay Dillingham Award for Agricultural Leadership and Excellence this week.

The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City selected Dr. Vanier as a recipient of this year's award for good reason. She has deep roots in Kansas agriculture, having grown up on her family's ranch where they raised commercial and registered Hereford cattle. She has held several leadership positions in the fields of veterinary pharmaceutical and food safety. She is now the director of the National Agricultural Biosecurity Center at Kansas State.

Dr. Vanier received her undergraduate degree from Kansas State. She began her career in Washington, D.C., serving with the Animal Health Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1987, she returned to Kansas State and has since worked for the university's Department of Animal Sciences, the Office of Strategic Partnership Development for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, and the Kansas State Agricultural Biosecurity Center, which she now directs.

Dr. Vanier has the unique ability of bringing her diverse experiences to bear as an educator. She is a student, professor, veterinarian, advocate, scientist, and philanthropist all at the same time.

Her thoughtful, systematic approach to leadership has made her a favorite in the classroom and among so many others.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Dr. Vanier on this well-deserved award.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to deliver the 18th installment of my farm bill impact series and recap the time I spent in Kansas with House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson.

Last week, Chairman Thompson and I hosted a food and agriculture listening session with more than 150 farmers, ranchers, agricultural producers, and stakeholders on a wheat farm near Gypsum, Kansas. People from a wide range of perspectives shared their thoughts about the reauthorization of the farm bill.

While everyone had different viewpoints, we united because we care about American agriculture; we care about getting ag policy right; and we want to see American farmers, ranchers, and producers thrive. There is a picture of that unity right behind us in three combines, referenced right here, hoisting American flags.

John Deere, Case, and Gleaner--green, red, and gray. When you grow up on a farm, you are born into a loyalty to one of these trusted American brands. They are different. They have different styles and different features, but they are all designed to do the same thing: harvest. They are designed to produce, to take months and months of hard work and effectively churn out a product.

Our food and agriculture listening session was no different. Everyone present brought different styles, priorities, background, and tools to the table, but we were there to do the same thing: harvest, produce, and take hard work and effectively churn out a product. That is the farm bill.

Without the advocacy and input of producers and stakeholders, my colleagues and I wouldn't have a complete picture of what needs to be done on ag legislation. We would just be one combine.

At our event, we hosted people who care about title I and people who care about title XII. There were people who care about row crops and people who care about livestock. There were representatives from commodity groups and representatives from trade associations. It was a rich, multifaceted picture of American agriculture, and I am grateful to everyone who joined us and for the Kansas agriculture heritage that inspired us to spend time together on that wheat farm.

The brave men and women who ventured west in search of new opportunities settled Kansas and took on the burden of feeding, fueling, and clothing the world. They struggled through the Dust Bowl, raised their kids in sod houses, and broke the prairie for the first time. In doing so, they laid the foundation for what we experienced last week: a shared history of feeding the world on the soil beneath our feet.

I remember in February 2021, when I just started this job in Congress, Kansas had 13 consecutive days of below-freezing temperatures, which was a 40-year record. While I was flying back and forth between Kansas and D.C., I couldn't stop thinking about the Kansas producers and all they were facing. They were out busting ice by hand at all hours so their cattle could have access to water. They were delivering baby calves and hauling them on the floorboards of trucks to someplace warmer, bottle-feeding them so they could grow and survive in the wind chills. They were out in the barn at all hours of the night, only to start over at 5 a.m. All this was so that Americans have a safe and secure food supply.

Whether it is trudging through knee-high snow in the dead of winter, working the fields in the heat of summer, or hauling water in a drought, American ag producers don't take days off. Agriculture inspires us to look back at our shared heritage, engage in the present, and plan for the future. That is what last week was about--planning for the future.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Thompson for spending his invaluable time with me in Kansas, and I thank all of our hosts and those who came out to our event to share their perspectives.

As we work to reauthorize the farm bill, the American men and women who work tirelessly to feed, fuel, and clothe all of us are at the forefront of my mind.

Madam Speaker, I will be back on the floor soon to host another installment of my farm bill impact series.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of Joe Kejr, a great Kansan who passed away on April 8 at the age of 64. Joe was a third-generation wheat farmer, a passionate advocate for agriculture, and a follower of Jesus who was committed to building and fostering deep relationships in the agricultural community.

Wheat harvest was Joe's favorite time of year. He loved spending long hours with family and friends, racing to beat a storm, and enjoying the quiet peace and camaraderie of suppertime in the field, and sharing the entire experience with younger generations.

He and his crew loved the challenge of trying to be the last truck to go through the elevator each night. At the end of harvest, Joe would hold court and share stories at the big ``last supper'' that he and his wife Geena would host at their house for everyone who came to help.

Joe served on the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers board of directors from 2002 to 2010, serving as president in 2007, and as the president of the National Wheat Foundation in 2022.

First and foremost, however, Joe was a follower of Jesus who served in the Kansas legislature on various ministry boards, including At Stake Ministries and church committees, and he was passionate about sharing the Gospel and he led mission trips to and made many friends in Guatemala.

Mr. Speaker, Joe is now at rest with his Savior. I am praying for Geena and Joe's family as they mourn his loss and celebrate his life.

Commemorating the 150th Anniversaries of the Chisholm Trail and Western

Cattle Trail

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 150th anniversaries of the Ellsworth Route of the Chisholm Trail and the Western Cattle Trail through Dodge City and beyond. The American cowboys who used these trails were the original pioneers who ventured West in search of new opportunities with nothing more than their horses, their dogs, their ropes, and their prayers.

I grew up on a cattle operation in Quinter, Kansas. There are more than 4.4 million cattle and calves on ranches and feed yards in our district, which means that plenty of cowboys called The Big First home.

Kansas has been the first frontier for cowboys since the 1860s when cattle were driven from Texas to places like Abilene and Dodge City to be sold near the closest railroads.

The cowboys would drive about 3,000 head of cattle on their thousand- mile journey at a pace of about 15 miles per day, so it took 2 months. They would look after their cattle 24 hours a day, sleeping under the stars in shifts in the land that would later become Oklahoma.

By the late 1870s, so many cowboys were making this trek from Texas to Kansas that half a million head of cattle were being shipped out of Dodge City alone every year.

These long drives disappeared at the end of the century, but the modern cowboys of today still embody the courage, dedication, personal responsibility, and traditional methods from their pioneering history.

Cowboys remain a constant in an ever-changing world. They know how to break a horse without breaking its spirit, and they put in a 40-hour workweek by the time Wednesday morning rolls around. Cowboys know that they can't take shortcuts or do the bare minimum if they want to succeed. They are resourceful multitaskers who do things the right way, which is often the hard way, and their reward for all their hard work isn't public accolades, but simply providing for their families, caring for their stock, and keeping America fed.

It is exciting to see all the local celebrations of Kansas' history around these trails.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Dennis Katzenmeier, president of the International Chisholm Trail Association; Michael Grauer, president of The Western Cattle Trail Association; Ron Wilson, and many others for their dedication to preserving the history of these trails and the cowboys that use them.

Thanking Emily Woods for Her Service to Kansans and The Big First

District

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and thank Emily Woods for her service to me, my office, Kansans, and The Big First District.

Emily served on my team since my first day in Congress, and she consistently brought a caring, professional, and attentive approach to building relationships, providing thought leadership, and connecting with Kansans and her coworkers alike. Emily established herself as a resource for everyone in the office, always offering helpful advice and solving problems with a creative perspective.

This scripture comes to mind for Emily, Proverbs 3:5-6: ``Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.''

I am so excited to see what lies ahead for Emily and her move back to the Sunflower State. I know that with her many skills, her passion, and her work ethic, she will go very far.

Mr. Speaker, I again thank Emily for her dedication to The Big First District. My time in Congress wouldn't have been the same without her. We will miss her and wish her well with all of her future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the farmers, ranchers, agricultural producers, and independent oil and gas producers that have been forced to operate their businesses under three different definitions of the word ``water'' in the past 10 years alone.

Congress has spoken clearly on this issue. President Biden received a bicameral, bipartisan joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act on his administration's flawed and burdensome waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule. He vetoed it, and that is inexplicable. Congress, not the executive branch, was created to legislate, and it is sad that this particular example of legislating from the executive branch serves as an outrageous instance of government overreach.

While President Biden would like to federally regulate every small stream, ditch, and puddle from sea to shining sea, American producers have been the careful custodians of their own resources for centuries. They are the original conservationists, and their livelihoods already depend on their voluntary efforts to care for their own water resources.

How we vote today will speak volumes. By overriding President Biden's veto, Congress has the opportunity to stand up not only for the people who feed, fuel, and clothe us all, but also for all Americans whose businesses and private lives would be affected by this Big Government encroachment onto their property.

We can either tell Americans that we believe the Federal Government knows best, or we can tell them that the Federal Government should get out of their way and let them do what they do best. I know where I stand.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote.