Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, as Congress works to reauthorize the farm bill, I rise today to deliver the 17th installment of my farm bill impact series, where I am highlighting various aspects of the legislation that deserve Congress' awareness and support.

The farm bill won't ever be effective, though, if the stepped-up basis is eliminated and if producers get saddled with unjust capital gains taxes.

Sadly, that is exactly what President Biden's budget proposal does. It works to eliminate the stepped-up basis and impose capital gains taxes on assets that have been held in family trust or ownership for over 90 years. This is the farm killer tax.

Here is why the stepped-up basis is so important. Let's say you are a young person working on your family farm, and you are slowly taking on responsibility and risk. You work for your parents until the time comes for you to take over the land, equipment, and livestock. When that happens, the Federal Government should not jump in and impose taxes on the unrealized gains of these inherited assets.

This principle is called the stepped-up basis and has a long precedent in the tax code with tons of bipartisan support.

The President's budget, however, works to eliminate this, which would destroy family farms overnight. The day-to-day trials of operating a successful farm, ranch, or small business are challenging enough without worrying about paying devastating capital gains taxes, and now the Biden administration wants to impose new taxes on these people.

Unbelievably, it gets even worse when dismantling the stepped-up basis. President Biden's budget proposal also includes the farm killer tax. In President Biden's budget proposal, there is a plan to impose capital gains taxes on farms that have been in the family for over 90 years.

Think about that. In 1940, the average cost of Kansas farmland was $50 an acre. Now, irrigated land is as much as $4,000 per acre.

Imagine the capital gains tax implications on that history of ownership. This proposal would propose hundreds of thousands of dollars in new capital gains taxes on agriculture producers, destroying their livelihoods.

Mr. Speaker, 98 percent of all American farms and 90 percent of all American small businesses are family owned and operated. A budget proposal that eliminates the stepped-up basis and imposes the farm killer tax is not a game changer for American family businesses. It is a game ender.

Agriculture is a multigenerational calling. This is National Ag Week when we celebrate the tireless efforts of farmers, ranchers, and producers who have earned our support. President Biden's budget proposal is the opposite of support. It is a gut punch to the people who feed, fuel, and clothe us all.

This week, I introduced a bipartisan resolution with more than 60 of my colleagues who support the preservation of the stepped-up basis, oppose any efforts to impose new taxes on family farms and small businesses, and recognize the importance of generational transfers of farm and small business operations. I encourage all of my colleagues in this body to support it.

If we want to invest in the future of our country, we need to invest in the future leaders of American agriculture. Congress must preserve the stepped-up basis and oppose the farm killer tax.

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 thrives in America. The people who feed, fuel, and clothe us all deserve our unwavering support.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the 1898 Smoky Valley Roller Mills in Lindsborg, Kansas. The Smoky Valley Roller Mills served as a vital agricultural and commercial hub to Lindsborg and the surrounding region from 1898 through 1955. The historic building and original equipment were restored and preserved in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s thanks to the efforts of numerous volunteers in the Smoky Valley community. Now, Smoky Valley Roller Mills is preserved in working condition today as an historical treasure, community cultural center, and a beautiful marvel of engineering and ingenuity. I thank the museum board of directors, staff, volunteers, and many members of the Smoky Valley community who are now working diligently to secure the future of the Smoky Valley Roller Mills for future generations to enjoy.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Graves for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, agricultural producers have been forced to operate their businesses under three different definitions of water in the last 10 years, and this most recent rule removes longstanding bipartisan exemptions for common water features like ponds and streams found on family farms and other private property.

With this vote, Congress has a golden opportunity to stand up not only for people who feed, fuel, and clothe us all, but also for all Americans whose businesses and private lives will be affected by this Big Government encroachment onto their property.

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 water resources.

How we vote today will speak volumes. 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.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of a great Kansan, Jack Vanier, who died at the age of 94 last month, as well as his late wife, Donna.

Jack was born in Salina, where he was raised to love agriculture and the conservative Kansas values of faith, hard work, freedom, integrity, family, and personal responsibility. These are the values that make our State so special, and Jack embodied them. He was an unassuming and humble servant leader with a long list of accomplishments, but he didn't make his life about himself; he made his life about others.

Jack had a larger-than-life personality, but he didn't want the spotlight. He wanted to make a difference in his community, his alma mater K-State, and the lives of the people around him.

Jack was a hero of Kansas agriculture. He painstakingly operated the CK Ranch in Brookville, Kansas, once the largest producer of purebred Hereford cattle in the United States. He brought commonsense leadership to the American Hereford Association, Kansas Livestock Association, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and Archer-Daniels-Midland.

He was a generous, philanthropic visionary for Kansas State University.

Most importantly, alongside his late wife, Donna, he raised his family on faith.

Jack's wife, Donna, who passed away on May 23, 2020, was larger than life in her own right. Donna was a generous and hardworking philanthropist who always put her family first. She was the driving force behind the Donna L. Vanier Children's Center in Salina, which has now been open for 11 years, and she was a proud K-State supporter who built deep, long-lasting relationships with athletic directors and students alike.

Donna and Jack were servant leaders through and through, and they were recognized together as a couple as the Kansan Humanitarians of the Year in 2018.

What a legacy this great couple leaves behind for their children and grandchildren to emulate and remember them by, and what a blessing for Jack to join his wife, Donna, to rest with our Lord.

To Mary, Marty, John, and their children, and to all of Jack and Donna's family who were blessed by the love of this great couple, my thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Honoring the Life and Legacy of Mark Fowler

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of a great Kansan, Mark Fowler, and to mourn his untimely passing at the age of 52 at his home in Manhattan on February 20.

Mark grew up on his family's farm near Emporia, Kansas. He earned a bachelor's degree in Milling Science and Management from Kansas State University, and later returned to complete a master's degree in agricultural economics. He began his career as a flour miller, first for Cargill, and then Seaboard.

In those roles, Mark ran flour mills, which worked on projects in several developing countries, including Ecuador, Guyana, and Haiti, and worked as a technical director of the African Division within Seaboard's Overseas Group in Durban, South Africa.

Mark was the president and CEO of Farmer Direct Foods, a farmer- owned, flour milling company in New Cambria, Kansas, after which he moved into his most recent role at U.S. Wheat, where he originally served as vice president of overseas operations.

Mark once said that he wanted to advance the U.S. wheat export market development mission because, through his work overseas, he experienced the global impact of wheat milling.

Mark's dedicated service helped hungry people all over the world, and he will be sorely missed.

To his colleagues and friends, his widow, Courtney, his daughters Piper and Paige, his mother Ruth Fowler, and his sisters Rhonda and Amy, you are in my thoughts and prayers as you mourn Mark's passing.

Honoring the Life and Legacy of Andy McCurry

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a

great Kansan, Andrew J. McCurry, who passed away on February 12 at his home in Burrton, Kansas, surrounded by his loving family.

Andy was born in 1950 in Hutchinson, Kansas. After studying animal science and industry at Kansas State University, he and his wife, Mary, started their registered Angus operation Marands Angus, which later became McCurry Angus Ranch.

As third- and fourth-generation Angus breeders, Andy and his family built a legacy all their own while carrying on the traditions of their ancestors.

Andy spent a lifetime pounding posts by hand, making a suitable place for hosting cattle sales, chuckwagon cookouts, livestock judging teams, and visitors from across the U.S. Ultimately, he built a place to raise both his family and world-class Angus cattle by the sweat of his brow.

Andy's gift was the ability to meet people from all walks of life and spend time getting to know them, and his network of friends was nationwide.

Later in life, Andy pursued another career as a pharmacist. He attended the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy, graduated in 1990, after which he worked as a pharmacist in the Hutchinson, Kansas, area for 30 years, retiring on his 70th birthday in 2020.

Because of his career-change experience, Andy was able to come alongside young people and help them find direction in their lives. He encouraged so many.

To Andy's wife, Mary; his son, John; his daughter, Emily; and all his grandchildren, you have my prayers as you gather together to remember Andy's loving impact.

Andy's legacy lives on in so many ways, especially in the cattle his family still produces. I know the first bull sale without Andy will be a tough one, but what a way to honor his legacy by continuing on the tradition he loved so much.

I will be praying for you tomorrow during the sale that your family would have peace, Andy would be honored, and that the bulls would set new records.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight a few of the ways that I am keeping my commitment to the people of the Big First.

A few weeks ago, I released my commitment to the Big First, which is a legislative roadmap for the 118th Congress that details my plans for an economy that is strong, a government that is accountable, a future that is built on freedom, and a nation that is safe.

Here are some of the ways I am working to get America back on track.

To create an economy that is strong, I voted ``yes'' on the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act, which the House just passed. Kansas families and small businesses are already paying the price of President Biden's inflation tax. The last thing we need is 87,000 more IRS agents and 1.2 million more audits.

I voted ``yes'' on the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act because it is a clear-cut way to fight back against one of the most egregious pieces of legislation from the last Congress.

The $72 billion of taxpayer money that Washington Democrats allocated to the IRS last year would have ballooned the agency to a size larger than the Pentagon, State Department, FBI, and Border Patrol combined. I am committed to creating an economy that is strong by stopping President Biden's audit army, and I am keeping my commitment.

To create a government that is accountable, I voted ``yes'' on the Strategic Production Response Act, which the House also passed. President Biden has been playing fast and loose with one of our country's most important national security assets. His administration's energy policies have caused prices to skyrocket at the pump, and using the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a political tool to mask that failure has led to severe U.S. energy insecurity and depletion of our oil reserves, which poses a threat to our national security.

I voted ``yes'' on the Strategic Production Response Act, which is a step toward ending President Biden's war on fossil fuels, empowering domestic energy producers, and resurrecting American energy independence by protecting our SPR from an administration that clearly doesn't understand how important it is. I made a commitment to hold the government accountable, and I am keeping that commitment.

To create a future that is built on freedom, I voted ``yes'' on the Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act, which the House passed. This vote was crystal clear: If a child is born alive following an abortion or an attempted abortion, that newborn child deserves the same standard of medical care that any newborn deserves.

It is horrifying that we need to address issues like this in a free country, but Washington Democrats have advocated for unthinkable, gruesome policies that constitute an all-out attack on human life. I am proud to be a pro-life Member of Congress, and I will always support policies that protect life. I made a commitment to building a future based on freedom by supporting the God-given right to life held by unborn American citizens, and I am keeping my commitment.

To create a nation that is safe, I will vote to denounce the horrors of socialism later this week. I hope that all of my colleagues can get behind this. Socialism ideology runs counter to everything we stand for in America because it requires the concentration of power, which results in totalitarianism. Democracy, on the other hand, enshrines individual liberty and gives people a voice in who governs them. Socialism creates famine, devastation, and bloodshed. It tears families apart, creates exile and mass theft, and flatly denies individual rights as fundamental as personal property.

You don't have to look very far, Mr. Speaker, into the history of socialism to find these abuses and atrocities. They happen every time a country tries socialism on for size.

It seems that certain people in America would like to experiment with socialism, but enough socialist experiments have been conducted already, and the verdict is clear: Socialism has no place on American soil.

I made a commitment to ensuring that America is a nation that is safe, which means continuing to stand strong as a world leader in democracy and freedom. I am keeping that commitment.

When we reflect on our work, it helps us to stay the course in the future, and we still have a lot of work to do in the 118th Congress. We need to create a balanced budget and strengthen the supply chain. We need to lower taxes and secure the southern border. We need to fully fund a robust police and military. We need a comprehensive reauthorization of the farm bill with strengthened crop insurance. We need a maintained stepped-up basis tax provision and global food security legislation that stops wars before they start.

I will be keeping all of these commitments to the people of the Big First, and I will continue to spend time thinking, praying, and reflecting on how best to serve the people in my district. I did not come to Congress to be a caretaker in the slow demise of America. I am here to fight and work to make America stronger. With all of us working together, our brightest days are yet to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss my plans for representing the Big First District in the 118th Congress.

As I have said on this House floor before, the Big First is the geographic center and the pilot light of America because there, the values that make America great are still alive and well: faith, family, freedom, and personal responsibility. We are farmers, ranchers, feed lot managers, businessowners, lenders, bankers, teachers, doctors, nurses, and parents.

My job is to serve and advocate for the people of the Big First, which is why I am excited and grateful to have been appointed to the House Agriculture, House Transportation and Infrastructure, and House Small Business Committees.

As a farm kid and a fifth-generation Kansan, I am honored to serve on the House Agriculture Committee again in the 118th Congress. Agriculture is the largest economic driver of the Big First. We rank number one in beef, wheat, and sorghum production. When I meet with farmers, ranchers, and agriculture producers, I hear about skyrocketing inflation and record-high input costs, labor shortages, government overreach, and the importance of reauthorizing the farm bill.

We need well-crafted farm and food policy in America to remain secure as a Nation, and the reauthorization of the farm bill is an enormous responsibility. My priorities for that legislation remain the same: to protect and strengthen crop insurance, promote trade, and stop regulatory overreach. I am committed to rolling up my sleeves and working for the men and women who feed, fuel, and clothe the world.

I am also honored to serve on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The Big First has 83,000 miles of road, seven commercial airports, and more than 4,000 miles of railroad tracks. We rely on this system to get to work, take our kids to school, and deliver food, fuel, and fiber to the rest of the world.

The people of the Big First deserve a voice on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and I am proud to be their spokesperson. A well-maintained, fiscally responsible infrastructure network supports economic activity, strengthens the supply chain, and helps America to remain a global power.

During this Congress, I will also serve on the House Small Business Committee. The Big First is home to more than 200,000 small businesses which employ 80 percent of all employees in the district.

Small businesses help drive the American economy and define the American dream. They add brick and mortar to the values that make our country unique, like freedom, self-determination, and the pursuit of happiness.

As a child, I learned about the responsibility, drive, and decisionmaking skills required to run a small business from watching my parents operate our preconditioning feedlot and family farm. I will continue to defend and support small businesses, their owners, employees, and the American values that small businesses embody.

I am honored to serve on these committees, and we have a lot of work to do. Over the next 2 years, we need to reauthorize the farm bill, develop new trade agreements with countries that will benefit American ag producers, and review the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Act. We need to reauthorize FAA and the Water Resources Development Act, protect producers from a burdensome and overreaching definition of waters of the United States, and ensure that our small and regional airports have the support they need. We also need to maintain the stepped-up basis, return money to small businesses from IRS watchdogs, and ensure that small businesses have a fair shot at government contracts.

I will be working on a wide variety of issues, but I am bringing the same approach to all of them. A Russell native, Senator Bob Dole once told me about the Kansas approach: honesty; hard work; respect for your roots; service; simplicity; genuine, thoughtful care for people; and just plain common sense.

I learned these Kansan conservative values as a kid in the Big First, they inspire my work today on all my committees, and they will always guide my steps here in Congress.

Ultimately, I believe that with prayer and hard work, our brightest days are yet to come.

Mr. Speaker, in my first remarks before the 118th Congress, I rise today to share with you what I learned from my first term representing the Big First District of Kansas and how I will respond over the next 2 years.

I grew up on the farm south of Quinter, Kansas, that has been in my family for five generations. The house my parents live in and the house I grew up in is the same house my great-great-grandfather ordered from a Montgomery Ward catalog in the early 1900s. Growing up there meant that I spent thousands of hours on a tractor working in fields and on horseback doctoring cattle in our family feed yard.

I think of the Big First as the pilot light of America because the values that make America great are still alive and well there. People in the Big First are good people who carry a pioneering spirit with them, the same way those who settled my State did over 160 years ago. We know one another, look out for one another, and sacrifice for one another. We are farmers and ranchers, feedlot managers, businessowners, lenders, bankers, teachers, doctors, nurses, and parents.

Over the last 2 years, I did a lot of listening. I held listening sessions each month. I received tens of thousands of calls, emails, and letters from Kansans. I hosted leaders and other Members of Congress in the district to listen with them. I hosted townhalls 126 times over the last 2 years, and I am gearing up to start my 2023 townhall tour again next week.

As I travel across the district, I hear concerns about inflation, the border crisis, Big Government, sweeping executive orders, out-of- control government spending, sky-high taxes, and the infringement on basic rights like the Second Amendment and the right to life.

I have long said, if it matters to a Kansan, it matters to me. In response to what I heard over the last 2 years and to what I have seen while serving in Congress, I developed my ``Commitment to the Big First.'' It is a roadmap for the 118th Congress that gets America back on track, advocates for agriculture, and advances our Kansas conservative values.

My ``Commitment to the Big First'' details plans for an economy that is strong, a nation that is safe, a future that is built on freedom, and a government that is accountable. It is a plan for a balanced budget and a strengthened supply chain, for lower taxes and a secure southern border, for a robust police and military, for a comprehensive reauthorization of the farm bill and strengthened crop insurance, for a maintained stepped-up basis tax provision and global food security legislation that stops wars before they start.

Senator Bob Dole once told me about the Kansas approach: honesty; hard work; respect for your roots; service; simplicity; genuine, thoughtful care for people; and common sense. My ``Commitment to the Big First'' is a plan for commonsense solutions to the complex problems that America faces today.

I wasted no time implementing this commitment. On Monday, I reintroduced the More Accountability is Necessary Now Acts, or the MANN Acts. The MANN Acts are six pieces of legislation that will hold the Biden administration accountable, demand transparency from Washington, fight unconstitutional executive orders, and push back against Federal Government overreach.

The MANN Acts require the executive branch to notify the American public and Congress of its intent to issue any new executive orders pertaining to agriculture, energy, the environment, pro-life provisions, the Second Amendment, and immigration.

Single-party rule here in Washington, D.C., is over. The American people gave Republicans control of the House for a reason. They are tired of seeing their tax dollars wasted, their rights violated, and the laws of our land dictated by executive orders from the White House.

The MANN Acts and my ``Commitment to the Big First'' are just the first steps toward executing on a plan that America has demanded of us.

When we get into the middle of issues, roll up our sleeves, get to work, listen to those around us, and do the heavy lifting, we gain perspective and better results. That is what I learned in the Big First.

I refuse to be stapled to my desk in Washington, D.C. I will continue to spend time thinking, praying, and reflecting on how best to serve the people in my district.

I did not come to Congress to be a caretaker of the slow demise of America. I am here to fight and to work to make America stronger. I really believe that our brightest days are yet to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to deliver the closing installment of my farm bill impact series for the 117th Congress. In 2022, I delivered 15 speeches on this House floor about various farm bill programs and titles that I believe Congress must understand and support ahead of the 2023 reauthorization.

In Congress, we deal with the laws of the land--and that is important--but farmers are the caretakers of the land itself. Farmers built our history, sustain our present, and secure our future. They deserve the unwavering support of Congress in the form of legislation that supports their tireless efforts to feed, fuel, and clothe the world. That means keeping crop insurance strong, supporting robust trade programs, and ensuring that producers are not being hamstrung by burdensome overregulation.

Early in my speech series, I highlighted crop insurance first. Keeping this program strong is my highest priority for the 2023 farm bill. Crop insurance helps producers manage the risks that they face every day from weather, pests, disease, and market volatility. It is also a great example of a successful public-private partnership. Agricultural producers have a fickle partner in Mother Nature, who doesn't always cooperate, and crop insurance helps producers stay afloat when disaster strikes.

Shortly after my crop insurance speech, I spoke about trade programs which serve to spearhead innovative market access, new market development, and promote agricultural sales overseas. Each year $140 billion worth of agricultural products are exported. My State of Kansas is known as the Wheat State, and 50 percent of all wheat sold in the U.S. is exported. So Congress must think critically and carefully about the international components of the trade title. Trade programs, which have longstanding records of success in America, also represent the partnership between the public and private sectors of our country, just like crop insurance.

The biggest threat to American agriculture, however, isn't a scarcity of natural resources or bad weather, but Federal Government overreach. The Biden administration has tried to dismantle the stepped-up basis and impose a farm killer capital gains tax on American producers that would destroy thousands of family farms overnight; the definition of waters of the U.S. keeps changing, and now the Federal Government would like to tell farmers what to do with their puddles; animals, like the lesser prairie-chicken, are being added to the endangered species list; and fertilizer and other inputs--even if you can get them--are often so expensive that they can't be afforded by agricultural producers. Government overreach has created a tornado of chaos, and my producers are in its path of destruction.

Mr. Speaker, I am standing here today, and will continue to stand here, advocating for American farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers because they are the lifeblood of this country. They keep us fed, fueled, and clothed. And they have earned the unwavering support of Congress.

I will be delivering more installments of my farm bill impact series in the 118th Congress, and I look forward to the 2023 reauthorization of the farm bill because it is an opportunity for Congress to say unequivocally that we stand with our farmers.

Recognizing Legislative Assistant Cale Beam

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and thank Cale Beam for his service to me, my office, and the great people of the First District of Kansas.

Cale was on my team since my first day in Congress, and he has consistently brought an eloquent and thoughtful approach to his research, writing, and recommendations. He has a genuine and kind spirit, a clever sense of humor, and a wisdom that is beyond his years.

I am so excited to see what lies ahead for Cale, and I know that with his skill set, he will go far.

Cale, like me, is a man of faith. I want to send him off on his new adventure with these two brief thoughts from the Scriptures.

First, God works all things to good for those who love Him.

Second, delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Cale. My first session in Congress would not have been the same without him. I will miss him, and I wish him all the best with his new pursuit.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1156.

Twenty years ago, Kansas legend and hero of mine Senator Bob Dole and Senator George McGovern reached across the aisle to gather bipartisan support for their noble idea to have the U.S. Department of Agriculture purchase surplus American commodities from producers and donate those products to countries across the globe struggling with food security.

Since then, the McGovern-Dole Program has provided 5.5 billion school meals to 31 million school-age children in 48 countries, improving the food security, nutrition, literacy, and primary education of these children and their families.

Codified as part of 2002 farm bill, the program is an ongoing, successful example of public-private partnerships. The U.S. Department of Agriculture works alongside nonprofit organizations, cooperatives, and organizations like the World Food Programme, Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, Save the Children, Mercy Corps, and many more to provide school meals, teacher training, and related support to bolster school enrollment and academic performance, all to keep kids fed and learning.

Just in the past 2 months, I have heard nothing but excitement about this program from both wheat farmers at home and sorghum producers who visited with me in my office here in Washington, D.C. There is a reason all commodity groups and humanitarian aid organizations support moving this legislation forward.

Whether it is wheat and sorghum from Kansas, red beans from Louisiana, or peanut butter formula made from Georgia peanuts, American agricultural producers are vital to the success of the McGovern-Dole Program. Since the program's inception, they have proudly donated more than 1.3 metric tons of commodities to create nutritious school meals.

Representative McGovern and I, along with 86 cosponsors, have brought this resolution forward to the House to express this body's commitment to build on the success of the McGovern-Dole Program and to support the American farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers who provide the commodities required for it to function.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this resolution and to support this program's success for 20 more years and beyond, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer).

Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

It has been a privilege to advocate for this resolution today. The McGovern-Dole program absolutely deserves the recognition of Congress for its wide support and bipartisan nature.

It is not often that you can go to a grain elevator in Kansas to speak with commodity groups and visit with nuns from Catholic Charities in Washington, D.C. and hear them both advocating for the exact same program. More than 200 commodity groups, trade associations, humanitarian groups, and businesses support this program for its merits and support today's resolution.

This resolution honors the positive impact that we can have when we reach across the aisle and work together. Senators Bob Dole and George

McGovern had a brilliant vision, and they executed on it. It has been a joy to work with Representative McGovern and more than 86 cosponsors on today's resolution.

Today, we honor the 20th anniversary of the McGovern-Dole program because it is a shining example of strategic and effective foreign diplomacy that we can all support. Today, I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this simple bipartisan resolution.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a great Kansan, Rich Felts, and to congratulate him on his retirement from a career of service to Kansas farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers.

Rich has always been a tireless advocate for agriculture. He earned his degree in animal science from Kansas State University, after which he began his service to Kansas Farm Bureau at the county level, holding many different leadership and volunteer positions. Now, after having served as the president of Kansas Farm Bureau for 8 years, Rich will be retiring on December 5.

As a partner in Felts Farms, a grain and livestock operation near Liberty, Kansas, Rich has been through it all, and he brought his firsthand experience with him to Kansas Farm Bureau, where he never failed to empathize with local producers.

Congratulations on a job well done, Rich. Thank you for stewarding the legacy of Kansas Farm Bureau so well. I know that Shirley and your children, Cynthia, Darren, Ryan, and Kimberly are so proud of you. Your leadership has been an inspiration and a model to us all. Congratulations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the American farmer and to deliver the 15th installment of my farm bill impact series.

The United States is the most food-secure country in the world thanks to the strength and determination of American farmers, ranchers, and agriculture producers. With America's robust resources, we have been committed to ensuring food security at home and around the world, and Kansas has been on the cutting edge of that effort for nearly a century.

In September of 1953, Peter O'Brien, a farmer from Cheyenne County, Kansas, stood up at his local county farm bureau meeting to share an idea. He wanted to use Kansas grain to help hungry people around the world. Over the next several months, today's Food for Peace program was crafted. The following year, one of Kansas' favorite sons, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, signed parts of the program into law. That was the beginning of what is now a longstanding Kansas tradition of commitment, care, and leadership in the international effort to address global hunger.

Two weeks ago, I hosted David Beasley, the executive director of the World Food Programme, in Kansas for an event to thank the American farmer. Executive Director Beasley had just been in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Rome, but he came to Kansas because he understands the impact that farmers in my

State have had on international food aid. American farmers use their resources to feed, fuel, and clothe the world, which is no small task. It takes grit, determination, and a strong partnership between the public and private sectors. The World Food Programme won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, and it is the world's largest humanitarian organization specializing in using American-grown commodities for international food assistance. It is a great example of what we can accomplish when public-private partnerships thrive.

Now, with the 2023 reauthorization of the farm bill upon us, we see that the Kansas legacy of international food aid is alive and well. Today, our country administers in-kind food assistance primarily through farm bill programs, such as the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust and the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program, just to name two. These programs have an especially strong return on investment because they support American agriculture producers today while greatly reducing the need for conflict or war-related dollars tomorrow. In the long run, these programs save the American taxpayer money. We know that when food rations are accessible in developing countries, conflict decreases. International food aid is, therefore, a way to stop wars before they start.

I have the privilege and responsibility of advocating for Kansas' top priorities in the farm bill. That means protecting crop insurance, promoting trade, and ensuring that any oversight within the bill doesn't needlessly handcuff American producers with red tape. Congress must also ensure that international food aid programs remain strong in the farm bill. Around the world today, hungry people facing starvation in emergency situations rely on American farmers, who have provided nutrition in the place of starvation, created careers of dignity in the place of aimlessness, and secured peace in the place of war.

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 thrives in America. The people who feed, fuel, and clothe us all deserve our unwavering support.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, my good friend from West Texas, Red Raider, for yielding me time. I would say if K-State can beat OU 3 of the last 4 years, certainly we can make massive progress on this debt that we have racked up. Nothing is impossible.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the excessive government funding at a time when inflation is skyrocketing, the supply chain is still struggling to recover, and farmers are going out of business.

I look forward to the month of August every year because it gives me an extended period of time back home to visit with folks in my district and hear about their needs. This year, however, on August 12, Speaker Pelosi called the House back into session to vote on a $700 billion tax-and-spend plan chock full of Green New Deal priorities. This so- called Inflation Reduction Act will do nothing to slow down inflation; it will only make it worse.

The bill contains countless reckless spending provisions such as: $80 billion to hire 87,000 IRS agents, increasing audits on the middle class and small businesses; spending more than $250 billion on Green New Deal spending and a brand new $27 billion climate slush fund at the EPA; $12 billion in new taxes on oil and gas producers, expanding the senseless war on producers of fossil fuels; $128 billion spent to expand Obamacare subsidies.

As if this weren't enough, President Biden announced a plan just a few weeks ago to forgive student loans for up to $20,000 per borrower without the approval of this Congress. Regardless of party, that is appalling.

This plan is obviously just campaigning utilizing taxpayer dollars. It is ill-timed, shortsighted, and irresponsible. In light of the astronomically high inflation that our country is facing, the plan to cancel student loans will cost taxpayers more than $300 billion, transferring the debt burden of borrowers to low- and middle-class taxpayers. The Biden plan unfairly punishes Americans who have already paid their student loans or never attended college.

Government spending is set to expire tomorrow, September 30, and Congress will consider a stop-gap spending bill tomorrow morning to keep this government operating again. Included in the bill is $1 billion of spending to subsidize the home utility costs of low-income Americans, when Biden's war on fossil fuels caused the utility costs to skyrocket in the first place.

There are better ways to solve most problems than simply throwing money at them, but that is all this administration seems to know how to do.

Oddly enough, the one place where House Democrats and this administration don't want to spend more money is on police. The brave men and women who protect us all. It is truly unbelievable.

The picture here, overall, is one of wasteful spending, political pandering that endangers Americans, carelessness, and shortsightedness. This administration needs to wake up to the real problems facing America and start offering practical solutions to pay down our debt before it is too late.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of legislation that I co-introduced with Congressman Pappas, H.R. 8510, the Strengthening Whistleblower Protections at the Department of Veterans Affairs Act.

Holding government accountable requires reasonable whistleblower protection. VA employees take a risk when exposing fraud, corruption, or any wrongdoing of any kind, and they deserve to have their claims investigated, and to have protection from retaliation.

The VA's Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection was created with good intentions but has never lived up to the expectations of whistleblowers or of this Congress. In 2021, 80 percent of all the disciplinary recommendations that OAWP made were either changed or simply ignored. Here are just two examples of the many troubling stories that my colleagues and I have heard during our hearings.

At one facility, OAWP recommended a range of discipline from 12-day suspension to removal for three supervisors who engaged in whistleblower retaliation. VA officials disagreed, however, and the individuals received no disciplinary action.

At another facility, OAWP recommended a range of discipline from demotion to removal for an individual who retaliated against and harassed an employee. VA officials believed the file lacked certain testimony and evidence and the individual received no disciplinary action.

Despite the efforts of many dedicated VA staff, these cases, and others like them, highlight the need for a change in OAWP's roles and responsibilities. Veterans, whistleblowers, and taxpayers deserve better. H.R. 8510 would remove OAWP's investigative authority, and instead, direct OAWP to refer whistleblowers to the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency, which has a much better track record for whistleblower investigations. This bill would also require OAWP to track settlement negotiations and agreements between VA employees and the Department and refocus the office on providing training to employees on whistleblower rights.

This legislation is an example of the good that Congress can do when we work together. I look forward to its swift passage through the House, and I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to deliver the 14th installment of my farm bill impact series during a time when the effects of a poor corn harvest in Kansas are only compounded by rising inflation.

Kansas farmers are laboring under the burden of skyrocketing input costs while they work hard to keep our country fed, fueled, and clothed, and they deserve workable solutions to this inflation crisis before the situation gets any worse. Farming is already a risky, volatile business without the added burden of inflation, and USDA estimates that input costs will continue to

rise to astronomical rates throughout 2022 and beyond.

For an example of the risk of volatility in farming, the corn harvest is underway in some parts of Kansas, and the results are a fraction of the yield that farmers hope for and bank on during normal seasons. The farm bill which Congress will reauthorize in 2023 exists, in part, specifically for situations like this current corn crop to provide energy assistance to our ag producers even when Mother Nature doesn't cooperate.

The weather in Kansas can be extreme and unpredictable, which means that growing corn can be a very difficult prospect. Kansas is suffering from a major drought right now. According to the USDA, for the week ending September 11, only 14 percent of Kansas topsoil was rated as adequate. And USDA rated the corn condition 27 percent very poor, 27 percent poor, 24 percent fair, 20 percent good, and only 2 percent excellent. Meanwhile, according to Drought Monitor, 34 counties in my district alone are in extreme drought, and 16 are in exceptional drought.

The farther west you go in Kansas, Mr. Speaker, the worse it gets. Even irrigated fields are having issues, and far more corn crops than normal will be complete losses. Many Kansas producers are saying that this is the worst corn harvest in recent memory. This is a dire situation. Farmers invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in producing this essential crop, and its failure means that farmers are left wondering how they are going to put food on the table and pay for gas to drive their kids to school. To make matters worse, consumers end up without access to many of the products that they have learned to enjoy and on which they depend.

This is where farm bill programs like crop insurance come in. Crop insurance serves producers and consumers alike because it helps prevent producers from going out of business and grocery store aisles from sitting empty. Farm bill programs like crop insurance have secured our national food supply and helped generations of producers avoid bankruptcy when times get tough. We are in one of those times right now. Inflation is skyrocketing in America, President Biden is trying to impose his farm killer tax and dismantle the stepped-up basis, and producers are going out of business. The need to reauthorize the farm bill for 2023 has come at a critical moment in time.

A bad harvest in Kansas isn't just about money. It is about morale and spirit. Missing harvest time in Kansas doesn't just mean missing out on the yield of a cash crop. It means missing out on a special Kansas tradition of celebrating the culmination of all of your family's hard work. It creates financial insecurity while leaving a void where a renewal of family camaraderie should be. Washington, D.C., unfortunately, doesn't understand this. This city has never been crippled by something like a lost harvest.

D.C. moves right along through drought, heat, late winter snows, and torrential downpours unfazed. That is why I am standing here today, to remind Congress that 1 in 10 employed Americans--nearly 20 million people in this country--work in food and agriculture where weather creates a make-or-break situation for their livelihoods. And, most importantly, every American has to eat.

American agricultural producers are hurting not only from skyrocketing input costs that come from inflation, but also from lowered morale that comes from extreme heat, drought, thin margins, and a broken supply chain. In 2023, Congress must reauthorize the farm bill with American farm families at the front of their minds because they are in a crisis.

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 thrives in America. The people who feed, fuel, and clothe us all deserve our unwavering support. They also deserve a robust safety net in the farm bill and workable solutions to the inflation crisis before it is too late.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to deliver the 13th installment of my Farm Bill Impact Series during a time when the effects of a poor wheat harvest in Kansas are only compounded by crushing inflation.

This is insult added to injury for Kansas wheat farmers. Producers are laboring under the burden of skyrocketing input costs while they work hard to keep our country fed, fueled, and clothed, and they deserve workable solutions to this inflation crisis before the situation gets any worse. Farming is already a risky, volatile business without the added burden of inflation, and USDA estimates that input costs will continue to rise to astronomical rates throughout 2022.

For an example of the risk and volatility--the wheat harvest just ended in Kansas, and the results were a fraction of the yield that farmers in the Wheat State hope for and bank on during normal seasons. The Farm Bill (which Congress will reauthorize in 2023) exists, in part, specifically for situations like this past wheat season--to provide emergency assistance to the people who feed, fuel, and clothe the world even when mother nature doesn't cooperate.

The weather in Kansas can be extreme and unpredictable, which means that growing wheat in the wheat state can be a very difficult prospect sometimes. I had an intern in my office this summer named Parker Vulgamore who is a rising senior at Kansas State University where he serves as the student body president. He is also a member of the sixth generation of his family farm in Scott City, which lies in my district. Vulgamore Family Farms is a wheat, corn, and sorghum operation, with wheat being a staple. This year, due to an exceptional drought and extreme conditions throughout the growing season, much of the wheat never grew past three inches tall. So, what is typically a highly anticipated three-to-four-week wheat harvest only lasted a day and a half. Many wheat farmers in Kansas barely even ran their combines this year--they harvested what they could, cut their losses, and moved on.

This is where Farm Bill emergency assistance programs like crop insurance come in. Crop insurance serves producers and consumers alike because it helps prevent producers from going out of business and grocery store aisles from sitting empty. Farm Bill programs like crop insurance have secured our national food supply and helped generation after generation of producers avoid bankruptcy when times get tough. We're in one of those times right now. Inflation is skyrocketing in America, President Biden is trying to impose his Farm Killer Tax, and producers are going out of business. The chance to reauthorize the Farm Bill for 2023 has come at a critical moment in time.

The farm crisis isn't just about money. It's about morale and spirit. It's about joy. Missing wheat harvest time in Kansas doesn't just mean missing out on the yield of a cash crop--it means missing out on the special Kansas tradition of celebrating the culmination of all your family's hard work. It means missing out on grandma's casserole in the harvest field and missing out on seeing your mom in the semi, your dad in the combine, and your little brother getting to drive the grain cart for the first time. A bad wheat harvest in Kansas doesn't just create financial insecurity, it also leaves a void where a renewal of family camaraderie should be. American agricultural producers are hurting not only from the skyrocketing input costs that come with inflation, but also from the lowered morale that comes with drought, thin margins, and a broken supply chain. In 2023, Congress must reauthorize the Farm Bill with American farm families at the front of our minds, because they are in a crisis.

I'll 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 thrives in America. The people who feed, fuel, and clothe us all deserve our unwavering support. They also deserve a robust safety net in the Farm Bill and workable solutions to the inflation crisis before it's too late.