Friends,
It seems spring has finally arrived in Kansas and I have enjoyed the opportunity to get back to the district and catch up with folks during our town halls and round-table discussions. Last weekend I met with the leadership team at Seward County Community College to learn how they are developing education programs to meet the workforce needs of western Kansas and held town halls in six different counties in southwest Kansas.
Fort Riley Excellence Award
Fort Riley has always stood as a symbol of excellence and leadership and last week the Army recognized those efforts and awarded Fort Riley the Bronze Medal for the 2019 Army Communities of Excellence Award.
This prestigious award, which recognizes the progress of management across all components within the Army installations including leadership, analysis and knowledge management, workforce and operations, comes on the heels of national recognition for the work being done at Irwin Army Community Hospital at Fort Riley.
I am honored to represent the men and women who serve our country and believe this honor validates the division’s motto of “No mission too difficult, no sacrifice too great, duty first.”
Brazil to Open Quota for U.S. wheat
Last week, President Trump met with Brazil’s new President, Jair Bolsonaro, to lay the groundwork for a new partnership between our two countries. The leaders made a number of trade-related commitments, including the announcement that Brazil will implement a Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ), allowing for the annual importation of 750 thousand tons of American wheat at a 0% rate.
The agreement for a duty-free TRQ on wheat exports to Brazil is something our wheat farmers have spent over a decade fighting for and I was proud to join them in this fight.
I recently led a letter with a number of my colleagues to Chief Agricultural Negotiator Gregg Doud, a native of the Big First, requesting that the TRQ issue be a top priority for these negotiations, and I was very pleased to see Ambassador Doud and President Trump come through for our producers back home.
KU College Republicans
It’s always exciting to meet with college students and discuss the future of our country. Last week I had the opportunity to speak with members of the University of Kansas College Republicans, I shared with them my work on bi-partisan legislation to make colleges and technical schools eligible for the USDA’s Community Foods Projects grants that help nonprofits address hunger. We also had good discussions surrounding the students’ hopes for impactful but pragmatic approaches to fixing our broken healthcare system and innovative solutions to clean energy production.
I was impressed with the students’ understanding of the issues and solutions and hopes to make a positive change in their communities.
Harvesters helping Kansas Food Banks
Food banks play an important role in many communities across the Big First and the state. The success of this service is largely due to the volunteers and organizations like Harvesters in Kansas City that supplies these food banks with the resources they need to care for their local families.
Early last week I had the opportunity to tour Harvesters and learn just how many people and volunteer hours it takes to keep the operation going. The facility hosts more than 200 volunteers a day and in 2018 Harvesters provided more than 52.5 million pounds of food to its 26-county distribution area, including pinto beans grown by the farmer-owners of 21 Century Bean in Sharon Springs, Kan.
Our family has a long history of volunteering at our local food bank, and I continue to support food banks across my district as I believe they provide an essential service for our communities.
The Crisis in Venezuela
President Trump has continued his efforts towards the goal of seeing the tyranny of the Maduro regime come to an end, and I want it to be known that I fully support him in these efforts. The good people of Venezuela continue to be oppressed by the Maduro regime in what is well beyond a humanitarian crisis. I send my prayers to those suffering and pledge all the support I can give in congress.
For more on my position on the crisis in Venezuela please see my Op-Ed on the subject.
Passing of Dick Nichols
Last week we mourned the passing of former Congressman Richard “Dick” Nichols. The WWII veteran and fellow Rotarian was a proud husband, father, and grandfather and a mentor to me as I made my way to Congress.
He served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving the 5th Congressional District before it was lost following the 1990 census. He returned to banking but continued to guide and support elected officials at all levels.
Our deepest sympathies go out to his family as they mourn the loss of a great man.
Response to the Opioid Crisis
Last week the Department of Health and Human Services released their second installment of State Opioid Response grants. Kansas received $2,112,683 to expand treatment and reduce opioid overdose-related deaths through prevention and recovery initiatives for those suffering from addiction.
This funding will expand access to treatment that has been proven to work by focusing on medication-assisted treatment coupled with appropriate social support. As a nation, we are continuing to tackle this crisis head-on, and we are starting to produce results! That is due primarily to our communities, law enforcement, first responders, and our legislators all working together to address this deadly epidemic.
Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the Kansas First District Congressman.