Friends,

Sadly, last week we saw a historical religious symbol destroyed. The Notre Dame Cathedral has stood tall since 1345 and was an icon for the country of France. I was devastated by the destruction the fire cause but am heartened by the generosity of the French people and their determination to rebuild it with speed. I look forward to seeing it stand once more.

Back at home, the Mueller Report was finally released. I have always supported its release and I am glad that we live in a country where such transparency is possible. As the full details come out I am pleased that we will be able to put this shameful chapter of American history behind us and focus on the road ahead.

Fixing our Infrastructure

I had the opportunity to tour Bergkamp, Inc in Salina, which manufactures road maintenance and preservation equipment. We discussed the importance and impact of road preservation, and the need for robust infrastructure funding throughout Kansas. Everyday, our highways are used not only to move people across the state, but also to get our commodities like corn, beef, and wheat to market. Ensuring that our roads and highways are in good condition is an important part of keeping the Kansas economy growing and rural America thriving.

Welcome Home Soldier

At just 29 years old, Nicholas J. Gojmerac from Kansas City, Kansas, was fighting for our country and his life during a brutal attack on the Solomon Islands. It was 1943, we were in the middle of World War II when Gojmerac crawled through the battlefield to help a friend that had been severely wounded, in his act of bravery, he too was injured by machine gun fire. Still, he pressed on, dragging his wounded comrade off of the battleground to find safety and medical care.

Despite his heroic efforts that day to save his friend in combat, it was on that day, July 20th, 1943, that Nicholas fought his final battle, and it was the last time anyone saw Marine Corps Reserve PFC Gojmerac alive. He was listed at MIA- Missing in Action.
As a salute to his bravery and sacrifice, PFC Gojmerac was later, posthumously, awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart award.

But his family and friends, for 76 years, were left with more questions than answers, unable to lay his remains to rest. Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Today, more than 72,700 of those soldiers are still unaccounted for.

In September, The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) through an extensive dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial, historical and material evidence evaluation identified remains recovered from a burial site on the Solomon Islands as Nicholas J. Gojmerac.

He was transported back to Kansas, where he was laid to rest with full military honors at the at Leavenworth National Cemetery.
Welcome home soldier. Thank you for your service, your bravery, and your patriotism.

National Grain and Feed Association

Members of the National Grain and Feed Association stopped by the office to discuss a number of issues including: trade, infrastructure, transportation, and the ongoing challenges facing producers back home on the farm. As the Trump Administration continues to negotiate a new trade deal in North America, as well as others across the globe in Asia and elsewhere, we must ensure that our roads, rails, and waterways here at home can continue to support the movement of grain and goods produced by hard working Kansans to market.

Although there are many struggles currently facing the rural economy I am proud to advocate on their behalf in Washington to ensure that conditions improve as quickly as possible.

Bridging the Gap, Vietnam War Vets Give Personal Accounts of the War

I am so proud of the work that Humanities Kansas continues to do for our communities. For those unfamiliar with HK, their mission is to draw people together and generate new ideas through sharing peoples stories, starting conversations, and taking action to help Kansas Communities.

Their latest campaign was dedicated to sharing the stories of the Vietnam war through the eyes of veterans that fought in the battle. HK helped share the stories of more than 100 Kansas Vietnam veterans through audio recordings and sent them to the Library of Congress to be archived so that their personal accounts and memories from the war will never be forgotten. This oral history project connected with veterans in various communities across my district, including Salina, Onaga, and Abilene, and I had the honor of joining for the launch of the project in Jetmore last August.

It’s crucial that we continue to dive deeper to truly understand our nation’s history, especially when there’s still an opportunity to see the events through the lens of veterans and families that endured it that can provide first-hand accounts of their experiences.

By putting the spotlight on our veterans’ voices, Humanities Kansas is bridging the gap between those who lived through the war era and those who have merely read about it in their school’s history books.

Pro-Life Movement

Many Kansans are as appalled as I was at the horrible anti-life legislation we have seen come from the New York legislature. As we see more and more evil legislation being proposed it can be easy to become discouraged so I want to take the time to highlight some of the great work being accomplished from the pro-life movement at the State level.

Last week the Texas House passed a Born-Alive Infant Protection Act. This legislation is something I have been fighting tooth and nail against the anti-life Democrats to have passed in the House and I cannot express how great it feels to see states finding success. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that from 2003-2014 at least 143 infants died after being born alive during an abortion procedure. To say that this is unacceptable would be a grave understatement. Currently only six states even have to report when a baby survives an abortion, and in 2017 from those six states alone there were at least 25 babies born alive. These are living infants who need our protection.

We have also seen success with “Heartbeat Bills” in multiple states. In Kentucky they have signed a Heartbeat bill into law and are currently defending it in court. In Georgia another similar bill has passed their legislature and need only be signed by the Governor to become law. These pieces of legislation protect the life of infants as soon as a heartbeat can be detected and are important steps towards getting the Supreme Court to abolishing the detestable practice of late term abortion. I applaud the work being done by these state legislators and the pro-life community and give you all my word that I will continue my fight here in Washington.

Digital Divide Update

Last week we had more than 20 representatives from rural telecommunications companies in D.C. to discuss issues related to broadband deployment. Over the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with many of them back in Kansas and see firsthand the work they’re doing across the state! This group discussed challenges and inaccuracies with the current national broadband map, which impacts availability of federal funding for these small providers working to build out broadband infrastructure in rural communities. Last year, Congress directed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to work together to update the national broadband map, so that we can better deploy broadband across the country.

KU Hospital Leaders Discuss Rural America Health Care Access

I had the opportunity to sit down with a great group from the KU Hospital Association for a great discussion centered around the needs of rural hospitals. We discussed the demographic challenges rural America faces in terms of an aging population base, and must ensure that all Kansans have access to a health care system that works for them. We need our public institutions to be working to develop systems that work for our rural population and I plan to see that they do so.

I will be advocating for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to develop a program to establish new models of care for rural hospitals

We also talked about a vital program to rural hospitals, the 340B Drug Discount Program. This program allows safety-net health care organizations serving vulnerable populations to purchase prescription drugs at a discount. Kansas rural hospitals have utilized the savings to maintain capacity and provide services to patients in need. I support the 340B program and what it has done to help the people of Kansas.

KS Council on Developmental Disabilities

Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities dropped by the Hill! We had great discussions about employment for those who have disabilities. Those with disabilities have a hard time finding jobs that are suitable for them and their needs, but it is really important that they are able to. Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act allows men and women with disabilities to find high quality workforce and prepares them for competition in the work place. The Act will have State vocational rehabilitation agencies set aside funds and put that towards services that will help young people with disabilities transition into the workforce. I am glad to be an advocate for those who struggle with any sort of disability and help them find a perfect fit for work!

Wichita REAP Council Meeting

Last week I gave a speech at the Regional Economic Area Partnership (REAP) Council Meeting in Wichita about the importance of the agriculture community for South-Central Kansas and what is being done in Washington on their behalf. I updated the council on the process of implementing the Farm Bill. While the shutdown that ended earlier this year caused minor delays, USDA is working diligently to get back on track to make sure that all Kansans in the ag community get the support that they need.

I also informed the REAP council about ongoing trade negotiations with foreign economies. I met last week with Minister Xu Xueyuan from the Chinese embassy for trade discussions centered around the high quality beef, grain, and other agricultural exports that are produced back home. The Trump Administration has also recently started bilateral trade talks with Japan in Washington DC. As the third largest economy in the world this presents huge potential for Kansas producers. Finally, I brought the counsel up to speed on the letter I led regarding the Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) for wheat imports into Brazil. After several decades of defiance, I am very pleased that the new leadership in Brazil has committed to finally following the World Trade Organization law and will comply with the TRQ, presenting increased export opportunities for our farmers in Kansas and across the country.

Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the Kansas First District Congressman.