Friends,

After a long week in Washington, I traveled to the border with a group of other physicians  and I am glad that we were able to convince Democratic leadership to stop with their obstructionism and address the crisis late before we left.

Thursday afternoon, I joined over 300 of my colleagues in passing the Senate amended H.R. 3401 to ensure DHS and ICE officials are properly funded to take care of the ongoing immigration crisis. I have been touring border patrol stations and detention facilities so that I can reassess the situation with my own eyes.

Many of you have been calling my office voicing your concerns about what is currently happening at the border, I share these concerns.

It has been 59 days since the President called the situation at the border what it is, an emergency.

Now, with the passage of this legislation we will soon have the much needed resources going down to the border and can continue our work on finding a permanent solution to securing our nation and addressing the humanitarian situation there.

I’ll be heading back from the border and hope to see you at one of my town halls this coming week:

July 2nd 8:00 A.M. – Clark County Town Hall – Ashland Community Center

July 2nd 10:00 A.M. – Meade County Town Hall – Chuck Wagon Restaurant

July 2nd 12:00 P.M. – Gray County Town Hall – The Shepherd’s Center

July 2nd 2:00 P.M. – Hodgeman County Town Hall – Hodgeman County Health Center

July 3rd 8:00 A.M. – Greeley County Town Hall – Melven O Kuder Senior Center

July 3rd 10:30 A.M. – Wichita County Town Hall – Wichita County Business Care Center

July 3rd 12:00 P.M. – Scott County Town Hall – Bryan Conference Center

July 3rd 3:00 P.M. – Lane County Town Hall – Lane County Courthouse

July 3rd 4:30 P.M. – Ness County Town Hall – Leisure Years Center

July 5th 9:00 A.M. – Rush County Town Hall – Golden Belt Telephone

July 6th 8:00 A.M. – Pawnee County Town Hall – Larned City Hall 

Discussing Election Security

My colleagues and I discussed election security this week in the Science, Space and Technology Committee, and according to our expert panel, “we’ve made enormous progress!” Since the Help America Vote Act became law in 2002, states have received over $2 billion in grants to help with election administration, assistance in increasing accessibility, and replacing outdated voting machines. Kansas has taken advantage of these grants, receiving over $4 million last year to strengthen cybersecurity of polling machines and voter registration systems as well as to ensure that every machine across the state has a paper audit trail. These improvements both in Kansas and across the country will help improve the integrity and accuracy of our elections. I appreciate the Committee discussing ways we can continue to support state and local governments in improving these vital systems.

Secretary Perry Addresses Science Committee

Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry met with Members of the House Science Committee on Monday evening, ahead of his testimony before the Committee on Tuesday. We discussed some of the unique challenges facing rural America, from energy storage and transmission to efficiency advancements that will benefit our farmers and ranchers back home. It was a great opportunity to highlight how our producers are becoming more efficient, but also to emphasize the fact that “one-size fits all” regulations don’t work for rural communities. I was also able to mention that wind accounts for nearly 30% of energy production across the state, and new solar farms are taking advantage of the nearly 6 peak daylight hours that southwest Kansas receives each day.

I appreciated Secretary Perry taking the time to meet with us this week, and his willingness to thoughtfully engage on these issues. I look forward to continue working with him to ensure that our farmers, ranchers, and communities have the tools and regulatory flexibility they need to succeed.

Congress Competes in America’s Pastime 

This week marked the 58th annual Congressional Baseball game where my fellow Republican colleagues and I competed with our friends on the other side of the aisle. With all proceeds going to different charities, this bipartisan tradition allows us to set aside our political differences and gives us a chance to have a little friendly competition. This is my third time playing on the team and even though we didn’t win this year I am proud of the performance of my colleagues from both dugouts. We managed to raise $1.3 million dollars for several charities including: The Washington Literacy Center, The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation, and the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund.

Bipartisan Effort for Transparency in the Drug Industry

Earlier this month, I introduced legislation to equip lawmakers with additional insight on the role of pharmaceutical benefit managers (PBMs) in the healthcare industry. PBMs are third party administrators that were designed to negotiate and manage what medications are covered by a health plan, but there’s been increasing evidence that they have been pocketing these so-called savings for themselves at the expense of everyone else. My legislation would direct the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on the role PBMs play in the drug supply chain under Obamacare.

For more information click here to read my press release. 

Welcoming Our Art Competition Winner 

The theme for the first district this year was “I Like Ike” with participants submitting art centered around our 34th President and legendary Kansan General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ethan is a student at Wheatland High School in Grainfield, Kansas and his submission, titled “American Hero,” shows Eisenhower as a soldier standing in front of an American flag.