Even beyond the short-term economic impacts of work at McConnell, the investments at the base secure it as an economic driver for another generation in Kansas.

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said the Veterans Administration is still “allowing too many veterans to slip between the cracks.” Speaking last week at a town meeting in WaKeeney, Moran said that veterans’ health care is the No. 1 complaint his office receives, the Hays Daily News reported. Congress passed the Veterans Choice Act in 2004, which allows veterans who live more than 40 miles from a VA health facility or who have to wait more than 30 days for treatment to seek care at a non-VA facility. But Moran contends the VA is fighting the law and making it difficult for veterans to qualify. “If you need proof that big government doesn’t work well,” Moran said, “the VA is a pretty good example.” – Phillip Brownlee

Sen. Jerry Moran was the guest speaker at the meeting of the Rotary Club of Newton Tuesday evening at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. Greg Claassen, a ventriloquist, provided the group with entertainment.

As a member of the Rotary, Moran said he was appreciative of the work done by club members to help the community.

“Our ability to keep civic clubs going strong is a challenge. It’s harder and harder to get young people to engage,” Moran said. “If you really want to make a difference in our world, if you really want to make a difference in our country, you do it one person at a time.”

Moran went on to speak about how he encourages young people who grew up in Kansas to stay in Kansas.

“My interest in politics really revolves around growing up in small town Kansas, and I believe that rural America is something that’s worth trying to keep around,” Moran said. “You have a senator that focuses a lot of attention on agriculture, on farming and ranchers, on community hospitals and healthcare, trying to keep our hospitals doors open, physicians in our community and our pharmacies on Main Street.”

In Washington, people don’t often understand how keeping a local grocery store open impacts a small town economy, Moran stated.

“We are a small part of a big country, and the things that are important to us are hardly recognized or understood,” Moran said. “We have to figure out…how to work with people who don’t always agree with us, who have different backgrounds and don’t know anything about us…There’s a whole variety of things in which we have no choice but to figure out how we work together.”

“We’ve got to get our federal deficit and debt under control. It is an economic issue that will harm us greatly in our ability to create jobs and improve people’s jobs and live the American dream, but it’s also a moral issue. We apparently are willing to accept the benefits that government provides us, but we are apparently are unwilling to pay the tab for doing so. Americans need to figure out whether they want those benefits and if they do, then I think we ought to expect the people that get the benefits to actually pay for them,” Moran said.

When asked if he thought things would get better or worse after the next presidential election, Moran replied, “I believe that every day that you get up or I get up, we have to be optimistic. I’ve always looked at elections like New Year’s Day — when there’s an election and there’s a new person leading our country, it’s like the beginning of the new year. It’s new resolutions, new hope, new opportunity.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Thomas Vilsack and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Gayle Smith today to prioritize donations of wheat in U.S. food aid to reduce food insecurity across the globe and the oversupply of wheat that is contributing to low prices.

“As I’ve been traveling across Kansas, I’ve witnessed the historic wheat harvest, surplus of high-quality wheat and resulting low wheat prices,” Sen. Moran said. “I’m hopeful we can utilize the current abundance of wheat stocks to provide even greater assistance to those in need to reduce food insecurity and support wheat farmers in Kansas and across the country.”

The Senate Fiscal Year 2017 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill supports food aid by providing additional funding for the Food for Peace program and maintaining elevated funding levels for the McGovern-Dole Food For Education Program.

The text of the letter is below:

Dear Secretary Vilsack and Administrator Smith,

Thank you for your leadership in administering our nation’s food aid programs. The United States leads the world in the fight against global hunger, contributing nearly half of all in-kind donations to food insecure nations. Our country’s food aid programs embody the inherent generosity of the American people.

The U.S. wheat industry has a long and successful history of partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and private humanitarian organizations in helping to reduce global hunger. Wheat is the most consumed commodity worldwide, making up 20 percent of the calories and 20 percent of the protein consumed by the world’s poorest. Approximately 600,000 metric tons of wheat were donated through U.S. food aid during the most recent marketing year.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2016 directly supported U.S. food aid efforts by providing a significant increase in funding for the delivery of food aid to populations in need. The Senate FY2017 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill continues our strong support for food aid by providing additional funding for the Food for Peace program and maintaining elevated funding levels for the McGovern-Dole Food For Education Program.

Following a historic wheat harvest in Kansas and other states, there is a surplus of high quality wheat available on the market. The current abundance of wheat stocks offers an opportunity to provide even greater assistance to those in need through increased shipments of wheat. During the procurement process for in-kind commodity donations in the future, I encourage you to prioritize the utilization of wheat to help those in need.

Thank you for your consideration of this request, and once again, for your leadership in making U.S. food aid a source of pride for Americans.

Yours truly,

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran

Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee – called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Thomas Vilsack and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Gayle Smith today to prioritize donations of wheat in U.S. food aid to reduce food insecurity across the globe and the oversupply of wheat that is contributing to low prices.
“As I’ve been traveling across Kansas, I’ve witnessed the historic wheat harvest, surplus of high-quality wheat and resulting low wheat prices,” Sen. Moran said. “I’m hopeful we can utilize the current abundance of wheat stocks to provide even greater assistance to those in need to reduce food insecurity and support wheat farmers in Kansas and across the country.”

The Senate Fiscal Year 2017 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill supports food aid by providing additional funding for the Food for Peace program and maintaining elevated funding levels for the McGovern-Dole Food For Education Program.

The text of the letter is below and available here.

Dear Secretary Vilsack and Administrator Smith:

Thank you for your leadership in administering our nation’s food aid programs. The United States leads the world in the fight against global hunger, contributing nearly half of all in-kind donations to food insecure nations. Our country’s food aid programs embody the inherent generosity of the American people.

The U.S. wheat industry has a long and successful history of partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and private humanitarian organizations in helping to reduce global hunger. Wheat is the most consumed commodity worldwide, making up 20 percent of the calories and 20 percent of the protein consumed by the world’s poorest. Approximately 600,000 metric tons of wheat were donated through U.S. food aid during the most recent marketing year.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2016 directly supported U.S. food aid efforts by providing a significant increase in funding for the delivery of food aid to populations in need. The Senate FY2017 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill continues our strong support for food aid by providing additional funding for the Food for Peace program and maintaining elevated funding levels for the McGovern-Dole Food For Education Program.

Following a historic wheat harvest in Kansas and other states, there is a surplus of high quality wheat available on the market. The current abundance of wheat stocks offers an opportunity to provide even greater assistance to those in need through increased shipments of wheat. During the procurement process for in-kind commodity donations in the future, I encourage you to prioritize the utilization of wheat to help those in need.

Thank you for your consideration of this request, and once again, for your leadership in making U.S. food aid a source of pride for Americans.

Yours truly,

WaKEENEY — Just up the road from the Kansas Veterans Cemetery and with several veterans in the audience, Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., on Wednesday criticized the agency tasked with overseeing veterans’ health care.

Approximately 20 people gathered to hear and question Moran at the Western Electric Cooperative community room at the Trego County stop of his listening tour while Congress is on break.

Two years after a scandal showing negligence within the Veterans Administration, Moran said the department still is mismanaged.

“I believe the VA is allowing too many veterans to slip between the cracks,” he said.

“If you need proof that big government doesn’t work well, the VA is a pretty good example,” he said.

Veterans’ health care is the No. 1 complaint his office receives now, he said.

Moran said Congress is focused on implementing the Veterans Choice Act, a law passed in 2014 in response to the discovery the VA was lying about wait times for veterans to see doctors.

Internal investigations that year showed at least 35 veterans had died while waiting for care in the Phoenix Veterans Health Administration, and nationwide, thousands of veterans waited 90 days or more to see a doctor, if they saw one at all.

The Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 provides veterans who live more than 40 miles from a VA health facility or who have to wait more than 30 days for treatment from a VA facility can seek care at a non-VA facility, such as their own doctor or local hospital.

“That, in my view, is a really, really good thing for veterans,” Moran said. “It is also a good thing for our health care delivery system in our home towns. Just like our schools need every student, our hospitals need every patient.”

But, he said, the VA is fighting the law.

“The VA doesn’t like this at all,” he said. “They’re making it difficult for veterans to qualify. They’re slow in paying the bills.

“The VA has testified that veterans don’t want this law,” Moran said. “That can’t be true. If they don’t like it, it’s because of the experiences they’ve had in trying to get in it and getting the services they need.”

The senator told the audience his office had been contacted by a veteran from Moran’s hometown of Plainville who needed a colonoscopy. The veteran wanted it done at the hospital there, but the VA told him he could not because there is a clinic less than 40 miles away in Hays. However, colonoscopies are not among the services in the Hays outpatient clinic, so the VA told the veteran he had to go to its hospital in Wichita.

A veteran in the audience suggested the VA hospital system be done away with and veterans be allowed to choose their medical providers.

“If we can prove this works, that’s the direction I think that this can go,” Moran said.

“There may be specialized services that only the VA can provide,” such as mental health care for veterans suffering from PTSD, he said. “But there is a lot of opportunity for us to downsize the big volume of VA and put people at home.”

He urged those in attendance to help make sure veterans are using the Choice Act, even if that person is ready to give up on it. He said veterans facing difficulty with getting care at home should contact his office or officials with the VFW or American Legion for help.

“Make sure someone connects with this veteran so that if they’re willing, we force the VA to do what they’re supposed to do and care for these people,” he said.

Via The Ottawa Herald

One of the key tenets of the American Dream is the promise that if you work hard, you can get ahead. This dream doesn’t discriminate — regardless of the circumstances you’re born into, hard work will lead you to success. Generations of Americans have lived, worked and raised families believing in that idea.

Despite honest living and persistence, millions in our country still struggle to get ahead financially. This is especially true in rural communities where the challenges of poverty differ significantly from urban areas. When access to higher education, health care, affordable housing, social and financial services, and job opportunities is limited, the path toward upward mobility is challenging.

As someone who grew up in small-town Kansas, the issue of rural poverty hits close to home. While representing Kansans in Congress, I have made it a priority to highlight this often overlooked struggle and have proposed policy solutions to help drive Americans, both urban and rural, up the economic ladder. For example, I’m working to make certain all Kansans can access high-speed internet and get care from their local Critical Access Hospital, as well as ensure our veterans receive the benefits they’ve earned in a timely fashion.

Many rural, low-income families lack both affordable housing and access to credit: two major factors in determining one’s mobility. And unfortunately, as the cost of compliance with new government rules and regulations grows, community banks and local lenders are increasingly being squeezed out of their local economies. As a member of the Senate Banking Committee, I’ve proposed legislative solutions to relieve this burden, but it is clear solving this issue will require a series of policy and regulatory changes coupled with broader economic growth.

In Kansas, much of that economic growth depends on the health of the agriculture industry — a major pillar of our economy — which determines the financial well-being of nearly 250,000 Kansans. As the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, I’m tasked with drafting annual legislation to prioritize funding for the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration — agencies whose work impacts growth and mobility in rural America. My bill (S. 2956) includes critical improvements to rural infrastructure such as water and waste systems and upgrades to electric and telephone services. It also strengthens the farm safety net to keep family farms viable in tough economic conditions, which in turn helps keep Main Street businesses that rely on agriculture afloat. These policies improve the economic viability of small town America.

Rural economic interests, while often overlooked, must be represented in all policy debates on Capitol Hill — agricultural or otherwise. With that in mind, I cofounded the bipartisan Senate Economic Mobility Caucus in 2012 to bring together policymakers to examine mobility challenges and develop ways to overcome them. Since the caucus’ inception, we have conceived numerous bipartisan policies, including some that are now law. Most recently, the caucus hosted an event to convene experts from various backgrounds focused specifically on economic mobility through a rural lens. To see such strong interest in the topic was encouraging and I will continue to stress the importance of rural-specific considerations during policy debates.

While each of these steps represents progress, much work remains to enable all Americans to become economically mobile and financially secure. I will continue to do all I can during my time in the United States Senate to help restore the confidence that every man, woman and child has a real opportunity to achieve their own American Dream.

Jerry Moran represents Kansas in the U.S. Senate.

Via The Hutchison News

One of the key tenets of the American Dream is the promise that if you work hard, you can get ahead. This dream doesn’t discriminate – regardless of the circumstances you’re born into, hard work will lead you to success. Generations of Americans have lived, worked and raised families believing in that idea.

Despite honest living and persistence, millions in our country still struggle to get ahead financially. This is especially true in rural communities where the challenges of poverty differ significantly from urban areas. When access to higher education, health care, affordable housing, social and financial services, and job opportunities is limited, the path toward upward mobility is challenging.

As someone who grew up in small-town Kansas, the issue of rural poverty hits close to home. While representing Kansans in Congress, I have made it a priority to highlight this often overlooked struggle and have proposed policy solutions to help drive Americans, both urban and rural, up the economic ladder. For example, I’m working to make certain all Kansans can access high-speed internet and get care from their local Critical Access Hospital, as well as ensure our veterans receive the benefits they’ve earned in a timely fashion.

Many rural, low-income families lack both affordable housing and access to credit: two major factors in determining one’s mobility. And, unfortunately, as the cost of compliance with new government rules and regulations grows, community banks and local lenders are increasingly being squeezed out of their local economies. As a member of the Senate Banking Committee, I’ve proposed legislative solutions to relieve this burden, but it is clear that solving this issue will require a series of policy and regulatory changes coupled with broader economic growth.

In Kansas, much of that economic growth depends on the health of the agriculture industry – a major pillar of our economy which determines the financial well-being of nearly 250,000 Kansans. As the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, I’m tasked with drafting annual legislation to prioritize funding for the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration – agencies whose work impacts growth and mobility in rural America. My bill (S. 2956) includes critical improvements to rural infrastructure such as water and waste systems and upgrades to electric and telephone services. It also strengthens the farm safety net to keep family farms viable in tough economic conditions, which in turn helps keep Main Street businesses that rely on agriculture afloat. These policies improve the economic viability of small-town America.

Rural economic interests, while often overlooked, must be represented in all policy debates on Capitol Hill – agricultural or otherwise. With that in mind, I co-founded the bipartisan Senate Economic Mobility Caucus in 2012 to bring together policy-makers to examine mobility challenges and develop ways to overcome them. Since the caucus’ inception, we have conceived numerous bipartisan policies, including some that are now law. Most recently, the caucus hosted an event to convene experts from various backgrounds focused specifically on economic mobility through a rural lens. To see such strong interest in the topic was encouraging, and I will continue to stress the importance of rural-specific considerations during policy debates.

While each of these steps represents progress, much work remains to enable all Americans to become economically mobile and financially secure. I will continue to do all I can during my time in the United States Senate to help restore the confidence that every man, woman and child has a real opportunity to achieve their own American Dream.

TOPEKA — Republican voters in the deep red state of Kansas have given U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran their nomination in the state’s primary.

The Republican incumbent Tuesday easily defeated Della Jean “D.J.” Smith, a former Osawatomie city council member who ran against a sitting GOP senator for the second time. She ran in the 2014 Republican primary against U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, finishing far behind in third place that year.

Moran, 62, garnered about 79 percent of the votes in Tuesday’s primary. He was first elected to the Senate in 2010. He previously represented the state’s 1st congressional district from 1997 to 2010.

The Plainville native and Manhattan resident will face Democrat Patrick Wiesner and Libertarian Robert Garrard in the Nov. 8 general election.

Wiesner, a Lawrence attorney defeated Monique Singh-Bey, of Kansas City, Kan., in the Democratic primary. Wiesner garnered 63 percent of the vote.

During his campaign, Wiesner cited his professional experience with federal law as a tax attorney and Army lawyer. His campaign touted as his mission “paying off the government’s debt,” saying the first step is ending Washington lobbyists’ control of the Senate.

Kansas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932.

U.S. House races

In the 2nd District, which includes Topeka and Lawrence, U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins didn’t face a primary challenge, nor did Democratic candidate Britani Potter. Jenkins and Potter will be in a race with Libertarian James Houston Bales in November.

In the 3rd District, which includes Johnson County and Wyandotte County, Kevin Yoder staved off a challenge from Greg Goode, a retired lieutenant colonel who bluntly referred to Yoder as corrupt on several occasions.

“We all know many of our politicians are bought and paid for by big multinational corporations,” Goode said last week. “The unfortunate truth: Our congressman, Kevin Yoder is the poster boy for this massive corruption.”

On the Democratic side, Jay Sidie received 42 percent of the vote to win a three-way race with Nathaniel McLaughlin (36 percent) and Reggie Marselus (22 percent). Sidie and Libertarian Steven Hohe will compete against Yoder in the general election Nov. 8.

The 3rd District race could garner national attention. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has pledged to support Sidie, believing the suburban district could swing Democratic due to the unpopularity of Republicans Donald Trump and Gov. Sam Brownback.

In the 4th District, U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo didn’t face a primary challenger. On the Democratic side, with 600 of 622 precincts counted, Wichita lawyer Dan Giroux was leading Robert Tillman, 52 percent to 49 percent. Pompeo and the winner, along with Libertarian Gorden Bakken, will compete in November.

Turnout in Johnson Co.

The top election official in Kansas’ most populous county says turnout in the primary election should be close to what he had expected.

Johnson County Election Commissioner Ronnie Metsker said Tuesday evening that he believes 77,000 or 78,000 voters in the county would cast ballots. The county has about 389,000 registered voters, so that would be a turnout of about 20 percent.

Kobach’s prediction

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach had predicted that 24 percent of the state’s registered voters would cast ballots. He also said he thought turnout in Johnson County would be slightly lower than the statewide figure.

State elections director Bryan Caskey said the secretary of state’s office hadn’t seen anything to think its prediction was off.

It often seems like our elected officials are unapproachable by any but the rich and powerful. This is not the case with Sen. Jerry Moran. He is the most approachable person in the U.S. Senate. A majority of the members of Congress live full-time in D.C. and only spend time in their districts/states during the election cycle.

Sen. Moran returns to the state nearly every weekend and, on most visits, is traveling around the state holding town halls. He actually gets to every county in the state at least twice per election cycle and much more often in the larger counties.

I have been to several of his town halls in Leavenworth, Wyandotte and Johnson counties. In those town halls, you quickly realize that he is willing to take on all comers and questions with respect and often humor. He is willing to take on opposition without pandering and he remains faithful to his policy positions with well-reasoned arguments.

This good man deserves re-election to the U.S. Senate.