Pittsburg Open House: Next Friday, December 20, I will be hosting an open house at my Pittsburg office, 1001 N. Broadway, at 10:30 a.m. I am looking forward to seeing Crawford County folks -- I hope you can stop by!
Budget Agreement
I always put Kansans first, and Kansans care about reducing wasteful, Washington spending. This week, the House passed the Budget Conference agreement negotiated by Chairman Paul Ryan and Chairman Patty Murray. With this bipartisan agreement, we will reduce our long-term deficits over the next 10 years without raising taxes, and these smarter savings will only increase over time. Without this agreement, we will spend more taxpayer dollars over the next decade, even with the current sequester, and face the strong possibility of another destructive government shutdown come January.
The NBAF (National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility), which is critical to Kansas and our national security, could receive $404 million with this agreement, but without it, only $17 million, effectively sending the NBAF a stop work notice causing ripple-effects across Kansas. After careful review, this agreement will not solve our massive debt problem, but supporting this agreement, is the only RESPONSIBLE option for the Kansas economy and takes a small step toward getting our fiscal house in order.
During a time of extreme partisan rhetoric, I am hopeful this agreement shows there are leaders in Congress who can put aside their differences to break through the dysfunction in Washington. I commend Chairman Ryan for not sacrificing our shared conservative principles, and helping our nation reach the first, divided-government budget agreement since 1985.
House Passes Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act
"Stop talking; start doing." This is what Gabriella Miller, a passionate and dedicated advocate for childhood cancer awareness, asked of our nation's leaders. This week, the House honored her request by voting on the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act to help fund pediatric research on childhood cancer, autism, and other serious childhood diseases and disorders. Gabriella lost her battle to brain cancer in October, but this bill could help make the fight easier for brave and beautiful kids like her.
Hardworking American Deserve Fever Government Mandates, More Flexibility, and More Certainty.
Uncertainty. That is the word I hear more than any other: uncertainty from more and more regulations, uncertainty about higher taxes, uncertainty about unstainable debt and the effects on our economy, and of course, uncertainty about the President's health care law. Hardworking Americans deserve better. They want fewer government mandates, more flexibility, and more certainty.
Farm Bill Progress
This week, the House voted to extend the 2008 Farm Bill until January 31, 2014. I have been calling for the passage of a long-term Farm Bill since 2012, and have supported efforts in the House to pass new legislation. I have worked closely with Chairman Frank Lucas to ensure the needs of Kansas farmers, ranchers, and consumers are met through this bill. This extension, though not ideal, will allow House and Senate negotiators to continue working to come to an agreement on a long-term Farm Bill to bring certainty to the agricultural sector and those who work hard to provide our nation's food supply.
3-Month "Doc Fix'
On Thursday, the House Ways & Means Committee approved a new system to replace the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) that we use to reimburse physicians for treating Medicare patients. The current system is badly broken and needs annual fixes to prevent physician reimbursement from being drastically cut. This creates uncertainty for both doctors and elderly Americans. The new system, which is outlined inH.R. 2810, the Medicare Patient Access and Quality Improvement Act of 2013, would provide a greater focus on quality, rather than volume of care. It was reported favorably out of committee by an unanimous bipartisan majority of 39-0. Although there is still much work and fine-tuning to do on this issue, I am pleased that this process is moving forward. In the meantime, the budget agreement that passed the House Thursday provides a three-month patch to extend physician reimbursements, that are set to expire at the end of the year, until the new system is finalized.