Newsletter: Happy Father's Day, Mourning the Victims of the Charleston Shooting, Pushing Appropriations Bills through Congress

Statement

Happy Father's Day

Yesterday, my daughter Caroline and I had a wonderful afternoon together at the Deanna Rose Farmstead in Overland Park to celebrate Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to my dad Wayne and all of the other great fathers out there.

Mourning the Victims of the Charleston Shooting

Our hearts break for the families and lost loved ones struck down in their place of worship in Charleston, South Carolina last week. This tragedy brings back painful memories of the shootings in Overland Park last year. No person in America should fear for their safety when going to their place of worship - the freedom to exercise our chosen religion is a bedrock principle enshrined in our Bill of Rights. During moments like this more than ever, we must stand together united against hate and evil.

Halfway Through the Appropriations Process

The House of Representatives and the Appropriations Committee have been working diligently to ensure the appropriations process is completed in a timely manner. This is the earliest the House has begun the process since 1974.

With my support, the House has already passed six of the 12 appropriations bills:

Military Construction and Veteran Affairs (H.R. 2029): Secures funding necessary to provide for our veterans when they come home and invests in our military infrastructure.

Energy and Water (H.R. 2028): Provides necessary resources for America's infrastructure, including our electric grid, nuclear stockpiles, and critical water projects.

Legislative Funding (H.R. 2250): Continues the pay freeze for Members of Congress that has been in place since 2010 and blocks any added funding, putting us on a fiscally-responsible track to save even more money for the taxpayers.

Commerce, Justice, and Science Funding (H.R. 2578): Provides resources for the FBI to keep us safe, reprioritizes funds to give additional support in combating counterterrorism and cybercrime, and increases funding for NASA.

Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (H.R. 2577): Supports our interstate highway system, maintains efficient and safe air and rail transportation, and ensures that our housing safety net will be there for elderly and disabled tenants of public housing.

Defense (H.R. 2685): Funds military operations, readiness, and health and safety programs for our soldiers, while giving our troops a much needed pay raise.

Reining in the EPA

Last Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee passed the 2016 Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill by a vote of 30-21 with my support. The bill provides $30.17 billion in base funding for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Forest Service, the Indian Health Service, and other various related agencies. This is a decrease of $246 million below fiscal year 2015 and $3 billion below the President's Budget Request.

The bill also includes an important provision that prohibits any funding from being used to develop, adopt, implement, administer, or enforce any changes to the definition of "waters" under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. This is in response to the EPA's proposed rule that would require businesses, farmers, and ranchers to comply with requirements for thousands of small streams, ditches, ponds, and other isolated bodies of water on private lands that have no connection to "navigable waters" the Clean Water Act was designed to protect.

Regulations from central planners in Washington have been breaking the backs of businesses in Kansas and across America under this Administration. The EPA's proposed rule would extend its jurisdiction to regulate water anywhere it could conceivably run -- from a creek flowing through your back yard to a puddle in your driveway -- with the staggering compliance costs falling largely in the laps of American farmers and ranchers. That means higher prices at the grocery store for you and your family.

This bill halts that rule from going into effect and ensures that farmers and small business owners will have the opportunity to grow their business and create jobs with capital that would otherwise be wasted on compliance costs. I commend the efforts of Interior Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert and urge the rest of my colleagues in the House to support this provision's inclusion in the final bill.

Encouraging Community Service

Last Wednesday, I presented four students from the Third District with the Congressional Award Gold Medal for their impressive record of community service. To receive the award, applicants must be between 14 and 23 years old and have set and achieved goals in volunteer public service, personal development, physical fitness, and exploration of another culture over a minimum of 24 months.

This year's winners from the Third District are Matthew Connell and Patrick Connell of Lenexa, and Shivani Lokre and Grace McGowan of Overland Park.

Kansas boasts some of the best and brightest young people in America, and Matthew, Patrick, Shivani, and Grace stand out among the crowd for their selfless dedication to their community. With many states not having a single individual earn this award, I'm proud to say we have four from the Third District. Wednesday's ceremony was a culmination of two years of hard work on their behalf, and I was honored to present them with their Congressional Award Gold Medals.

Source