Kansas Leaders Send Obama Gitmo Letter December 14, 2015

AP) – Kansas officials have sent President Barack Obama a letter protesting the possible move of detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the military prison at Fort Leavenworth.

The letter Monday said moving terrorism suspects to northeast Kansas would jeopardize families, schools and local businesses. All six members of the state’s congressional delegation signed the letter, as did Gov. Sam Brownback, legislators and local officials.

The letter followed a town hall meeting Friday in Leavenworth sponsored by U.S. Reps. Lynn Jenkins and Mike Pompeo. Their signatures appeared first, along with Leavenworth Mayor Lisa Weakley’s.

Closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center has been a priority for Obama but continues to inspire congressional opposition. The Defense Department earlier this year surveyed seven potential sites for housing detainees in Kansas, Colorado and South Carolina.

Regional SOTU Reactions January 21, 2015

Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill:
“The President outlined some commonsense ideas and opportunities for bipartisan cooperation, tonight, including tax cuts aimed at bolstering our middle class. We’ve made a great deal of progress for working families in the past few years—with a growing number of folks back to work at millions of more jobs, a much smaller deficit, and plunging energy costs—but there’s still more work to do. And I’m eager to roll up my sleeves with my Republican and Democratic colleagues to keep strengthening our middle class.”

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Kansas Representative a Lynn Jenkins:
“President Obama used this evening to appease his political base and focused on dividing our Nation and using bureaucratic control to run our country with top-down Washington-centered solutions. I believe the key to growing a healthy economy begins by strengthening the paycheck of hard working Americans, putting more money into Kansans pockets, and growing our economy from the bottom-up. ”

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Missouri Representative Sam Graves:
“The American people spoke loud and clear this past November in opposition to President Obama’s failed policies of the last six years,” said Rep. Graves. “The American people sent us here to forge a new direction in finding solutions to the problems facing our nation,” he continued. “Tonight, the President has once again shown that he plans to ignore the will of the people in order to push his big government agenda.”

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Missouri Representative Vicky Hartzler:
“t is disappointing that President Obama has rejected an opportunity to reach out to and cooperate with Congress, preferring instead to outline an ill-conceived vision that continues to expand the reach, size, and scope of the federal government. The simple fact is that our country cannot tax and spend itself into prosperity. Government must get out of the way and allow the American people to pursue their dreams.”

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Jackson. County Democratic Chairman Tom Wyrsch:
“We thank the President for his leadership in rebuilding our economy over the past six years. Our economy is now working better for the middle class than it ever was during the previous Republican administration. Our economy is growing again and industry is picking up, much due to the leadership of our President, the policies of the Democratic Party, and the continuing hard work and vigor of the American people.”

Local Members of Congress and the Senate Split on Partisan Lines Over SOTU January 29, 2014

Here are some of the reactions to the President’s State of the Union Speech from members of the Kansas and Missouri Congressional delegations.

Kansas Senator Jerry Moran is leading the GOP effort to win control of the Senate.
“The President and Senate Democrats have done next to nothing to promote pro-growth policies that would truly help individuals reach their full potential.
Senate Democrats have prevented action on measures that could provide an immediate boost to the economy at little or no cost to the American taxpayer. Americans deserve better from their elected officials in Washington. Growing our economy, getting people back to work, and making certain all Americans have the ability to climb the ladder of success are all reasons why we seek a Republican majority in the Senate.”

Kansas Senator Pat Roberts is seeking re-election this year.
““We heard more of the same from the President: more taxes, more spending, more bypassing the Congress to enact his agenda, and more big government.
“After five years of these policies what do we have? We have Americans who have given up even looking for a job, businesses regulated to death and families burdened by Obamacare.
“And now the President wants to double down and continue to push this agenda through executive order and regulation.
“The only difference that I see now is that he is finally being upfront about it.
“I will continue to fight these orders and regulations and thinly disguised attempts to redistribute hard working Kansans’ income.”

Missouri Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill:
“We’ve made a lot of progress these past few years, creating millions of jobs and pulling our economy out of the ditch—but there are an awful lot of commonsense ideas still sitting on the table that could build on that success, if elected leaders stop kowtowing to the political extremes and start working toward compromise to get things done. Raising the minimum wage for working families, building innovative private-public partnerships to invest in our roads and bridges, making the tax code fairer, and fixing our broken immigration system aren’t partisan initiatives. They’re commonsense goals that we should all be ready to rally behind to strengthen America’s middle class families.”

Ks-2 Representative Lynn Jenkins is part of the House GOP Leadership. She was on the official escort committee that brought the President into the House Chamber.
“I know that consensus building is hard, but just because it is difficult does not mean the President is entitled to work around us instead of with us to lower health care costs, improve education, and help Americans take home more of their paychecks.
“In order to rebuild our American dream, Washington must rise above the dysfunction, put divisive rhetoric aside, and come together to do the right thing for our country. President Obama can spend the final years of his presidency with a “pen and a phone” or he can work with our duly-elected House Republican majority to create opportunity for all families, to foster upward mobility, and to deliver higher take-home pay to the American people.”

Missouri Congressman Sam Graves is the Chairman of the House Small Business Committee.
“The president spoke about income inequality tonight, but failed to mention his own role in making that gap wider. Five years into his presidency, the labor force participation rate is at its lowest point since the late 1970s. There are four million Americans who have been unemployed for at least six months, and another eight million Americans who are working part-time because they still cannot find a full-time job. Two of every five Americans say they are worse off financially than they were a year ago, according to a recent Gallup poll. The president’s policies have not helped. Yet year after year he proposes more big-government solutions that have never worked and will never work.”

Kansas City Democrat Emanuel Cleaver:
“This country was founded on the notion that if you work hard and play by the rules, you should have the opportunity to succeed,” Cleaver said. “It’s past time to make that happen. It is absurd for Members of Congress to dig into political positions and refuse to work in a bipartisan manner. It’s time to stop digging — and start building.”

Ks-3 Congressman Kevin Yoder represents Johnson and Wyandotte counties:
“Many of the President’s ideas require bigger government requiring more spending, higher taxes, and more burdensome mandates and regulations.
A growing government means shrinking opportunities.”

West Missouri Representative Vicky Hartzler:
Hartzler:
“The President stated early in his speech that he believes the American people are united by the belief in opportunity for all – regardless of race or religion or party, young or old, rich or poor – and the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you get ahead. But if he really believes this, why doesn’t he get government out of the way to allow American individualism and ingenuity to flourish.”
Missouri Senator Roy Blint delivered the Republican weekend speech last Saturday. He says Senate Democrats are a big part of the problem.
He has a news conference with Missouri reporters on Wednesday.

Hueslskamp Questions Jenkin’ Vote on NBAF Money December 17, 2013

(AP) – Congressman Tim Huelskamp is challenging a statement by a fellow Kansan in the U.S. House that funding for a new bioscience lab is secure under a new budget agreement.

The Topeka Capital Journal reports Huelskamp is questioning comments last week by fellow Republican Lynn Jenkins about why she voted for the bipartisan measure.

Huelskamp says the bill does nothing to secure money for construction of the $1.25 billion National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan. Huelskamp voted against the budget deal.

Jenkins issued a statement when the bill passed the House suggesting the money was moving forward in the process. A Jenkins spokeswoman told The Capital-Journal the statement was meant to convey that any funding for NBAF would be at stake if the budget deal stalled.

Obama’s Speech Does Little To Sway KC Area Members of Congress September 11, 2013

President Barack Obama’s Tuesday night speech on US involvement in Syria did not move many Member of Congress from Kansas and Missouri.
Missouri Democrat Claire McCaskill, who is an ally of President Obama, says the President made “an important case” for why Syria is a threat to the U-S. McCaskill, however, has doubts.
“But, I also continue to weigh the possible consequences of military action. Over the coming days, I will continue to engage with my colleagues, evaluate classified information, and monitor a situation which continues to evolve on a daily basis,” said McCaskill in a Tuesday night statement after the speech.
Ks-3 Congressman Kevin Yoder told KMBC TV Wednesday morning he remains opposed to a U-S strike.
East Kansas Republican Lynn Jenkins took note of the string of developments Tuesday involving a potential Russian element to settle the crisis.
“However, while I am open to evolving diplomatic solutions, I remain unconvinced injecting our military into the middle of a violent civil war is in America’s best interest,” Jenkins said.
Kansas Senator Pat Roberts issued a statement after the President came to CapitolHill to seek seek support.
Roberts says during the August recess, “not as ingle Kansan” told him they supported a Syrian strike by the U-S. Roberts is very skeptical of the possibility of a diplomatic settlement.
““There is nothing I trust about the UN, Russia, or the Assad regime. By offering this diplomatic path, we are simply providing a delayed mechanism for the president to pursue his goal of a military strike when the regime does not comply. At that time, I believe Kansans, and all Americans, will feel the same as they do today– opposed to military strikes in Syria,” Roberts said in remarks before the speech.
Wichita Congressman Mike Pompeo is also doubtful.
““I am pleased that calls for a more robust strike against Syria have met with the possible outcome of the remove of chemical weapons from Assad. I hope this works, but I am always skeptical when Vladimir Putin is making an offer to help. Regardless, I remain convinced that the only way to assure Americans’ safety is by implementing a strategic and integrated plan that does more than simply ‘shoot across the bow,” Pompeo said