Message from Rep. Tracey Mann. Having Trouble Viewing? Click Here.

Fellow Kansan,

Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter! I’m excited to update you on my work in Washington, D.C. and the First District of Kansas.

It is an honor to represent Kansans in the Big First District in the 118th Congress. I do not serve in Congress to be a caretaker in the slow demise of America – I serve to fight and work to make it stronger, and I believe our brightest days are yet to come.

Yours in service,

Mann.House.Gov

The Week Ahead

I’m back on Capitol Hill this week, where the U.S. House of Representatives will consider several pieces of legislation aimed at fighting the fentanyl crisis, supporting our veterans, blocking President Biden’s mass debt cancellation of student loans, and pushing back on big government overreach.

I will also attend a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee markup with 18 bills, and a House Small Business Committee hearing regarding veteran small business owners. In the office this week, I will host the North American Millers Association and Ardent Mills.

On the House Floor

Backing the Blue

It was an honor to join my Republican colleagues in passing legislation last week that supports the tireless efforts of the brave Americans who put their lives on the line every day to protect us all. My colleagues and I are sending a clear message: we support law enforcement; we oppose any efforts to defund them; and we believe that they should be equipped with resources to do their jobs well.

During National Police Week, Congress passed the following legislation:

H. Res. 363 – A resolution memorializing law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty
H.R. 3089 – NDO Fairness Act, preventing the misuse of court-mandated non-disclosure orders
H.R. 2494 – POLICE Act of 2023, adding assaulting a police officer to the list of deportable offenses for illegal immigrants
H.R. 3091 – Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act, allowing federal law enforcement officers to purchase a retired handgun from the agency that issued the handgun to the officer.
H. Con. Res. 40 – Expressing support for local law enforcement officers and condemning efforts to defund or dismantle local law enforcement agencies.

Watch My Full Remarks on the House Floor Honoring Our

Law Enforcement Officers Below.

Committee Updates

Livestock Producers Testify Before Congress

As Congress works to craft livestock policy and reauthorize the Farm Bill, it is vital that we hear from those directly involved in the day-to-day business of feeding the world. That’s why, when I chaired last week's House Agriculture Committee Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry hearing, I invited producers and stakeholders to share their perspectives.

Farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers are all in this together. From commodity growers to livestock producers—everyone represents a piece of the American agriculture picture. We must remember that, for example, our commodity producers greatly benefit from a strong livestock sector as livestock consumes grain. The livestock sector benefits from the biofuels industry as that industry relies on them as an important feed source. Agriculture is extremely interconnected.

Click Here to Read My Full Statement.

Watch My Full Opening Remarks Below.

Legislative Update

Securing American Energy Independence

Washington shouldn’t get to pick the winners and losers in the energy market. To secure American energy independence, we must embrace an “all of the above” energy strategy that embraces both fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. Corn is currently prohibited from qualifying as an advanced biofuel, even if it can meet the required scientific thresholds. No other feedstock is limited – only corn starch used for ethanol. The Fuels Parity Act, which I cosponsor, would allow ethanol from corn starch to qualify as an advanced biofuel. Kansas Corn Growers Association and Kansas ethanol producers are working tirelessly to ensure that Americans have access to clean, affordable, efficient energy, and this legislation, which supports their efforts, is a step in the right direction towards a comprehensive American energy strategy.

Remembering Mahsa Amini, Sanctioning Iran

On September 16, 2022, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was beaten to death in Iran for not wearing a hijab. This legislation, named in her honor, would require the President of the United States to impose sanctions over property and visas on certain individuals affiliated with Iran, including Iran’s Supreme Leader, the officials of the Supreme Leader’s Office, the Supreme Leader’s appointees, Iran’s president, and others. The legislation would also impose visa bans on corrupt Iranian elites and their immediate family members, ultimately holding the most malicious elements of Iran’s regime accountable for human rights abuses and terrorism while avoiding collateral damage to other Iranians.

America is the leader of the free world, and this legislation, which I am proud to support, provides a logical response to Iranian human rights abuses.

Mann.House.Gov

Kansans in the Office

Kansas Main Street

Thank you to Scott Sewell and Kelly Hurmrichouser with Kansas Main Street for meeting with me last week. We discussed issues impacting downtowns and neighborhoods including small business support, community preservation, and civic infrastructure. Small businesses add brick and mortar to the values that make our country unique, and they help drive the American economy and define the American dream. It is an honor to represent the small businesses in the Big First District on the House Small Business Committee, and I appreciate the work Kansas Main Street is doing to keep our main streets strong and prosperous.

United Egg Producers

I am grateful for United Egg Producers, who visited me in my office last week to discuss legislative and regulatory issues that are affecting American egg producers. We also discussed the impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza on American egg producers. Earlier this month, I chaired a House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry hearing on animal health issues like the influenza. Animal health issues don’t always get the attention they deserve, but as we have seen with past animal disease outbreaks, their enormous economic consequences extend well beyond the animal industry.

The new Farm Bill must continue to address these risks to animal health while helping U.S. animal agriculture stay competitive in the global marketplace and providing consumers around the world with safe, wholesome, affordable food produced in a sustainable manner.

Independent Community Bankers of America

Small community banks are part of the fabric of rural America, and the Independent Community Bankers Association (ICBA) represents approximately 5,000 small and mid-sized financial institutions in America. I enjoyed meeting with ICBA last week and hearing about their advocacy on behalf of their members.

Mann.House.Gov

In the District

Schwan's Pizza Plant Ribbon Cutting

Schwan’s understands that creating jobs, growing the local economy, and feeding people is the perfect combination for community success. Last Friday, it was an honor for me to help cut the ribbon on their new, expanded facility in Salina.

This updated, state-of-the-art facility will create 225 new jobs and serve as an economic driver for the Salina area, where we will see a massive return on this investment. The additions to this plant will boost the local economy and support adjacent small businesses. When a community has jobs and thriving local businesses, people choose to raise their families in places like Kansas - the pilot light of America.

At the end of the day, the Schwan’s plant in Salina isn’t just about delicious pizza, it’s about revenue for every business in this city, keeping the community connected, and increasing the quality of life for people in this area.

Thank you, Dimitrios Smyrnios, Schwan’s CEO, for hosting me and the Salina Chamber of Commerce for its continued support in the area. I so appreciate your continued investment in Kansas.

This Week: National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility

Ribbon Cutting

On Wednesday, May 24, the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan will hold their ribbon-cutting ceremony. It has been eight years since the groundbreaking in 2015, and now, this state-of-the-art, 700,000 square foot facility will be a national asset that will help protect our nation’s agriculture against the threat and potential impact of serious animal diseases. NBAF was designed to strengthen the nation’s ability to conduct research, develop vaccines, diagnose emerging diseases, and train veterinarians.

I am proud to have this facility in my district and right down the street from K-State's School of Veterinary Medicine and the Biosecurity Research Institute – creating a scientific hub that will lead the world in agricultural research and health.

2023 Kansas Wheat Tour

The Wheat Quality Council completed their 2023 Hard Winter Wheat Tour across Kansas on May 18. During the three days of wheat scouting, tour participants traveled six routes from Manhattan to Colby to Wichita and back to Manhattan. 106 people from 22 U.S. states plus Mexico, Canada and Colombia scouted wheat progress across the state.

While an estimated 8.1 million acres of wheat were planted in the fall, the Kansas wheat crop has suffered from a multi-year drought, which has robbed the state’s yield potential and resulted in many abandoned fields. The official tour projection for total production of wheat to be harvested in Kansas is 178 million bushels, indicating that tour participants thought abandonment might be quite a bit higher than normal at 26.75%. Yields in areas between Wichita and Manhattan were better than what participants had seen earlier on the tour, however, with quality improving as they moved north, averaging 44.1 bushels per acre. Kansas wheat farmers are still 3-6 weeks from harvest, and a lot can happen during that time to affect final yields and production.

The tour is sponsored by the Wheat Quality Council, which is a coordinated effort by breeders, producers, and processors to improve wheat and flour quality. The tour aims to make connections within the wheat industry, allow participants to meet wheat farmers and see the growing crop, and to highlight the tireless efforts of Kansas wheat farmers. Thank you to the Wheat Quality Council and Kansas Wheat for your advocacy and hard work.

Military Academy Nomination Applications Now Open

Applications for the 2023 Military Academy Nominations through my office are now open. One of the greatest honors as the member of Congress for the Big First District is recommending bright, young Kansas leaders who want to serve their country and attend one of the U.S. Military Academies. If you, or a student you know, is interested in applying for a Congressional military nomination from my office, please visit my website for further information.

The deadline to submit all required application materials is September 30, 2023.

Click Here to Learn More and to Apply.

Questions? Contact my Manhattan office at (785) 370-7277