Happy Independence Day | Combating our National Debt

.Dear Friend,

This week, Americans across the country paused to commemorate and celebrate Independence Day. We mark this holiday with fireworks and BBQs, but the meaning goes much deeper. Two hundred and forty-eight years ago, the signers of the Declaration of Independence risked everything for what they believed in – self-governance, freedom, and our God-given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

We are reminded of these principles when we see the waving of red, white and blue flags like we did earlier this week. As I recently wrote in an op-ed for the Derby Informer, when we say the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag, it should renew our commitment to this great nation – more than just a group of memorized words.

As I note in my Independence Day greeting below, the values instilled in this country were tested in the Civil War. Led by President Abraham Lincoln, however, the American people rose to the occasion to protect and preserve our founding values.

Today, we must play a part in securing these values for the next generation. I hope that while you’re celebrating this great anniversary, you take time to give thanks for the principles our nation was built on and consider how you can answer the call to take up the banner of freedom.

Sincerely,

Member of Congress

.Our national debt is now more than $34.8 trillion. This has devastating consequences for future generations and is already negatively affecting taxpayers and our economy. In order to change our dangerous trajectory, we need more taxpayers to be knowledgeable about how this crisis is affecting them.

As I detailed in a recent op-ed in The Daily Signal, House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and I introduced legislation informing taxpayers of their share of the national debt, which is now more than $200,000 per taxpayer. The Debt Per Taxpayer Information Act would show the true cost to our country by requiring the IRS to display the total federal government revenue, outlays, and deficit; the total gross federal debt; and an estimate of the debt for taxpayers on their annual W-2 tax forms.

It's a hopeful sign that this legislation passed out of the House Budget Committee by an overwhelmingly bipartisan majority.

This week, I joined Newsmax to discuss our debt and this bill. You can watch the interview below.

.Calling all programmers and coders – the annual Congressional App Challenge is happening now! Middle and high school students in the 4th District are invited to showcase their creativity and technical skills by submitting an app they created in any programming language and on any platform. Students can work on their own or on a team of up to four people, and they have until Oct. 24 to submit their app. For more details, visit my website at estes.house.gov/app.

.Did you know that Kingman County was named after Samuel Kingman, a chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court? Kingman served as Chief Justice from 1867 to 1876. Before his time on the bench, he was a delegate to the 1859 Wyandotte Constitutional Convention, which declared that Kansas would become a state free from slavery. Kingman also served as President of the Kansas State Bar Association and Kansas State Historical Society.