Reforming the Congressional Budget Office | Kansas Non-profit Offers Example for TANF Reform

.Dear Friend,

Given our $35 trillion national debt, we need to do everything we can to change course on this growing crisis. In just the last three and a half years alone, the Biden-Harris administration has issued more than 130 executive actions that have cost taxpayers more than $2 trillion – not to mention additional judicial and administration actions in that time – demonstrating just how costly non-legislative actions can be.

That’s why I introduced the Executive Action Cost Transparency Act. This bill would mandate that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) provide a comprehensive and centralized list of final administrative actions in order to increase transparency and streamline information flow, providing lawmakers and the public with needed information on spending. Improving the information that CBO provides to Congress and the public is one crucial step that will help ensure we know the true cost of D.C. spending and can begin to change course.

The House Budget Committee passed my bill out of committee last week, and I look forward to its consideration on the House floor. You can watch my full remarks during the bill’s markup below.

Sincerely,

Member of Congress

View online at https://estes.house.gov/news/email/.

.4th District students applying to college have until Oct. 1 to submit an application for a congressional nomination to one of the four U.S. service academies including the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy does not require a congressional nomination for appointment. Attending a U.S. service academy is a great honor and once in lifetime opportunity. Students receive a high-quality education and after graduation, commit to serve our nation for a designated time.

Each year I’m impressed with the caliber of students I interview during the nomination process. And, it is always gratifying to see what these students accomplish. Three students I nominated in recent years shared their experiences navigating the application process and offered a glimpse into their life at their respective schools.

You can watch their testimonies below and learn more about the nomination process at estes.house.gov/service.

.This fall, students living or attending school in the 4th District are again invited to participate in the annual Congressional App Challenge. A chance to showcase creativity and technical skill, the winner’s app will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol and featured on house.gov. Students can submit an original app they made in the last calendar year either on their own or in a team of no more than four. The deadline to submit an app is Oct. 24. Learn more and participate at estes.house.gov/app.

Headline: Kansas Non-profit Offers Example for TANF Reform

.During a Ways and Means hearing this week on ways to improve and reform the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, I highlighted a TANF funded program that has been a great success and a responsible steward of critical taxpayer dollars. Kansas’ JAG-K, Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas, serves approximately 6,200 students in 48 school districts across the state, equipping students in grades 6-12 with the tools they need to successfully transition into post-secondary school, the military, or directly into the workforce with marketable skills. JAG-K has exceeded national standards in the top measured success categories since the class of 2014.

JAG-K goes to great lengths to ensure its TANF funds are used responsibly. Some of their processes to ensure integrity include submitting an annual budget, itemizing and documenting expenses, and an annual audit. In addition to this financial reporting, they submit monthly programming status reports and quarterly progress reports toward performance measures. As I said in my remarks, guardrails like this would go a long way toward ensuring TANF funds are used for well-functioning and successful programs, like JAG-K, that serve people in need across the country. You can watch my full remarks below.

.Did you know that Garfield, Kansas, was named after General James A. Garfield who later became President of the United States? Located in Pawnee County, Camp Criley as a supply station for workers on the Santa Fe Railroad in 1872, and in 1873 when the city received a post office, local residents originally from Ohio named it Garfield after the Congressman from their Ohio hometown district, James A. Garfield. In gratitude for the honor of naming the city after him, Garfield gave a bell to the first church established in the town. Garfield would become president of the United States less than a decade later. Today, the bell can be seen in Downey Park at the Garfield Memorial Wayside Chapel.