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.

Please feel free to share this email with family and friends who may be interested. As always, if you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please contact my office - my staff and I are here and ready to assist you.

Yours in service,

Mann.House.Gov

This Week in Washington, D.C.

Voting on Last-Minute Spending Bill

This week, Members of the House of Representatives were called back to Washington, D.C. to vote on a $1.7 trillion spending package under the threat of the government shutting down. This is not the way that a Democracy is supposed to function. In fact, this is the first time in modern American history that one party has jammed an omnibus bill through Congress during the lame-duck session after losing control of the House. It’s plain and simple – this is bad legislation passed in a dishonest, untimely way.

While Washington Democrats had control of the House, it was their responsibility to pass normal spending bills. They never got their act together, so now we are stuck with this omnibus – a 4,155-page spending bill put together behind closed doors and with no input or oversight from House Republicans. Now, Americans are sure to face even higher rates of inflation because of this legislation and out-of-control spending.

If you want to know why Americans chose to give control of the House back to Republicans in the 118^th Congress, look no further than this spending bill and the process by which it’s being passed. 

Biden Administration WOTUS Rule Expected Soon

Thanks to more regulatory overreach by the federal government, our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers have been forced to operate their businesses under five different definitions of “water” in the past ten years alone. Soon, they will have to operate under a sixth, as the Biden Administration is expected to release their final "Waters of the U.S." rule later this week. The new version of this rule will likely remove longstanding bipartisan exemptions for common water features found on farms and ranches. Meanwhile, the regulatory authority of the Environmental Protection Agency is presently in question while the U.S. Supreme Court hears the case of Sackett v. EPA. Depending on how the Supreme Court rules in this case, producers might get a 7^th definition of “water” in 2023.

The Biden Administration has created regulatory chaos for our nation’s producers who work hard to keep us all fed, fueled, and clothed.

Farmers are the original conservationists, and they deserve the gratitude and support of the federal government – not red tape and burdensome overregulation. They certainly don’t need Washington Democrats telling them how to manage their own resources. 

Mann.House.Gov

In the Office

Rep. Mann Co-introduces Bicameral Measure to Prevent Lesser Prairie-Chicken Listing

I refuse to sit idly by while the United States Fish and Wildlife Service imposes burdensome regulations on producers with no input from Congress. As we near the end of the 117^th Congress, I am using every tool at my disposal to fight tooth and nail against the designation of the lesser prairie-chicken as a threatened species in places like Kansas. That’s where Congressional Review Acts come in. This resolution, which has a companion in the Senate, calls for an absolute refusal of this rule, which should have no force or effect until Congress is consulted. We have had a single-party rule in Washington since 2020, but the American people have spoken - they want real leadership. I will continue to fight this absurd rule (which also happens to be a proxy war on American energy producers) even if it means reintroducing this exact same legislation in the 118^th Congress. For now, this Congressional Review Act is the best tool we have to fight this government overreach until the last day of this Congress.

At a time when inflation is at a 40-year high and families are struggling to fuel their cars while keeping food on their tables, we should be working to eliminate barriers for the agriculture and energy sectors, not hamstring hardworking Americans with government overreach.

This rule threatens the livelihoods of the men and women who feed, fuel, and clothe us all, which is why Congress must refuse to accept it.

Read a few of the letters that I have sent with my colleagues opposing federal overreach in other mandatory conservation efforts:

• Letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Letter to the U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland

See additional legislation that I have supported that opposes the endangered species listing of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken:

• H.R. 4370, the Listing Reform Act

ICYMI: Voting Against Sixth Short-Term Continuing Resolution

Members of the House are on their way back to Washington, D.C. this week because Washington Democrats have once again failed to fulfill their obligation of passing an annual budget for our government. Last week's vote on a sixth short-term continuing resolution in two years is no way to fund a government. Rather than passing an annual budget that provides certainty, Washington Democrats chose to pass a week-long extension to buy more time for them to gift Americans another multi-trillion dollar spending package right before the holidays.

With record-high inflation and a national debt approaching $32 trillion, Congress should have an open and constructive debate on our nation’s finances. This is a perfect example of why voters handed leadership of the House back to Republicans.

Mann.House.Gov

Happening Across the Country

Wishing a joyous festival of light to those celebrating Hanukkah! May the celebration of light and hope spread across your home and heart.

An inspiring two million wreaths were laid on headstones at military cemeteries across the country on Saturday. Thank you to the 19,000 volunteers who took the time to honor our fallen heroes and their families. My prayers are with the military families, deployed servicemembers, and veterans in Kansas and across the country during this holiday season. God bless our nation's heroes.

Washington D.C. Office

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