Each month I want to provide you with regular updates about what’s going on in our nation’s capital and throughout the 4th District of Kansas.
Before I go into what happened in January, I want to address the tragic plane crash that occurred in our nation’s capital, devastating our community and our country. There are no words to adequately express the heartbreak we all feel, and our prayers are with those who lost a loved one. However, I’ve been encouraged to already see our community do what it does best – come together and support those impacted by this tragedy.
Supporting the family and friends of those who perished is our main priority right now. I’m also working to support the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation in order to give answers to grieving individuals and provide recommendations to avoid anything like this ever happening again. As of writing this, there is still much to learn, but I’m already in touch with the various agencies involved in the investigation and will keep Kansans informed as we learn more.
Most importantly, please join me in continued prayer for all those impacted, including the first responders, and in coming together as a community to lift each other up at this difficult time.
Start of the 119th Congress and President Trump’s Inauguration On Jan. 3, I was sworn in to the 119th Congress. I’m humbled to again represent Kansans and serve as your voice in our nation’s capital.
Our Republican majority in the House is now complemented by Republican control of the Senate and the White House. Together, we’ll roll back damaging policies from the past four years and implement America First policies so our nation and citizens can flourish.
Leading up to the inauguration, my colleagues and I reintroduced important bills in order to be ready to take action with President Trump in the White House. Likewise, in the Ways and Means Committee, we’ve continued to build on our efforts from last Congress to make the Trump Tax Cuts permanent so that we avoid a tax hike and can allow you to keep more of your hard-earned money.
Unfortunately, the weather impacted plans for Kansans and many others to attend the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States. The last time a president was inaugurated inside was in 1985 – the second inauguration of President Ronald Reagan. However, the important thing is that we can now work with the new President on an agenda to revitalize our nation.
It’s a new day in America. I’m honored to represent you in our nation’s capital as we work with the President to grow our economy and reduce inflation, secure the border and make America respected again, restore our energy dominance, rein in reckless Washington spending, and support farmers and ranchers.
Combatting Illegal Immigration
The first bill to pass both the House and the Senate in this 119th Congress was the Laken Riley Act. The bill is named for Georgia nursing student Laken Riley who was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant in 2024. The bill received bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, with about 60 Democrats joining every Republican in support of the bill between the two chambers.
The legislation is common sense – if an illegal alien assaults a law enforcement officer, commits a crime that results in death, or commits a burglary offense, their arrest and detainment by ICE will be mandatory. Laken Riley’s murderer had already been arrested in New York City for driving an uninsured and unregistered vehicle and endangering the welfare of a child, and he was also arrested for stealing $200 in goods in Georgia.
This is also why President Trump has signed executive orders to detain and deport dangerous criminals from our country. The Laken Riley Act is important, but the president has the authority to use laws already in place to make our country safer, and more than 1,000 criminals were deported in his first week in office. Unfortunately, fearmongering regarding deportation plans has gripped some in our country, but the facts are clear – risky and harmful criminals are the ones who have been prioritized and removed from the United States. Those who have legally come to the United States have nothing to worry about. Everyone should feel safer that in just one week’s time, more than 1,000 murderers, rapists, terrorists and thieves are no longer in our communities.
We will continue working on further legislation to se- cure our border and our nation. The United States has been and al ways will be a place for immigrants from around the globe to seek freedom and a better life. And there is a legal process for that. But those illegally coming to this country to do harm, like the ones deported during President Trump’s first week in office, will have no place here.
Social Security Subcommittee Chair
Now that the new 119th Congress is in session, Committees are busy getting organized for the work ahead. I am honored to share that I was named Chair of the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee and will continue serving on the Tax Subcommittee.
Social Security is something Kansans care deeply about, and it’s something I’ve committed to preserving and protecting during my time in office.
I’m eager to work on bipartisan solutions to ensure that Social Security is stable and available to current, near and future retirees. We’ll also examine ways to get frontline Social Security Administration employees back in the office so that the agency can become a constituent-focused organization and provide better service to all Kansans and Americans.
Americans deserve efficient and effective customer service from the Social Security Administration, and there are a lot of process issues that we need to address to make that happen. As Chair of the Social Security Subcommittee, I’ll work to improve Social Security Administration customer service so Americans can easily navigate the program to receive their benefits.
Sanctioning the ICC In January, the House passed the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, which imposes sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC). Unfortunately, by the end of the month, Democrats in the Senate have blocked the bill from moving forward, including two who had voted for the bill last year when they were House members.
The ICC embarrassed itself earlier this year when it issued arrest warrants for the Israeli leaders Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant alongside the barbaric Hamas leaders seeking to destroy Israel. This was absolutely absurd and an apparent attempt by the ICC to target Israel, which is not even a member of the ICC.
The bill passed overwhelmingly in the House, with 45 Democrats joining nearly all Republicans in voting in favor of the legislation. America stands with Israel and its right to self-defense.
Boosting the Economy by Extending the Trump Tax Cuts For the past four years, you and I have suffered under historic inflation thanks to the damaging policies of the Biden administration. Kansans need economic relief, and the Trump Tax Cuts are a surefire way to deliver it. That’s why the Ways and Means Committee dedicated our first hearing of the 119th Congress to discussing the need to make the Trump Tax Cuts permanent.
If the provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are allowed to expire, the average taxpayer in Kansas will see a $2,200 tax increase. But, by extending the 2017 tax cuts, we will avoid this tax hike and allow Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money. I’m committed to making sure we have a fair tax code that puts more money in your pocket and spurs the economic growth our country desperately needs.
Connect with Me
Interested in receiving regular updates about what’s going on in Congress? Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter at estes. house.gov and please don’t hesitate to reach out to my District Office in Wichita at 316-262-8992 if you have questions, concerns or need help with a federal agency.
Ron Estes, one of only a handful of engineers in Congress, worked in the aerospace, energy and manufacturing sectors before representing Kansas’ 4th Congressional District since 2017. He is a fifth-generation Kansan, former state treasurer, and serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means and Budget Committee.
