Farm Bill Passage and Protecting Life in Title X -
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. Here’s what happened in May.
Farm Bill Passage and Working Families Tax Cuts Act Victories In the 4th District and across Kansas, the Working Families Tax Cuts – championed by President Trump and Republicans in Congress – represent a historic investment in our farmers and ranchers that hasn’t been seen in at least a generation.
As an old farm kid myself who grew up on our family’s century farm in northeast Kansas, I understand the challenges our ag producers face each day, but Republicans in Congress are working to provide lasting solutions for these issues. Just like the weather here changes from day to day, so can the trade and economic climate, but I’ve championed long-term investments and policies that will be felt for generations in our rural communities.
By increasing reference prices by 10% to 20% and adding 30 million new base acres, we are providing a robust safety net that finally accounts for the rising costs of production. This legislation also makes crop insurance more affordable and modernizes livestock and dairy programs to ensure our producers are protected when disaster strikes.
We are also securing the future of the family farm by making the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts permanent. This vital step prevents the “Death Tax” from forcing families to sell their land and secures a permanent 20% Small Business Deduction for the vast majority of our farms. With doubled expensing limits and lower taxes on agricultural loans, we are making it easier for the next generation to carry on Kansas’ strong agricultural tradition.
Finally, the Working Families Tax Cuts puts rural America first by doubling our investment in trade programs and ag research to support export growth. Newly created Qualified Rural Opportunity Funds will support a massive wave of private investment in the American heartland, steering capital toward agriculture and water infrastructure, and incentivize on-shoring of manufacturing. We have instituted new protections for securing our domestic biofuels fuel markets from foreign adversaries to ensure Kansas producers remain competitive on the global stage.
The House passed further legislation to assist our farmers and ranchers in Kansas – the Farm, Food, and National Security Act – better known as simply the Farm Bill. This was a major win for Kansas ag producers, and the legislation now heads to the Senate. We made one final adjustment to this legislation by allowing year-round E15. This is a major win for Kansas farmers, ethanol producers, and American energy independence. Expanding access to E15 gives consumers more choices at the pump, helps lower fuel costs, and strengthens rural economies across Kansas and the nation.
After years of neglect, this administration is delivering the respect and resources our rural communities deserve and helping ensure a prosperous future for American agriculture.
Protecting Life In Title X
Federal dollars should protect innocent life, not fund its destruction, which is why I led a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urging him to reissue the Protect Life Rule in Title X. Congress authorized the Title X Family Planning Program in 1970 to provide mothers and families with health services, education and more. Congress then passed the Hyde Amendment to ensure that federal tax dollars would not fund abortions, including in Title X.
However, President Biden’s policies subsidized the abortion industry by mandating abortion referrals and co-located abortion services in Title X. Reissuing the Protect Life Rule, as I asked Secretary Kennedy to do, will ensure that taxpayers do not subsidize abortions in the Family Planning Program. The rule will put an end to the Biden-era policies that encouraged and promoted abortion in this program. I also led a letter on this rule in 2018.
Honoring a Kansas Legend: Connie Palacioz Kansas and the entire nation lost a legendary figure in our history with the passing of Connie Palacioz. At 101 years old, Connie was one of the last original “Rosie the Riveters” who helped transform Wichita into the Arsenal of Democracy during World War II.
As a teenager, she stepped up when her country needed her most, working on the B-29 assembly lines to build the planes that secured our freedom. Her service didn’t end in 1945, however – decades later, she spent more than 16 years volunteering to restore “Doc,” the very B-29 Superfortress she helped build during the war.
I was always moved by Connie’s unwavering devotion to our country, and her grit and “we can do it” attitude represented the very best of the Greatest Generation. While she will be deeply missed in the Newton and Wichita communities, her legacy as a trailblazer in the Air Capital of the World will continue to fly high every time “Doc” takes to the skies. Susan and I join all Kansans in keeping her family and friends in our prayers.
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 to improve systems and operations in the aerospace, energy and manufacturing sectors before representing Kansas’ 4th Congressional District beginning in 2017. He is a fifth-generation Kansan, former state treasurer, and serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means, Budget Committee and Joint Economic Committee. He is the chair of the Social Security Subcommittee and co-chair of the House Aerospace Caucus.
