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Demanding Covid-19 Documents This week, I continued my fight to uncover the origins of the Covid-19 virus with the introduction of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Covid-19 Origin Transparency Act of 2023. This bill would require the HHS to publicly release all records related to the origin of Covid-19 to the public. Every American deserves to know the truth about the origins of Covid-19, China's involvement, and the ongoing cover-up. Yet, here we are after YEARS of asking for the Biden Administration to provide this much-needed transparency and they continue to stonewall our investigations and find 'work arounds' to dodge our requests. It's past time for answers - this is a matter of national security and Americans deserve to know the truth. Fighting To Save Main Street Visa and Mastercard recently announced their plans to increase credit card swipe fees on merchants and consumers again this fall, a move that would cost American businesses and merchants an additional $502 annually. Enough is enough. Across Kansas, everyone is feeling the impacts of inflation. Families' budgets are being stretched to the absolute limit with little room for error. I'm not going to stand for these massive, wealthy corporations price-gouging small businesses at every turn. These fees are an inflation multiplier hidden in every purchase you make at the grocery store, on school supplies, on gas and so much more- costing Kansans over $1,000 a year. This week I led a bipartisan letter to Visa and Mastercard demanding they reverse their plans to increase their credit card swipe fees. In June, I introduced the bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act. This legislation would put competition into the credit card market industry and end the Visa and Mastercard duopoly that is crushing small businesses and consumers. You may click HERE to read our full letter to Visa and Mastercard. I spoke on the Senate floor this week about our letter to Visa and Mastercard. You may click HERE or on the image below to watch my full remarks. 
Supporting the Secure the Border Act 2023 President Biden's dereliction of duty and failure to secure our southern border has put every American in danger. Since day one, Joe Biden has allowed the cartels to have operational control of our nation's border, exploiting every weakness and pushing illicit fentanyl into our communities - killing over 300 Americans a day. This is an invasion, and the president has no plan to address it. That's why I'm proud to co-sponsor Senator Cruz's (R-TX) introduction of the Secure the Border Act of 2023 that would resume construction on the wall, tighten asylum standards, criminalize visa overstays, increase the number of Border Patrol agents, and more. Without secure borders, we cannot ensure our country's safety. You may click HERE to read the full text of the Secure the Border Act. Roundtable Discussion on Veterans Homelessness in Wichita I visited with community leaders to discuss homeless veterans in Wichita. Listening to these folks helps me understand how I can best assist in providing resources to our veterans who sacrificed so much to serve our country to ensure they are properly housed. These community leaders have created great partnerships to combat this issue in Wichita, and I commend them for their service to their community. Thank you for having me, and I look forward to working with you in the future. 
Kansas Conservation Series: Lesser Prairie Chicken Landowner Alliance and Stacy Hoeme Decades ago, Lesser Prairie-Chickens (LPC) dotted the southern plains with their bright orange features and unique call. Now, the chickens are much more sparse, and private landowners are leading the charge toward the recovery and rehabilitation of LPC habitats. Due to their population decline in Kansas, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has listed the species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). While ESA designations can prove burdensome to farmers and ranchers, Kansans are collaborating with other federal agencies to utilize agriculture production as part of wildlife rehabilitation rather than inhibiting it.
Stacy Hoeme, who ranches north of Scott City, is one Kansas landowner leading such efforts toward the recovery of lesser prairie chickens. As a Lesser Prairie Chicken Landowner Alliance leader, Stacy and his colleagues use "science, policy, and partnership."
Stacy got involved in the LPCLA through the discovery of prairie chickens on his ranch over a decade ago. After a meeting with a biologist out of Colorado, almost 40 birds were discovered on Stacy's ranch. This discovery saved the LPC from a potential ESA listing, and since then, Stacy has collaborated with the Comanche National Grasslands as well as area farmers and ranchers to repopulate historic LPC habitats. His ranch now serves as a destination for Lesser Prairie Chicken Enthusiasts, and folks from nearly 40 states and 11 countries have visited his farm.
The mission of Stacy and the LPCLA is to "save our prairie chickens and our ranches". Their efforts are an excellent example of using collaboration rather than regulation to help our grasslands- and, in turn, our wildlife- survive and thrive for years to come. | 
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