[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 11, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H162-H163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      COMMITMENT TO THE BIG FIRST

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Mann) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, in my first remarks before the 118th Congress, 
I rise today to share with you what I learned from my first term 
representing the Big First District of Kansas and how I will respond 
over the next 2 years.

[[Page H163]]

  I grew up on the farm south of Quinter, Kansas, that has been in my 
family for five generations. The house my parents live in and the house 
I grew up in is the same house my great-great-grandfather ordered from 
a Montgomery Ward catalog in the early 1900s. Growing up there meant 
that I spent thousands of hours on a tractor working in fields and on 
horseback doctoring cattle in our family feed yard.
  I think of the Big First as the pilot light of America because the 
values that make America great are still alive and well there. People 
in the Big First are good people who carry a pioneering spirit with 
them, the same way those who settled my State did over 160 years ago. 
We know one another, look out for one another, and sacrifice for one 
another. We are farmers and ranchers, feedlot managers, businessowners, 
lenders, bankers, teachers, doctors, nurses, and parents.
  Over the last 2 years, I did a lot of listening. I held listening 
sessions each month. I received tens of thousands of calls, emails, and 
letters from Kansans. I hosted leaders and other Members of Congress in 
the district to listen with them. I hosted townhalls 126 times over the 
last 2 years, and I am gearing up to start my 2023 townhall tour again 
next week.
  As I travel across the district, I hear concerns about inflation, the 
border crisis, Big Government, sweeping executive orders, out-of-
control government spending, sky-high taxes, and the infringement on 
basic rights like the Second Amendment and the right to life.
  I have long said, if it matters to a Kansan, it matters to me. In 
response to what I heard over the last 2 years and to what I have seen 
while serving in Congress, I developed my ``Commitment to the Big 
First.'' It is a roadmap for the 118th Congress that gets America back 
on track, advocates for agriculture, and advances our Kansas 
conservative values.
  My ``Commitment to the Big First'' details plans for an economy that 
is strong, a nation that is safe, a future that is built on freedom, 
and a government that is accountable. It is a plan for a balanced 
budget and a strengthened supply chain, for lower taxes and a secure 
southern border, for a robust police and military, for a comprehensive 
reauthorization of the farm bill and strengthened crop insurance, for a 
maintained stepped-up basis tax provision and global food security 
legislation that stops wars before they start.
  Senator Bob Dole once told me about the Kansas approach: honesty; 
hard work; respect for your roots; service; simplicity; genuine, 
thoughtful care for people; and common sense. My ``Commitment to the 
Big First'' is a plan for commonsense solutions to the complex problems 
that America faces today.
  I wasted no time implementing this commitment. On Monday, I 
reintroduced the More Accountability is Necessary Now Acts, or the MANN 
Acts. The MANN Acts are six pieces of legislation that will hold the 
Biden administration accountable, demand transparency from Washington, 
fight unconstitutional executive orders, and push back against Federal 
Government overreach.
  The MANN Acts require the executive branch to notify the American 
public and Congress of its intent to issue any new executive orders 
pertaining to agriculture, energy, the environment, pro-life 
provisions, the Second Amendment, and immigration.
  Single-party rule here in Washington, D.C., is over. The American 
people gave Republicans control of the House for a reason. They are 
tired of seeing their tax dollars wasted, their rights violated, and 
the laws of our land dictated by executive orders from the White House.
  The MANN Acts and my ``Commitment to the Big First'' are just the 
first steps toward executing on a plan that America has demanded of us.
  When we get into the middle of issues, roll up our sleeves, get to 
work, listen to those around us, and do the heavy lifting, we gain 
perspective and better results. That is what I learned in the Big 
First.
  I refuse to be stapled to my desk in Washington, D.C. I will continue 
to spend time thinking, praying, and reflecting on how best to serve 
the people in my district.
  I did not come to Congress to be a caretaker of the slow demise of 
America. I am here to fight and to work to make America stronger. I 
really believe that our brightest days are yet to come.

                          ____________________