[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 13 (Wednesday, January 22, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      DELIVERING AMERICA'S MANDATE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Mann) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, with the inauguration of Donald J. Trump, it 
is a new day in America. On November 5, 2024, 77 million Kansans and 
Americans gave Washington, D.C., a mandate to restore commonsense 
solutions to the Nation's Capital and to get our country back on track. 
We heard America loud and clear and look forward to delivering on that 
mandate.
  Our constitutional rights are not up for grabs. Sadly, our rights are 
under relentless attack from the ever-growing Federal Government. The 
right to life, to bear arms, and even the freedom of speech have become 
top targets for radical activists. Americans are not interested in 
sacrificing our freedoms, and I will never stop fighting to uphold and 
defend these rights.
  With President Trump back in the White House and Republican 
majorities in the House and Senate, Americans' rights are safe and 
protected. I will bring more Kansas values and commonsense solutions to 
our Nation's Capital.
  Gone are the days of the Biden administration's burdensome 
regulations that handcuffed Kansans across the Big First District. From 
their Green New Deal regulatory agenda to their refusal to work with 
congressional Republicans to pass commonsense legislation, it seemed 
that Washington Democrats were more interested in scoring political 
points than actually helping Americans.
  The Biden administration's failed policies ushered 16 million illegal 
immigrants into the country with no proper vetting or background 
checks. They spent billions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars trying to 
implement an electric vehicle mandate that the majority of Americans 
are not interested in. They oversaw the catastrophic withdrawal from 
Afghanistan with no remorse for its failures.
  There is a reason that President Trump and a Republican Congress are 
trusted more on issues like border security, the economy, and lowering 
crime. I will work day in and day out to advance President Trump's 
agenda and commonsense solutions which reflect our Kansas values in the 
Nation's Capital, not an out-of-touch agenda that picks winners and 
losers.
  I hear and agree with Kansans when they say Congress needs to get our 
fiscal House in order and make this government efficient again. Today, 
our national debt exceeds $36 trillion. It doesn't take a rocket 
scientist to realize that our current rate of Federal spending is 
unsustainable.
  If the entire country decided to pitch in and tackle our debt today, 
every American household would need to contribute almost $273,000 to 
bring our balance to zero. Compare that price tag with the average 
mortgage in the United States, which is about $245,000. This level of 
spending is not normal. We must get serious about reducing Federal 
spending and putting taxpayer dollars in places where we can see a 
return.
  As a Member of the Congressional Delivering Outstanding Government 
Efficiency Caucus, or DOGE, I will work with President Trump to 
eliminate wasteful spending and roll back burdensome, overreaching 
regulations that have made life harder for everyday Americans. The 
Federal Government should make life easier for Americans or get out of 
the way, period.
  Lastly, Mr. Speaker, we need to restore the American Dream. As a 
fifth-generation Kansan, I take the American Dream seriously. For five 
generations, my family has farmed, fed cattle, and been involved in our 
western Kansas community.
  Today, the American Dream feels more out of reach than it ever has. 
By making the Trump tax cuts permanent, though, Congress has an 
opportunity to usher in a new era of economic prosperity and growth for 
the country.
  If Congress fails to extend those tax cuts, Kansans could see a tax 
hike of $2,000 next January. That is the last thing we need after 
navigating 4 years of record levels of inflation.
  Congress must return to helping Americans thrive and stop playing 
political games with their livelihoods. Our government of, by, and for 
the people has a duty to help Americans succeed, not make life harder.
  The agriculture community alone faces so much uncertainty as it works 
to feed, fuel, and clothe the world. They, too, had a mandate and told 
us to stop holding them hostage to political games and deliver a 5-year 
farm bill that provides certainty.
  I will work with anyone to pass a fiscally conservative 5-year farm 
bill that gives our farmers, ranchers, and agriculture producers the 
certainty they deserve.
  I look forward to working with President Trump to delivering on this 
mandate in the 119th Congress. I do not serve in Congress to be a 
caretaker in the slow demise of America. I serve to fight to make it a 
country that we can all be proud of, while ensuring that our brightest 
days are yet to come.

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