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 August.
Grain Belt Express
As I traveled throughout the 4th District this month, I heard many of you express your concerns about the Department of Energy’s (DOE) proposed designation of the Midwest- Plains National In-terest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC) that would go through Kansas, including two counties in the 4th District – Edwards and Pawnee. Landownership and property rights are fundamental to our constitutional republic, and we’ve seen the federal government abuse its power and infringe on personal property far too often.
Respect for private property rights is essential to our American way of life, and I am firmly committed to protecting it.
Instead, with the NIETC project, the DOE is overstepping and trampling on the rights of Kansans by using the Grain Belt Express route as a starting place for this new designation. Areas designated as NIETCs are subject to federal land grabs that can override state and local jurisdictions, meaning the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission would be empowered to approve the construction or modification of electricity transmission facilities even when a state has previously denied these applications.
The 45-day comment period for this project did not provide enough time for local groups to fully understand the impacts this designation would have on their communities, nor were many Kansans even aware of the comment period. Since the comment period closed, there have been a number of public meetings, community engagement, and stakeholder outreach on this issue.
The current situation is simply unacceptable, and many Kansans are rightfully outraged that their land could be usurped by the federal government. Be assured that I will continue to stand up for the private property rights of Kansans and do all I can to keep you posted on the status of this project and how it would impact 4th District Kansans. Positive Outcome For Quivira
In positive news, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in August that it won’t request water administration for the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in 2025. This issue has been a priority of mine since entering Congress and I’ve met with numerous stakeholders and engaged the Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to come to a resolution. Fish and Wildlife’s announcement is a positive step in the ongoing challenge of preventing the federal government from restricting water usage for rural Kansans and reaffirms the reality that Kansas farmers and ranchers are best suited to preserve and administer our state’s land and resources.
Tax Teams Work to Save Money Throughout August, I’ve been out of our nation’s capital and on the road talking to the Kansans and Americans impacted by the policies we enact in Washington. A key theme has been the impact of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The Ways and Means Committee formed ten Tax Teams to study this impact and ensure that TCJA is extended and improved to lower all Americans’ taxes. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have committed to letting key TCJA provisions expire, which means that here in the 4th District of Kansas, according to the Tax Foundation, taxes would increase by an average of $1,930 per household. Additionally, this would slow job growth and make America less competitive.
The Global Competitiveness Tax Team, on which I serve, held a discussion in Atlanta on the importance of pro-growth tax policies that encourage U.S. job growth and ensure the United States can compete against foreign countries, like China. Right now, our tax code puts us right in the middle of other developed nations – it allows us to be competitive and discourages U.S. companies from seeking to move ownership to another country. Yet the Biden-Harris administration has been negotiating with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to raise taxes on U.S. job creators that would hurt our economy and reduce revenues to the U.S. treasury.
As the chair of the U.S. Innovation Tax Team and the Representative of south central Kansas, I visited CNH in Wichita while the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) traveled through the state on their Manufacturing Express Bus Tour. AEM highlighted the critical role of manufacturing, and I was pleased to talk with the hardworking men and women at CNH about the importance of American manufacturing and how research and development fosters job growth and innovation in our country. Similarly, during my visit to Ardent Mills I learned about their Emerging Nutrition division that uses research and development to work to provide more choice to consumers.
I also spoke with New York Life agents and leadership in Wichita about the upcoming tax code expirations in 2025. I emphasized the importance of extending and improving TCJA, which includes keeping the lower rates that Republicans implemented for families and small businesses, as well as keeping the doubled Child Tax Credit that helps parents keep more of their hard-earned money.
Tax Policy In The Heartland
In mid-August, my colleagues and I on the Ways and Means Committee traveled to the Iowa State Fair for a field hearing to discuss the success of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s (TCJA) pro-growth, pro-worker tax policy. We heard from farmers, manufacturers and parents in the heart of the nation how the 2017 Trump tax cuts made a real difference in their lives and livelihoods.
During my remarks, I shared how, in my role as chair of the U.S. Innovation Tax Team, I’ve heard from small businesses, workers and innovators who have the ingenuity and drive to improve our way of life, but the lack of a tax code that allows immediate expensing, which stifles their ability to create and invent. That’s why we’re working to preserve, protect and improve key provisions of TCJA that can help boost our economy and help hardworking Kansans.
New Threats From Our Open Border
It’s long been clear that the crisis at our southern border is jeopardizing our national security, and we’re continually learning new information that confirms just how alarming the situation is.
Earlier this spring, two men who were in the United States illegally trespassed on a U.S. military installation, Quantico Marine Corps Base. To make matters worse, these men were released from custody after paying their bail. It is shocking that men who shouldn’t have even been in our country were simply allowed to go free.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only time foreign nationals have been caught trespassing on military bases since Biden and Harris took office. Bases in Texas, California and Alaska have all had similar incidents in the last few years. The Biden-Harris administration’s reckless open border policies have devastated our country over the last three and a half years. House Republicans have continually pushed to close the border and have passed Congress’ only legislation to fully deal with this issue, H.R. 2. I’ll keep working to stand up for the rights of our citizens and the safety of our nation.
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, Budget Committee, and Education and the Workforce Committee.
