Updates On WOTUS, Taxes And More -
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 March.
Remembering the Victims of Flight 5342 The House passed my resolution honoring the victims of the Jan. 29 collision of American Eagle Flight 5342 and Black Hawk PAT (Priority Air Transport) 25 and commending the heroic actions of those who aided with the recovery efforts. The resolution had more than 90 cosponsors and was passed unanimously. I spoke on the House floor before the resolution was passed, along with some of my colleagues from Kansas and across the country, to express my condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the victims. The 67 victims were known and loved by their communities, and they will continue to be missed and remembered.
Defining WOTUS
I was happy to see that Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, announced that his agency will review the definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS). His announcement signals a shift to transparency and away from unnecessary bureaucratic involvement. For far too long, Kansas farmers and ranchers have dealt with burdensome regulations and rules imposed upon them by D.C. bureaucrats that don’t actually help preserve clean water and air for our residents. Kansas farmers and ranchers are good stewards of our natural resources, and having a federal bureaucracy micromanage puddles that only appear when we receive rain simply doesn’t make sense. I am grateful for the Trump administration’s efforts to restore common sense in our government.
Talking TCJA and Reintroducing the American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act The House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over taxes, has been working for more than a year to prepare for this year’s Trump tax cuts expiring. The expiring provisions include lower rates for all income brackets, the double standard deduction and expanded Child Tax Credit. It will be detrimental to all Kansans if these tax cuts expire. Not only that, but we’ve already seen some provisions expire, like immediate ex-pensing of research and development that incentivizes R&D in the United States. Because a majority of R&D costs are on workers, the expiration of this tax provision has been a workforce issue.
That’s why I reintroduced the American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act, which allows for the immediate expensing of research and development in the United States. The bill received considerable bipartisan support with nearly 70 original cosponsors. The act promotes manufacturing and job growth here at home, allowing the United States to remain the international leader in innovation. It’s a common sense, highly bipartisan bill with the support of legislators and organizations across the country.
I’ve been adamant about making sure we extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Congress can’t let taxes go up on hardworking Kansas families, workers and small businesses, but that’s exactly what would happen if the Trump tax cuts expire.
I know there are some Kansans who are actively against the TCJA extensions and the current administration, but I’m working to ensure their taxes don’t increase from TCJA expirations, too. The TCJA tax rates that are expiring at the end of this year aren’t for the most wealthy among us – nearly every individual tax rate would increase regardless of income level. I’m also working to root out the waste, fraud and abuse that’s pulling our economy and federal budget down – and that includes supporting the DOGE efforts in the Trump administration. Without the fraudulent payments and absolute waste that even inspectors general in the Biden administration acknowledged, more money can be used to reduce our federal deficit, safeguard critical programs like defense, infrastructure, Social Security, and Medicare, and keep our country safe – all programs that the opponents would benefit from. With more than 700,000 Kansans in the 4th District, I’m working to ensure that the policies at the federal level reflect the majority of the district and improve our country’s physical and financial security, and that includes extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Reintroducing the Protecting Individuals with Down Syndrome Act I was pleased to reintroduce the Protecting Individuals with Down Syndrome Act on World Down Syndrome Day. The legislation federally prohibits doctors from knowingly performing an abortion because of a baby’s prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis.
The Joint Economic Committee found that 60% to 90% of unborn children who receive a Down syndrome diagnosis are aborted. Comparatively, this statistic is disproportional to the 18% of all pregnancies that end in abortion. Individuals with Down syndrome are a blessing to our communities, and we must fight against the discrimination that they are facing in the womb.
The act also prohibits any person from coercing a woman to abort her child because of Down syndrome. It places responsibility on the doctors who perform the abortions, not on the women who receive them.
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.
