LYNN JENKINS CONGRESSWOMEN - KANSAS

Taxpayers Should Not Pay for the PR Campaign for the Administration’s Failed Stimulus
I voted against the President’s $787 billion so-called “stimulus” plan last year because we could not afford it and I did not think it would put the American people back to work. Now, more than 18 months later, 86 percent Americans feel like the President’s economic policies have either hurt them or have not affected them. Rather than admitting the plan is not working, the Administration has launched a massive public relations campaign for their stimulus, including spending millions on promotional signage that we have all seen along highways across the country.

The stimulus was supposed to create jobs, but expensive signs along highways fail to do that. That is why this week I supported the winning YouCut proposal to prohibit stimulus dollars from being used to pay for promotional signs. Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi and all but 11 Democrats in Congress continued to ignore the will of the American people and supported this wasteful spending. Since YouCut was launched, more than 1.3 million Americans have voted, and support from House members continues to grow each week. Our nation is at a critical crossroads, and rather than continuing down the path of reckless spending and borrowing, it is time to change the spending culture in Washington to one of saving taxpayer dollars. We will continue bringing proposals to cut spending to the House floor, and I encourage you to stay involved by telling us what to cut.

House Democrats Refuse to Address the Debt As They Plan to Consider Controversial, Unpopular Legislation in a Lame Duck Session
The majority in the House refuses to address the skyrocketing $13.2 trillion national debt and continues spending money that we do not have. These reckless fiscal policies are unsustainable and they are hindering economic growth. In fact, President Obama’s fiscal commission said earlier this week that our debt is a cancer “that will destroy the country from within” if it is not addressed. As a CPA, I know that spending more money than you have does not lead to prosperity, and I am committed to fighting for responsible plans to put our nation back on track. Click here to watch remarks I made on the floor this week urging Congress get our nation’s fiscal house in order.

Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have ignored the will of the American people, and rather than changing course, it appears that they continue to push forward with even more controversial and unpopular plans. The majority party is planning to hold a lame duck session after the midterm elections in November to force through legislation like card check that takes away a workers right to a secret ballot, another cap and trade bill and further tax increases. Rather than forcing votes on these unpopular pieces of legislation, all leaders in the House and Senate should focus on reducing the debt, stopping the reckless spending and putting folks back to work.

Supporting a Resolution to Honor Patriot Guard Riders
The brave men and women who lost their life fighting to protect our freedoms are heroes and deserve our utmost respect. Their families also deserve our respect and should be able to mourn their loved ones without being disrupted by funeral protesters. Since November 2005, more than 190,000 Patriot Guard Riders have dedicated themselves to a mission of preventing interruptions at funerals for our servicemen and women, and I commend the Patriot Guard Riders for their efforts. This week I signed on to support a resolution in the House to honor the Patriot Guard Riders for their service.

Opposing Efforts to Allow Abortions at Department of Defense Medical Facilities
I have always opposed the taxpayer funding of abortions, and that includes opposing any plan that would overturn the 1996 law that bans abortions in military medical facilities. Recently, I sent a letter with 180 of my colleagues to House and Senate leadership opposing Senator Roland Burris’ (D-IL) amendment in the Senate Armed Services Committee that would overturn this ban. Military medical facilities should be places of healing and life-saving, and expanding abortion in government owned and operated military medical facilities is wrong. I will continue to working to ensure this misguided amendment is not allowed and continue opposing any taxpayer funding for abortion.

Kansas Visitors in Washington
It was great to meet Haley Butler, senior at Ottawa High School, while she was visiting Washington as a national youth delegate to the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment. Mark Schreiber and Jim Ludwig of Topeka stopped by this week to update me about issues affecting Westar Energy in Kansas. Deb Ayers-Geist of Kansas City, Chris Fall of Concordia, Duane Dorshorst of Oberlin and Gene Haydock of Halstad dropped by with the Kansas Association of Elementary Principals.

Steve Baccus, Kansas Farm Bureau President, stopped by this week to update me on important agriculture issues. He also presented me with the winning photograph from Kansas Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers photography contest. Shelby Chapman from Labette County won the competition, and I am honored to hang Shelby’s beautiful picture in my office for all Kansans to see. Ken McCauley of White Cloud, Bob Timmons of Fredonia, Brian Baalman of Menlo, Charles Foltz of Garnett, Jere White of Garnett, Roger Pine of Lawrence, DeEtta Bohling of Ottawa and Kiley Stinson from Allen came by this week with the Kansas Corn Growers Association. They brought me to speed about legislative and regulatory issues affecting corn growers in Kansas.

It was also great to catch up with members of the Kansas Soybean Association. Craig Gigstad of Valley Falls, Dennis Hupe of Topeka, Bob Henry of Robinson, Lucas Heinen of Everest, Teresa and Luke Brandenburg of Russell, Darrel Alexander of Kansas City and Kenlon Johannes of Topeka updated me about critical issues including expanding trade for agriculture products, stopping cap and trade and other negative regulatory issues. It was also great to meet the Kansas families who were in Washington this week. Steve Wheeler and his family from Lawrence, George Maxwell and his family from Baldwin City, Robert and Robin Taggart Hannigan of Topeka and Carolyn McLean of Iola were in this week for a tour of the U.S. Capitol.