I was honored to attend and speak at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration in downtown Kansas City, Kansas earlier today. It was a beautiful ceremony put on by the KCK Holiday Celebration Committee, and many community members, including KCK Mayor and CEO of Unified Government Mark Holland and U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom, attended to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

 

"I still believe in the American dream. I still believe in Dr. King's dream. I still believe that we are a nation whose driving forces must include the premise that no matter where you are from, no matter what your economic or racial background, everyone in the United States of America will have the education and opportunity necessary to use their god given skills to realize their dreams, put food on the table, and raise their children and their children's children in a nation where freedom and opportunity abound.

 

"Dr. King once stated “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” 

 

"So we come together today, led by Dr. King's love and compassion, his hope for the future. We must help carry his legacy forward. We are the stewards of his dreams."

 

MLK National Day of Service Project

Dr. King not only spoke what he believed, but lived his words through actions. It was a privilege to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service today. I joined many volunteers to help prepare meals for the homeless at the Wilhelmina Gill Multi-Service Center in KCK. The Willa Gill Center serves an average of 400 homeless persons lunch per day.

 

Alongside some fantastic volunteers from Cure' of Ars Catholic Church we prepared a hot lunch today. Thank you to Ondra Penn and Pamela Smart from Mt. Carmel for the kind invitation to participate and special thanks to all the volunteers who work regularly to serve meals here.

 

 

Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 21st, I will hold a Town Hall Forum in Leawood. I hope you can attend as I will give an update about current legislation before Congress, as well as answer your questions about the issues most important to you.

 

Congressman Yoder speaks to a crowd at a previous town hall forum in Leawood.

 

What: Leawood Town Hall Forward

 

When: Tuesday, January 21st

1:30-2:30 p.m.

 

Where: Leawood City Hall - Community Center

Lower Level - Oak Room

4800 Town Center Drive, Leawood

I appreciated hearing from my Military and Veterans Advisory Committee last week at the Isadore Hoehn VFW Post 7397 in Lenexa. I value the feedback from these opportunities which included meeting with veterans from WWII through the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Army Srgt. Zeke Crozier attended and spoke to us about his remarkable recovery and we honored him for his recent Purple Heart recognition. We also discussed important topics like the backlogs at the VA, the GI bill and continuing to ensure those who have served and sacrificed for our country receive the benefits they have earned.

 

 

I’m currently cosponsoring legislation written to ensure retired military veterans are able to receive the full benefits they have earned through their service. This includes H.R. 3790, a bill that would completely repeal the COLA change made by the Ryan-Murray budget. The bill states: "To repeal the annual adjustment of retired pay and retainer pay amounts for retired members of the Armed Forces under age 62.”

 

Thank you to the members of my Veterans Advisory Committee for your continued advice and counsel as I advocate for veterans in Washington, DC.

Last week, on a bipartisan vote of 359-67, the House passed its 2014 appropriations bill, marking the fourth straight year in which the federal government has reduced discretionary spending, the first this has happened since just after the Korean War. I voted for the bill, and it reflects a move in the right direction, as the appropriated amounts are $164 billion lower than final discretionary budget of the Bush administration. 

 

The funding bill enacts a number of provisions that were important to Kansans; including restoring full cost of living benefits to our disabled military retirees, restricting all foreign aid to Libya until it takes responsibility for bringing the perpetrators of Benghazi murders to justice, and prohibits the IRS from targeting Americans based upon their political or religious affiliation. Additionally, the appropriations bill includes $404 million for the construction of the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan.

 

We still have a lot of work to do to rein in federal spending, reform entitlement programs and flatten out the tax code. But passing the appropriations bill is an important first step and we must renew our efforts to balance the federal budget and bring government spending further under control.

The New Year is an opportunity for Congress to get back to work for the American people, and that means supporting good-paying jobs and a growing economy. I spoke on the House floor last week to encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do just that.

 

Click here, or on the image above, to watch my full floor remarks.

Last week, the House passed important legislation to improve transparency within the Affordable Care Act and increase accountability with the federal government by passing the H.R. 3362 - the Exchange Information Disclosure Act. This legislation requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit to Congress, and to make available to state governors, state insurance commissioners, and the public, weekly reports that describe the consumer interactions with healthcare.gov or any subsequent website established by the federal government for enrollment in a qualified health plan or receipt of premium tax credit.

 

This is common sense legislation to bring increased transparency to the Affordable Care Act. I voted "Yes" on this bill and it passed 259-154.

Our country faces a physician shortage. In fact, by 2020, we will need 91,500 new doctors, and by 2025, we will need 130,600 doctors, according to the American Association of Medical Colleges. However, we cannot increase the overall supply of physicians unless Congress lifts the cap on residency training slots, which was put in place in 1997.

 

Right now, 16 percent of doctors are age 65 or older, and AAMC data show one in three practicing physicians expects to retire in the next 15 years. Plus, the Affordable Care Act means more Americans will now seek access to physicians, placing greater demands on the current workforce.

 

That’s why I’ve cosponsored H.R. 1201 – the Training Tomorrow’s Doctors Today Act. This bill takes two important steps to address this shortage. First, it increases the number of Graduate Medical Education (GME) slots by 15,000 over the next 5 years. And second, it boosts accuracy and transparency in the GME program in order to improve the quality of physician training in the country. 

I kicked off the Kansas City Kansas Chamber of Commerce's 46th year of Congressional Forum on Friday in downtown KCK by providing an update on my latest work in Congress. We talked about the budget, growing the economy and the many important issues Congress must address in the session ahead.

 

Thank you to the group for their questions and input.

It was an honor to speak at an Eagle Scout Court of Honor in Prairie Village yesterday. These Eagle Scouts have worked for years and put in many hours of community service, studied citizenship and community involvement, as well as learned many useful skills, and it was my privilege to congratulate them on such an accomplishment.

 

Congratulations to each of these young men for earning their Eagle Scout Award.