Majority of the House Supports Email Privacy 

I’m excited to announce that my bill, H.R. 1852, the Email Privacy Act, now has 218 cosponsors, which indicates that a majority of the House supports this legislation. The legislation is vital to protecting American’s Fourth Amendment rights to security of personal electronic correspondence. It’s clear more and more Americans aren’t okay with law enforcement officials and government agencies, such as the SEC and IRS, accessing their digital communications without a warrant. I will continue to add cosponsors to this important bill.

From The Hill:

Bill requiring warrants for email searches hits magic number in House

To read more, click here or on the image above. 

The Fight Against Pancreatic Cancer

Thank you, Representative Kleeb and Kansas City Pancreatic Action Network advocates, for your advocacy.

Communicator of the Year

House Passes 2015 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill

The House approved the Department of Defense Appropriations Act on Friday with a bipartisan vote of 340-73. I was happy to support this vital piece of legislation as it provides resources essential to keeping our nation safe. The bill funds military operations overseas, supports the brave men and women who serve our country, and prohibits the transfer of prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, without the approval of Congress.  As a member of the Committee on Appropriations, it is my goal to sufficiently fund our Armed Services, while reducing spending on unused and ineffective programs. 

House Appropriations Committee Passes Energy and Water Appropriations Act

The legislation contains a provision that prohibits the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from expanding the definition of navigable waters to include streams, ponds, isolated wetlands, and other various small bodies of water, even places where water isn’t running year-round. Allowing these agencies to create burdensome regulations negatively impacts Kansas’s farmers and ranchers and raises costs for consumers across the state. I will continue to work to rein in the Corps of Engineers and EPA and protect our local communities.

From the Washington Post: "Abdication has a price" 

Increasing violence in Iraq is a top news story this week. As Congress and the Administration work to find a peaceful solution to this crisis, an Op-Ed from the Washington Post by Charles Krauthammer, “Abdication has a price,” caught my eye and I want to share it with you.

To read more, click here or on the image above. 

Missing IRS Emails 

Last week, the IRS claimed it was unable to generate two years worth of emails from Lois Lerner. When Congress learned the IRS was targeting conservative groups, the President promised he and his Administration would work with Congress to get to the bottom of the IRS scandal. This is becoming the President’s mode of operation: another scandal, another broken promise, refusal to work with Congress, resulting in no action to fix the broken IRS. Americans are waiting for answers. Instead of reading innocent American's email messages, the IRS should focus on finding their own. It's time for the President to work with Congress and find these emails and records.

Congressional Gold Medal Recipients

Congratulations to all the 2014 Congressional Gold Medal recipients. The Congressional Gold Medal is one of Congress’s highest honors awarded to individuals for distinguished achievements and contributions to the community. I’m especially proud of the seven recipients from the 3rd District of Kansas. It was a privilege to meet these outstanding young leaders in Washington, D.C. Once again, congratulations to Lauren Bernard, Kathryn Lundgren, Sakshi Mahajan, Emily Reed, Jonah Elyachar, John Gillen, and Mahroosa Haideri.

77th Annual Congressional Baseball Game