WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins released the following statement in response to a letter Democrat Congressman Tim Bishop (D-NY) sent to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security in opposition to moving forward with bringing the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) to Manhattan, Kansas:
 
“The Second District of Kansas may not be the Hamptons and may not have a median income of $62,000 like Congressman Bishop’s home district in New York, but it most definitely is not a sinkhole like the Congressman claims. In fact, I am certain if Congressman Bishop stopped insulting the heartland and took the time to visit Kansas he would see what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) saw when it conducted a three-year exhaustive review of 29 different sites around the nation. NBAF belongs in Kansas based on its merits and was chosen by the Bush Administration and reconfirmed by President Obama. Additionally, Kansas has an established expertise and leadership in biosciences with the BSL-3 agriculture Biosecurity Research Institute, the National Agriculture Biosecurity Center and the new Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Laboratory, which are all located in Manhattan, Kansas. Kansans have a strong tradition of support for national defense and the site is located within the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor. NBAF is vital to our nation’s animal and human health as well as to our agriculture industry, and I will continue to make it a priority of mine as long as I serve in the House of Representatives.”