WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) Wednesday morning delivered his maiden speech on the U.S. Senate floor highlighting his upbringing and the Kansas values that will help lay the foundation for his priorities as a senator.
“These values provided the foundation for me – a fifth generation farm kid – to become a first generation college student, and live my American dream as a physician in rural America,” said Marshall, a Great Bend doctor. “These have become pillars, the sturdiest of which in my life are faith, family, community, education and hard work.”
Below are excerpts from his 12-minute address.
• On his priorities:
As I traveled Kansas this past year, I carried these pillars with me while I heard from people all over the state as they gave me three very clear priorities: 1) To provide for their safety, health, and security; 2) To bring our jobs and economy back; and 3) To protect our values and our God-given, inalienable rights. And I’m here in this Senate to do just that. To fight for the people of Kansas, for all Americans, but more than anyone else, I’m here to fight for our children and grandchildren. Like another Kansan, the 34th President of the United States, Dwight David Eisenhower, the decisions I make will be most guided by the impact they will have upon future generations
• On providing for the safety, health, and security of Kansans:
The motto of the First Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, the Big Red 1 – housed in the heart of Kansas – is “No Mission Too Difficult. No Sacrifice Too Great. Duty First!” It is with this fighting attitude I intend to: Fully fund our military; secure our borders; as the son and brother of veterans, and a veteran myself, honor our commitment to those who protected our freedoms and values; and, as the son of a police chief, fully support our law enforcement.
• On bringing our jobs and economy back:
Pre-COVID, we had the strongest economy of my lifetime thanks to Republican led policies put into place over the last four years. Lower taxes and deregulation resulted in historically low unemployment rates, as well as American energy independence and affordable energy costs. But here’s what concerns me today: like my grandma often told me at the supper table, there are three things you can count on from the current majority party: 1) They will spend a lot of your money, 2) They will raise your taxes, 3) They will increase regulations.
Just like my grandma warned, within the first three months of this new administration, we’ve seen an onslaught of harmful red tape, proposed tax increases, and an unprecedented spending spree. Fighting government red tape and working to ensure Kansans keep more of their hard-earned money as a means to harness job growth and help our economy recover, will be what I work for each day.
• On protecting Kansas values and our God-given, inalienable rights:
Lastly, and I think most importantly, as this is what keeps me up at night, I was sent here to protect the Kansas VALUES I was raised on. These values are still held by the majority of Americans and many of us are tired of being canceled, censured, and lectured to. I believe our country will not fall from another military giant, nor will it succumb to economic failure created from foreign lands. Our greater risk of failure comes from falling under our own weight if we continue to ignore the self-evident VALUES our forefathers taught us. I want to share how important and personal the sanctity of life is to me. I had the honor as an OBGYN to deliver over 5,000 babies, and I will work as hard in this Chamber to protect the lives of the unborn and our children as I did in the delivery room all those years. I will always LEAD on this issue, and protect our VALUES… And as long as we pass on our American VALUES that have seen this nation through so many dark nights, we will succeed through current and future trials and conflicts.
• On leadership and the filibuster:
Three months into the 117th Congress, it appears the power grab General Washington declined is now the majority party’s primary modus operandi. We’ve seen: a record number of executive orders, the first partisan COVID relief bill, steps to grant D.C. statehood to tip the scales of power, an attempt to federalize elections and destroy election integrity with H.R.1, and now a commission to study expanding the Supreme Court. Like Dorothy watching the grains of sand dropping through the hourglass, additional partisan priorities remain on standby while the timing of dropping the ultimate power grab – the elimination of the filibuster – is carefully weighed.
The filibuster is meant to force both parties to work together to come up with long-lasting policies which help all Americans. Without it, we will see tax laws and many other important policies go up and down like a roller coaster, creating uncertainty and making it impossible for long term business planning.
We are witnessing what may be the most blatantly hypocritical policy switch we’ve ever seen, as most all senators – and the president – have been on record previously in support of the filibuster. This flip-flop appears to be all in the name of greed and power.
