Fighting for Kansans in the Big First is my top priority as I advocate for agriculture and our conservative Kansas values. I host a town hall in every county of the district each year to listen to the needs and concerns of residents in every community I have the privilege of representing. I’ve hosted 186 town halls over the past three years, and this month, I completed my third annual 60-county Mann Listening Tour. I’m grateful for the chance to hear from you. When you roll up your sleeves, get into the middle of difficult issues, and carefully listen to people, you get a better perspective and end up with better results. In my conversations with Kansans, I hear about the importance of small government, personal responsibility, faith, family, freedom, and patriotic duty. I was raised on those conservative Kansas values, and I advocate for them every day I serve in Congress. 

In each of the 60 town halls that I hosted this year, Kansans expressed concerns about big government overreach, the national debt, the border crisis, the nationwide spike in violent crime, the infringement on Constitutional rights, and the expiration of the Farm Bill. America is $32 trillion in debt, and the federal government is deficit spending roughly $1 trillion every year. Our energy independence has eroded, small businesses are laboring under burdensome regulations and taxes, and rampant inflation is a tax on everyone. Kansans know that we need an economy that’s strong, and House Republicans have passed legislation to forge a path towards that. 

Kansans also know that we need a nation that’s safe, and many parts of our country are in chaos right now. Violent crime is on the rise. Meanwhile, we’re hearing calls from Washington Democrats to “defund the police,” and the Biden Administration is failing to address the humanitarian crisis at our southern border, where fentanyl, criminals, and victims of human trafficking rings flood into our country. 

Kansans were crystal clear in town halls this year: they want the Biden Administration held accountable. Congress has the responsibility to conduct both rigorous oversight of the Executive Branch and investigations into possible corruption and criminal activity within the federal government. Holding the federal government accountable is an uphill battle due to its immense size and scope, but it’s a battle worth fighting because the future of our country hangs in the balance. 

I want my grandchildren to live in a country that still stands for freedom, and I serve in Congress to work towards building that future. Freedom tomorrow means upholding the Constitutional rights of all Americans today. That’s why I support legislation that will cut taxes and red tape, unleash American energy production, secure the border, and block overreaching executive orders. Sadly, the Biden Administration isn’t listening to common sense. 

House Republicans are also leading the charge on investigating recent IRS whistleblower allegations surrounding President Biden and Hunter Biden. At every opportunity, we are standing for freedom and accountability in the face of government overreach because whether you’re a parent, a child – born or unborn, a student, a farmer, or a small business owner, you don’t need the federal government trying to control your life. 

During this year’s Mann Listening Tour, I made a stop at the geographic center of the United States in Lebanon. It’s fitting that we have the physical heart of America in the Big First, which I think of as the pilot light of America because the values that make our country great are still alive and well here. As long as those values continue to burn bright in America’s pilot light, our brightest days are yet to come. From Elkhart to Lawrence and from Hutchinson to St. Francis, this year’s Mann Listening Tour was a success because of the Kansans who took the time to share with me. If it matters to a Kansan, it matters to me, and I am proud to continue fighting for Kansans in Washington.

Rep. Tracey Mann is a congressman representing the Kansas Big First District. Email repmannpress@mail.house.gov