Commitment to the Big First

Floor Speech

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Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, in my first remarks before the 118th Congress, I rise today to share with you what I learned from my first term representing the Big First District of Kansas and how I will respond over the next 2 years.

I grew up on the farm south of Quinter, Kansas, that has been in my family for five generations. The house my parents live in and the house I grew up in is the same house my great-great-grandfather ordered from a Montgomery Ward catalog in the early 1900s. Growing up there meant that I spent thousands of hours on a tractor working in fields and on horseback doctoring cattle in our family feed yard.

I think of the Big First as the pilot light of America because the values that make America great are still alive and well there. People in the Big First are good people who carry a pioneering spirit with them, the same way those who settled my State did over 160 years ago. We know one another, look out for one another, and sacrifice for one another. We are farmers and ranchers, feedlot managers, businessowners, lenders, bankers, teachers, doctors, nurses, and parents.

Over the last 2 years, I did a lot of listening. I held listening sessions each month. I received tens of thousands of calls, emails, and letters from Kansans. I hosted leaders and other Members of Congress in the district to listen with them. I hosted townhalls 126 times over the last 2 years, and I am gearing up to start my 2023 townhall tour again next week.

As I travel across the district, I hear concerns about inflation, the border crisis, Big Government, sweeping executive orders, out-of- control government spending, sky-high taxes, and the infringement on basic rights like the Second Amendment and the right to life.

I have long said, if it matters to a Kansan, it matters to me. In response to what I heard over the last 2 years and to what I have seen while serving in Congress, I developed my ``Commitment to the Big First.'' It is a roadmap for the 118th Congress that gets America back on track, advocates for agriculture, and advances our Kansas conservative values.

My ``Commitment to the Big First'' details plans for an economy that is strong, a nation that is safe, a future that is built on freedom, and a government that is accountable. It is a plan for a balanced budget and a strengthened supply chain, for lower taxes and a secure southern border, for a robust police and military, for a comprehensive reauthorization of the farm bill and strengthened crop insurance, for a maintained stepped-up basis tax provision and global food security legislation that stops wars before they start.

Senator Bob Dole once told me about the Kansas approach: honesty; hard work; respect for your roots; service; simplicity; genuine, thoughtful care for people; and common sense. My ``Commitment to the Big First'' is a plan for commonsense solutions to the complex problems that America faces today.

I wasted no time implementing this commitment. On Monday, I reintroduced the More Accountability is Necessary Now Acts, or the MANN Acts. The MANN Acts are six pieces of legislation that will hold the Biden administration accountable, demand transparency from Washington, fight unconstitutional executive orders, and push back against Federal Government overreach.

The MANN Acts require the executive branch to notify the American public and Congress of its intent to issue any new executive orders pertaining to agriculture, energy, the environment, pro-life provisions, the Second Amendment, and immigration.

Single-party rule here in Washington, D.C., is over. The American people gave Republicans control of the House for a reason. They are tired of seeing their tax dollars wasted, their rights violated, and the laws of our land dictated by executive orders from the White House.

The MANN Acts and my ``Commitment to the Big First'' are just the first steps toward executing on a plan that America has demanded of us.

When we get into the middle of issues, roll up our sleeves, get to work, listen to those around us, and do the heavy lifting, we gain perspective and better results. That is what I learned in the Big First.

I refuse to be stapled to my desk in Washington, D.C. I will continue to spend time thinking, praying, and reflecting on how best to serve the people in my district.

I did not come to Congress to be a caretaker of the slow demise of America. I am here to fight and to work to make America stronger. I really believe that our brightest days are yet to come.

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