Tracey Mann

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the farmers and ranchers whose work does not stop. Even in the face of extreme freezing temperatures this month, the likes of which we have not seen in decades, Kansas stood strong and got the job done. The big First District of Kansas is one of the most productive agricultural areas in the country. The district is home to more than 60,000 farms and is made up of farmers, ranchers, feedlot managers, nutritionists, ethanol producers, ag lenders, and agribusiness owners who feed, fuel, and clothe the world. I grew up in Quinter, and I spent thousands of hours on a tractor in fields and on horseback, doctoring cattle in our family's feed yard. I know well agriculture's working conditions are demanding on a good day, but especially so when our business partner, Mother Nature, is as unforgiving as she has been lately. In the past month, Kansas spent 13 consecutive days with temperatures below freezing. This is a stretch of freezing temperatures we have not seen in our State for nearly 40 years. But those who stand with snow up to their knees in the depths of winter or haul water in the drought of summer know agriculture does not take days off. No matter the temperature, our ag producers head to work long before most of us are awake and stay out until many of us have already laid our heads down at night. They are people like Cody and Ashley Bornholdt of Inman, who bust ice by hand at all hours so their cattle have access to water and are still able to joke that after several days of negative temperatures, zero degrees feels like a heat wave. They are people like Gary Capoun of Alma, who delivers baby calves and hauls them on the floorboard of his pickup to someplace warmer where they can be bottle-fed to ensure that they get the nutrients needed to grow and survive in the wind chills. They are the men and women staying up through the night so a baby animal gets a shot at life, a piece of equipment is ready to go early the next morning, the neighboring producer has the help they need to milk their herd, and so people like you and I have a safe and secure food supply. As many across the country learned this last spring, our food does not come from a grocery store shelf. The importance of the agriculture and food supply chain cannot be overstated. This supply chain represents millions of people working every day in the U.S. It begins with farmers, ranchers, and growers, and it includes food processors and manufacturers, shippers, transportation workers, and, finally, those working in the grocery stores and restaurants. Each of these people is vital in ensuring we have food on our plates. While most of us in the ``Big First'' of Kansas know how important agriculture is, I know that message can sometimes be lost on the way to the grocery store. So on behalf of Kansans and all Americans, I share a sincere thank-you to the farmers, ranchers, and producers who supply our food, fuel, and fiber. Thank you. Thank you for pulling the baby calf out of the snowbank and nursing it back to life. Thank you for busting ice early and feeding hay late. Thank you for putting the needs of your livestock before yourselves. Thank you for your never-ending, backbreaking days. Thank you for, especially on cold days, working so hard for the extra hours and extra strength. Your efforts feed us and keep us warm, too. It is an honor to represent you in the U.S. House of Representatives and on the House Agriculture Committee. May God bless you. Celebrating National FFA Week

Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I also rise today to celebrate National FFA Week. The national FFA organization was founded by a group of young farmers in 1928 as the Future Farmers of America. Their mission was to prepare future generations for the challenges of feeding the world. Today, more than 760,000 blue corduroy jacket-wearing FFA members in more than 8,700 chapters across the country, and more than 9,600 members in 220 chapters in Kansas alone, are still working hard to advance our Nation's most critical industry, food and agriculture. These members are our future farmers, ranchers, engineers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, scientists, communicators, and businesspeople. They are the next generation of leaders. This week, they will celebrate National FFA Week as a long-held tradition during George Washington's birthday to respect agriculture's heritage and recognize its future. As a past chapter FFA president from Quinter, Kansas, and a proud FFA alumnus, I am honored to join nearly 80 of my colleagues to introduce H. Res. 150, expressing support for the designation of February 20 to February 27, 2021, as National FFA Week, recognizing the important role of the National FFA Organization in providing the next generation of leaders who will change the world, and celebrating 50 years of National FFA Alumni and Supporters. Kansas FFA and the National FFA Organization have had a profound impact on me. FFA taught me belonging when I put on my FFA jacket the first time, responsibility when caring for my family's livestock in the bitter winters and drought-ridden summers, and pride in sharing about the organization I love on the House floor today. Because of FFA and the next generation of agriculture, I know our brightest days are ahead. Happy National FFA Week.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I am humbled to deliver my first speech on the House floor today and discuss the future of our great Nation. I grew up on a farm south of Quinter, Kansas, that my parents and brother still operate. 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 I spent thousands of hours on a tractor working in the fields and on horseback doctoring cattle in the family feed yard. Those hours turned into love of country and lessons about the value of hard work. My Kansas roots run deep, and my desire to serve our country is wider than a country mile. I ran for Congress to advocate for agriculture and our conservative Kansas values. Kansans are good people who carry a pioneering spirit with them, in the same way those who settled my State did over 160 years ago. The people of Kansas 1, the Big First, know each other, look out for each other, and sacrifice for each other. The district is home to more than 60,000 farms and is made up of farmers, ranchers, feedlot managers, nutritionists, ethanol producers, ag lenders, and agribusiness owners who feed, fuel, and clothe the world. As Congress becomes increasingly more urban, the distance from farm to fork has never been greater, and the Big First depends on strong voices for agriculture in Congress. That is why I am honored to serve on the House Agriculture Committee. At the very top center of the Big First sits Lebanon, Kansas, a seemingly ordinary small town. About 2\1/2\ miles northwest of Lebanon is the exact middle of the contiguous 48 States. A few months ago, a group of us met in Lebanon and prayed for our Nation and that God's will would be done and that our future would be bright. There is something about being in the middle of the country where farmers pray for rain, parents drive 30 miles one way to take their kids to school, and communities shrink and grow with oil and gas prices that gives you a great perspective. To really be in the middle of it all, though, we must demand results. I have received many calls from family farmers in the Big First gravely concerned with President Biden's executive order restricting travel from countries like South Africa, where many of our legal farmworkers come from during harvest. I will tell you, if an issue matters to a Kansan, it matters to me. I worked with a number of my colleagues here to issue a letter to President Biden, asking that he exempt essential workers, like those in agriculture, from his travel ban. Soon after, we were told the President would grant the exemption. But to me, an exemption to an overreaching executive order is not enough. After watching President Biden issue 25 executive orders in his first 10 days as President, more than the last seven Presidents combined during their first 10 days, I decided I could no longer sit idle and watch executive orders dictate the direction of this country with no input from Congress. The executive branch was not created to legislate--Congress was. We are now up to 42 executive orders from the Biden White House. That is why, earlier this week, I introduced the More Accountability is Necessary Now acts, six pieces of legislation promoting accountability and transparency to the administration's future executive orders. The MANN acts require that the executive branch 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. The short-term impact of legislation like this would be to hold our elected leaders more accountable. But for the long term, we must never forget that America is the greatest and most noble experiment that has ever been endeavored. When our Founding Fathers used the three words ``by their Creator'' 245 years ago, they unleashed freedom on humanity, because for the first time in history, people stood up and declared that freedoms do not flow from a king or government; they flow from God. The power of that truth can never be stomped out because it rings loudly in the hearts and minds of Americans from coast to coast and certainly in the Big First, which in many ways is the pilot light of America. In my district, the basic values of faith, family, and freedom are alive and well. It is our responsibility to never let that light go out. I believe that when we get into the middle of issues, roll up our sleeves, get to work, and do the heavy lifting, we gain better perspectives and better results. Being in the middle of it all instead of being stapled to our desks in Washington, D.C., makes us all better and is good for America. Get in the middle of it. Stand face to face and engage. Spend time to think, pray, and reflect, like I did that day in the exact center of the country. I promise you will gain a better understanding of where we need to go as a nation. I did not run for Congress to be a caretaker in the slow demise of America. I ran so I could fight and work to make it stronger. That is what I intend to do while believing that our brightest days are yet to come.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. My district in Kansas has a lot of oil and gas, and a lot of ethanol production as well, which is very important for the energy, the backstop for the country. Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss President Biden's recent executive actions and their impacts on American energy. Kansas-1, the Big First, is one of the most productive agricultural areas of the country, and is also home to a flourishing energy industry. In a rural district like the Big First, communities shrink and grow with oil and gas prices. My district is the 11th largest district in this country and has more than 83,000 miles of roads. We depend on energy every day to fuel agricultural equipment and to transport our products across the country and around the world. Crude oil and natural gas are the foundation that fuels the Big First. Whether it be diesel for a tractor, keeping our home and families warm, or filling up a gas tank to drive our kids 30 miles each way to school, my district needs energy. In addition, the Big First also produced nearly 500 million gallons of ethanol last year. I am gravely concerned with President Biden's mandates on oil and gas. In my first few weeks in Congress, President Biden issued 25 executive orders in his first 10 days as President. That is more than the last 7 Presidents combined during their first 10 days. For example, President Biden delivered mixed messages claiming to support fossil fuels and American jobs, and then issued an executive order dismantling the Keystone XL pipeline. The United States has achieved energy independence over the last several years. That said, we cannot sit idle and watch executive orders dictate the direction of our country with no input from Congress. The administration will soon fundamentally impact our energy independence. The executive branch was not created to legislate. Congress was. Earlier this week, I introduced the More Accountability is Necessary Now Acts, six pieces of legislation promoting accountability and transparency to the administration's future executive orders. The MANN Acts require the executive branch to notify the American public of its intent to issue any new executive orders pertaining to six specific topics that impact my district, including energy and the environment. We must hold our elected leaders accountable for the pipeline worker and the plant manager, for the farmer and rancher, for the millions of lives depending on agriculture and energy every day, and for the betterment of our democracy.