.Last week I voted for the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act alongside my colleagues – a package of reforms that would lower premium costs for all Americans, expand access to affordable coverage, and increase transparency to drive down prices across the health care system. House Republicans are choosing the right and most sensible way to address challenges with health care – reducing health care premiums by 11%. 
 
The basic Obamacare policy is that at up to four times the poverty level, an individual can receive some type of federally-funded subsidy. What this translates to is that if you make 100% or less of the federal poverty level, 98% of your premium is paid by the federal taxpayer. Taxpayers should not be footing the bill of a family making a stable living, and this is a crisis of exploiting taxpayer dollars for those who don’t need assistance because of Democrat policies.  
 
Republicans are addressing the health care crisis in America that Democrats themselves created through Obamacare. Before the enhanced COVID subsidies were put into place, roughly $40 billion was the cost for federal spending on the subsidies for Obamacare premiums to the American people. In 2024, it was $116 billion. Therefore, premiums are three times higher in a five-year period.
 
In a recent study by the Government Accountability Office, one Social Security number was used for 125 different insurance plans.  Beyond that, 40% of Obamacare policies never had a claim in 2024, meaning that many, if not all, of these plans were the result of ghost enrollees. Yet the taxpayer is still paying for the fraudulent and ghost plans unchecked, leading to vast amounts of money flowing directly to insurance companies. We’d like to think these are just healthy people, but it is also a lot of fraud. 
 
The law Democrats passed that they insisted would make health care affordable couldn’t be more untrue. The Unaffordable Care Act led to doubled premiums and deductibles, and choices decreased for Americans nationwide. 
 
Republicans are committed to solving this crisis, and I’m honored to vote for this legislation alongside my colleagues.

.Last week, I was honored to welcome Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to Wichita alongside Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) following the recent news of Boeing’s acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems, which will continue to build on the successes of a century of U.S. flight. We also celebrated the 40th anniversary of the National Institute for Aviation Research, or NIAR, at Wichita State University.

Kansas has a rich aviation history, and our region continues to lead the way in designing, developing and manufacturing first-class aircraft that serve the world. During the visit, we were able to showcase many of the world-class facilities and businesses that make Wichita the leader in aviation.

Thank you, Secretary Duffy for coming to Wichita and letting us show you around our wonderful city.

.I’m honored to join the Congressional Musicians’ Caucus as their co-chair. While my best musical attribute is that I’m a music listener, I am a music lover and I’m proud to support musicians. The Musicians’ Caucus recently held an event in Washington to celebrate legislative accomplishments and the music industry.

I first got involved in federal music issues through the Help Independent Tracks Succeed (HITS) Act, bipartisan legislation I helped introduce. I’m a strong believer in fair taxes for innovators and job creators. Unfortunately, music creators were unfairly having to amortize their expenses over the life of the sound recording. So I worked with the music industry, and we were able to include the HITS Act in the House version of the Working Families Tax Cuts. – and I’m happy to report today that music creators can immediately expense the costs of a sound recording.
 
The HITS Act has already helped musicians through job creation across the music industry. Immediate deduction of production expenses has freed up much-needed cash flow, accelerating the development of new music and enabling independent creators to reinvest in additional projects. This stimulates the economy and enriches American culture by supporting independent music and the music sector’s continued output of diverse, eclectic and culturally rich and important music.

From vocalists to bassists to songwriters to trumpeters, musicians contribute to the very fabric of America. By supporting musicians and creators, we are investing in the future of our nation.