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U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) issued the following statement regarding the Kansas Secretary of State’s announcement of record new business formation in Kansas in 2012:
“At a time when national new business formation statistics near historic lows, Kansas is trending in a positive direction,” Sen. Moran said. “These numbers suggest that entrepreneurs have discovered something I’ve known for a long time: Kansas is a great place to start a business. More startup companies in Kansas bode well for future job growth in our state. Research by the Kauffman Foundation shows that between 1980 and 2005, companies less than five years old accounted for nearly all of the net new jobs created in America. The record number of startups in Kansas is good news, but there is more to do. To encourage greater levels of entrepreneurship that will lead to new jobs being created, I am working to pass the Startup Act in Congress.”
The first Annual Business Formation Report released on Friday describes Kansas business filing trends over the past ten years. The report shows 15,008 new-business filings in 2012, surpassing the 13,646 filings in 2011. Conclusions were drawn from the data with the assistance of Dr. Art Hall, Executive Director, Center for Applied Economics, University of Kansas School of Business. The full report can be viewed here.
Sen. Moran’s legislation, the Startup Act, directs the U.S. Department of Commerce to compile a national report similar to the Annual Business Formation report produced by the Kansas Secretary of State. National data on new business formation will help lawmakers encourage entrepreneurship with the most successful policies.
Sens. Moran and Roberts Announces McConnell AFB and Forbes Field as Finalists for KC-46A Tankers
Jan 09 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the United States Air Force recognized the critical role Kansas plays in our national security and global air mobility by selecting both McConnell Air Force Base (AFB) in Wichita and Forbes Airfield in Topeka as finalists for the basing of the KC-46A tanker program. McConnell AFB is a finalist for the Main Operating Base (MOB#1) and the Formal Training Unit (FTU), and Forbes Airfield is a finalist for the Main Operating Base (MOB#2).
“Today’s selection of not just one, but both Kansas Air Force bases is a testament to the critical role our state plays in supporting all branches of our military and allied partners as they carry out missions overseas and at home,” U.S. Senator Jerry Moran said. “Strategically positioned in the heart of the United States, the location, capacity and mission of McConnell and Forbes make both bases exceptionally equipped to provide air mobility globally at a moment’s notice. Our efforts to ensure this outcome began months ago when we, along with state leaders, met with Chief of Staff of the Air Force General Mark Welsh to make certain he understood the value of air mobility assets in Kansas. I had the opportunity to visit with leaders at McConnell AFB this past Sunday and was reminded why McConnell is the premiere ‘super tanker’ base in the nation.”
“It is no wonder Kansas has two bases being considered for an important new mission, the KC-46A,” U.S. Senator Pat Roberts said. “With McConnell the top installation in the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command, and a front-runner in the Command-in-Chief’s Installation Excellence Award competition, and with the many opportunities for growth and performance at Forbes Field in Topeka, Kansas airmen and airwomen time and again demonstrate their steadfast dedication and hard work in contributing to the security of the United States. And, we have a great support network of civilian staff, neighbors and friends that help each installation achieve excellence.”
In addition to meeting with General Welsh to convey Kansas’ long-standing history of service and support to air power, in June 2012, Sens. Moran and Roberts sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley to encourage the selection of McConnell AFB as the first MOB #1 for the KC-46A tanker.
With rising maintenance and support costs, the transition from the 50-year-old KC-135 tankers to KC-46A tankers is the U.S. Air Force’s top acquisition and recapitalization priority. Starting in 2016, the base selected as MOB#1 will support 36 active-duty KC-46A tankers. The MOB#1 location will be selected based on criteria including mission, capacity, environmental impact and cost. McConnell AFB is competing against other Active Duty, Classic Association bases for the MOB#1 and FTU basing. Forbes is competing against other Air National Guard-led, Active Association bases.
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following background and statement on the Senate passing of the Tax Relief Extension Act:
“Tax increases are damaging to the economy and make it more difficult for everyday Kansans to make ends meet. Unfortunately unless legislation was passed to prevent it, every taxpayer would have seen a significant increase in their tax bill beginning January 1. These increases would affect all income levels—in fact an average Kansas wage earning with an income of $43,000 would see an additional $3000 increase in their taxes--$250 every month.
“My goal has been to see that these tax increases affect the fewest number of Americans as possible. This bill protects 99% of all Americans. It also limits the increases that would otherwise occur in taxes on dividends and capital gains. And most importantly to Kansas farmers, ranchers and business owners permanently reduces the estate tax rates and locks in a 10 million per couple exemption. Gone are the short term fixes, allowing people to more confidently plan for the future.
“Preventing tax increases on nearly all Americans is an important success. With permanent tax rates in place families and business owners can have the certainty necessary to make economic decisions, invest in capital and equipment, create jobs, and grow the economy. But it is important to note that this legislation only addresses one aspect of the ‘fiscal cliff.’ What is missing is the larger and more damaging problem of our nation’s debt and deficits. The Treasury Department has indicated that the debt ceiling has been reached and in the first few months of the new year Congress will be asked to raise the ceiling to allow the federal government to borrow even more money. I voted against an increase two years ago and want Kansans to know I will not vote to allow President Obama’s administration to borrow more money unless we substantially change the way the government does business and we significantly reduce spending. There is no flexibility here—our country’s future is as stake and our children’s ability to pursue the American dream at risk.
“This week we heard the President say that he wants tax increases as part of a future package to address the remaining items of the ‘fiscal cliff’—sequestration and increasing the debt ceiling. I have not seen any instances where the president is willing to reduce spending or eliminate a government program. I can’t imagine many Americans thought the President’s desire to raise taxes was to enable more spending, but believed any increase revenue was for deficit reduction. The President has demonstrated that he wants to again raise taxes so government can spend even more. Not with my vote. Spending is now front and center in this debate, uncomplicated by the issues of the Bush tax cuts expiring at the end of 2012. The President should lead and our new year’s resolution must be getting our country out of debt.”
Sen. Moran Talks About the Fiscal Cliff
Dec 28 2012
Sen. Moran Speaks on the Fiscal Cliff
Dec 28 2012
I would like to thank the Senator from Maryland for allowing me the opportunity to speak during this discussion of the supplemental appropriation. Also, it is my first opportunity to publicly congratulate the Senator from Maryland on her achievement of becoming the chairman of the committee I am a member of, and I indicate to her that I look forward to working with her on an ongoing basis over the next two years as we work our way through appropriations bills. I look forward to seeing that we do right and well and that we appropriately take care of the taxpayers' dollars.
While the supplemental is important-and I am anxious that we move forward and vote on the amendments and its final passage-I would like to take this moment to speak, here on December 28, on the reason we are back in Washington, DC-the so-called looming fiscal cliff. Mr. President it is unusual for the Senate to be in session at this point in time, just a few days after Christmas and a few days before the New Year. I believe it has not been since 1970 that the Senate has cast votes during this period of time.
But our country faces a significant financial challenge, and I hope the House, the Senate, and the President are up to the task. Mr. President I want to reach an agreement. I want to avoid finding out the consequences of no agreement. We have heard the predictions of the Congressional Budget Office that suggest that the U.S. economy will be driven back into a recession should we go over the cliff. Projection of increasing unemployment rates, a reduction in real GDP, and the amount of debt held by the public will increase. I do not want our economy, the American people, the taxpayers, the business men and women of our country to suffer the risks of inaction by Congress and the President.
But while meetings are ongoing now at the White House-and I hope there is some semblance of progress that we learn about here shortly-it does seem to me that we are at this final hour with a lack of any significant progress to deal with the fiscal cliff issue. We need leadership. We need the President's leadership. We need leadership by Republicans and Democrats, we need the House and Senate.
While I say I want an agreement, I am also willing to appreciate the fact that I will not get everything I might want in an agreement. But the consequences of our failure seem to me to be so significant that we ought to find common ground.
Now, I understand we might reach an agreement that deals with a portion of the so-called fiscal cliff. I want to point out that we are only really talking these days about the tax consequences of the fiscal cliff. I don't know exactly how ‘fiscal cliff’ came into existence, that phrase, I don't know where those words came from. I don't know exactly what they mean. I think they probably mean different things to different people.
It seems to me the fiscal cliff that we face is based upon sequestration. This plan that was put in place by the Budget Control Act would reduce spending by $1.2 trillion in both defense and nondefense as well as the debt ceiling, which our Treasury Secretary says needs to be addressed. The peak will be reached, the balance necessary to be raised, on December 31. We might include the doc fix, this Medicare set of payments we make on a short-term basis to keep physicians seeing Medicare patients. Certainly, the deficit and debt our country faces are a part of that fiscal cliff.
We are only at the moment it seems to me dealing with the issue of taxes. I want to avoid taxes being raised on any American. I may not have that opportunity, but we ought to do everything we can to make certain that the Tax Code is unchanged in regard to those who are currently paying taxes. For more than 10 years, we have had a tax code that treated taxpayers a certain way, and in my view, any tax increase is damaging to the economy. Having said that, that I might not get everything I want, there are consequences of not dealing with this issue that may be beneficial even though a tax increase on anyone would be detrimental. So there is this opportunity for give-and-take to make certain that if there is a tax increase on anyone, there is a corresponding benefit that overcomes the damage to the economy in regard to this issue.
We should understand that while we are talking about taxes, we are talking about a tax increase that will affect every day Kansans and everyday Americans. Research I have seen indicates that a Kansan, teacher in my State making $43,000 a year, in the absence of us dealing with this issue, his or her taxes would go up $3,000 a year, about $250 a month. That doesn’t include the end of the temporary payroll tax holiday, the new ObamaCare tax increases, or the alternative minimum tax, which affects taxpayers at income levels of more than $33,750.
So I am hoping we can deal with the tax issue, but I don't want us to forget there are other significant issues that our country faces. Almost none of the conversation coming from the White House or the discussions over the last few days, few weeks, few months have dealt with the deficit, which is so compelling.
As I drove down the roads from one side of the State to the other for Christmas, with one side of our family in western Kansas, the other side of our family in eastern Kansas, I’m thinking less about Christmas at that moment but what do I do if we have a short-term so-called kick-the-can-down-the-road-a 60-day or 30-day extension.
It seems that we owe Americans something much greater than just delaying the consequences of our inaction to date. We desperately need to deal with the big issues. We have no choice but to move forward with just the small items that are before us today, but we need to deal especially with the deficit and debt problems our country faces. We cannot afford to kick the can down the road.
I read from a letter a constituent of mine wrote to me back during the debt ceiling debate. I think what she said is still important for us today. She says that she believes America is the greatest country on Earth. This is a letter from Gina Reynolds from Shawnee, KS. She says: “I believe we have the greatest country on Earth, but our inability to compromise and stop acting like spoiled children saddens me.
The Founding Fathers were able to compromise and write a document that has stood the test of time for 235 years. Can we not now do the same? Please do the right thing for the American people, the ones hurt by this self-produced impasse.
I want the impasse to come to an end. I want us to reach an agreement. I want us to deal with the Tax Code that changes on January 1. But I do not want us to avoid the opportunity to deal with the most significant problem and challenge our country faces-the fiscal challenge of our deficit and debt.
