Listening to Kansans  
Garden City
On Thursday, I was in Garden City to visit with members of the community at the Garden City Chamber Coffee to provide a legislative update and hear their concerns. We discussed the continued crisis at the southern border, responsible government funding, the Farm Bill, national security, and how to support our veterans.

Thank you to Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce President Myca Bunch, State Senator John Doll, State Representative Dr. Bill Clifford, County Commissioner Larry Jones, Mayor Deb Oyler, City Commissioners Roy Dixon and Shannon Dick, City Manager Matt Allen, Police Chief Courtney Prewitt, Fire Chief John Irsik, Lona DuVall, Janie Welsh and all who came to visit. Thank you also to Garden City Community College for the hospitality.



Syracuse
Later on Thursday, I held a second listening tour stop in Syracuse with rotary members and folks from the community at the Black Bison in downtown Syracuse. I appreciated the opportunity to visit with those in attendance about the issues in the communities and ones affecting the nation. I enjoyed our conversation about the need to protect our borders and resolve issues with immigration, serve our veterans and increase the strength of our military, support our allies in Israel and Ukraine, and to be steadfast in our mission to protect our nation from adversaries like China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran.

Thank you to club president Megan Larkin, Mark Davis, Pastor Larry Alexander, and thank you to the Syracuse Rotary Club and the Hamilton County community for their hospitality. 



Meeting with Jewish Community Leaders
This week, I met with three different Kansas City Jewish organizations  at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park to discuss my commitment to Israel. One of the individuals I met with was Gavriela Geller, the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Board at the Jewish Community Center. Over 30 people joined the meeting to discuss Israel’s right to exist and defend itself.  I condemn the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and stand in support of Israel as it responds to this terrorism.

There is no doubt that Iran’s support was instrumental in this barbaric act. Hamas thanked Tehran for the funding and weapons that Iran has provided for many years. Iran must be held accountable for its pursuit of destroying Israel. Supporting Israel means the U.S. must be prepared to deter our enemies and those of our allies. The U.S. also must enforce the sanctions already in law on Iran and any nation that backs terrorist organizations in Israel and around the region.