By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Eastern Kansas Congressman Jake LaTurner has seen a big difference between his second term in Congress compared with his first term in Washington.
LaTurner, a Republican, found himself in the minority his freshman year. Now in his second term, LaTurner enjoys the benefits of being in the majority.
“Being in the majority in the House is night and day difference between being in the minority,” LaTurner tells St. Joseph Post. “The Republicans are setting the agenda and we aren’t just talking about the things that we talked about during the election, we’re actually delivering.”
LaTurner claims House Republicans have had success cutting the money for the Biden administration’s plan to hire an additional 87,000 IRS agents, ending the coronavirus pandemic emergency, and supporting domestic energy production.
LaTurner returns to serve on the House Oversight Committee and got his wish to serve on the Appropriations Committee.
“I think those are two great committees to represent the people of the Kansas 2nd Congressional District,” according to LaTurner. “But, the bottom line here is making sure that we don’t have one-party rule in Washington, D.C. has been a good thing for the American people.”
LaTurner says the Republican-led Oversight Committee will play a watchdog role over President Biden, a Democrat, adding the committee can provide oversight without turning it into a witch hunt.
“When you find the same party in power in the White House and the House of Representatives, you don’t get good quality oversight,” LaTurner says. “The Republicans have been guilty of this in the past as well.”
LaTurner says an area that needs oversight is the money being sent to Ukraine in its war with Russia. LaTurner says the United States needs to join with the West to oppose Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Ukraine must be accountable for the money it receives, a total of more than $100 billion.
LaTurner got his wish: he has been appointed to the House Appropriations Committee. LaTurner, who served as Kansas state Treasurer prior to being elected to Congress, had requested a seat on Appropriations.
“Appropriations decides where the money is spent at the federal level. We all know $32 trillion in debt is unsustainable,” LaTurner says.
The federal debt, according to the Treasury Department, is $31.64 trillion.
LaTurner says Congress must rein in spending.
LaTurner has been assigned to two subcommittees on the House Appropriations Committee: the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee as well as the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee.
Cover image courtesy Pixabay