Joco Today

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D., recently appeared on KAKE live in studio to discuss his upcoming Memorial Day weekend events and the recent Farm Bill framework released by Senate Democrats.

Senator Marshall will host Kansas Gold Star Families in Washington, D.C., for the First Division Monument expansion rededication ceremony. "So as most of your listeners know, Fort Riley is home of the First Infantry Division, the Big Red One. And since World War One, the Big Red One has been the first group, the first soldiers into battle. And there is a monument outside of the White House that has the names of over 12,000 of those Big Red One soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice," he stated.

Marshall highlighted that adding names to this monument requires an act of Congress. "Since 1995, we’ve had over 630 soldiers from the Big Red One make the ultimate sacrifice and this memorial Sunday, we’ll be honoring those soldiers, as well as flying in 12 Gold Star families."

He explained what it means to be a Gold Star family: "A Gold Star family is someone who’s lost a loved one who’s made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms... So you think about what Memorial Day weekend is; it’s really the day to pay honor to remember our loved ones but especially soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice."

Marshall emphasized that recognizing these sacrifices provides camaraderie and closure: "We can never bring their loved one back, but it’s so important that we honor them... It’s important for those active duty soldiers to know that we’ll never forget that the price of freedom is not free."

In addition to discussing Memorial Day events, Senator Marshall addressed issues related to agriculture and farm policy. He noted that Senate Democrats recently released a Farm Bill framework: "We write a Farm Bill every five years. So it’s important we get this right on the House side." He mentioned Congressman Tracey Mann and Congressman Estes working on a Farm Bill in committee while acknowledging current challenges in Senate discussions.

Marshall pointed out significant increases in nutrition program funding: "We’ve doubled the nutrition program from $60 billion to $120 billion." However, he stressed the need for adjustments in crop insurance due to unpredictable weather impacts on farming: "What crop insurance does is allow us to plant next year’s crop... Crop insurance is very expensive."

He concluded by expressing confidence in resolving ongoing discussions regarding crop insurance within Senate deliberations.