Tag: Sen. Roger Marshall

Kansas’ four U.S. House members vote to deepen sanctions against Russia

by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall are part of a bipartisan 10-member entourage of senators traveling to Poland and Germany to gathering information about NATO and the response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, the Iowa Republican leading the delegation, scheduled meetings with top military leaders about work of NATO allies and to learn firsthand more about the “heartbreaking humanitarian impact” of Russia President Vladimir Putin’s “war of aggression.”

Republicans Marshall and Moran, who were in Europe on Friday, said a prime directive of the United States’ government was to protect freedom and liberty for people around the world. Kansas is the only state with two senators in this overseas delegation.

“The United States has the capability to provide further resources to Ukrainians through defensive military equipment, food aid and medical supplies to give Ukraine a fighting chance not only to survive but to win,” Moran said.

Moran was recently appointed to the Senate’s NATO Observer Group comprised of six Republicans and six Democrats. The panel was re-established in 2018 to better inform senators outside of national security committees about defense spending commitments of alliance members, the alliance’s counter-terrorism capability, NATO enlargement and the ability of NATO members to address non-conventional warfare.

Marshall said President Joe Biden wasn’t doing enough in terms of economic sanctions against Russia. The Kansas senator said Ukrainian forces should be given broader access to MiG-29 and A-10 fighter aircraft as well as additional drones and anti-aircraft missiles. Marshall also sponsored legislation banning U.S. purchases of Russian uranium.

“I am committed that there will be no American bloodshed in Ukraine,” Marshall said. “This has to be a war that is led be Europe. We will be standing beside and behind, but we don’t want American pilots in the air space or American boots on the ground.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. House voted 424-8 on Thursday to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus. The measure sent to the U.S. Senate would enable Biden to impose higher tariffs on Russian goods.

Biden’s directives to cut off flow of Russian oil, gas, seafood, alcohol and diamonds to the United States has blocked an estimated 60% of Russian imports.

“We must keep in mind that the American marketplace is not something that is a right. It is a privilege for those that uphold international order,” said U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Kansas Republican. “Congress must make clear to the world that normal trade relations with the United States must be reserved for honest brokers that adhere to international order.”

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/03/18/moran-marshall-travel-to-europe-for-nato-briefings-amid-invasion-of-ukraine/.

The two Republican senators from Kansas, Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall, voted against the latest coronavirus bill on Saturday.

The bill passed by a narrow 50-49 vote after an all-nighter in the U.S. Senate. It would provide $1.9 trillion for relief, and it includes $1,400 in relief payments to individuals. The Senate was in session for 27 hours straight before passage. Unemployment benefits were extended through September.

President Joe Biden supported the compromise version of the bill, and the White House sent out this statement: “The President supports the compromise agreement, and is grateful to all the Senators who worked so hard to reach this outcome. It extends supplemental unemployment benefit into September, and helps the vast majority of unemployment insurance recipients avoid unanticipated tax bills. Most importantly, this agreement allows us to move forward on the urgently needed American Rescue Plan, with $1,400 relief checks, funding we need to finish the vaccine rollout, open our schools, help those suffering from the pandemic, and more.”

In a statement, Sen. Moran explained why he voted against it, calling the relief package a “costly bill that has little to do with COVID-19.”

Sen. Moran’s statement: “Last month, I joined a group of 10 Republican senators in offering President Biden a targeted and far less expensive alternative to the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion budget plan. Unfortunately, Senator Schumer and Speaker Pelosi chose to ignore our work, which is supported by a majority of Americans, and ram through a costly bill that has little to do with COVID-19. This $1.9 trillion bill is filled with Democrat wish list items such as unnecessary infrastructure projects, state bailouts, climate change provisions and billions of dollars that won’t be spent for several years. Congress has already provided $4 trillion of COVID-19 relief through five bipartisan packages, and nearly $1 trillion have yet to be spent. That is why I introduced and supported efforts to stay focused on manufacturing and distributing the vaccines. It is the most important thing we can do to get healthy and our economy moving again.”

Sen. Marshall’s statement: “Having passed each of the previous COVID packages on a bipartisan basis, it is disappointing this $1.9 trillion bill has been a totally partisan process from the start. Forcing hardworking Kansans to pay for democrat pet projects and to bail out blue states who over reacted and totally shut down their economies and their schools is not fair and it’s not American,” Sen. Marshall said. “Without question we need to help those who truly need the help now but cheating Kansas of $400 million in state and local relief does the exact opposite. I remain focused on what will defeat this virus: getting shots in arms, getting people back to work, and getting kids back to school.”
Sen. Marshall stated that he supported Sen. Susan Collins’ amendment to the Democrat’s bill, which he said would have provided fair, direct, and targeted relief to Americans in need. Democrats defeated the alternative 48-51.

Two U.S. senators from Kansas, Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall, both Republicans, voted not guilty on Saturday in the impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump.

Trump had been charged with inciting an insurrection, in the Jan. 6 event at the U.S. Capitol, in which a mob overran the Senate and the Capitol at a time when the Senate was certifying the Electoral College vote for the presidential election.

The impeachment charges did not pass the Senate on Saturday. The vote was 57 guilty, 43 not guilty, and a two-thirds majority was required to pass. Besides Democrats, seven Republican senators and two independent senators voted guilty.

U.S. Congressional and Senate officeholders went into hiding during the riot, fearing for their lives. During the Jan. 6 event, according to the impeachment proceedings, a mob went through the Capitol, shouting, “Hang (former Vice President) Mike Pence.” Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died in the riot.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, issued this statement after voting not guilty:

“The violence at the United States Capitol on January 6 was an attempt to subvert democracy, and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. Rioters and extremists sought to prevent Members of Congress and Vice President Pence from performing their constitutional obligation to affirm the results of an election, and President Trump was wrong to continue to spread allegations of widespread fraud and not immediately discourage the reprehensible and unpatriotic behavior.

“The Constitution does not clearly state whether a former president can be tried for impeachment by the Senate, but I believe the impeachment process is intended to be used for considering whether or not ‘The President’ should be removed from office. Because former President Trump is no longer in office, I voted to acquit. Establishing the precedent that the Senate has jurisdiction to convict a former president would cause extreme damage to our country and the future of the presidency.”

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, issued this statement after he voted not guilty:

“This impeachment trial has kept us from doing the work we need to be focused on: getting the COVID-19 vaccine in to peoples’ arms, opening our economy back up, getting Americans back to work, as well as confirming an agriculture secretary to get the $1.5 billion in CARES funding out to farmers, ranchers, and folks who need help putting food on the table.

“This trial has brought to light just how much was known about the planning of the riot prior to January 6th and questions now linger as to what was known by Nancy Pelosi and security officials in the Capitol and across federal agencies ahead of time. One question does not remain and that is: What was the motivation of this trial? The motivation was political hatred and was simply a continuation of the four-year impeachment fixation on the part of the House Managers and the Democrat Party.

“Let me be clear, both sides of the aisle are guilty of heated rhetoric. But, equally guilty are the House Managers and the Democrats for their hypocrisy, and President Trump’s defense team painted that picture clearly.

“While I believe this entire trial was unconstitutional from the start, I hope that the failure to convict will put an end to the Democrat’s obsession and allow temperatures to finally settle and for us to work in a bipartisan fashion moving forward. It’s true, we face many challenges ahead as a nation. But, I remain confident there are brighter days ahead for Kansas and our entire country. It’s time for congress to get back to the work of the American people.”