Jerry Moran: “every year I conduct town hall meetings in each of the 69 counties that comprise the First District of Kansas. I want to…”

“every year I conduct town hall meetings in each of the 69 counties that comprise the First District of Kansas. I want to hear what's on the minds of my constituents and receive my marching orders that I bring back to Washington, D.C. And so now for the 12th year, I've made the rounds, some 5,000 miles with 69 town hall meetings, and I'm here on the floor tonight to visit one of those issues that has certainly been raised by Kansas voices, and I want to make certain that those voices are heard and that the commonsense that my constituents have is part of the debate on the issues that we face here in the Nation's capital. While the issues that Kansans talk to me about every year--they change I guess from year to year a bit--one thing remains the same. Folks want to see good things happen in their own communities, and they want to see good things happen in their country. This year, the issue I heard the most about was the high cost of energy. I heard from Kansans who can't take much more pain at the pump. Right now, prices which are expected only to increase are too high for Kansans, and it's past time in their opinion, and mine as well, for Congress to pay attention. Farmers, truckers, manufacturers, teachers, seniors, all shared with me that something needs to change or they just can't make it. This is what I heard all across our State. Kansans are trying to get by, and their employers are struggling to keep them employed. And it's not just about economics.…”