Political Quotes

“this evening, I want to highlight a community in my State of Kansas that is a model for rural towns across our State and around the country. It is timely because, just yesterday, the New York City mayor joked that my home State of Kansas has ``no brand'' and then chuckled at his joke. I had planned to give this floor speech before the mayor of New York City used Kansas as a punch line, but now it seems a little more fitting and means even more. Located in Allen County, KS, Humboldt is the home to about 2,000 residents. Like many small communities in rural America, Humboldt was facing declining population numbers as businesses moved away and buildings on Main Street were abandoned. Even the locally owned newspaper, which began business in 1864 and was the State's longest continuously running paper, the Humboldt Union, had to close its doors. However, in the last couple of years, Humboldt has defied the odds. The vacant buildings on Main Street now boast thriving businesses and welcoming storefronts. Since 2020, Humboldt has gained a coffee shop, a variety of bars and restaurants, a fitness center, a microbrewery, a grocery store, a hotel, and the Humboldt Union has been reestablished. Even as the pandemic created new challenges for many small businesses, Humboldt's businesses were able to persevere.…”