On the recordApril 14, 2021
today I am honored to stand on this hallowed Senate floor and share my gratitude for and the priorities of the people of Kansas. I want to start by thanking the people of Kansas who believed in me and sent me here to represent them. It is an honor of a lifetime to follow in the steps of heroic Kansans who preceded me in this legislative body. That includes sharing this tour of duty with my long- time friend whom I have admired for decades and now my senior Senator, Jerry Moran, as well as legends of this Chamber, my mentors Bob Dole and Pat Roberts. But before I continue, I want to say a special word of gratitude to my family for all of their support. I would not be here today without the support of my wife of 37 years now, Laina, our four children and their spouses, our three grandchildren, as well as my parents, brother, sister, and extended family, who in so many ways have contributed to our campaigns and the work we have done in Congress. I am grateful for their understanding, their unwavering support, and sacrifice of privacy and family time, but, mostly, I am grateful for the values they passed on to me. I am grateful for the many teachers, coaches, pastors, and personal friends who inspired me and gave me a solid foundation of values that have seen us through tough times. These values provided the foundation for me, a fifth-generation farm kid, to become a first-generation college student and live my American dream as a physician in rural America.…
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