VOTERS GUIDE | Bloom challenges Mann for Big First seat in US House

Mann is a K-State alumnus from Quinter who has represented the “Big First” district since 2021.

Democrat Paul Buskirk awaits the primary winner in the Nov. 5 general election.

What are your priorities as a candidate, and of those, what is the greatest challenge the nation is facing?

Bloom: No. 1. I support all women’s bodily autonomy and their personal choices in family planning. No. 2. Mandate for Leadership: Project 2025 is the exact opposite of how I would like America’s future. No. 3. Pass a farm bill which incorporates forward thinking in the future of ag.

Mann: We need to reduce and reprioritize government spending, secure the southern border and end the weaponization of the federal government. Washington’s spending addiction has created massive inflation and increased our national debt to $33 trillion. Of that debt, $2.4 trillion has accrued over just the past 365 days. That’s more than $76,000 per second. We’re all feeling it — especially in middle America, where new, costly regulations are forcing small businesses to close, gas is pushing $4 per gallon, and people’s paychecks are over-taxed. House Republicans have offered commonsense solutions to this problem. We passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act to stop wasting taxpayer dollars, reclaim unspent COVID relief money and promote pro-growth economic policies. We must stand firm in our commitment to reducing and reprioritizing government spending. Meanwhile, our southern border is a humanitarian and national security crisis. We must secure the southern border. Additionally, the Biden Administration is overseeing and directing an unprecedented weaponization of the federal government. House Republicans are constantly fighting back against overreaching government regulations that are hurting middle America. When government grows, freedom shrinks. We must unite behind solving these issues as our children’s future is on the chopping block.

What, if anything, should the legislature do to combat inflation?

Bloom: Inflation has a penalty to each citizen. So do inflated interest rates. I would like to exercise federal bonds and explore how we can avoid spending 17% of the federal spending just paying interest on the Federal Deficit. I would hope to entice the ultra-wealthy to invest in the country instead of corporate greed.

Mann: Inflation is a tax on all Americans. For nearly four years, the Biden-Harris Administration burned through taxpayer dollars with sweeping executive orders and big-spending. The REIN IN Inflation Act, however, which I have voted for twice, would force the administration to publish the inflationary impact of its executive orders before enacting them. From canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline to pushing socialist “Green New Deal” regulations on small businesses, the Biden-Harris Administration must be held accountable for the harmful impact of his failed agenda, which continues to drive up the prices of goods, gas, and groceries. We need to rein in our federal spending now to get our country back on track.

What are the key issues in K-12 education right now?

Bloom: Education needs to start at birth. Gov. Kelly helped Kansas daycares get much-needed funding, which has since dried up. Families need to be confident their kids can be educated in a safe environment. Most of my family spent their careers in education, and it is some of the best money we can spend. Normal Kansans do not have private school options, and we need to feed every kid while making our teachers feel respected for their work.

Mann: It’s simple — parents know what is best for their children and have every right to voice concerns regarding what’s being taught in their child’s classroom. Strong schools must work in partnership to educate students, recruit and retain educators, and not force-feed a liberal, leftist ideology.

What can the legislature do to support universities like K-State and its students as tuition increases next year?

Bloom: Like the above answer, Kansas has many higher education options. I feel K-State at Salina offers a vital means of creating a skilled workforce. Satellite education may be a fiscal saving while preserving our schools such as Pitt State, Wichita State and Fort Hays State. Cooperation between the universities makes actual dollars educating students go further.

Mann: The U.S. Congress and states must work together to ensure that educational opportunity is attainable for all students. As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I introduced legislation to bolster federal investment in land-grant universities like Kansas State University that conduct food and agricultural research. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, agricultural research returns $20 in benefits to the economy for every public dollar spent. When we make strong investments like these, we invest in the next generation of Americans and in our food security and national security. That legislation is included in the House Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill. I also sponsor the bipartisan and bicameral Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act, which restores an exemption for family farms and small businesses under the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which applies the net worth of a family farm or small business when calculating a student’s financial need to determine federal student aid eligibility.

What should be the U.S.’s policy as it relates to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict?

Bloom: This topic is one I trust the most educated leaders to hear from the intelligence agencies.

Mann: I cosponsor legislation that expresses Congress’ support for the state of Israel, combats the rampant Iranian missile exports, condemns Hamas, freezes the sanctions on Iran and in the region, and supports the deployment of military equipment in Israel — especially if Congress has already authorized it, and President Biden withholds it. Congress must continue to enact legislation like this to support our only democratic ally in the Middle East — Israel.

What do you think needs to be done to lower the temperature of political rhetoric in the U.S.?

Bloom: In traveling Kansas, those who have attended political events have been cooperative and generally the typical kind Kansans. If we all did less social media bias and 24-hour “news” channels, there can be more reporting on how we all generally all want the same things in life and do not want to be continuously gaslighted.

Mann: At the very top center of the Big First district sits Lebanon. About 2 1/2 miles northwest of Lebanon is the exact middle of the contiguous 48 states. It’s where farmers pray for rain, parents drive 30 miles both ways just to take their kids to school, and communities shrink and grow with oil and gas prices. It’s where the basic values of faith, family and freedom are alive and well. It is the pilot light of America, and it is our job to get to the middle of the issues that matter in places like Lebanon, have hard conversations, roll up our sleeves, and get to work so we can ensure that light never goes out. It’s these same Kansas values that we need in Washington, D.C. and across our nation now more than ever.