National politics

Congress to consider addition to Fort Scott National Historic Site
By Peter Hancock
July 10, 2017
The U.S. House is set to vote on a bill Tuesday night that would allow the Fort Scott National Historic Site to acquire a Civil War-era blockhouse, which is located at the park but has been held in private hands for many decades. Second District Rep. Lynn Jenkins is sponsoring the bill.
Disabled school children caught in debate over repealing and replacing Obamacare
By Peter Hancock
July 2, 2017
Public schools in Kansas receive $46 million a year in Medicaid funds to provide services for disabled children like 7-year-old Franklin Fergus of Lawrence. But caregivers and health care advocates say that funding could be in jeopardy under plans that congressional Republicans are proposing to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as “Obamacare.”
U.S. Rep. Jenkins lands in national spotlight amid Trump tweets; Yoder and Moran also condemn president’s attack
By Peter Hancock
June 29, 2017
Kansas Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins drew national attention Thursday when she pushed back against President Trump over a tweet in which he made demeaning comments about a female TV news anchor.
Sen. Pat Roberts still defends GOP health plan; health care advocates say it’s terrible for Kansas
By Peter Hancock
11:29 a.m., June 28, 2017 Updated 06:43 p.m.
U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts said the bill would have been good for Kansas and that the Senate needs to act soon, “to prepare for Obamacare’s inevitable collapse.” Health care advocates in Kansas strongly disagreed with his statement.
Kansas’ Sen. Moran, target of protests, comes out against GOP health care bill
Staff and Wire Reports
June 27, 2017
Sen. Jerry Moran issued a statement Monday saying he would oppose the Republican-backed health care bill that would have repealed much of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. His statement came shortly after GOP leaders delayed a vote on the bill that had been expected this week.
Kansas health care experts critical of Senate GOP’s ‘repeal-and-replace’ plan
By Peter Hancock
June 25, 2017
A plan by U.S. Senate Republicans to repeal and replace Obamacare would lead to deep cuts in Medicaid spending in Kansas and would do nothing to help struggling community hospitals, local officials say. Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts says he is supporting the bill anyway, but Sen. Jerry Moran has not yet committed.
Kansas Congresswoman Jenkins not present during talk about Russian payments to Trump
By Peter Hancock
May 18, 2017
U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins was vice chair of the House Republican caucus last summer, but her office says she was not present for a June 15, 2016, meeting in which Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California reportedly said he believed then-candidate Donald Trump might be receiving payments from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kansas congressional delegation mostly approves appointment of special counsel, but Marshall calls it a ‘witch hunt’
By Peter Hancock
May 18, 2017
Most members of the Kansas delegation called the decision appropriate but 1st District Rep. Roger Marshall of Great Bend called it a “witch hunt.”
Roberts supports Comey firing; other Kansans in Congress more cautious
By Peter Hancock
May 10, 2017
U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas suggested Wednesday that President Donald Trump was justified in firing former FBI Director James Comey amid an investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
All 4 Kansans in U.S. House supported Obamacare repeal
By Peter Hancock
May 6, 2017
The Kansas delegation in the U.S. House, all Republicans, voted in unison to repeal major provisions of the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama’s signature piece of health care legislation.
LMH may have to pick up some patients if Topeka’s St. Francis closes
By Peter Hancock
April 24, 2017
The potential closure of a 378-bed hospital in Topeka could have an impact on Lawrence Memorial Hospital which might be forced to absorb some of the patient load.
Topeka hospital granted 2-week reprieve from closure, but operator pulling out; questions grow about $250M in charitable assets
By Peter Hancock
01:38 p.m., April 18, 2017 Updated 02:44 p.m.
The owners of St. Francis Health Center in Topeka said Tuesday that they will not announce the closure of the facility for at least two weeks while they continue negotiating with potential buyers. But even if no buyer is found, Denver-based SCL Health said it would not continue to operate the financially troubled hospital beyond this summer.
St. Francis uncertainty likely to put Medicaid expansion back on the table
By Peter Hancock
04:23 p.m., April 17, 2017 Updated 05:26 p.m.
As state officials prepare for the possibility that a major hospital in Topeka will soon close its doors, supporters of expanding Medicaid say they’ll try again to push a bill through the Legislature when it reconvenes May 1.
Paul Davis exploring 2nd District congressional race
By Peter Hancock
02:15 p.m., April 13, 2017 Updated 05:46 p.m.
The Lawrence Democrat is a former state representative who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2014. Incumbent Rep. Lynn Jenkins, a Republican, has already announced that she will not seek re-election in 2018.
Angry over GOP health overhaul, crowd confronts Rep. Jenkins in Lawrence
By Peter Hancock
March 13, 2017
U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins faced a boisterous audience during a town hall-style meeting at the Dole Institute of Politics on the University of Kansas campus as constituents peppered her with questions and comments about a Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. The event occurred on the same day the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the GOP plan would reduce the federal deficit by $337 billion over 10 years, but that 24 million Americans would lose their health coverage over that same period.

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