U.S. Rep. Sam Graves Archives

U.S. Agriculture Secretary heading to Kansas City on Friday; Graves praises relocation plan (AUDIO)

November 11, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A congressman who represents 36 northern Missouri counties is praising USDA’s selection of Kansas City as the site for two major USDA facilities.

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, farms in northwest Missouri’s Atchison County in October 2019 (photo courtesy of Congressman Graves’ office)

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, a sixth-generation family farmer, says 90 percent of USDA employees are already outside of Washington. Graves’ sprawling district includes the northern Kansas City suburbs.

“The closer we can get USDA’s core or headquarter staff to agriculture, the better,” Graves says.

USDA will relocate its Economic Research Service (ERS) and its National Institute of Food and Agriculture Policy (NIFA) agencies to Pennsylvania Avenue in Kansas City.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue will travel to the location on Friday morning to hold an event with Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Senator Roy Blunt, state Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Chris Chinn, state Department of Economic Development Director Rob Dixon and others.

Congressman Graves praises the relocation plan, saying it will decentralize USDA.

“When you put too many bureaucrats for an agency inside the Beltway, inside Washington D.C. where they’re not out there interacting with the very people that they are supposed to be serving, then you get into some serious problems,” says Graves.

He says USDA’s decision puts the agencies closer to constituencies.

Graves also predicts the decision will have a “ripple effect” two to three counties deep. He says the average wages for the approximately 550 positions are between $80,000 and $100,000.

“Buying homes, renting apartments, buying gas, buying groceries, buying new televisions, whatever the case may be,” Graves says.

He also emphasizes that the issue has been bipartisan, noting that he’s been working closely with U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas (D) has also praised the plan and the bipartisan regional efforts to land the jobs. Mayor Lucas notes Kansas City is an essential part of the animal health corridor.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, which was recorded on November 1, 2019:

Congressman Graves: Corps’ priorities for Missouri River are backwards (AUDIO)

August 10, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A congressman who represents flood-damaged northern Missouri is blasting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, saying it’s “long past time” that flood control is the top priority for the Missouri River.

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, tours the MFA Rail facility near northwest Missouri’s Hamilton on October 8, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Graves’ office)

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, the ranking Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, visited flood-impacted Brunswick on Friday. Brunswick, a Chariton County town of about 800, sustained severe flooding from the Grand River this summer.

Graves met with Brunswick officials to discuss flood recovery efforts. He tells Missourinet he’s losing his patience.

“This is so frustrating, it’s getting old, it’s getting tiresome, it’s affecting people’s lives, it’s affecting communities,” Graves says.

He says flooding has caused devastation across north Missouri, including Brunswick. Graves describes the Corps’ management priorities on the Missouri River as “backwards.”

“And it’s so frustrating, you just literally want to pull your hair out,” says Graves. “And we continue to pound on the Corps and push the Corps and we can’t seem to get anywhere with them.”

Graves agrees with Governor Mike Parson’s call for the Corps to manage the Missouri River differently.

Parson notes that he and fellow governors from Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska have met with the Corps, urging them to give states a seat at the table. Parson says states must have a significant say in Missouri River management.

Graves represents 36 counties across north Missouri. His sprawling district, which has more square miles than nine states, spans from the Missouri to the Mississippi rivers.

Graves’ district includes Brunswick, St. Joseph and Hannibal.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, which was recorded on August 7, 2019:

Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan to be honored in north Missouri (AUDIO)

August 8, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A post office in northern Missouri will be renamed for a Navy SEAL from Macon County who died in a 2010 helicopter crash while serving in Afghanistan.

An undated photo of Navy SEAL Adam Olin Smith, who died in Afghanistan in 2010 (photo courtesy of United States Postal Service)

The United States Postal Service (USPS) will hold a dedication ceremony Friday morning in Bevier for Adam Olin Smith, who grew up in the small town of about 700. U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, says Smith always wanted to be a Navy SEAL.

“You know this is somebody that was a hero, a leader, he was 26 years old, he was a Navy SEAL, graduated from Bevier High School,” Graves says.

Smith grew up in Bevier with his three brothers and seven sisters. Bevier is west of Macon.

Congressman Graves sponsored the 2018 bill to rename the Bevier Post Office after Smith, and it was signed into law by President Donald Trump. Graves will speak at Friday morning’s ceremony, which begins at 11 at the Bevier city park.

“It’s a testament to his legacy there in Macon County, and it’s an honor to dedicate it with his family and friends,” says Graves.

Graves, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, tells Missourinet the public is invited to the ceremony. He’s hoping for a big turnout.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Congressman Sam Graves, which was recorded on August 7, 2019:

Missouri native confirmed as HUD Assistant Secretary (AUDIO)

June 27, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The U.S. Senate has confirmed St. Louis native Seth Appleton as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Assistant Secretary.

St. Louis native Seth Appleton is now the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Assistant Secretary (2019 photo courtesy of HUD)

Mr. Appleton served as the chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, from 2009 to 2017. He describes Appleton as a workhorse.

“He’ll do a fantastic job,” Luetkemeyer says. “He’s interned with (former Missouri Senator) Jim Talent and worked for (Congressman) Sam Graves, so he’s got a lot of Missouri connections besides being from Missouri, but a very bright guy.”

HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson says Appleton brings a data-driven approach to HUD’s mission.

Luetkemeyer says Appleton works well with lawmakers in both parties, saying that is critical in areas like affordable housing.

“He has a very even temperament which it takes to be able to work with both sides so he’s willing to sit down and find solutions,” says Luetkemeyer.

Congressman Luetkemeyer, the former chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, tells Missourinet that Appleton helped him pass one of the biggest pieces of bipartisan housing legislation in 25 years.

“It passed the House in unanimous fashion, passed the Senate in unanimous fashion and was a huge, huge bill that made lots and lots of changes and updates to HUD,” Luetkemeyer says.

Luetkemeyer notes Democratic President Barack Obama signed that bill into law, and that U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, was the subcommittee’s ranking Democrat at the time. Appleton also worked with Congressman Cleaver on the bill.

The law has 62 provisions.

As for the future, Luetkemeyer says affordable housing will be one of the most important issues Appleton will face, because it impacts both urban and rural America.

Appleton graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor of arts degree in history.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full five-minute interview with Missouri Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, which was recorded on June 25, 2019:

Missouri Farm Bureau praises USDA’s Kansas City relocation proposal (AUDIO)

June 16, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The head of Missouri’s largest general farm organization is praising the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed relocation of two major USDA facilities to the Kansas City region.

Image courtesy of the Missouri Farm Bureau

Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst says the move will improve USDA’s customer service, by having our public servants living where their customers are.

“You know within a day’s drive of their new headquarters (in the greater Kansas City area) will be most of the corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, cotton, I mean you think about the crops, pork, beef,” Hurst says.

Hurst describes Kansas City as the heart of our farm economy.

“The Kansas City area is home to what we call the animal science corridor, just very close to some of the best plant science researchers in the world,” says Hurst.

The Kansas City Area Development Council says the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor is home to more than 300 animal health companies, representing the world’s largest concentration.

The Council says the corridor is anchored by Columbia and Manhattan, Kansas, which is where Kansas State University is located.

There is opposition to the relocation from U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, who vows to explore all options to reverse USDA’s decision.

Leader Hoyer has issued a statement, which says the proposed relocation would disrupt the work done by USDA and would hurt the morale of federal employees.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, says more than 550 jobs are involved, with average wages between $80,000 and $100,000.

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, tells Missourinet the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) will conduct a search for a site, emphasizing that nothing has been decided yet on the site.

Hurst agrees and says whether it’s located in Missouri or eastern Kansas, the Kansas City area and Missouri will benefit. He’s hoping it will be in Missouri.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst, which was recorded on June 13, 2019:

Missouri Congressman Graves optimistic about USDA moving to Kansas City region (AUDIO)

June 14, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it’s selected the greater Kansas City area for the relocation of two major facilities: its Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agricultural Policy.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, says the decision will draw more than 550 jobs to the Kansas City region, with average wages between $80,000 and $100,000.

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, tours the MFA Rail facility near northwest Missouri’s Hamilton on October 8, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Graves’ office)

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, who represents 36 northern Missouri counties, says it makes sense to move the USDA agencies from Washington to what he describes as “the heart of farm country.”

“This is going to take those agencies right out to the very places that they’re doing research for and trying to help and the industry they’re trying to help,” Graves says.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) says the Kansas City area is closer to USDA’s farmer-constituent base. Congressman Graves, who farms in northwest Missouri, agrees. He says the move gets USDA closer to the people they serve.

“And what’s more, it gets them closer to FAPRI, the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute there at the University of Missouri which does a lot of the work, the research work for these two agencies,” says Graves.

FAPRI was started in 1984. Its website notes it provides objective analysis of markets and policies. One of its primary purposes is to provide decision makers with information about how policy changes or market conditions impact the agricultural sector.

While there will be efforts to block it, Graves is optimistic about USDA’s proposal to relocate to the Kansas City region. He says it underscores the quality of life in the greater Kansas City area.

“We’ve got good schools and we got good communities and safe communities and that’s what is important when it comes to attracting folks to take these positions,” Graves says.

Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst agrees, saying Kansas City “is the heart of our farm economy” and is the right choice for USDA.

U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, is blasting the move, calling it the “wrong decision.” Leader Hoyer has issued a statement, saying he’ll continue to explore all options to reverse USDA’s decision.

Cleaver expects a fight from the Maryland and Virginia congressional delegations.

Congressman Graves says the move will save tax dollars. The “Kansas City Star” reports Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says the relocation will save USDA about $300 million over 15 years.

Graves tells Missourinet the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) will conduct a search for a site, emphasizing that nothing has been decided yet on the site.

Graves also emphasizes that it’s been a bipartisan effort in Missouri to land the jobs, crediting both Congressman Cleaver and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, which was recorded on June 13, 2019: