Kansas Republicans condemn Biden economic agenda following KCK visit by first lady
Kansas Republicans condemned the economic agenda of Democrats and President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday, a day after first lady Jill Biden declared during a visit to the state that “government can be good.”
Amanda Adkins, the likely 2022 Republican opponent of Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids in the state’s 3rd Congressional District, moderated a roundtable discussion on business issues in Lenexa that amounted to an implicit response to the first lady’s trip to Kansas City, Kan. During the visit, Biden touted the federal aid available to small businesses.
The panel featured Kansas Republican national committeewoman Kim Borchers, Eudora state Sen. Beverly Gossage and Kansas City area businessman Frank Oddo, founder of the janitorial services company City Wide. They took turns voicing fears that the United States economy is on the wrong track.
The panel came hours after the United States reported a surge in consumer prices pushed inflation up 5.4% in September from a year ago. Inflation has risen in recent months as the economy recovers from the pandemic and global supply chains are snarled.
“As I’ve been out in the community talking with business leaders, the number one issue I hear first and foremost is inflation,” Adkins said. “There’s a lot of concern about inflation.”
Adkins, a former Cerner executive, ran against Davids in 2020 and lost by more than 10 points. The likely 2022 rematch comes as the dimensions of the district remain uncertain ahead of a once-a-decade redistricting process by the GOP-controlled state Legislature.
During the panel, Oddo, whose businesses include construction, said prices have risen on lumber and other products, sending the project costs higher. In addition, he said his businesses have struggled to hire workers (labor advocates say employers aren’t paying enough).
Gossage said she had received emails as a state senator from people saying they could make more under expanded unemployment programs than by working. “This is what somebody told me, ‘I feel like a fool if I don’t take this government money,’” she said.
While some conservatives say enhanced unemployment benefits during the pandemic discouraged people from working, many economists sharply dispute the notion.
When the enhanced benefits expired nationally last month, economists at JPMorgan found “zero correlation” between job growth and state decision to end unemployment aid early. About half of states terminated the extra aid early. An economist at Columbia University also found only minimal benefits.
The message at the GOP gathering in Lenexa stood in stark contrast to the Biden event on Tuesday when the first lady, Davids and other officials emphasized the importance of federal initiatives as the economic recovery continues, such as the COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan, a relief loan for struggling small businesses. The program has provided about $2.6 million in loans to Kansas so far.
“I think a lot of times people don’t have a really positive image of the government and what the government does, so I think it’s important we get out the message,” the first lady said Tuesday.
In a statement, Davids said every day she works “to bring the voices of the Third District to Washington, whether that’s advocating for Kansas business owners on the House Small Business Committee, or working to make sure every community is included in our economic recovery.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting
This story was originally published October 13, 2021 at 3:14 PM.
