Roger Marshall, Kansas needs a senator to put our state, not Trump, first | Opinion

This past week, Sen. Roger Marshall issued a press release titled “President Trump is Keeping Americans Safe.” Shortly after, he scolded us to stop complaining.

Apparently, Marshall can hear Kansans — he’s just unwilling to listen.

Despite promising no more wars, Donald Trump took us right into another war — or “excursion,” as he refers to it. At least 13 service members have died with hundreds more wounded. Remember when Marshall boasted that Trump “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites in July 2025? Was he wrong then, or wrong now? Or both?

This administration is not keeping anyone safe. Our allies stopped answering our calls because of repeated insults and saber-rattling. Worse yet, this administration recently decided to ease sanctions against Russia and Iran, allowing them financial gain while doing nothing for our national security interests. Reports indicate this administration has heavily relied on, and substantially depleted, our Tomahawk cruise missiles and interceptor systems, weakening our defense. Rebuilding those will require critical minerals held by China. All of this is going to increase our national debt, requiring more taxpayer money. Aside from putting our service members in harm’s way, nothing about the Iran war has made us safer.

America’s power came from our ability to feed the world. Kansas led the way, with Wellington just south of Wichita known as the “Wheat Capital of the World.” We understood that feeding people made them less likely to attack us and more likely to aid us. However, this administration dismantled food power in favor of firepower, giving up loaves and fishes for bombs and militias. In combination with earlier illegal tariffs, the conflict naturally increased fuel and fertilizer costs, further plowing Kansas agriculture into the ground. We have a right to complain.

As far as safety at home, this administration started off by pardoning violent criminals, many who have reoffended. This administration sent poorly trained Border Patrol agents into our American cities, resulting in several shootings and the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Trump did not make things safer for them.

This administration claimed it wasn’t pulling agents off important crimes, such as child sexual exploitation. But as a former assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting sex crimes for 16 years, I know that simply was not true. In fact, federal agents who collaborated with Kansas law enforcement were pulled off those cases to work other operations — despite Kansas kids being under attack.

To highlight this, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline reports sent to the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force exploded. In 2015, the task force received 643 tips, initiated investigations on most, and found two new victims of child sexual exploitation. By 2025, the volume of tips increased to 11,064, of which the overworked detectives initiated investigations into only 3,311 (less than a third of the tips), finding 77 new victims. Imagine if agents could have helped on the other 7,753 tips. Imagine how many kids would have been rescued.

This administration also would not allow my colleagues and me to do outreach and education, even when communities asked for it. Ignoring child sexual exploitation is on-brand for this administration, but it’s not keeping Americans safe unless you are part of the Jeffrey Epstein class.

Kansans can see what’s really happening: increased health care costs, closed rural hospitals, farms sent into bankruptcy, gas prices taking off like Artemis II. This administration imposed unilateral and illegal tariffs, created unnecessary conflicts with our trade partners and told farmers it would hurt “for a little while.” A little while has come and gone.

Sen. Marshall, we’ll keep complaining. Kansans deserve better. This midterm, Kansans have the chance to send a tried and true public servant, who cares about the vulnerable, to prosecute for accountability. We’ve had enough of you.

Jason Hart of Wichita is a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. He served 16 years as assistant U.S. attorney assigned to prosecute child sexual exploitation crimes for the District of Kansas.