Derek's Docket, August 4, 2025

Friends,

After a busy first half of the legislative year, Congress recently began our annual extended district work period. It has been a productive few months. While we certainly have much more work to do, I'm proud of what we've been able to accomplish to date. We've had a great first quarter of the 119th Congress, and we're just getting started.

Lowering Drug Prices
An overwhelming majority of Kansans agree drug prices are too high. For years, foreign countries have benefitted from American ingenuity, capitalizing on our domestic innovation without paying the cost of research & development (R&D). The statistics are staggering: though American patients account for less than 5% of the global population, we fund nearly 75% of global pharmaceutical profits around the world. In 2023 alone, manufacturers invested over $96 billion in R&D, with more than $71 billion coming from the United States.
Encouraging continued pharmaceutical R&D investment is critical to achieving medical breakthroughs; however, Kansans shouldn't have to bear an unfair share of the cost. That why I recently joined my colleagues to encourage United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer to take further action to address foreign policies that force the American health care system to subsidize an unfair share of pharmaceutical R&D. We wrote the letter following the establishment of USTR's commonsense Request for Comments Regarding Foreign Nations Freeloading on American-Financed Innovation initiative, which aims to end years-long practices by foreign nations who benefit from American ingenuity without paying their fair share.
President Trump and Ambassador Greer have done an excellent job securing trade deals that protect our domestic industries from foreign competitors while leveling the playing field for American producers and manufacturers in global markets. Foreign countries' price controls have negatively affected American patients for far too long; I'm optimistic we can finally address this glaring problem and lower prices for patients in Kansas and across the country.

Assisting Kansas Veterans
Last week, President Trump signed the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act into law. I proudly supported this legislation in the House.
Originally introduced by my colleague Rep. Derrick Van Orden from Wisconsin, the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act will provide a critical lifeline to help many veterans facing financial difficulties avoid losing their homes.
Kansas is home to nearly 150,000 of our nation's heroes. Many veterans carry visible and invisible wounds with them for their entire lives, which can make stable employment and income difficult to maintain. This lack of stability unfortunately often leads to a host of problems, including bankruptcy and loss of housing. In fact, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that 40,056 veterans are homeless on any given night. That number represents 13% of our country's adult homeless population.
This legislation provides a safety net to our veterans by creating a partial claim program that is in-line with current Federal Housing Administration loan relief programs, with the goal of assisting veterans in avoiding foreclosure on their homes. 3.7 million veterans currently using the VA Home Loan program could benefit from having the safety net created by this bill, should they need it.
This legislation is an important step toward achieving President Trump's goal of ending veteran homelessness. In June, the House took another step toward achieving this goal when we advanced the annual appropriations bill that provides funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects. Our legislation makes historic investments in veterans' care by increasing funding levels from fiscal year 2025, ensuring those who have served have access to the full scope of benefits they've earned.
Providing adequate benefits for current and former servicemembers in Kansas and across the country will always be one of my top priorities in Congress. I'm proud my colleagues and I were able to pass this legislation, and I look forward to supporting similar legislation in the future.

A Kansas Visitor and Another Telephone Town Hall
Thank you to State Senator Rick and Pennie Kloos for visiting me in Washington recently! Staying connected with our local and state officials is critical to ensuring the federal government remains a good partner to Kansas.
Thank you also to all the Kansans who joined our recent telephone town hall! Speaking directly with Second District residents is critical to ensuring I'm representing you to the best of my ability. If you weren't able to join us, be sure to keep an eye out for our next one.

Though Congress won't be in session in August, I'll still be working every day for the people of our Second District. I look forward to being back home with the people I'm blessed to represent!

As always, my office is here to serve you. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have. Be sure to also follow me on social media at the links below for timely updates from my office.

It's an incredible honor to represent our Second Congressional District in Congress!

Sincerely,

Derek Schmidt

Member of Congress