From the office of Rep. Ron Estes

Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kan., distributed a newsletter addressing three main topics:

Government Shutdown: Estes said House Republicans passed a clean funding bill Sept. 19, but it has stalled in the Senate. He accused Democrats of continuing the shutdown over discretionary spending demands, which he said account for about 25% of government spending. Estes claimed Democrats are demanding taxpayer-funded health care for illegal immigrants and stripping rural health care funding from the Working Families Tax Cuts. He noted Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid payments would continue during a shutdown.

Illegal Border Crossings: The newsletter states U.S. Border Patrol data shows illegal crossings at their lowest annual level since 1970. It reports Border Patrol captured 238,000 illegal immigrants in fiscal year 2025, compared with 2.2 million apprehended at the southern border during Joe Biden's presidency — nearly 10 times the current figure.

Working Families Tax Cuts: The legislation supports family farms by raising the death tax exemption and making it permanent, benefiting more than 2 million farms nationwide, many in Kansas.

The newsletter also mentioned Estes' media appearances discussing the shutdown on KNSS radio and at CNH Industrial in Wichita.