TexAgRepublican

From The Office of Kyle Van Horn For Immediate Release Washington, DC – Senate Minority Whip Kyle Van Horn (R-KY) talked to the press after introducing the No Sanctuary for Criminal Aliens Act. “Immigration is one of my top priorities, and that continues by introducing the No Sanctuary for Criminal Aliens Act. This bill is very straightforward. It defunds sanctuary cities. Our immigration laws must be enforced, and we cannot allow rogue localities to circumvent federal law. This is non-negotiable. Illegal immigration is a crisis, and we need all hands on deck.”

From The Office of Kyle Van Horn For Immediate Release Washington, DC – Senate Minority Whip Kyle Van Horn (R-KY) talked to the press after introducing the EL CHAPO Act to the Senate. “The extradition of the drug lord El Chapo to the United States is a huge win for our country in its battle against drug cartels. It also presents an incredible opportunity to fund our border security. El Chapo has about $14 billion in drug profits and other assets related to his illegal activities. That money should be used towards securing our border. That is why today I introduced the EL CHAPO Act. This bill ensures that El Chapo’s ill-gotten gains will be used for security measures along the border, including the construction of a wall. It also ensures that profits and assets from other cartel members will be used for the same purpose when they are brought to justice.”

From The Office of Kyle Van Horn For Immediate Release Washington, DC – Senator Kyle Van Horn (R-KY) talked to the press after being appointed Senate Minority Whip by Senate Minority Leader Cliff Fleming (R-AL). “I am new here to the Senate, but I’ve always answered the call to serve when people need me. Cliff asked me to step in here, and I agreed to do it. It’s not a job I was pursuing, but I’ve built relationships throughout the conference in my short time here. I think it will help bring the conference together.”

Senator Kyle Van Horn (R-KY) It’s an honor to be here today at CPAC in front of so many great American patriots. Thank you for that welcome. I wish I was speaking to you under better circumstances. Unfortunately, the last presidential election did not go our way. And while President de la Cruz was supposed to govern as a centrist, it looks like we’re getting four more years of managed decline under Obama 2.0. The same people that bailed out big corporations and big government while you got almost nothing are here to stay for a while. Don’t believe me? Just look at the nominations the President has made for her cabinet and for the Supreme Court. Personnel is policy, and the President’s personnel decisions speak for themselves. It's like Obama never even left the White House. For example, at Secretary of Defense, we got Michelle Flournoy – the mastermind behind President Obama’s disaster in Libya. We got Peter Orszag, one of the masterminds behind the Obama economic policy that left so many Americans behind. And for the Supreme Court, we literally got the same person that President Obama nominated. The same nominee who tried to prevent cop-killers back home in Kentucky from getting the death penalty. The same nominee who tried to protect sanctuary cities. And Democrats wonder why most of us don’t want him. The question now is, where do we go from here? What is America’s road map to get out of this mess? What policies need to be enacted? Well first, we need to close the border and enforce America’s immigration laws. That is why I introduced the SAFE Act to properly screen refugees before they are allowed into our country and prevent a European-style refugee crisis from happening here in America. We must also build walls, hire more border patrol agents, and diligently enforce our immigration laws to get the situation on our southern border under control. No more sanctuary cities, and certainly no Supreme Court judges who support them. Second, we must look out for the American worker. That is why I introduced the Fair Trade Act to authorize the use of tariffs on countries like China that are manipulating their currency and killing millions of American jobs. It’s also why I introduced the Legal Workforce Act to require that all companies use the e-verify system to ensure that their employees are here legally. We need a trade policy that protects American jobs, and we need an immigration policy that ensures that those American jobs are going to American workers. We must also tackle the greatest national security threat facing America today, and that’s radical Islamic extremism. Make no mistake about it, Islamic extremist groups like ISIS are an existential threat to Western civilization. They have attacked us on American soil, and they must be destroyed. It’s non-negotiable. The entire civilized world – even countries that may disagree with each other – need to come together to defeat this threat. America should set the example to make sure that happens. Finally, we must deal with one of the worst healthcare epidemics in American history – and that’s the opioid crisis. Pharmaceutical companies flooded Appalachia with painkillers, and the results have been catastrophic. Families and communities are being ripped apart. Places like my hometown of Louisa, Kentucky are in the epicenter of this crisis. This is personal for me, and that’s why I introduced the Opioid Crisis Accountability Act right before I arrived here today. I’ll be talking about this bill and this issue in more detail soon, but simply put this bill will hold the pharmaceutical companies accountable for the damage they’ve caused and prevent something like this from ever happening again. What the drug companies did to us is not capitalism – it’s criminal. I entered politics in the first place because like many of you, I served my country overseas and put way too much on the line to let things get out of hand. I was the only Republican willing to run in a State Senate District in Eastern Kentucky that hadn’t been represented by a Republican since the 60’s. I’m here to do a job, and I will do that job the best I can. There’s a lot of drama here in DC. I’m not perfect, but I’ll do my best to focus on what’s important – the American people. Thank you for your support, and God bless America.

Name: Kyle Van Horn Media/Outlet: Fox News Reason: Watford nomination • Democrats say that we’re supposed to confirm Watford because they won the election. Well, my home state didn’t vote for them. Kentucky voted for McCord and elected me to the Senate. • I wasn’t in the Senate last year. I don’t care what talking points Republicans used back then. I am making this decision based on what I think is right and what I think is best for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. • Watford has a lot of liberal views that I don’t agree with and that my constituents don’t agree with. Watford tried to overturn the execution of cop-killers back home in Kentucky. Considering I just introduced legislation to make cop-killers eligible for the federal death penalty, his opinion is far removed from both my personal views and the views of the people I know back home. • Watford is also weak on immigration, which I think is arguably the most important issue of our time. Watford tried to overturn an Arizona law that eliminated sanctuary cities and required state and local governments to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Again, this is an issue where there is a lot of daylight between myself and Watford since I oppose sanctuary cities. • President de la Cruz was supposed to be a moderate, sort of like many of the Democrats back home in Kentucky. Instead, it looks like we’re getting Obama 2.0. We can do better than this, and I hope the President goes back to the drawing board and gets us a new nominee.

From The Office of Senator Kyle Van Horn For Immediate Release Washington, DC – Senator Kyle Van Horn (R-KY) spoke to the press after he introduced the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act. “A lot of politicians back home talk about taking care of coal miners. Often times that means protecting their jobs from unnecessary regulations. While that is very important, it is also important to take care of our miners when their careers are over. One of the biggest challenges many miners face after their career ends is black lung disease. This is a debilitating and deadly disease that has caused more than 78,000 deaths since 1968. Miners who contract this disease can get benefits paid out by the Black Lung Benefits Act. Unfortunately, there is a backlog of cases and many miners are having trouble getting the benefits they are entitled to. Sometimes they even have to fight for their benefits in court. That is why I introduced the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act. This bill provides miners with better and more timely benefits by streamlining the black lung benefits process, reducing the backlog of benefits claims, restoring lost cost-of-benefit increases, ensuring cost-of-living increases are never withheld in the future, and helping claimants secure legal representation. The bill also improves miners’ access to medical evidence so that claims can be decided fairly in court. The bill requires full disclosure of medical information, prohibits unethical conduct by doctors and attorneys, and allows miners or their survivors to reopen previously denied cases. This bill will make it much easier for miners and their families to get the benefits they deserve in a timely manner.”

From The Office of Kyle Van Horn For Immediate Release Washington, DC – Senator Kyle Van Horn (R-KY) talked to the press after introducing the Death Penalty for Cop Killers Act with Senator David Stewart (R-PA). “Today I am proud to team up with Senator Stewart to introduce the Death Penalty for Cop Killers Act. The death penalty must remain an option for the most heinous crimes. One of the most heinous crimes is the murder of a police officer. Police officers protect our communities from lawlessness every day. It is important for America’s leaders to do everything we can to support our police. That is why Senator Stewart and I introduced this bill, which will make the murder of a police officer or any type of first responder eligible for the federal death penalty. We must support our police and first responders as they serve our communities.”

Senator Kyle Van Horn (R-KY) It is an honor to speak here at the Munich Security Conference. My name is Kyle Van Horn, and I am a U.S. Senator from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Today I want to talk about the future of the U.S. and NATO, the fight against terrorism, and how it connects to the future of U.S. and NATO policy towards Russia. There is no question right now that the biggest threat to our collective security and indeed to Western Civilization itself is radical Islamic extremism. The rise of groups like ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram threatens our very way of life. From Paris, to Orlando, to San Bernadino and beyond – it is a threat to knows no borders and respects no laws. These groups, operating under a twisted interpretation of Islam, are willing to commit unspeakable atrocities to achieve their demonic goals. Given the severity of this threat, the number one security priority going forward for the U.S., NATO and its allies should be the total defeat of radical Islamic extremism. This is not an enemy that we can negotiate or reason with. It can only be destroyed, and I believe that NATO is an organization that is in a prime position to defeat this threat. We must do everything possible to defeat this enemy because of the existential threat it poses. That means cooperating with unlikely partners, such as Russia. It is true that the U.S. and NATO may have ideological disagreements and differences with the Russian Federation. Those differences will likely remain. But what brings us together is the shared threat we face at the hands of Islamic extremism. Russia has a long history of confronting this threat in places such as Chechnya, Dagestan, and Syria. They have experienced the brutality of Islamic extremism first hand for many years, and they know what is at stake. Indeed, Russian President Vladimir Putin was the first world leader to reach out to U.S. President George W. Bush in the moments after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Russia’s cooperation and assistance were crucial to the success of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan immediately following that horrific event. It is time for NATO and all of Western Civilization to become fully committed to eradicating the biggest threat of the Twenty-First Century – the threat of radical Islamic extremism. The Cold War is over, and has been for a long time. This is the new threat that we must eradicate. Just as the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union put aside our disagreements to eradicate the existential threat of Nazi Germany in World War II – the U.S., NATO and Russia must now come together to defeat the existential threat of Islamic extremism. Thank you.

From The Office of Kyle Van Horn For Immediate Release Washington, DC – Senator Kyle Van Horn (R-KY) talked to the press after introducing the Legal Workforce Act. “We need to start taking illegal immigration more seriously. That’s why I introduced the Legal Workforce Act. One of the biggest incentives for people to enter our country illegally is the employment magnet. We can’t allow unscrupulous employers to hire illegal immigrants under the table at cut-rate wages. American jobs must go to American workers. The Legal Workforce Act protects American workers by requiring that all employers use the proven e-verify system to verify the legal status of who they hire. If we’re serious about protecting American workers and securing our border, then we need to enact mandatory e-verify.”

From The Office of Kyle Van Horn For Immediate Release Washington, DC – Senator Kyle Van Horn (R-KY) talked to the press after introducing the Security Against Foreign Enemies Act, also known as the SAFE Act. “One of the big issues across the pond in Europe for the past two years has been the emerging refugee crisis. Nearly a million refugees entered Europe, mostly from war-torn places like Syria. This wave of mass immigration is putting economic and social pressure on Europe. I think we can learn a lot from their situation. “On one hand, the United States is a shining city on a hill. We’re a beacon of hope for people around the world seeking refuge from war-torn countries and oppressive regimes. On the other hand, we must do what is best for America. We can only take in so many people a time. Many of these refugees come from parts of the world seriously compromised by terrorism, such as Iraq and Syria. There’s always the risk that someone comes here with bad intentions. The threat of Islamic extremism is very real. We learned that after witnessing the horrors in Paris, San Bernadino, and Orlando. We must remain vigilant. “That is why I introduced the Security Against Foreign Enemies Act, also called the SAFE Act. The SAFE Act prevents terrorists from entering our country while posing as refugees. It requires multiple levels of screening and vetting by several different federal agencies. No refugee will be allowed entry into our country until the FBI, DNI and DHS all certify that the refugee is not a threat. “This might seem harsh, but we live in a harsh world. The safety of the American people is my highest priority as a Senator, and I will do everything possible to protect our country from terrorism.”

From The Office of Kyle Van Horn For Immediate Release Washington, DC – Senator Kyle Van Horn (R-KY) talked to the press after introducing the Fair Trade Act. “There’s been a lot of talk lately about trade and outsourcing, and you can’t have a conversation about this without mentioning currency manipulation. Currency manipulation is when countries artificially devalue their own currency to flood the global market with their own cheap goods and undercut American manufacturers. As recently as August 2015, China devalued the yuan and sent shockwaves through global financial markets to gain an unfair advantage in trade. While China is one of the most egregious actors, many countries are guilty of currency manipulation. A recent study published in 2012 found that more than 20 countries have engaged in currency manipulation, leading to the loss of over a million American jobs and a $200 to $500 billion increase in our annual trade deficit. “That is why today I introduced the Fair Trade Act. This bill authorizes the use of tariffs against countries that engage in currency manipulation. It gives us the tools to fight back against currency manipulation and protect American jobs. Currency manipulation is not free trade, and countries that engage in this practice should not be allowed to kill American jobs without any repercussions. Today, we fight back.”

From The Office of Kyle Van Horn For Immediate Release Washington, DC – Senator Kyle Van Horn (R-KY) talked to the press about the future of the Supreme Court. “As a Senator, one of my duties is to advise and consent to the nomination of federal judges. Last year, a proposal was introduced by Senator Fakhouri – who is now the Senate Majority Leader – to amend the Constitution and allow for the direct election of Supreme Court judges. Some people might like this idea because they feel it puts more power into the hands of the people to decide important issues. However, I disagree with this proposal because it would make the Supreme Court much more politicized. One concept that is central to the foundations of our democracy is the protection of minority rights. Even when those who are in the minority opinion lose an election, their rights must still be protected. The Supreme Court – an unelected body – acts as the main guardian of those rights. It's all part of our system of checks and balances. Directly elected Supreme Court judges could be pressured to rule in ways that erode the God-given rights of the minority. “Now that Alex Fakhouri is the Senate Majority Leader, it will be interesting to see if this proposal is revisited. This is the type of radical proposal that could fundamentally transform our country in a damaging way, even thought it may sound good to some people. It will be the responsibility of Senate Republicans to scrutinize these proposals for the next two years.”

Press Office

Name: Kyle Van Horn Seat: Kentucky 3 Party: Republican Avatar: Kliff Kingsbury Major Caucus: Freedom Caucus Kyle Van Horn was born on November 11, 1978 in Louisa, Kentucky. He wanted to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point but was not accepted. Instead, he attended Valley Forge Military College and graduated with an Associate’s Degree in 1999. He then commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve through the Early Commissioning Program while earning a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Kentucky in 2001. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, he became an active-duty officer and served in the Iraq War with the First Cavalry Division. After being honorably discharged from the Army in 2005, he returned home to work for his father's coal trucking company, eventually taking over the company himself. In 2012, he decided to enter politics and challenge long-time Democrat State Senator Ray Jones II in the 31st District. Van Horn was the only Republican who filed to run in the district that had not been held by a Republican since 1966. Van Horn defeated Jones in the general election. In 2015, Van Horn ran for Governor of Kentucky and narrowly lost the Republican Primary to Matt Bevin. While Bevin did well enough in suburban and urban parts of the state to win on a more traditional Republican campaign, Van Horn did very well in rural parts of the state running a campaign that was more populist, especially on economic issues. In 2016, Van Horn ran for U.S. Senate and was elected. He and his wife Grace live in Louisa and have one child. Male: 0 Points 39 years or younger: 20 Points Straight, married with < 3 children: -5 Points White: 0 points Evangelical or Mainline Protestant: 0 points College Degree at Public University: 0 points Middle Class: 0 points Blue-collar management: 15 points Blue-collar worker: 10 points Commissioned Officer (O-1 to O-5): 10 Points One-term State Senator: 2 points Total: 52 points

Signing out. I'll hang around in the server, but I am just not interested in playing right now.