3rd District Kansas Congressman Kevin Yoder told an audience at Kansas Community College yesterday that during an election season, partisan bickering escalates.
But the Congressman said it’s time for Republicans and Democrats to come together.
The first-term Republican has no Democratic challenger in the upcoming election and was confident as he defended his first term in Congress. He voted almost exclusively with his conservative colleagues during some of the most vitriolic debate Congress has seen in years.
But he told students, faculty and residents of Kansas City, Kan. he thought most people wanted an end to the in-fighting.
"I think most of us, whether Republican or Democrat, want America to work," he said. "That means we have to have an open and frank dialogue."
Yoder voted in favor of the Ryan tax plan and to repeal Obama's health care plan. He underscored his support for lower taxes, which he said would allow growth among small businesses, creating jobs.
Yoder said raising taxes on the rich "may not be a bad idea," but that it wouldn’t make a dent in the deficit.
After the forum, one card-carrying Democrat approached the Congressman and thanked him for his efforts to reduce the size of government. Another state representative from Kansas City, Kan. said the low-income residents of her district will be left without a safety net if federal programs continue to shrink.