MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall told a Reno County audience Saturday that the nation is safer and economically stronger than it was a year ago, while acknowledging ongoing cost pressures that continue to burden younger Americans.
Marshall delivered opening remarks at the first Reno County Legislative Forum of 2026, hosted by the Reno County Chamber of Commerce and presented by AT&T and Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System. Chamber President and CEO Deborah Teufel welcomed attendees and introduced Marshall as a special guest before state lawmakers took part in the forum.
Marshall said he is in the early stages of a 50-county tour across Kansas and stopped in Inman earlier in the day. He pointed to record military recruitment, declining fentanyl poisonings, and what he described as historically low murder rates as signs of improved national security.
“Our families are safer than they were a year and a half ago,” Marshall said, crediting stronger enforcement at the border and renewed confidence in the U.S. military.
Turning to the economy, Marshall said wages have risen faster than inflation in recent months and that job growth is increasingly concentrated in full-time and manufacturing positions rather than government employment. He said inflation has stabilized below 2.5 percent, though he acknowledged that cumulative price increases over the past several years continue to strain household budgets.
Marshall described what he called a “two-lane economy,” with older Americans often better positioned due to paid-off homes and retirement savings, while younger adults struggle with housing costs, student loan debt and high interest rates.
“My focus is helping the people in the slow lane,” Marshall said, referring to younger families and workers facing higher costs for housing, childcare and groceries.
Marshall said lowering health care costs is a top priority, highlighting efforts to expand price transparency for medical services and reduce the influence of pharmacy benefit managers. He also pointed to recent initiatives aimed at lowering prescription drug prices by bypassing intermediaries.
On agriculture, Marshall said recent trade developments could significantly benefit Kansas producers. He cited expanded soybean purchases by China, a new trade agreement with India and federal tax credits aimed at promoting sustainable aviation fuel and biofuels made from corn and soybeans.
Marshall said those policies would help farmers by encouraging value-added production and rewarding regenerative agriculture practices such as reduced tillage and fertilizer use.
“Kansas agriculture makes money when we sell value-added products,” he said.