President Joe Biden has so frequently claimed that the return of former President Donald Trump represents an existential threat to democracy that it has become practically his only argument for voters to return him to office.

But a closer examination of how each President actually supported our election system during their respective terms calls this argument into serious question.

During President Trump’s administration, Congress allocated anywhere from $380 million (in FY2018) to $425 million (in FY2020) to meet America’s election infrastructure needs through Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Election Security Grants. Fast forward to the Biden administration, and that level of commitment has dropped precipitously to just $75 million in fiscal years 2022 and 2023.

And this year, the most recent, last-minute budget bill passed by Congress included only $55 million for election security.

But President Biden hasn’t just woefully underfunded programs designed to strengthen the states’ election systems. He has also acted to subvert the entire election system. On March 7, 2021, President Joe Biden directed the agencies of his administration to use federal funds appropriated by Congress for the operation of their agencies to instead “promote voter registration and voter participation.”

And, of course, just coincidentally, that undue influence has been felt disproportionately among demographics that favor President Biden’s reelection in 2024.

The effects of this executive order have already been felt right here in Kansas.

According to left-wing nonprofit organization Vot-ER’s CEO Krista Postai, federal dollars funneled through her organization to FQHCs in southeast Kansas that were used to send 65,000 text messages to influence the 2022 Value Them Both amendment referendum. She proudly concluded in a webinar about their efforts, “As you can see, we had an impact.”

As a Kansas state representative, chair of the House Committee on Elections, and a professor of homeland security at Wichita State University, I have grave concerns about the safety and security challenges facing our dedicated election officials and poll workers.

Particularly in our many rural regions and communities, election offices are lacking some of the most basic resources they need, not only to prepare for and counter the security threats they face but to simply manage the election process efficiently and effectively.

I am even more concerned by President Joe Biden’s unconstitutional effort to divert funds appropriated by Congress to fund healthcare, food benefits and other social programs to put his thumb on the scale and influence the 2024 presidential election.

My concerns only grew last month when the bill we passed to try to stop this inappropriate activity in Kansas, House Bill 2618, was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

Election security is national security. The US Department of Homeland Security designated America’s election infrastructure as “critical infrastructure” in 2017. If we expect our hardworking election officers and workers to do their jobs and keep our elections safe and secure, then we need to make sure they have all the tools and resources necessary to do so.

The paltry $55 million that Congress allocated for election security in fiscal 2024, approximately $1 million to each state, is not enough. The way to ensure our election system remains secure is to return to Trump-era funding levels, authorized through the people’s representatives in Congress, and stop the subversion of our electoral processes by an extra-constitutional misappropriation of funds designed to favor one party.

Pat Proctor, R-Leavenworth, was elected to the Kansas House in 2020, where he represents the 41st District as the chairman of the House Elections Committee.

The former CEO of Heartland Tri-State Bank in Elkhart, Kansas, pleaded guilty to using his position to embezzle millions of dollars and causing the bank to fail, according to a news release from the US Attorney’s Office, District of Kansas.

Court documents show that Shan Hanes, 52, of Elkhart, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement by a bank officer.

From May 2023 to July 2023 Hanes sent 10 wire transfers totaling $47.1 million of Heartland’s funds to a crypto wallet.

The funds were transferred to multiple crypto accounts controlled by unidentified third parties.

“Shan Hanes is a liar and a master manipulator who caused Heartland Tri-State Bank to collapse. Even as he was squandering away tens of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency, Hanes orchestrated schemes to cover his tracks concerning the losses at the bank,” said US Attorney Kate Brubacher.

She added: “Many victims will never fully recoup losses to their life savings and retirement funds, but at least we at the Department of Justice can see that Hanes is held criminally responsible for his actions.”

Hanes is scheduled to be sentenced on August 8 and faces a maximum of 30 years in prison.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Areas of the metro could be in for a loud, stormy night as severe storms approach Kansas City from the Wichita area.

Below is the way the storms developed as they moved through the Kansas City viewing area.

1:30 a.m. — A strong thunderstorm is moving into the Wellsville and Edgerton area, moving east at 50 mph. The storm has wind gusts of up to 50 mph and half-inch hail.

The storm is expected to impact Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, Gardner, Paola, Spring Hill, Louisburg, Edgerton, Hillsdale, and Stillwell. The storm will also impact traffic on Interstate 35 between mile markers 200 and 220.

A tornado watch remains in effect until 5 a.m. for the same area.

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1:10 a.m. — The National Weather Service is warns of possible flooding as another round of storms pushes toward the metro. Some weather models suggest 1-2+” of precipitation will be possible for the metro over the next 3-4 hours.

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12:22 a.m. — Large tree over the roadway at 203rd Street and Peculiar Dr. in Peculiar.

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11:50 p.m. — There are reports of power lines down in Roeland Park.

In Oak Grove, there are reports of two low hanging power lines, but no Evergy power outages. West Central Electric reports 18 customers out. Wind Gust estimated at 50 mph.

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11:47 p.m. — Raytown’s mayor reports tree damage and limbs down.

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11:44 p.m. — Evergy is reporting 133,000 customers without power.

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11:37 p.m. — BPU in Wyandotte County is reporting 4157 power outages.

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11:30 p.m. — Independence Power and Light reports 4,765 customers without power.

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11:18 p.m. — The NWS reports a wind gust of 74 mph.

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11:15 p.m. — Power outages reported in Blue Springs with wires down on 17th Street.

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11:03 p.m. — Trained spotters in Johnson County, Kan. just observed estimated wind speeds of 55-60 mph in Overland Park at 89th and Metcalf. Additionally, they have measured wind gusts with speeds between 58-62 mph in Lenexa at College and Renner.

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11 p.m. — NWS Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO Issues a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Jackson County, Mo., Johnson County, Kan., Wyandotte County, Kan. There is a threat of hail <.75 inch and wind of up to 60 mph.

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10:55 p.m. — More than 25,000 Evergy customers are without power in the Kansas City metro. The majority of those are in Johnson County.

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10:45 p.m. A storm spotter reports wind gusts of 70 mph in Louisburg. Gusts of up to 50 mph in Gardner, and 60 mph in Miami County.

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10:43 p.m. — A lightning strike may have caused a storm siren to malfunction at 391st & Plumn Creek. The siren is sounding, but there is not a report of a tornado or any rotation in the area.

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10:38 — A trained storm spotter reports 43 mph wind speeds in Lenexa at College and Renner

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10:35 p.m. — There are reports of trees down in Miami County.

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10:10 p.m. — A strong thunderstorm will impact Miami County, Kan., Linn County, Kan., and Cass County, Mo., through 10:45 p.m. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph and penny size hail are expected. The National Weather Service warns the storm would known down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects.

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