First District Congressman Roger Marshall delivered potentially good news to Kansas farmers Saturday morning during a legislative coffee at the Ellsworth Antique Mall.

During a recent meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, the president told Marshall to tell farmers to “hang in there” because “we’re weeks away from a major trade agreement with China.”

“I want you all to know the president gets it — he understands how hard it has been,” the Great Bend Republican said.

About 50, including seniors in Eric Coonrod’s government class at Ellsworth High School, attended the more than hour-long session, which also featured state Rep. Steven Johnson, R-Assaria.

Marshall arrived in Ellsworth from Hays; Johnson met earlier with Wilson residents.

Marshall said he was invited to the White House by chief of staff Mick McMulvaney to discuss health care. The two play on the same baseball team and Marshall serves as chairman of the Health Care Task Force.

Health care was discussed, but not before Trump asked about the financial condition of Kansas farmers, Marshall said.

The congressman said there are many challenges for agriculture.

A report earlier this year from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes Kansas, Colorado and Oklahoma, showed farm bankruptcies at their highest levels in a decade.

Economists say trade disputes continue to take a toll on businesses already hurt by low commodity prices.

Marshall said he has spent more time in recent months on trade issues than he has on a new federal farm bill. He expects more the same in the next six to nine months as lawmakers work on a new North America trade agreement.

Other issues:

• Reflecting a letter he wrote to the I-R, retired government teacher Jerry Marsh asked about Marshall’s comment that physicians shouldn’t go outside their “bandwidth” by expressing their concerns over gun violence.

Marshall, a physician, said he was caught slightly off guard, and probably could have done a better job of expressing himself.

He phrased it this way Saturday, “A group has a stronger voice if they stick to what they know best.”

• Marshall said the “power of the press” was the biggest surprise he received upon his arrival in Washington. The president used to be at the top followed by labor unions, he said.

“It’s more what they don’t tell. It’s very disappointing to me ... very, very frustrating to me,” he said.

• In response to an audience question, Marshall said he did not think the president’s declaration of a national emergency challenged the U.S. Constitution. Other presidents have taken the same action, he said.

However, historians say Trump is the first to use the declaration to go against the expressed wishes of Congress.

“Absolutely. Absolutely. I’m standing by the president,” Marshall told his audience.

• The congressman received scattered applause when he expressed his desire to forget the Russia investigation.

“Enough of Russia. Enough of the investigation. It’s time to move on,” he said.

• Ellsworth attorney Patrick Hoffman asked about a wind farm proposed for southern Ellsworth County that has been questioned by the federal Department of Defense because of its location near the Smoky Hill Bombing Range. Marshall said he wasn’t aware of the situation, but promised to look into it.