Jerry Moran

Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran has expressed a desire to work with the Trump administration despite recent public policy disagreements.

Moran has opposed the White House's plan to defund the Food for Peace program, a foreign food aid initiative with Kansas roots.

The senator has also voiced concerns over the administration's decision to waive oil sanctions on Iran and has defended the NATO alliance.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran says he wants to work with President Donald Trump, even as the Kansas Republican has had some public disagreements with the administration.

In recent weeks, some of the policy differences between the Kansas senator and the Trump administration have become public.

"I want to work closely with this administration — and previous administrations — as we try to take care of Kansas and have our issues heard in a White House and an administration," Moran told The Capital-Journal on May 1 when asked about the disagreements. "That's true here."

In an April 22 appropriations subcommittee hearing, Moran told agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins that he expects Congress to fund Food for Peace despite the White House's budget plan proposing to defund the foreign food aid program founded by Kansans.

"The administration has worked closely with us," Moran told The Capital-Journal. "Certainly, the State Department and USDA, in helping move Food for Peace on a short-term at least basis while we work to get Food for Peace moved to the Department of Agriculture for its permanent future. So that's been very cooperative."

Another disagreement has surfaced with the Iran war, particularly sanctions. Moran spoke on the Senate floor on March 24, arguing the administration's decision to temporarily waive oil sanctions was enriching American adversaries in Iran and Russia.

"My concern, a significant concern, at the moment is that I think Congress, and certainly I, am interested in knowing more information about what's going on in Iran, what's transpired to date, what's going on in the Middle East, what's going on now and what the future plans are," Moran told The Capital-Journal. "So we're certainly asking for more information from the Department of Defense."

Moran has also publicly defended NATO, despite Trump's criticism of the military alliance, especially amid the war with Iran. The president has called the other alliance members "cowards" and said NATO is "a paper tiger" without the U.S.

Meanwhile, Moran penned an editorial published April 22 in The Hill arguing America should treat NATO "as the valued allies they are."

"I think it's really important for us in this dangerous world we live in to continue to have friends and allies," Moran told The Capital-Journal. "The opportunity for us to have success in places around the globe that matter to the world, but certainly matter to us, involves those friends and allies. And so I want NATO to know that it is a valuable organization to the country of the United States.

"And, it's in our best interest. I want my own constituents to know that NATO is in our best interest as a nation. So NATO, we want to remain allied. In America, there's value to us in that relationship."