March 15, 2019

WEEK IN REVIEW

To start off this week's From the Front... I would like to thank all of the Arkansans who stopped by my Washington office during their visits to our nation’s capital, including the Filbeck family of Siloam Springs. Safe travels back to the Natural State! It was also great to be introduced to Aaron Neal, a 13 year old student from North Carolina, who wanted to learn more about Congress. He  shared with me that he wants to be a historian. One of the best parts of my job is meeting young people from Arkansas and across the U.S. who are passionate about civics and government.

Budget season has officially begun. Earlier this week, I received the President’s budget request for fiscal year 2020. While Congress holds the Article I powers of the Constitution – which gives us power of the purse – the President’s budget outlines his vision for the nation. If you are unfamiliar with the budget and appropriations procedures, the release of the President’s budget request historically kicks off the congressional budget process in both the House and the Senate. It serves as a starting point for lawmakers to make spending decisions and put our nation on a more fiscally-responsible path for the future. 

President Trump’s budget takes steps in the right direction, but there is still much work to do. The House Budget Committee analyzed the proposal in depth at a hearing with OMB Acting Director Russell Vought this week. As we had discussed, the President’s plan seeks to balance our fiscal constraints with the need to fund the priorities of the country, including national defense – that means that not every program can receive the same funding. Just as American families budget each month – we need to look at the difference between what we want and what we need as a nation.

In the coming weeks, it will be essential for lawmakers to work together. We need to make difficult choices that will put our nation on a more sustainable path and preserve the programs Americans are counting on for the future. I am up for the challenge. 

I also submitted testimony to the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. As this new Committee works to address some of the challenges facing the institution and impeding lawmakers’ ability to legislate, I shared some of the lessons I learned from leading the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform.

Excerpt: “Identify the problems with which you are frustrated, and then identify the solutions. Defining the problems you are attempting to solve will be helpful, before you jump to drafting recommendations. The American people expect us to update and modernize this institution so it works better for them. I wish you all the best as you undertake this important work.” Read more here.

LEGISLATION

The House convened and voted on a series of bills, including the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration Act (H.R. 1122), the Federal Reserve Supervision Testimony Clarification Act (H.R. 974), the FinCEN Improvement Act (H.R. 1414), the Cooperate with Law Enforcement Agencies and Watch Act (H.R. 758), a bill calling for accountability and justice for the assassination of Boris Nemtsov (H.Res. 156), the Crimea Annexation Non-recognition Act (H.R. 596), the Vladimir Putin Transparency Act (H.R. 1404), the KREMLIN Act (H.R. 1617), the Electronic Message Preservation Act (H.R. 1582), the Federal Advisory Committee Act (H.R. 1608), the Federal Register Modernization Act (H.R. 1654), a resolution Acknowledging that the lack of sunlight and transparency in financial transactions and corporate formation poses a threat to our national security, and our economy’s security, and supporting efforts to close related loopholes (H.Res. 206), and a resolution expressing the sense of Congress that the report of Special Counsel Mueller should be made available to the public and to Congress (H.Con.Res. 24).

A full list of legislation voted on this week can be found here.

MEETINGS

I had great meetings with Arkansans and organizations in between legislative business. I started off the week meeting with Entergy representatives, including Chairman and CEO Leo Denault, to discuss energy and infrastructure issues in Arkansas. I then met with the Secretary of the Air Force, Heather Wilson, to talk about Air Force priorities and the importance of having a strong national defense. When meeting with Secretary Wilson, I also thought about how amazing it is to know that multiple students from Arkansas’s Third District will be headed to the U.S. Air Force Academy next year. Whether at the top of the chain of command, like Secretary Wilson, or at the start of one’s military career, like these students preparing to be cadets, it’s inspiring to meet with people who are willing to serve our nation and defend the American people. 

Later in the day, I got to see an old friend from the National Guard, Brigadier General Troy D. Galloway. Always great to see familiar faces in Washington, especially those I know from my time serving as a Colonel in the Army National Guard!

On Wednesday, I sat down with Dr. Nate Smith, Director of the Arkansas Department of Health, to talk about state health priorities, including local programs that are focused on improving the health of Arkansans. We also discussed issues related to the opioid epidemic, suicide prevention, and President Trump’s HIV elimination plan. I then attended a House Appropriations Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Subcommittee hearing on building resilient communities and infrastructure. A full video of the hearing can be found here.

My next stop was to join members from the Arkansas Municipal League, including AML President, Mark Hayes, for a working lunch. They do great work to advocate for our state and municipalities, as well as support local government and its ability to serve Arkansans. As they say, great cities make a great state!

I then spoke at an event hosted by United for Medical Research, which highlighted their recently released report on NIH funding and research in rural states, including Arkansas. Today, extraordinary – almost previously unthinkable – progress has been made in the fight against chronic diseases like cancer. Many of these breakthroughs have been driven by NIH research, which is happening in Arkansas and all over the U.S. Did you that that in FY2017 alone, 12 Arkansas Institutions received 99 research awards totaling more than $57 million? Novel treatments have the power to save and transform lives, driving life-changing value for patients and the healthcare system as a whole. I am proud of the innovative work happening in the Natural State and will continue to support smart investments into medical research.   

I then met with Arkansans from the National Association of Convenience Stores to talk about issues that affect their businesses, as well as Arkansas PTA members to discuss family engagement in our education system. I wrapped up my time in Washington by sitting down with the Ambassador of Portugal, Domingos Fezas Vital. We had a great dialogue about diplomatic relations between our two countries.

Today, I joined residents and community leaders to celebrate the grand opening of the new McLarty Daniel dealership location in Bentonville! It’s always a good day when another business expands in Northwest Arkansas. With this new investment, McLarty Daniel will employ hundreds of people across AR-3 and serve thousands of residents. I might be biased, but I think they get to serve the best customers!

Wishing Arkansas’s Third District a great weekend! Remember to keep an eye on my website or check out my Twitter and Instagram pages to stay up-to-date with the latest news from the Third District and Washington. 

From the front...

Congressman Steve Womack
Arkansas Third District