Washington Update

Honoring 13 American Heroes

Congressman Womack supported legislation to honor 13 American heroes killed in Kabul attack.

This week, I joined the U.S. House of Representatives in voting to unanimously pass bipartisan legislation to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal—an honor denoting the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions—to the 13 U.S. military service members killed in Afghanistan while defending the Kabul airport.

Our nation must always honor the bravery of these service members killed while aiding evacuation efforts. They never wavered from the mission—each giving their last full measure of devotion in defense of our fellow citizens and Afghan allies. They’ll forever be American heroes.

On behalf of a grateful nation, I hope you will join me in taking a moment to pray for the memories and families of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Sgt. Nicole Gee, Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Cpl. Daegan Page, Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, Lance Cpl. David Lee Espinoza, Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola, Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, Navy Corpsman Maxton Soviak, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss.

Hearing on VA Patient Safety

Congressman Womack appears before House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

I appeared before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to discuss previous oversight failures at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center. I shared information related to the egregious misconduct of a former pathologist and questioned VA leadership about implementing further reforms directly related to reinstatement processes.

During my remarks, I asked Ms. Renee Oshinski, Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Operations, direct questions on reform implementations. As I said, “In your written testimony, you acknowledge changes needed to be made following the tragedy at the Veterans Health System of the Ozarks. I am encouraged by some of the changes you say the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has implemented following the Inspector General’s report. However, I believe there is one vital reform missing. In my opinion, one of the main causes of the tragedy at Fayetteville was that Mr. Levy was returned to his supervisory position. While you say the VHA has implemented a policy requiring facilities with two or fewer providers in any given specialty to have provider reviews performed at an alternate VA facility, I believe that would not be enough to ensure independent oversight in certain cases. For example, what if a formerly impaired supervisor is returned to duty in charge of a section with three providers, including him or herself. That supervisor would have immense power to influence or change the reviews done by their subordinates. I would like the VHA to commit to prohibiting health centers from returning a provider found to be intoxicated/impaired on duty to a supervisory position. Can you commit to that?”

Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Operations Oshinski responded by acknowledging how the situation that occurred was one of the darkest days in VHA history. She then discussed some of the changes already made, challenges that remain, and the importance of instituting a strong evaluation accountability process. She also promised to take the insights I highlighted directly to VHA representatives. I will continue to press the VA to ensure a situation like this never happens again.

Our veterans deserve the highest standard of care. Robust safeguards related to the credentialing process are needed to ensure the health of those who have served this nation are never at risk by medical professionals entrusted to their care. I appreciated hearing VHA recognize the issues and commit to taking my suggested reform measures seriously.

Watch the full exchange here or learn more about my work on this issue here.

Democrats in Disarray

The above message has become far too common. This is no way to govern.

Another week, another canceled vote and hours of legislative floor time held hostage to the whims of Speaker Pelosi’s negotiations. For months, Democrats have been running around trying to convince one another to pass a massive spending bill that would fundamentally alter America—and not for the better.

Their behemoth proposal, filled with socialist priorities, will institute the largest tax increases in U.S. history to fulfill the spending appetites of the far left. And even though they’ve claimed to cut the bill cost in half, it’s still filled with the same radical proposals from the start—things like mass amnesty, Green New Deal initiatives, making heating your home more expensive, IRS surveillance, and policies that perpetuate labor shortages.

It’s telling the package isn’t being negotiated through a normal or transparent process. Even more telling is the fact Democrats can’t even put forward a unified front—and continue to fail to address the actual emergencies facing the nation.  

We spent hours waiting to hear about a vote update. In the end, their plans failed again. They are wasting time on awful policies. Imagine if those hours were used to deal with the border crisis, address rising inflation, help small businesses get their workers back, ensure American citizens abandoned in Afghanistan are brought home safe, pass full-year appropriations, or safeguard our supply chain?

So, the Democrat caucus will continue to fight each other instead of fighting for the American people. It’s terrible governance. I implore my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to abandon this partisan scheme.

Immigration Crisis

Congressman Womack previously visited the southern border and saw the escalating crisis firsthand. 

Since taking office, President Biden has stopped the Trump Administration’s Remain in Mexico policy, halted construction of the border wall, reinstated and expanded the dangerous catch-and-release practice, demonized border patrol agents, and openly advocated for amnesty policies.

The insanity doesn’t end there. The Biden Administration is reportedly considering paying $450,000 to illegal immigrants who knowingly broke the law. Rewarding illegal immigrants with hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars is the ultimate insult to law-abiding citizens. President Biden wants to send the IRS to surveil your bank account, is turning a blind eye as American families struggle to pay for the costs of groceries and gas, and will happily raise taxes, all while planning to cut checks—with your money—to people who've broken our laws.

It’s a non-starter. As soon as I heard inklings of this proposal, I immediately demanded information from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the validity of the reports. If true, I vow to fight this nonsensical idea and stop its consideration.

Besides this being a slap in the face for hardworking Americans and immigrants who have legally come to the U.S., it will also intensify the crisis at our border. Imagine the reckless surge it will create on top of an already alarming situation. Border apprehensions remain at a two-decade high, with more than 1.2 million illegal immigrant apprehensions at the border since February. Drug cartels, gang members, and human traffickers have prospered as they take advantage of desperate people and also smuggle heroin, meth, cocaine, and fentanyl across the border. It’s absolute chaos. I saw it firsthand earlier this year—and the issues have only gotten worse. Look at the news—another migrant caravan is currently on its way.

We must stop this security and humanitarian crisis. I officially signed a discharge petition to compel a vote on the REMAIN in Mexico Act of 2021. The bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to implement the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), or the Remain in Mexico Program. MPP is a program that required certain illegal immigrants to stay in Mexico as they await their immigration proceedings, instead of being released into the U.S. Essentially, it ended catch and release. President Biden has undermined this policy since he took office. We have seen the results.

While President Biden and “Border Czar” Kamala Harris are nowhere to be found, Republicans are committed to forcing action on this important legislation. 218 members will have to sign the petition in order to require the bill to be discharged for a vote on the House floor.

Springdale Chamber of Commerce

Congressman Womack and Springdale Chamber of Commerce members outside of the Capitol.

Arkansans were in the House! Another week with a strong showing from the Third District. It was great to have the Springdale Chamber of Commerce in Washington. We discussed a range of policy issues, including economic development, the IRS surveillance proposal, earmarks, infrastructure, local transportation projects, business growth, and my work on the House Appropriations Committee.

Congressman Womack gives the Springdale Chamber of Commerce a Washington update.

Before I took them up for a quick tour of my Rayburn Office, I also introduced them to a special guest, my good friend and colleague: Republican Whip Steve Scalise (LA-1). Whip Scalise shared how Democrats’ far-left policies are hurting American families, workers, and small businesses. He also highlighted our work to stop President Biden’s reckless multi-trillion-dollar tax-and-spending spree because it will raise taxes on middle class families, ship jobs overseas, and further skyrocket inflation and prices of everyday household items. We all understand the importance of pro-growth policies, not heavy-handed Washington mandates that kill jobs, eviscerate opportunity, and close small businesses.

Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse, Republican Whip Steve Scalise, Springdale Chamber President Bill Rogers, and Congressman Womack.

Thank you to Springdale Chamber President Bill Rogers, Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse, and every single member for visiting. Your commitment to making Springdale a better place to live and work has always served Arkansas and our community well. I look forward to continuing our work to empower businesses and strengthen economic opportunity.

Arkansas Bankers Association

Congressman Womack meets with the Arkansas Bankers Association. 

Our banking and financial services sectors are critical to businesses, families, and our economy. It was great to speak with Arkansas Bankers from across the Natural State—including Rogers, Russellville, Little Rock, Blytheville, Arkadelphia, Piggott, and more. We talked about the SAFE Banking Act, lending initiatives, and tax policies. I also gave them an update on what has been going on legislatively in Washington, as well as my work as the Ranking Member of the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Subcommittee.

Some other notes and news:

Congressman Womack welcomes Capital Concerts Executive Producer Michael Colbert to his office.

Capital Concerts: Capital Concerts holds events on Memorial Day and Independence Day to honor our men and women in uniform, their families at home, and all those who have given their lives for the U.S. Each year, I volunteer to help with these programs. I met with Capital Concerts Executive Producer Michael Colbert to discuss future events and tributes. God bless all those who have served our exceptional nation.

Power Equipment Company: I welcomed some members of the Power Equipment Company team to my office. They are a construction and mining equipment distribution company, which recently expanded into Arkansas. Their facility is in Springdale, and they sell Komatsu machinery, which is a leading manufacturer of construction, mining, and industrial equipment. We discussed their move to the Natural State, as well as infrastructure policy.

Properly Ending Surprise Medical Billing: No patient should walk out of a hospital only to be hit with a surprise medical bill. Both Republican and Democrat members agreed on this point. After a multi-year bipartisan, bicameral effort, Congress passed the landmark No Surprises Act, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, to end surprise medical bills for Arkansans and all Americans last year. This critical policy—arguably one of the most important patient protection measures in U.S. history—must be properly implemented. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration has put forth a rule related to the proposal, which does not align with the original intent of the legislation. I am working with Representative Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and Representative Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) to urge the Administration to revise their rule and ensure an effective system, fair dispute resolution method, and proper implementation of the law. Learn more here.

Congressman Womack joins virtual meeting before votes

Workforce Development and the Department of Defense: Before I had to leave for legislative business, I sat in on a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing on workforce modernization and its impact on the military and civilian sectors. The witnesses and testimony were focused on the ability of our nation to meet the current and future labor gaps in skilled trades, engineering, and emerging technologies throughout the defense sector. I’m proud Arkansas has prioritized curriculums that include opportunities to pursue technical, STEM, and manufacturing training. We must equip our students with workforce readiness skills and attributes that position them for their future and support our national defense.

Congressional App Challenge: Last call for applications! The November 1^st deadline to enter the 2021 Congressional App Challenge will be here on Monday. Don’t forget to apply! I can’t wait to see our best and brightest minds get creative and leverage their STEM skills again this year. I encourage all local middle and high school students to participate! Click here to learn more about the competition and how to sign up.

Wishing you a great weekend ahead! You can keep an eye on my website or check out my Twitter and Instagram pages to stay up-to-date with the latest news from my office. Also, if you are having issues with a federal agency or have a casework question, don’t forget to check out my office’s upcoming mobile office hours here!