Policy Update

More appropriations wins

With appropriations packages recently signed into law, I wanted to continue to highlight a range of important Arkansas and national priorities included in the package. The following domestic and defense provisions were included in the two Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations packages that fully fund the government through September 30, 2022. These initiatives—many of which I helped lead or coauthored—are in addition to Third District community projects that were also secured.

Cybersecurity: Increases funding for cybersecurity defenses to prevent cyber-attacks, root out cyber intrusions, and protect critical infrastructure and communications.

National Security: Stops President Biden’s attempts to shortchange our men and women in uniform by preventing the reckless cuts he proposed. Advances our military power by investing in new equipment, including combat ships, submarines, and helicopters.

Medical Research: Accelerates the pace of medical research for diseases like Alzheimer’s and childhood cancer, as well as supporting local initiatives to improve maternal and child health and addresses national health challenges like obesity, the opioid epidemic, and suicide prevention.

Supports Ukraine: Appropriates $13.6 billion to support U.S. troops in Europe and provide humanitarian and lethal aid for Ukraine as they fight for their lives and freedom.

Arkansas National Guard: Supports Arkansas’s National Guard missions, including providing continued funding for Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) training conducted at Razorback Range.

Agriculture Research: Robustly funds agricultural research programs, including a new Histomonas research program to address the disease’s devastating impacts on turkey flocks; University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s National Clean Plant Network for Berries (NCPN-Berries) research, which produces clean planting stock for berry crops; and funding for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI).

Arkansas Innovation: Advances groundbreaking critical research programs at the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Research being supported includes silicon germanium tin infrared (IR) materials, silicon carbide electronics, rapid infrastructure and development, and worldwide pathogen surveillance.

Natural State Defense Manufacturing: Funds advanced weapon programs such as the Tomahawk Cruise Missile and the Naval Strike Missile that are made with components produced in Northwest Arkansas.

Arkansas Truckers: Stands with Arkansas’s hardworking truckers by blocking burdensome regulations.

Transportation: Fully funds the FAA Contract Tower program and FAA Certification Oversight program, which are important to Third District airports. It also includes provisions requiring DOT to work to eliminate congestion, delays, and bottlenecks and implements further measures to ensure a safe, secure, and assured oil import/export system.

Arkansas Farmers and Ranchers: Exempts farmers and ranchers from Green New Deal-style permitting and reporting.

Supporting Veterans: Provides critical investment in health care at the Department of Veterans Affairs, to reach and help homeless veterans, and ensure those who have defended our nation have proper access to care and services they earned.

Funding the Police: Combats dangerous calls to defund the police by providing resources for local law enforcement, including support for Byrne Justice Assistance and COPS program grants. These initiatives are used by Third District police departments.  

Economic Development: Enhances economic development programs through the Economic Development Administration (EDA), which have supported local programs and projects in the past like the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District’s economic development strategy, the widening of Kendrick Avenue in Springdale to accommodate for a new manufacturing plant, and the World Trade Center Arkansas program to support businesses affected by severe storms and flooding.  

Career and Technical Education: Focuses on building our pipeline of skilled workers by investing in job training and apprenticeship programs.

Firefighters: Supports local fire departments through programs like Firefighter Assistance Grants that have historically helped local fire departments like the Yellville Fire Department purchase new vehicles and equipment.

Small Business: Provides funding for small business programs, including SBA disaster loans and the SBA Regional Innovation Clusters, to support continued economic growth and opportunity. Local businesses like Startup Junkie in Fayetteville have benefited from these resources.

Defunding the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV): Prohibits federal funding from flowing to the WIV, the likely origin site of COVID-19.

Upholding the Sanctity of Life: Protects the lives of unborn children by maintaining all existing pro-life funding restrictions.

Counterterrorism: Defends against ISIS by supporting U.S. partners through the Counter-ISIS Train and Equip Fund and strengthens the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership Program to fight the violent extremism and mitigate the spread of terrorism. To address rising cases of anti-Semitism, the bill provides funding for the State and Nonprofit Security Grants Program to help protect places of worship.

Countering China: Increases funding for modernization to counter China and other near-peer adversaries, providing $25.9 billion to procure 13 Navy ships and $1.3 billion for the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike program.

Second Amendment: Protects the Second Amendment and prevents funds from being used to implement the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty.

Border Security: Prioritizes securing our border by stopping the White House’s plan to cancel existing border wall funding and increases support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, as well as border patrol technology. It also funds the Trump Administration’s “Remain in Mexico” program.

Rural Development: Includes investment to support rural communities, including support for rural broadband, water and waste infrastructure development, and small business opportunity support.

Combating Crime and Drugs: Enhances resources to stop drug trafficking, improve anti-drug education, fight money laundering that supports terrorist financing efforts, and promote programs to address case and evidence backlogs. Extended the Schedule 1 designation of Fentanyl through the end of the year.

Army Corps: Strengthens funding for the Army Corps of Engineers to help support maintenance and navigation of waterways like the MKARNS and flood control improvements locally and nationwide.

Restrains Democrat Spending: Restrains Democrats’ wasteful spending, slashing the administration’s requested increase in domestic spending by nearly two-thirds. House Republicans also successfully stopped the Biden Administration’s attempt to include additional taxpayer dollars for “COVID-19 relief” that would further perpetuate and accelerate harmful government policies. Though constrained by one-party rule, Republicans secured these and further concessions from Speaker Pelosi, including elimination of poison pill riders.

A few other notes:

Congressman Womack with Mundo-Tech team members in Rogers

Mundo-Tech: The sound of freedom in our skies—which will soon be welcomed to Fort Smith—is being supported by work happening right now in Rogers. What do I mean by that? Mundo-Tech manufactures F-35 parts and other components for cutting-edge fighter fleets and aerospace vehicles. Their team is producing critical capabilities for the defense, aerospace, and commercial airline industries. I received updates on these efforts and future endeavors. Mundo-Tech continues to make NWA a champion for technology, innovation, and important R&D.

Art Competition: My office is hosting the 2022 Congressional Art Competition again! I encourage all interested Third District High School students to participate and showcase their creativity and talent by submitting their art in April. Entries can include original paintings, drawings, collages, photographs, computer-generated art, or a combination thereof. One winning submission from each congressional district will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year. More information here.

• Harrison and Fort Smith – Art due April 25^th by 5 p.m. to our Harrison and Fort Smith offices.
• Rogers – Art due April 26^th by 5 p.m. to our Rogers office.

Go Hogs: WOO PIG! The Hogs took down No.1 seed Gonzaga yesterday, and I know everyone was feeling the same way I was that entire game. What a win. We’ve made it through the Sweet 16 and are on our way to the Elite 8. Arkansas is ready to keep their streak going. Let’s go Razorbacks!

Ending Federal Transportation Mask Mandate: All across America, masks are coming off as both Republican and Democratic led state governments are dropping mask mandates in the face of delayed, confused, and contradictory CDC guidance. I have joined lawmakers in demanding the Biden Administration rescind its arbitrary extension of the federal transportation mask mandate and also cosponsored legislation to end it.

National Agriculture Week: Agriculture is a way of life in Arkansas. Happy National Ag Week to the Natural State's hardworking farmers, ranchers, and producers. From the crops sprouting to the animals reared on the land, the bounty raised and grown thanks to Arkansan and American agriculture feeds and fuels our communities and world. Proud of our stewards of the land in AR-3 and across the U.S.

I will be back in Washington for legislative business next week. 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.