Weekly Review
It's good to be home! I am taking full advantage of the district work period. Read more below about some of my recent stops around our great community and policy measures I have been working on while Congress is out of session:
Cedarville Mayor
I appreciated talking with Cedarville Mayor Mark Isenhower and Arkansas State Representative Charlene Fite about local priorities and development.
As a former mayor, I understand how important it is for Washington to hear from local leaders about the challenges and priorities of our cities. I appreciated meeting with Cedarville Mayor Mark Isenhower and Arkansas State Representative Charlene Fite and talking about local development projects, infrastructure, economic growth, and city planning issues. Creating more opportunities and enhancing the quality of life in our neighborhoods is our priority.
Cedarville High School
I visited with Cedarville High School students and joined their world history and civics classes.
I spent time with some Third District Pirates! I sat down with Cedarville High School students and joined their world history and civics classes. We talked about different levels of government and the work of Congress. Since Cedarville Mayor Mark Isenhower and Arkansas State Representative Charlene Fite were with me, we had a really great opportunity to talk about the differences between each of our governmental roles. The class also asked me questions about my job as a lawmaker, why it is important to study our past as a country, and whether I have met the President. It’s always inspiring to be surrounded by young and inquisitive minds. I thank Superintendent Kerry Schneider and Principal Michael Bramlett for an excellent visit!
Springdale Dentistry Care
Dr. Rhodes shared with me a video from patients thanking me for some of my policy work.
Oral health is a vital component of overall wellness. I met with Dr. Jeff Rhodes and his team who run multiple pediatric dentistry sites throughout the Third District. I have previously discussed the importance of a strong local workforce of well-trained health professionals, and I wanted to get a firsthand look of their practice. They shared with me a video that included several of their patients who thanked me for my policy advocacy that helped their care. I was part of bipartisan efforts to address challenges pediatric dentists and other dentists around the country were experiencing in obtaining or maintaining hospital or ambulatory surgery center operating room time for dental cases requiring care under general anesthesia. It was critical to increasing dental care for patients in Arkansas and across the nation. I’m proud of the medical personnel dedicated to the care, health, and well-being of Arkansans.
Arkansas Afterschool Alliance
Diego recently won an Amazing Shake Competition, a contest that tests manners, discipline, respect, and professional conduct!
Afterschool programs in Arkansas keep kids safe, inspire learning, and give working parents peace of mind. I visited with Ben Rediske and Abby Smith of SOAR Springdale and Molly Willroth of Helen Tyson Middle School to talk about these initiatives and the wide variety of experiences available for students, including homework assistance, clubs, field trips, meals, and academic activities. I’ll note, we’ve had SOAR students visit us in D.C.! We discussed federal funding and grants that support these centers, as well as their impact on the Third District. I also met Diego, a student who recently won an Amazing Shake Competition, a contest that tests manners, discipline, respect, professional conduct, charisma, the ability to think on one’s feet, and problem-solving. To win, he had to show great poise and confidence in personal interactions, as well as exhibit effective management abilities. These are skills that we value in Arkansas and America. I congratulated him on this significant accomplishment and made sure to give him a challenge coin, which is always presented with a handshake. He had a strong grip and maintained great eye contact. I was impressed and look forward to seeing what his future holds.
Ears Nose and Throat Center of the Ozarks
It was great to meet with the Ear Nose and Throat Center of the Ozarks team and learn more about their work.
Your health is vital. We all know that taking care of oneself and wellness is important, and healthcare quality and costs are a concern for Arkansans and all Americans. I stopped by the Ear Nose and Throat Center of the Ozarks to learn more about their work and tour the facility. Dr. Lance Manning gave an overview of their comprehensive approach and mission, which is to provide compassionate, comprehensive otolaryngology care that is state-of-the-art and of the highest quality available anywhere. We also talked about health education, Medicare issues, the workforce pipeline, and challenges within the medical field. I’m proud to say my cosponsored Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2022 passed the House recently. The bipartisan bill improves timely access to quality care for seniors under the Medicare Advantage program by standardizing and reforming onerous methods to help prevent unnecessary delays and denials. Specifically, it modernizes processes to help ensure our health system is duly focused on meeting patient needs. Its goal is simple: allowing more time for treatment instead of unnecessary paperwork. Policies that support Arkansas patients and physicians are my priority.
Policy Work Update
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reported that foreign investment in agricultural land in the U.S. nearly doubled from 2010 to 2020. This escalating trend is deeply concerning. The national security risks are coupled with threats to our supply chain, high input costs for farmers, and geopolitical pressures being felt across the world.
Arkansas is known for its strong agricultural heritage. It's a way of life. With some of the top farm income-producing counties in the Third District, it is well known that production agriculture is vital to our state’s economy. Our country’s ability to grow, produce, and supply food from the land is one of our greatest strengths and critical to national security. America shouldn’t be ceding control of something so essential to foreign adversaries. We saw how reliance on China compounded supply chain issues, and it’s not smart to exacerbate those weaknesses. Every safeguard should be in place to protect our farmlands and agriculture production.
It's exactly why I joined some of my House Republican colleagues in sounding the alarm and demanding Comptroller General Gene Dodaro of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) examine foreign investment in U.S. farmland and its impact on national security, trade, and food security. We are calling on the GAO to report on the scope of this threat to our food supply to inform Congress how we can best protect the security of the American people. We need to understand and stop any vulnerabilities.
Learn more about our efforts here.
It’s not the only oversight work I concentrated on this week. We know our nation is facing an energy crisis because of bad Democrat policies that have crippled domestic production. Gas is more expensive than it was last year or even 2 years ago, the White House has depleted our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to its lowest level in decades, households are facing huge spikes in utility bills, and the White House would rather beg our adversaries to produce more oil than unleash U.S. capacity. Adding insult to injury, liberal states are pursuing policies that will make it even worse for everyday Americans. California wants to ban the sale of gas cars, forcing families to spend an average of $67,000 on an electric vehicle. Yet, as they pursue this radical measure, they just recently told electric vehicle owners not to charge their cars during certain periods due to power grid strains. It’s ludicrous. They can’t even handle current electric consumption—but they’ll continue pursuing eliminating gas engines. I’m standing with other lawmakers to stop it. Americans can make consumer choices based on their merits and needs—not discriminatory mandates rooted in trying to coerce Green New Deal directives on families.
Read more about our actions here and here.
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. |