June 9, 2023

Washington Update

A Week Wasted

You may have noticed a hiccup in the House of Representatives this week. What occurred was a protest by a fringe group of Republicans still upset over the debt ceiling vote from last week, which passed with overwhelming GOP support. Republicans only have a slim majority, so with 11 members of the Freedom Caucus voting no on a procedural vote, they effectively shut down the House. The procedural vote, called a rule, allows the House to debate amendments and vote to pass legislation.

This week, we never got to that point. The House was supposed to pass bills to limit federal bureaucracy. Although the protesters were supportive of the gas stove and general de-regulatory bills, their decision to vote against the rule was prompted by frustrations from the week before. Attempts from leadership to alleviate their concerns were unsuccessful, so they sent members home, resulting in a week wasted of floor time and a missed opportunity to pass conservative priorities.

I’m not sure what that means for next week, but, with a limited calendar and a lot of pressing issues, not the least of which are appropriations bills, we simply can’t afford to have this kind of behavior to continue.

I recognize that the debt ceiling legislation wasn’t perfect. But I refused to let the perfect get in the way of the good, and I certainly don’t subscribe to the temper tantrums from the fringe group of my party. I always aim to be a conservative, responsible, and practical voice in Washington, and their actions this week were utterly irresponsible.

The government was designed to work. While we will always have different points of view, it’s important to remember that we’re in divided government right now, with a Democrat controlled Senate and White House. It will require compromise to effect real change, similar to the debt ceiling agreement.

I hope next week Congress can get back to doing the work of the American people.

Recap of the Responsible Debt Ceiling Suspension

As mentioned, last week the House passed the debt ceiling agreement, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which then passed the Senate and was signed into law by the president. After months of President Biden and Senate Democrats dragging their feet, pushing us close to default, they finally came to the table and negotiated with Speaker McCarthy to produce a deal that suspends the debt limit until January 1, 2025, and has common sense fiscal reforms and pro-growth policies.

Meeting the financial obligations of the government is our fundamental duty in Congress. It's never easy, but reaching a compromise is essential. House Republicans came out on top by securing key conservative priorities that will curtail federal discretionary spending, claw back unnecessary funds—including funds for the President’s Internal Revenue Service expansion—expand welfare work requirements, and substantially reform the NEPA process. However, as we move forward, we need to be cognizant of the real drivers of our debt – mandatory spending programs. I will continue to work on solutions to those larger problems.

Womack-backed Initiatives

Despite the stalemate on the House floor, I still backed some initiatives with Arkansas’ Third in mind. To name a few:

• Care for Compact of Free Association (COFA) Veterans Act: I introduced a bipartisan bill that would authorize the VA to provide medical care to veterans of the U.S. military living freely associated states (FAS) of the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Currently, the VA is not legally permitted to provide direct care to U.S. military veterans located in the FAS. FAS citizens serve in our Armed Forces at some of the highest per capita rates. These veterans volunteered to serve our country and they’ve earned our support now.
• Letter on the DCA Perimeter Rule: Reagan National Airport (DCA) is the closest airport to our nation’s capital. Congress is currently debating proposed expansions to the High Density (“slot”) and perimeter rules at DCA. DCA does not have the capacity to add additional slots, meaning that if the changes are enacted smaller airports with a direct flight to DCA, like XNA, are in jeopardy of losing their slot. If Arkansans lose service to Washington from our state’s airports, the jobs, economic development, and tax revenue that comes with those flights are at risk. The Capitol is the People’s House, and every Arkansan should have a simple, accessible way to reach their elected representative and the rich history of our nation. I will fight to maintain Arkansans access to our nation’s capital!
• Snapback Sanctions on Iran: The Iran Nuclear Deal, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which allows any signatory nation to institute permanent UN sanctions on Iran for noncompliance, is set to expire this fall. While the US has instituted Iranian sanctions, the US is no longer a party to the JCPOA, and therefore cannot trigger permanent UN sanctions. I sent a letter along with a bipartisan group of colleagues that urges the remaining signatories (excluding Russia and China) to activate snapback sanctions before the existing Nuclear Deal sanctions expire in October. As always, I’m proud to take steps to prevent a nuclear Iran.

Some picture highlights from the week:

From the front...

Congressman Steve Womack
Arkansas Third District