Washington Update
Another Week Wasted
Predictably dysfunctional. That’s the way I described the work of Congress before August recess. After our first week back, I’m frustrated to say nothing has changed.
The political squabbles within our party have once again held us back from making much-needed progress on job number one—funding the government. Let me remind you, we only have until October 1 to deliver on this fundamental duty.
Listen to this week’s Comment from the Capitol here, to get a full rundown on how we failed to move forward with the Defense Appropriations bill, showing America that a government shutdown is becoming more and more likely.
Impeachment Inquiry
Speaker McCarthy announced this week that he’s opening an impeachment inquiry into President Biden. This decision comes as the House Judiciary, Ways and Means, and Oversight and Accountability Committees have dug deep and uncovered evidence worthy of further investigation into potential impeachable behavior of the president. To be clear, that’s all an inquiry really does—it focuses the investigation on impeachable conduct.
Inquiry is the natural next step to clear the corruption fog that has been hanging over Washington. I’m supportive of getting the American people the answers they want and deserve. That is our responsibility in Congress—to follow the facts—and no one should be afraid of fact finding.
However, it will take proof of high crimes and misdemeanors to file an impeachment article. We must make sure impeachment remains one of the most powerful tools in Congress’ toolbox, free of any sort of political weaponization.
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Hear more of my thoughts on the impeachment inquiry and where we stand on the budget battle from my interview with CNN here.
Putting a Stop to the Left’s Rush-to-Green Agenda
Our nation is blessed with vast energy resources, and we ought to take advantage of them. With an all-of-the-above energy approach, we can utilize all of our nation’s resources, whether that’s oil, gas, coal, nuclear, or renewables, and allow them to compete on a level playing field.
Unleashing domestic production makes our nation more secure. We shouldn’t have to rely on our adversaries for the necessary resources that keep our nation functioning and advancing. If we produce what’s under our own two feet, it makes life more affordable. It drives down the cost of gas and groceries. It fosters job creation and fuels the growth of other major sectors of our economy – and that trickles down to the consumer.
Unfortunately, the Administration doesn’t see it this way. The far-left wants to force and rush Green New Deal policies – something the economy and the American people are simply not ready for. They’ve turned off the faucet on domestic energy sources that most Americans rely on and turned to our adversaries overseas instead to supply us. What have we seen as a result? Record-breaking prices of gas and utilities, and the lowest level of our emergency supply of reserves, used for natural disasters and war, since the 1980s.
This is no way to govern. We aren’t in the business of picking winners and losers. In the Republican majority, we’ve committed to remove the left’s barriers to domestic energy production and put a stop to harmful regulations from making life unaffordable. We took some steps forward in this mission this week.
- From regulating cars to gas stoves, and now washing machines? These out-of-touch policies are stepping right into the homes of Americans and making life less affordable and efficient. I was glad to support Rep. John Moolenaar’s bill, the Withdrawing Absurd, Senseless, and Haphazard Energy Regulations (WASHER) Act to stop the Biden Administration from implementing new policies that would push affordable, reliable washing machines off the market and raise costs for Arkansas families.
- The House did manage to coalesce and pass a rule bill, the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act. Just take a look at California and you can see why this bill is important. The Administration is giving California, and 17 other states with similar bans on combustion engines, the green light to mandate that all new vehicles sold be 100% electric by 2035. Right now, only 12 years before that mandate comes into effect, 95% of vehicles on the road today in the U.S. run on internal combustion engines. A lot of that has to do with the fact that electric vehicles are still too expensive for most Americans. The average transaction price of an EV was $17,000 more than a gas-powered car in 2022. This bill will prevent the EPA from granting California’s waiver request if doing so limits the sale or use of new vehicles with internal combustion engines. Consumers should be able to choose what vehicle they drive based on their own wants and needs, not the left’s political agenda.
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I heard straight from Arkansans this week on this very issue when members of the Arkansas Automobile Dealers Association came by my office. Gan Nunnally (Nunnally Chevrolet in Bentonville), Ted Smith (Smith Ford in Conway), and Joe Schluterman (Paris Ford in Paris) spoke about the importance of allowing choice in vehicle purchasing and ensuring that the EPA is unable to extend its overreaching mandates on their customers. They also made note of an important provision within my Financial Services and General Government bill that stops the Federal Trade Commission from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the “Vehicle Shopping Rule.” This rule would burden car buyers with additional paperwork and needlessly lengthen the sales process.
Discussions like this, where I get to hear directly about issues impacting those I proudly represent, are what helps me better serve you in Washington.
Deterring Iran
Iran is the leading state sponsor of terror and a brazen human rights abuser. Yet this week, the Biden Administration allowed $6 billion in frozen Iranian money to flow right into the regime’s coffers. While I am glad to see the five Americans wrongfully detained by Iran return to their families in this deal, I am gravely concerned about the precedent that President Biden set with this transaction. Instead of making Americans safer, this deal increases risk for Americans abroad by showing that wrongful detainment is a proven way to acquire resources.
This is shameful. Even more shameful that Congress was alerted on this decision on the 22nd anniversary of the worst terror attack in history—September 11.
Instead of negotiating deals with the devil, our government should be taking every step forward in deterring this dangerous regime. Congress did just that this week. We passed a bipartisan bill, The Fight CRIME Act, which I proudly cosponsored, that imposes sanctions on a wide range of activities supporting Iran’s missile and drone program ahead of the October 2023 expiration of the UN missile proliferation ban on Iran. I remain committed to limiting Iran’s ability to transfer its dangerous arsenal and deterring Iran from further destabilizing the world with its weapons of war.
Picture highlights from the week
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I broke bread and had a great conversation with the Ambassador of Finland this week. I welcomed his county to both NATO and the Third District! Globally, our work on the world stage helps us be a unified deterrent against bad actors. Fort Smith will soon play an important role in this mission as Finns train at Ebbing Air National Guard Base starting in late 2025 or early 2026. I’m proud to say these folks will be calling Fort Smith their second home. It enriches my life when I get to meet with people like Ambassador Mikko Hautala, and I look forward to our continued friendship, and hopefully bringing him to see AR-3 soon!
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Our doctors are our heroes. They are equipped with the skill and knowledge to keep us healthy and save lives. I was glad to welcome Dr. Sandra Johnson of Greenwood, AR, from the American Academy of Dermatology Association to hear about her work to deliver quality care for seniors. Dr. Johnson has boots on the ground—she shared with me her perspective as a doctor practicing in Arkansas. I’m grateful for her work, along with the work of doctors across the district, for their unwavering care for our fellow Arkansans.
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My friend MG William Wofford and I go way back. We served together for years in the Arkansas National Guard. It was great to catch up with him in my office and hear about the important projects he’s working on, like Mission: Readiness. This organization advocates for preparing America’s youth for adulthood and a future in military service. Recruiting top-quality men and women to serve is crucial for our nation’s security, and this project aims right at the heart of this mission. Always great to see a long-time friend and hear about ways to develop a strong next generation of warfighters!
Reminders!
September Mobile Office Hours
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As your Congressman, my office is here to assist with issues you may face with federal agencies, like the IRS, VA, or Social Security Administration. My team will be in Cedarville and Berryville this month to help you and answer questions! Please stop by to meet with a staff member—no appointments are needed.
PACT Act Announcement
Deadline Approaching: Thanks to the PACT Act, veterans who deployed to combat zones and never enrolled in VA healthcare can now enroll directly for a limited time. If you or a veteran you know left active-duty service between Sept. 11, 2001, and Oct. 1, 2013, you have until Sept. 30 to secure retroactive benefit coverage. You can still apply after September, but you will not be eligible for benefits retroactive to the passage of the PACT Act. More information here!
Looking Ahead
Congress will return to Washington next week at the same place we started last week, but with less time on our hands. We can’t continue to waste the American people’s time. We ought to be realistic and start trying to cobble together a continuing resolution (CR), a temporary funding fix to prevent a lapse in appropriations, with whatever sweeteners needed to get us to 218 votes. Although a CR is never ideal, the fits and starts that come with a government shutdown are worse. It’s expensive and hurtful to everybody across the country. Rest assured, my sights remain focused on helping shepherd a solution into law and preventing a shutdown, with people of the Third District steering my actions.
I will be back in D.C. next week for legislative business, and I hope you have a great weekend ahead—go Hogs! Be sure to check out my website, Twitter, and Instagram pages in the meantime.
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