Washington State of Play
We made progress this week, but not enough, and the American people should not accept partial work.
The House passed 3 additional appropriations bills: The Defense, Homeland Security, and State and Foreign Operations bills. Remember, we passed one back in July, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill, totaling us now at 4 out of 12 Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills with the House’s stamp of approval.
My colleagues and I on the Appropriations Committee worked hard to write, debate, and advance these bills, which ensure our military is postured to deter our adversaries, support our courageous men and women in uniform, address the chaos at the southern border, and include direct funding for important projects for Ebbing Air National Guard Base.
One could look at this as a positive. After a whole month of political squabbles and frustrating inaction, the fringe members of my conference finally coalesced enough to get these bills passed. We need appropriations to fund the government, and we finally saw some agreement on our side of the aisle.
However, we can’t ignore the elephant in the room. If you recall, we would need all 12 bills to pass both the House and Senate—and get the President’s signature—by tomorrow night to fund the government on time. You don’t need much brain power to realize that’s not going to happen.
So, then what? The cooperation in the Republican conference didn’t last very long.
Today, the House attempted to pass the Spending Reduction and Border Security Act, which would have temporarily set funding to avoid a shutdown and punt this debate to the end of October. It also would have forced our hand on the Senate to consider much-needed measures to mitigate the disaster at the border. But this failed miserably, with 21 members on my team voting with the Democrats to take down the bill.
Now, we’re back to square one. There is no current path forward out of the House. The Senate is facing a similar uphill battle. A government shutdown at this point is practically unavoidable, with the fiscal year coming to an end tomorrow when the clock strikes midnight.
Protecting Shooting Sports
Some good news!
Earlier this week, the House passed a bill that has my full-on support. I am a cosponsor of the Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act, which aims to reverse the Biden Administration’s decision to block archery and hunting programs from receiving federal education funding, and now it is one step closer to becoming law.
The Administration had misinterpreted the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, causing the Department of Education to place a prohibition on Elementary and Secondary Education Act funds for these school programs. This interpretation was plain wrong, and I’m glad 423 of my colleagues agreed with me.
Our young people shouldn’t be deprived of activities promoting proper firearm safety, teamwork, and life skills, all to benefit their overall well-being. I’m glad my friends on the other side of the Capitol in the Senate agreed with the House and passed the bill unanimously.
Picture highlights from the week
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In between meetings, I was talking with some colleagues in the Capitol, when I get a tap on my shoulder from a woman named Kara Gardenhire. She was on a tour and walked right up to tell me she was a proud Arkansan from Farmington! I couldn’t pass up the chance to give her a bit of a tour myself, showing her the Speaker’s Balcony and the beautiful view of the mall. Meeting Kara was a highlight of my week, as is each time I get to interact with folks from Arkansas’ Third. It gives me great joy to show folks from home the People’s House and tell them it’s my greatest honor to represent them in Washington!
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Governor Sanders was in town! It was great to catch up with her and some of my fellow members of the Arkansas delegation over breakfast. We all have one particular thing in common—an unwavering dedication to serving and bettering the lives of Arkansans. I’m lucky to not only call them my colleagues, but my friends!
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I sat down with my friend Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas this week to break down the broken budget process and give an inside look on what’s happening with the budget fight in Washington right now. We cover in detail how the budget process works and the hard truth about what Republicans can realistically pass with our 5-seat House majority and Democrat control of the Senate and White House. I also pull from my experience as House Budget Committee Chairman and share constitutional reforms I would like to see implemented to fix the budget process and how to prevent America from falling off a fiscal cliff. Click here to give it a listen!
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Growing our local economy takes partnership. It was great to meet with Robert Burns, the Director of the Walton Family Foundation Home Region, to talk about ways to further invest in the people of Northwest Arkansas. He shared with me work being done in Arkansas and how we can collaborate on aligned initiatives. Improving the economy and well-being of folks at home is what I’m here to do.
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The negative impacts of a government shutdown are real. It affects people across the country, including our men and women in uniform. Major General Stubbs of the Arkansas National Guard shared with me the effects a shutdown will have on Guard operations and training. We also discussed projects important to our defense, like the upcoming FMS mission at Ebbing Air National Guard Base. National security and military readiness remain a top priority of mine, and the impacts of a shutdown on training alone should be reason to avoid a lapse in appropriations.
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Singaporeans are friends to Americans, and particularly Arkansans. The Honorable Lui Tuck Yew, the Ambassador of Singapore, joined me in my office to talk about the upcoming arrival of F-16 and F-35s to Ebbing Air National Guard Base—something we both are very excited for! Singapore has a long history of partnership with our nation, and I’m glad this important friendship will be proudly displayed in Fort Smith.
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I sat down with the new leadership of Aerojet Rocketdyne this week to hear about supply chain issues and their recent acquisition by L3Harris. Aerojet has facilities in Camden, Arkansas, that they’re looking to modernize and advance their capabilities. As a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I was able to shed light on the appropriations process and how it relates to their efforts. Investing in our defense systems is critical to our national security.
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Connecting with folks at home while I’m in Washington is important. This week I joined two radio shows, Sirius XM Politics of the United States and Bill and Karen Pharis’ Arklahoma Today in the River Valley, as well as spoke to 40/29 News, to make sure my constituents are updated on what’s happening in Congress.
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Each year, Republicans and Democrats team up and play a game of two-hand-touch football against Capitol Police Officers. This year I had the chance to be a commentator, giving the play-by-play and making sure to poke fun at my colleagues on the field! It was a hard-fought and close game, but the members lost to the police officers, per usual. The game is a great way to raise money for charities and have fun while doing it!
Looking ahead
I hope I'm wrong, but a government shutdown seems to be on the horizon. That pains me to admit, but sadly, it comes as no surprise. The deep cracks in Congress have led us to this mess. Too many members are only thinking my way or the highway, with a blatant ignorance of reality or consideration of the harmful impacts on the people they represent.
However, I do believe in America. We are the greatest nation on the planet. We don’t shy away from challenges—we tackle them head on. With this mindset, we will overcome this obstacle eventually, hopefully with urgency.
In the meantime, I will continue to be a voice of reason, with a mind geared toward practical solutions. As you’re reading this, I’m still in Washington, working to find a way out of this mess. I will work to no end to make sure we yield the best result possible for the people of Arkansas’ Third.
I hope you have a great weekend ahead! Be sure to check out my website, Twitter, and Instagram pages in the meantime.
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