January 12, 2024

Rundown from Washington

A new year usually welcomes a season of change.

Unfortunately, we didn’t see that much needed change in Washington during our first week back. We are still confronted with frustrating dysfunction. 

Instead of hitting the ground running, we are moving at a snail’s pace on pressing issues facing our nation, such as the crisis at the southern border and the looming threat of a government shutdown.

We are exactly a week away from the first expiration date on a handful of government funding bills, all of which Americans rely on and are critical to a functioning and effective government. If you remember, four appropriations bills expire on January 19, with the remaining eight expiring on February 2.

On Sunday, Speaker Johnson negotiated and made a topline spending agreement with Senator Schumer that would allow for the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to get to work on each of the 12 bills to fully fund our government.

Considering Republicans control only one-third of our nation’s government right now, Speaker Johnson came out with a solid deal. He negotiated another $16 billion in cuts, rescinding $10 billion out of the IRS slush fund, and another $6.1 billion out of the Covid-19 slush funds.

Our job is to govern for the American people while fighting for conservative wins where possible. This is exactly what this agreement does. However, in a senseless revolt against the deal, my colleagues on the fringe of my party sided with all the Democrats to take down a procedural vote on Wednesday, preventing any progress in the House. This sure felt like dé·jà vu and was a clear sign that there will be trouble coming to an agreement on spending before January 19.

Hear more about where we stand by listening to the first Comment from the Capitol of 2024 here.

Womack-backed legislation passes the House

Despite the initial holdup this week, we eventually came together to pass solid, conservative legislation to reverse some of the restrictive policies of the Biden Administration.

HJ Res 98: My cosponsored legislation rescinds Biden’s anti-growth joint employer rule

The Biden Administration’s National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) joint employer rule recklessly holds a company liable for employees it does not employ or directly control. How does that make any sense? It’s especially out-of-touch since we saw the harmful effects of this similar rule during the Obama Administration, which raised franchise operational costs by $33 billion, caused 376,000 lost job opportunities in the franchise sector alone, and increased NLRB unfair labor practice charges by 93%, imposing significant litigation costs on businesses both large and small.

If implemented, this rule would do much of the same, by wiping out thousands of jobs, skyrocketing operational costs, hiking consumer prices, and further harming our small businesses in Biden’s economy.

My Republican colleagues and I passed H.J. Res. 98 to block this destructive overreach to empower America’s hardworking entrepreneurs who fuel our country’s economic engine. I proudly support policies that preserve the American dream and ensure our nation remains the land of abundant opportunity.

S.J. Res. 38: Investing hard-earned taxpayer dollars in American-made products

Despite shelling out $7.5 billion on grant programs for electric vehicle (EV) chargers, President Biden instituted a rule to waive Buy America requirements for EV chargers—a move that would harm domestic manufacturers while benefiting Chinese producers who dominate the EV charger supply chain.

An estimated 15 companies have either opened or committed to opening or expanding EV charger manufacturing facilities in the United States. A Buy America waiver for EV chargers undermines these important investments and risks empowering foreign adversaries, like China.

Instead, hard-earned taxpayer dollars should be used for American-made products to revive domestic industries, create jobs, and avoid dependence on our foreign adversaries.

I’m glad my Republican colleagues and I voted to overturn this reckless rule.

H.R. 788: The Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2023

For years, the executive branch has ignored Congress’ power of the purse and diverted proceeds from litigation settlements to political special interest groups instead of the U.S. Treasury or injured parties, often hiding the disclosures from public scrutiny and Congressional oversight.

The House-passed H.R. 788 puts a stop to this blatant executive abuse in litigation settlements. It would prevent the Department of Justice (DOJ) from permitting defendants to make quid-pro-quo agreements while providing transparency to the American people and improving oversight.

Life is still unaffordable in Biden’s economy

Arkansans aren’t fooled by the Biden Administration’s attempt to spin the truth about our economy.

Life is still unaffordable for many Americans due to the Administration’s bloated spending and weak economic policy. This is felt every time you fill up your tank or buy groceries for your family—and it was also proven by the latest inflation data that was released this week.

Our deficits for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 were over 20% higher than the first quarter of fiscal year 2023, even while revenues increased by 8%. As a result, high inflation and interest rates have painfully persisted. The report showed topline inflation, as measured by CPI, grew at a rate of 3.4% year-over-year (December 2022 to December 2023), up from 3.1% last month and higher than predicted.

To fix the horrible economic conditions hurting Americans everywhere, we must change the failed economic policies of the Democrats and rein in their reckless spending.

Our economy has slowly improved, but the report made it clear that we are still far from the booming economy we once had before Biden took office. 

I remain laser-focused on advocating for policies to get our fiscal house in order and make life more affordable again for hardworking Arkansas families.

Picture highlights from the week:

From the front...

Congressman Steve Womack
Arkansas Third District