Week in Review
Standing Strong with Israel
This week marked one year since Israel endured the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Iran-backed Hamas terrorists senselessly launched a coordinated attack on Israel and massacred and kidnapped thousands of innocent civilians, dozens of whom are still being held hostage. Iran’s proxies have relentlessly continued their onslaught since that day.
In response, I have supported funding legislation to help our friend in their fight for freedom. This includes funding to replenish the Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems and defense articles and services. Just last week, Iran launched a missile attack on the country. Fortunately, the U.S. aided in intercepting some of the missiles to help defend Israel. This is a prime example of why U.S. support is vital to global security.
America must continue to stand STRONG with our greatest ally in the Middle East in its fight to exist and rid the world of terrorists. A safe and strong Israel is our moral and strategic obligation, and it’s vital to our national security.
Praying for the Hurricane Victims
Just as our friends in the southeastern part of our country began to recover from Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton wreaked havoc in Florida. My heart goes out to all of those who have lost a loved one, home, or business. Millions of Americans face unimaginable challenges, but Arkansans will band together to support our neighbors.
The Arkansas National Guard is a prime example. They sent personnel and equipment to Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton to aid the Florida National Guard and provide hoist and airlift support in the storm’s aftermath, specifically to support ground-based search-and-rescue teams. I’m proud of our Guardsmen for serving our fellow Americans in their time of need.
In terms of government funding support, Congress will continue to receive information from disaster-impacted states and stands ready to aid as needed.
Around the District
Check out what we were up to this week in Arkansas’ Third District!
Rogers
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I started my week by meeting with the Krushiker Hospitality Group at the Courtyard Marriot in Rogers. The Krushiker family started their business with a motel in Northwest Arkansas back in 1980—and years later, during my time as mayor of Rogers, I attended a ribbon cutting for one of their projects! Now, they own several hotels in the region. On this visit, I received a behind-the-scenes tour to see the employees hard at work and listen to some of the challenges they face in the hospitality industry. I made sure to let them know I’m here to help wherever I can.
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Visiting with the Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce is one of the best ways for me to get a pulse on what’s happening in our local economy and business community. I joined the roundtable discussion to share updates from Congress and take questions. It’s important I hear directly from our local business leaders in Arkansas’ Third District.
Fort Smith
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The brand new, state-of-the art Community School of the Arts is the hub for art education of all kinds! The students here are incredibly talented artistically, and honing these skills will lead to lifelong careers. As they develop their creative side, they also attend core classes as the foundation of their education. It was great to see this beautiful new facility firsthand and meet with the talented students and educators.
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I received a Foreign Military Sales F-16 and F-35 beddown briefing at Ebbing Air National Guard Base with Major General Gregory Kreuder (Commander of Nineteenth Air Force) and Vice Admiral (VADM) Aaron Beng (Chief of Defense Force, Singapore Armed Forces) and saw the new upgrades to the base. I shared with VADM Beng that the Fort Smith community is more than ready to welcome his airmen and their families. Arkansas’ Third is the best Congressional district in the country—it bleeds red, white, and blue and proudly supports our nation’s defense and security interests. Very soon, we will hear the Sound of Freedom in the River Valley!
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God bless our healthcare workers and nurses—they work tirelessly to keep each one of us safe and healthy. I was honored to speak with members of the Arkansas Nurses Association, as well as answer their questions and hear about issues facing the industry. We discussed mandatory overtime caps and nurse faculty shortages—all things I’m focused on addressing in Congress.
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I kicked off the Western Arkansas Manufacturing Summit by talking about why we were all there that day: job creation and growing the region. Developing a strong and skilled workforce is vital to keeping pace with growth and boosting the economy. Manufacturers are the backbone of the region’s economy and success, and I’m so grateful for all they do.
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I stopped by the Bricks at Brunswick, a residential development downtown, to see Stuart Ghan and Bob Cooper who own and operate the facility. The project is part of the efforts to revitalize the city’s downtown area. I’m glad to see the ways our community is working together to facilitate the exciting growth in the Fort Smith region!
Eureka Springs
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I started the day in Eureka Springs at the Rotary Club meeting to talk about the greatest threat to our country in my mind—the division of the body politic. It is the reason we can’t get stuff done in Washington, and why we’re still operating under a continuing resolution even though there are so many new issues we must address. We can’t respond to new threats when we can’t pass appropriations written specifically to target these threats. I let them know, though, I am laser-focused on getting our appropriations work done as soon as Congress returns to Washington in November.
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Whenever I have the opportunity to speak to the young people of Arkansas’ Third, I like to give four pillars of advice: Take full advantage of your education, as these kids are blessed to have the educational opportunities America has to offer; Be mindful of your behavior, as decisions made at a young age can have negative impacts throughout their lives; Take care of your health, as there’s only one you!; And finally, embrace the spirit of charity, as helping others and giving back to our country for all it's done for each one of us is very important. I hope the students at Eureka Springs Middle School took some of the advice to heart!
Green Forest
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As a former mayor, it’s always a pleasure to meet with the local mayors in our community! I got the chance to sit down with Green Forest Mayor Don McNeely to discuss infrastructure needs in the city and how I can help address them through the appropriations process.
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While in Green Forest, I met with Kirk Powell, the owner of the North Arkansas Livestock Auction. He shared with me updates about the grain business and cattle prices and sales, and something we can all probably agree on—the need for rain!
Greenwood
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Molding the minds of our next generation of leaders is critically important to the trajectory of America—something I’m so grateful our educators do every single day. I had the pleasure of spending part of my day with 4th graders at Westwood Elementary School who are learning about the branches of government and campaigning for their own student elections. I hope each one of them takes full advantage of living in Greenwood and attending one of the best school systems in Arkansas!
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To wrap up my week, I stopped by the new Mercy Clinic Family Medicine facility, which opened in August and replaced the old, smaller clinic downtown. This clinic is transformational for the community, as it doubles the available clinic space and features 22 exam rooms and offers a range of expanded services. I’m so grateful to our hardworking healthcare workers in Greenwood and across the Natural State!
Announcements
The Taxpayer Advocate Service will assist taxpayers at its upcoming events in both Springdale and Eureka Springs. If you have any unresolved IRS tax problems, they will provide personalized, step-by-step guidance.
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As always, if you ever need assistance breaking through bureaucratic red tape, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my Rogers office to get in contact with my fantastic casework team: 479-464-0446.
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Have a great weekend ahead, and I hope to see you around! Be sure to check out my website, Twitter, and Instagram pages in the meantime.
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