From The Front...

Welcome to my weekly newsletter

May 1, 2026

Welcome to my weekly newsletter, From the Front, where I provide a quick update on what I've been working on in Washington, D.C., and back home in Arkansas's Third Congressional District.

COMMENT FROM THE CAPITOL

In this week’s edition of Comment from the Capitol (CFTC), I break down the dealmaking that allowed for the passage of critical pieces of legislation, including measures to fund the Department of Homeland Security, extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and a new Farm Bill. I also discuss the Supreme Court’s decision to clarify the implementation of the Voting Rights Act. Listen HERE or click below.

IN COMMITTEE

The House Appropriations Committee advanced two additional Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 funding bills this week, marking real progress toward restoring the regular annual appropriations process that Congress has struggled to maintain in recent years.

First up was the FY 2027 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations bill, which advances U.S. foreign policy through supporting key allies like Israel and Taiwan, countering foreign adversaries, and promoting democracy worldwide. More specifically, the bill fully funds programs to counter the influence of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and ensures that American taxpayer dollars are not used to benefit our adversaries.

Next, we marked-up the FY 2027 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. This bill includes several provisions that have my strong support.

During the full committee markup, I spoke against an amendment that would continue to prevent broiler chicken farmers from selling their surplus eggs into the breaker market for pasteurization and mixture into everyday grocery products. Fortunately, the amendment was not adopted. Learn more about this amendment by watching my full remarks HERE.

I also secured a provision supporting the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) work related to contaminated poppy seeds. The bill directs the agency to carry out enforcement measures to ensure only safe poppy seeds are available for consumption. Scroll down to Photo Highlights to learn more about how this provision will help keep our community safe.

In addition, I secured bill language streamlining the pet food labeling regulatory environment by eliminating a burdensome patchwork of requirements. This measure will increase economic productivity and employment opportunities for AR-3 pet food producers.

Read what else is in the bill HERE.

ON THE FLOOR

To dive deeper into a piece of legislation I mentioned in this week’s CFTC, the House passed a new and improved Farm Bill—formally named the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026.

The Farm Bill is a piece of legislation that reauthorizes U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs and shapes U.S. agriculture policy for the near future. It must be renewed by Congress every five to six years. Passage of this bill is overdue. In fact, the last time Congress sent a full, comprehensive farm bill to the President’s desk was December 2018.

Thankfully, Congress, with my support, passed several provisions typically included in the farm bill as part of the Working Families Tax Cuts law last year. These provisions include tax relief, updates to crop reference prices, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) reforms that ensure benefits are preserved for those who need it most.

The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 builds on these wins, and puts our producers and rural communities first by:

Enabling SNAP beneficiaries to purchase hot rotisserie chicken—providing a nutritious food option that is currently prohibited under existing law.
Fixing California’s foolish Proposition 12 that harms America’s protein producers and violates the Constitution’s Interstate Commerce clause.
Increasing funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development Program (FMD) to support enhanced market access and trade promotion.
Strengthening Rural Broadband Program loans and grants to support increased broadband service to underserved rural communities.
Reauthorizing crucial USDA Rural Development business and grant programs.
Reauthorizing the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative and other grant programs that advance cutting-edge research and technology at our Land Grant Universities.

Read more HERE.

HAPPENING IN THE DISTRICT

This morning, I had the honor of speaking at the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce’s May First Friday Breakfast. My presentation centered on how our nation’s mandatory spending problem has evolved over the past half century. I always enjoy the opportunity to talk about the fiscal state of our nation, and this morning was no different.

When I was in the district a little while back, I sat down with Tiffany Lee and Jo Ellison with 5News to discuss Northwest Arkansas’s growth. We discussed the infrastructure needs of our growing region and how the $108 million in community project funding will help address those challenges. You can watch more of our conversation HERE.

In other news, school districts in NWA and the River Valley are leading the state in teacher retention rates. For the 2025-2026 school year, Arkansas had an overall teacher retention rate of 87.3 percent, meaning these teachers stayed in Arkansas public schools. The following school districts in the Third District met or exceeded this retention rate:

Rogers Public Schools
Bentonville Schools
Fayetteville Public Schools
Alma Public Schools
Eureka Springs School District
Van Buren School District

Read more about the Arkansas teacher retention rate from this year HERE.

Finally, I’m looking forward to the grand opening of the OZ Trails Bike Park on June 12th. This state-of-the-art mountain bike park will be the very first in the state of Arkansas with a chairlift service. In case you missed it, I sat down with Gary Vernon, the general manager of the bike park, a few weeks ago in a special edition of CFTC. You can listen to our discussion HERE.

CONSTITUENT SPOTLIGHT

This week’s constituent spotlight goes to Anthony Mendez of Fort Smith.

Anthony is a senior at Fort Smith Northside High School. He is involved in the school’s Army JROTC program as the Battalion Executive Officer, where he leads over 400 cadets and is active in community service. He is also a member of the band, school bank, and National Honor Society.

This fall, Anthony will be attending the University of Arkansas as a first-generation college student, where he plans to study mechanical engineering. He hopes to use what he learns in school to help communities develop more efficient energy systems.

OG&E selected Anthony as one of only three students in the Oklahoma and western Arkansas region to receive a $60,000 scholarship from their Positive Energy Scholarship program. He received the good news during a surprise celebration at a school assembly. You can read more about Anthony’s scholarship HERE.

Congratulations, Anthony, on this exciting scholarship opportunity. I’m wishing you the best of luck at the U of A. Woo Pig!

HOW I'M HELPING

One of the most important things I do as a U.S. Representative is help people resolve an issue with a federal agency. Although I cannot override the decisions made by a federal agency, I can often intervene on a person's behalf to answer questions, find solutions, or just cut through the red tape. Learn more HERE, and take a look at how we've assisted constituents so far this year.

PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

I was able to briefly visit with Steve and Betty Hacala of Rogers this week following their meeting with FDA leadership about poppy seed safety. Poppy seeds themselves don’t contain opiates, but they can be contaminated by poppy plant debris and require specific harvesting and processing to ensure only safe seeds make it to store shelves. Contaminated seeds have negative effects ranging from positive drug tests to death from intoxication. In 2016, Steve and Betty’s son, Stephen Hacala, tragically passed away from morphine overdose caused by contaminated poppy seeds that he bought online. The Hacalas have turned their heartbreak into advocacy. To prevent this tragedy from happening to another family, Senator Cotton and I have introduced the Stephen Hacala Poppy Seed Safety Act. This bill would require the FDA to establish thresholds for contamination after which poppy seeds shall be considered adulterated substances and their sale prohibited. I also secured language in the agriculture appropriations bill to require the FDA to carry out regulatory measures so only safe poppy seeds are available for consumption.

In my meeting with leaders from the Ozarks Electric Cooperative, we discussed the vital service they provide to AR‑3 constituents and how congressional policy directly impacts their operations. I look forward to continuing our work together to lower rates for Arkansans and ensure our electric grid remains safe and reliable.

I had the pleasure of meeting with the American Association of Airport Executives leadership team to discuss how my role as Chairman of the House Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee is critical to supporting airports around the country. By providing funding for programs like the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program and the Contract Tower Program, I am able to support AR-3 airports like XNA and help ensure planes and passengers travel to their final destination on-time and safely.

The Srygley family of Fayetteville was in town this week, and I had the chance to catch up with them for a few minutes outside of markup. Bob Srygley is an old friend, and I enjoyed getting to talk with his grandchildren Ava, Knox, and Brooks about how important compromise is in Congress. They even got to meet some of my colleagues, Rep. Glenn Ivey, Rep. John Rutherford, Rep. Mark Alford, and Rep. Betty McCollum.

Before they went on a Capitol tour, I had the opportunity to meet the Chapman family of Bentonville, the Floyd family of Pea Ridge, and the Davis family of Centerton. They asked about my committee work, so I gave them a quick rundown on the appropriations process and the funding bills on the docket to be marked up this week. We also discussed the importance of FISA Section 702 and how critical it is to our national security.

WHAT DO YOU THINK

Section 702 of FISA is an important tool for identifying foreign threats and keeping our nation safe. Some people, however, worry that it could allow the government to spy on Americans without sufficient safeguards. I want to hear from you.

Do you believe Section 702 gives the U.S. government too much ability to access information about Americans?