June 26, 2026

In this week’s edition of Comment from the Capitol (CFTC), I discuss what Congress was—and wasn’t—able to accomplish this week, including an update on getting the final funding bill advanced through the House Appropriations Committee. Listen HERE or click below.

You don’t need to be a policy expert to know that our federal government’s budgeting process is broken.

Just a few weeks ago for instance, we saw headlines with new projections that Social Security will go insolvent by the end of 2032—an outcome that would trigger benefit cuts for the retirees and survivors who rely on it.

The dysfunction in Congress’s budgeting process has led to crippling national debt and the impending depletion of social trust funds, like Social Security and Medicare.

It’s clear we need to address the fiscal state of our nation, and now. To tackle these challenges head-on, I introduced the Budgeting for a Better America Act this week.

This bill builds on the work I did as Co-Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform to improve transparency and develop policies to address the long-term debt.

Specifically, my legislation requires Congress to adopt a biennial budget framework with annual appropriations, establish a bipartisan fiscal commission, and implement other good governance reforms.

These measures would give Congress necessary stability and certainty while preserving the nimbleness required to respond to the nation’s changing needs.

Fortunately, I am not the only Member of Congress who understands the urgent need for budget reform. Representatives Scott Peters, Ed Case, and Bill Huizenga introduced this legislation alongside me, and I am eager to build further consensus for this issue on both sides of the aisle.

Bad budgeting bankrupts our nation’s future, and our nation cannot afford to delay these overdue reforms any longer.

Learn more about the Budgeting for a Better America Act and how it would restore fiscal responsibility to our nation HERE.

The House Appropriations Committee marked a significant milestone this week by advancing its twelfth and final Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 funding bill: the Defense Appropriations bill.

This bill boasts a total discretionary allocation of $1.072 trillion to provide the resources needed to begin replenishing our munitions stockpile, invest in cutting-edge technologies, and support our military personnel—who remain our nation’s greatest strategic asset.

In particular, I am pleased that this bill brings back wins for the state of Arkansas. For one, the Defense Appropriations bill increases funding for research and development of state-of-the-art defense capabilities, including funding for research at the University of Arkansas.

As a former member of the Arkansas National Guard, I’m also excited to see that this bill again provides robust funding for the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account (NGREA). This ultimately supports the Arkansas National Guard’s efforts as they protect and support our community in times of need.

In addition, I’m glad to see an increase in funding for facilities at the United States Military Academy. As Chairman of the Board of Visitors at West Point, I’m proud that we’re investing in our nation’s best and brightest.

Maintaining our military dominance is not an inexpensive endeavor, but it is an investment worth making to protect our homeland and preserve our way of life. Read more about the bill HERE.

Under the leadership of Chairman Cole, our committee has worked tirelessly to advance all twelve appropriations bills and provide ample time to negotiate with the Senate and refine our work. This gives Congress a real opportunity to fund the government on time and in full—we cannot squander it.

As I discussed in this week’s edition of CFTC, House leadership’s plans for the floor were derailed this week. Unfortunately, some very important pieces of legislation slated to be considered, including two appropriations bills to fund the Department of Energy and Department of State, will have to wait.

The week started off strong. After months of bipartisan and bicameral negotiations, the House passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act on Tuesday evening. This bill was ready for President Trump’s signature, only for the signing to be cancelled at the last minute. The President wasn’t happy about the Senate’s inability to pass the SAVE America Act, the administration’s legislative priority regarding election security, and thus, we saw a sudden change of plans.

Additionally, a band of House Republicans voiced their intent to vote against the rule this week, which allows the House to move forward with its schedule, unless the SAVE America Act is passed in the Senate. In short, this means that the House floor was frozen, and the previously scheduled consideration of the two appropriations bills is on hold for now.

As an appropriator, it’s no secret that I would like to see these funding bills move forward in a timely fashion—especially since we are quickly approaching the end of the fiscal year. I hope to see these issues resolved so Congress can get back to legislating and doing the work of the American people.

This week, I took to the House Floor to congratulate the 2026 men’s outdoor track and field national champions: the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Led by head coach Doug Case, this victory builds on the generational legacy of track and field dominance at the University of Arkansas. The 2026 title marks the Razorback men’s 11th NCAA outdoor championship, and 53rd national championship for the track and field programs overall.

Watch my full speech below or HERE.

One of my greatest honors as a Member of Congress is nominating students from my district to attend our nation’s esteemed service academies. Last weekend, I hosted my annual Send-Off Picnic honoring Third District students who accepted Offers of Appointment to U.S. military service academies this year, as well as 2026 military service academy graduates from the district.

Congratulations to this year’s Academy appointees and graduates!

2026 Academy Appointees

USMA

• Weston Arnett of Greenwood
• Casey Elliot of Springdale
• Jack Hooe of Bentonville
• Jacob McCrary of Garfield
• Constantin Shatilenko of Rogers
• Sullivan Shepard of Rogers

USNA

• Vaughn Fields of Rogers
• Hannah Hanson of Bentonville
• Colt Hood of Fayetteville
• William Stewart of Fayetteville

USAFA

• Kenneth Dufault of Little Flock
• William Neumann of Bentonville
• Joseph Rouse of Fayetteville
• Sydney Seymour of Bella Vista
• Justus Thurlby of Bentonville

USMMA

• Carter Muth of Rogers
• Charles Quayle of Fayetteville

USAFA Preparatory School

• Olivia Whitt of Fort Smith

Class of 2026 Academy Graduates

USMA

• Ellery Doyna of Fayetteville
• Luke Monk of Fort Smith
• Sydney Rhuda of Bentonville
• Joey Sta Romana of Centerton
• Luke Welcher of Fayetteville

USNA

• Dylan Talbot of Centerton
• Noah Wilson of Springdale

USAFA

• Juan Andrade of Rogers
• Elise Bell of Harrison
• Jace Sutulovich of Siloam Springs

Read more HERE.

Mill Branch Park in Goshen is adding acres, and last week, I helped celebrate the park’s new land and upgrades. In Fiscal Year 2023, I secured $880,000 through the appropriations process to support the park’s expansion, and I was glad to see how this investment has made a difference in the Goshen community.

CONSTITUENT SPOTLIGHT

This week’s constituent spotlight goes to SGT Memphis Perez of Springdale, SPC Edwin Martinez of Springdale, SPC Christian Diaz of Rogers, and PFC Gabriel Oliva of Fort Smith.

These four Arkansas National Guard Soldiers are currently based in Washington, D.C., supporting Operation Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful. They are part of a patrol from the same squad in Charlie Battery, 1-142nd Field Artillery Brigade, Team Razorback (Arkansas), Task Force Wolf.

Last week, the team prevented a potentially deadly event. In the early hours of the morning on June 15th, the four-Soldier team encountered a woman who was in a life-threatening situation. The guardsmen separated all involved parties, de-escalated the event, provided medical aid to a victim, and successfully detained a violent suspect while waiting for the Metropolitan Police Department to arrive on the scene. Their actions likely saved lives and prevented a public shooting.

I’m glad that Arkansas has such brave and capable members in the Guard keeping us safe at home, in D.C., and beyond. Thank you to SGT Perez, SPC Martinez, SPC Diaz, and PFC Oliva for all you do!

HOW I'M HELPING

One of the most important things I do as a U.S. Representative is help people with federal problems. 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.

As I mentioned above, I introduced my Budgeting for a Better America Act this week to address our broken budget process and the fiscal state of the nation. I want to hear from you.

Do you support reforming America's budget process?

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Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Womack unveils federal budget measure, aims to bring attention to national debt

5NEWS: Mill Branch Park celebrates expansion, improvements, and 50-acre addition

Talk Business and Politics: Lockheed Martin to boost job numbers in Fort Smith

Have a great weekend ahead, and I hope to see you around! Be sure to check out my website, X, and Instagram pages in the meantime.

From The Front...

Congressman Steve Womack
Arkansas Third District

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