{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where party = \"Republican\", state = \"AR\" and year = 2017 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=859", "Cotton Statement on Iranian Protests", "2017-12-28", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 28, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on the protests against the Iranian regime in the city of Mashhad: \"Even after the billions in sanctions relief they secured through the nuclear deal, the ayatollahs still can't provide for the basic needs of their own people-perhaps because they've funneled so much of that money into their campaign of regional aggression in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen. The protests in Mashhad show that a regime driven by such a hateful ideology cannot maintain broad popular support forever, and we should support the Iranian people who are willing to risk their lives to speak out against it.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/weekly-columns?ContentRecord_id=5C998A60-E9C5-4C2A-9F29-72C92EB33E40", "USS Little Rock Added to Navy Fleet", "2017-12-27", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Despite the cold weather in Buffalo, New York, there was a warm welcome for the USS Little Rock, its crew and myself and fellow Arkansans who traveled to celebrate the commissioning of the Freedom-class littoral combat ship earlier this month.\r\nIts been more than four decades since the Navy had a ship named after the City of Little Rock, and it is an honor to have one of its more versatile warships named after our states capital city.\r\nThe commissioning of the USS Little Rock marked the first time in the history of the Navy that a ship was commissioned alongside her namesake. This special occasion brought together crew members of the original USS Little Rock and those like Lieutenant Robert Dyer from Mountainburg, Arkansas who is a member of the current crew.\r\nDuring its time as a light cruiser and then as a guided missile cruisier, the original USS Little Rock and its crew were vital to defeating growing threats.\r\nThe new USS Little Rock is just as critical to our Navys sea power. This ship, and the strength and resolve of its Warhawg crew, is the future of the Navy, offering unique capabilities to defend against evolving threats around the globe.\r\nIn order to protect our national security, the Navy needs the resources to stay ahead of the threats our adversaries pose to us and our allies. We also need the resources to work toward the goal of a 355-ship fleet.\r\nAchieving this larger, more capable fleet will take decades to complete, but Congress can make it easier by passing individual appropriations bills instead of relying on continuing resolutions. \r\nEarlier this month, Navy Secretary Spencer said the service has wasted $4 billion since 2011 because of continuing resolutions. This could have gone a long way toward growing our fleet.\r\nA continuing resolution means that the Navy is operating on the previous years budget level and last years priorities. It means delays in shipbuilding and ship repair. It also means reducing training opportunities, flying hours, and steaming days. That forces more requirements onto the operational fleet, which is already stretched thin after decades of constant worldwide deployment.\r\nFunding the government is the basic responsibility of Washington. Its an obligation that my colleagues and I on the Senate Appropriations Committee take very seriously as we craft the appropriations bills, set priorities and make difficult decisions on how to spend taxpayer dollars.\r\nWe must return to a process in which we debate and pass annual spending bills in order to provide much needed predictability to our military leaders. We can make this happen by returning to regular order and passing individual appropriations bills.\r\nWe owe it to our service members, their families and all Americans. We owe it to the crew of the USS Little Rock.\r\nAdmittedly, Little Rock is not the first place most people think of when you mention the Navy. Our state doesnt border an ocean, but now the state capital will once again have a place on the high seas. This is a tremendous honor for the City of Little Rock, and I know that the ship and its crew will make Arkansas proud.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://crawford.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398543", "Crawford Introduces the Century Farms Act", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Rick Crawford", "C001087", "crawford.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  Today, Representatives Rick Crawford (AR-01) and Rick Nolan (MN-08) introduced the Century Farms Act. This important bi-partnership piece of legislation encourages and awards century farms.  \r\n  \r\nIn the U.S., century farms represent 97 percent of all farms, and of those 90 percent represent small family farms. Currently, only 30 states recognize century farms. The Century Farms Act will create a program to recognize farms that have been in continuous operation for 100 years.  \r\n  \r\nAs a cornerstone for agriculture production, century farms all over the U.S. have continued to contribute greatly to the agriculture industry by producing and sustaining Americas food supply. The families who have maintained their family farm for a century should be recognized for the incredible service they have provided to the agriculture industry, said  Crawford. Since the founding of America, family farms have nourished our local communities, bolstered our economy, and allowed our great Nation to flourish, Nolan said. Century farms  and the generation of families whose hard work has sustained them  deserve to be proudly recognized for their place in that esteemed heritage and for their vital contributions to todays agricultural industry. Representing districts that are populated by farming families, Representatives French Hill (AR-02), Steve Womack (AR-03), and Bruce Westerman (AR-04) are all co-sponsors of the bill.  \r\n  \r\nThe Natural State is home to 376 Arkansas Century Farms across more than 25 counties. Expanding this practice throughout the U.S. will encourage and reward family farmers who already contribute so much to our communities, said Arkansas Congressmen Hill, Womack, and Westerman.                                                                                           ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-introduces-resolution-expressing-concern-over-persecution-coptic", "Hill Introduces Resolution Expressing Concern over Persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Today, Congressman French Hill (R-AR), along with Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI), Dave Trott (R-MI), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), introduced a resolution expressing concern over attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt.\nI had the opportunity to travel to Egypt earlier this year, said Rep. Hill. While preparing for the trip, visiting the country, and returning home, I repeatedly heard about the plight of the Coptic Christians in Egypt. Although the Copts have been victims of numerous terrorist attacks by groups like ISIS, what is most disturbing to me is the amount of attacks against Copts carried out by their fellow Egyptians.\nWhile I appreciate Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisis actions to reform education and his support for religious tolerance, along with our U.S.-Egypt partnership to combat terrorism, I believe that it is critically important for the Egyptian government to end the marginalization of Copts in Egyptian society and make a legal example of any perpetrator who persecutes Egyptian Christians.\nBackground:\nHouse Resolution, H.Res. 673, acknowledges the importance of the United States-Egypt partnership in advancing our common interests, recognizes Egypts need for certain government reforms, and calls on the Egyptian government to end the culture of impunity and make examples by arresting, prosecuting, and convicting those responsible for attacks on Christians.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-s-central-high-bill-sent-president-s-desk", "Hills Central High Bill Sent to the Presidents Desk", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Congressman French Hill (AR-02) made the following statement after the Senate passed his bill, H.R. 2611, the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Boundary Modification Act, and was sent to President Trumps desk for signature:\nCongressman Hill said, Its an exciting day for Arkansas and Little Rock as my bill to preserve Arkansass civil rights history passed the Senate and is now onto the Presidents desk for his signature. This could not come at a better time as we just celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Little Rock Nines brave actions integrating Little Rock Central High School. Together with the school, seven homes across the street from Central High will now stand as living monuments to the civil rights movement in Arkansas and the United States.\nI want to thank my friend and colleague Senator Tom Cotton, for his leadership moving this bill through the Senate and my colleague, civil rights pioneer, and courageous leader, Congressman John Lewis, for co-authoring this bill with me in the House. Finally, this accomplishment would not have been possible without Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop and Ranking Member Raul Grijalvaand Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell. Each played a key role in seeing this important measure become a reality. I am proud of our efforts, and I look forward to this bill becoming law because Arkansas's history is America's history.\nSenator Tom Cotton said: To be able to see exactly how it looked when the Little Rock Nine walked their way into Central High Schooland into historywill remind all of us and generations to come that we must continually stand guard against hatred and intolerance. Im grateful to Congressman French Hill for working with me on this important bill and Im glad its now passed both the House and Senate. I urge President Trump to sign it into law quickly.\nBackground:\nThe Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Boundary Modification Act expands seven homes located near Little Rock Central High School to include them in the schools national historic site designation, which consists of approximately 1.47 acres and is preserved by the National Park Service (NPS).", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/members-ar-ok-ks-join-rep-hill-letter-president-regarding-arkansas-river", "Members of AR, OK, KS Join Rep. Hill on Letter to President Regarding Arkansas River Infrastructure Spending", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON Today, seven other members of the House of Representatives from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas joined Congressman French Hill (AR-02) in writing a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to include public and private stakeholders from waterway systems in his discussions and plans to improve our nations infrastructure.\nThe seven Members of Congress stressed the importance of including the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) as part of infrastructure improvements.\nIn the letter to President Trump, Rep. Hill and seven other Members of Congress wrote:\nDear Mr. President:\nWe write to express our support for the U.S. inland waterways, and request that you include our waterways systems as a part of your infrastructure principles when they are released next year.\nAs you are keenly aware, a strong infrastructure is essential to a strong U.S. economy and key to encouraging job growth and promoting commerce. We applaud your continued messages on the needed improvements to U.S. infrastructure, and we believe our inland waterways also serve as important economic drivers and are vital parts of our nations infrastructure.\nFor example, the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) opened as an official inland waterway system in 1971. The MKARNS originates at the Tulsa, Oklahoma Port of Catoosa, and runs through Oklahoma and Arkansas to the Mississippi River. In 2016, the MKARNS had more than 11.5 million tons of commerce traverse the system, totaling more than $4.6 billion. From 2007-2016 more than 114.4 million tons of commerce, totaling more $42.6 billion, traversed the system. Further, local, state, and federal stakeholders have been working together for years to find a solution to increase the depth of the MKARNS from nine to twelve feet, which could significantly expand the capacity for commerce on the system.\nAccording to the American Waterways Operators, a 15 barge tow can carry the equivalent of more than 200 rail cars and more than 1,000 semi-trucks. Further, barges can move one ton of cargo 616 miles per gallon of fuel, compared to 478 miles by rail and 150 miles by truck per gallon of fuel. These three modes of transportation complement and rely on each other to move commerce through our country, and the use of our inland waterways as economic highways helps to decrease road congestion and air pollution, and reduces stress on our nations rails, roads, and highways.\nUnfortunately, the MKARNS is more than 45 years old, and its future use is at risk as there is currently more than a $100 million backlog in critical maintenance along the entire system. This includes locks, dams, and other important equipment that is deteriorating to dangerous levels. Critical maintenance is defined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as having a 50% chance of failure in the next 5 years. The MKARNS is vital to the economies of Oklahoma and Arkansas, as well as to farmers in Kansas, and a critical failure on the system could result in it being shut down for months. Even a temporary shutdown of the system could put future use of the system at risk, as businesses would no longer see the MKARNS as reliable and would likely find other means to transport their goods.\nDue to these concerns, we respectfully request that you include proposals to include our waterways infrastructure, specifically the MKARNS, in your infrastructure principles. Thank you for your consideration of our request, and please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to working with you on improving our nations infrastructure.\nSincerely,\n\nFrench Hill\nMember of Congress\n\nRon Estes\nMember of Congress\n\nTom Cole\nMember of Congress\n\nMarkwayne Mullin\nMember of Congress\n\nSteve Womack \nMember of Congress\n\nRick Crawford\nMember of Congress\n\nBruce Westerman\nMember of Congress\n\nFrank Lucas \nMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/president-trump-signs-tax-reform-bill-law", "President Trump Signs Tax Reform Bill into Law", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after President Trump signed comprehensive tax reform legislation into law:\nFor the first time in over three decades, we delivered comprehensive tax reform to Arkansans and Americans to create new jobs, bring jobs back home, and let people keep more of their hard-earned dollars. This bill streamlines the filing process, doubles the child tax credit, doubles the standard deduction  all of which means that Arkansas families will be able to keep more of what they earn and decide how they will spend it to support the dreams of their children and grandchildren.I appreciate President Trump signing this historic measure into law today.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1518", "Members of AR, OK, KS Join Rep. Hill on Letter to President Regarding Arkansas River Infrastructure Spending", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Today, seven other members of the House of Representatives from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas joined Congressman French Hill (AR-02) in writing a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to include public and private stakeholders from waterway systems in his discussions and plans to improve our nation's infrastructure.\r\nThe seven Members of Congress stressed the importance of including the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) as part of infrastructure improvements.\r\nIn theletterto President Trump, Rep. Hill and seven other Members of Congress wrote:\r\nDear Mr. President:\r\nWe write to express our support for the U.S. inland waterways, and request that you include our waterways systems as a part of your infrastructure principles when they are released next year.\r\nAs you are keenly aware, a strong infrastructure is essential to a strong U.S. economy and key to encouraging job growth and promoting commerce. We applaud your continued messages on the needed improvements to U.S. infrastructure, and we believe our inland waterways also serve as important economic drivers and are vital parts of our nation's infrastructure.\r\nFor example, the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) opened as an official inland waterway system in 1971. The MKARNS originates at the Tulsa, Oklahoma Port of Catoosa, and runs through Oklahoma and Arkansas to the Mississippi River. In 2016, the MKARNS had more than 11.5 million tons of commerce traverse the system, totaling more than $4.6 billion. From 2007-2016 more than 114.4 million tons of commerce, totaling more $42.6 billion, traversed the system. Further, local, state, and federal stakeholders have been working together for years to find a solution to increase the depth of the MKARNS from nine to twelve feet, which could significantly expand the capacity for commerce on the system.\r\nAccording to the American Waterways Operators, a 15 barge tow can carry the equivalent of more than 200 rail cars and more than 1,000 semi-trucks. Further, barges can move one ton of cargo 616 miles per gallon of fuel, compared to 478 miles by rail and 150 miles by truck per gallon of fuel. These three modes of transportation complement and rely on each other to move commerce through our country, and the use of our inland waterways as economic highways helps to decrease road congestion and air pollution, and reduces stress on our nation's rails, roads, and highways.\r\nUnfortunately, the MKARNS is more than 45 years old, and its future use is at risk as there is currently more than a $100 million backlog in critical maintenance along the entire system. This includes locks, dams, and other important equipment that is deteriorating to dangerous levels. Critical maintenance is defined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as having a 50% chance of failure in the next 5 years. The MKARNS is vital to the economies of Oklahoma and Arkansas, as well as to farmers in Kansas, and a critical failure on the system could result in it being shut down for months. Even a temporary shutdown of the system could put future use of the system at risk, as businesses would no longer see the MKARNS as reliable and would likely find other means to transport their goods.\r\nDue to these concerns, we respectfully request that you include proposals to include our waterways infrastructure, specifically the MKARNS, in your infrastructure principles. Thank you for your consideration of our request, and please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to working with you on improving our nation's infrastructure.\r\nSincerely,\r\n\r\nFrench Hill\r\nMember of Congress\r\n\r\nRon Estes\r\nMember of Congress\r\n\r\nTom Cole\r\nMember of Congress\r\n\r\nMarkwayne Mullin\r\nMember of Congress\r\n\r\nSteve Womack\r\nMember of Congress\r\n\r\nRick Crawford\r\nMember of Congress\r\n\r\nBruce Westerman\r\nMember of Congress\r\n\r\nFrank Lucas\r\nMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1519", "Hill Introduces Resolution Expressing Concern over Persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Today, Congressman French Hill (R-AR), along with Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI), Dave Trott (R-MI), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), introduced a resolution expressing concern over attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt.\r\nI had the opportunity to travel to Egypt earlier this year, said Rep. Hill. While preparing for the trip, visiting the country, and returning home, I repeatedly heard about the plight of the Coptic Christians in Egypt. Although the Copts have been victims of numerous terrorist attacks by groups like ISIS, what is most disturbing to me is the amount of attacks against Copts carried out by their fellow Egyptians.\r\nWhile I appreciate Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's actions to reform education and his support for religious tolerance, along with our U.S.-Egypt partnership to combat terrorism, I believe that it is critically important for the Egyptian government to end the marginalization of Copts in Egyptian society and make a legal example of any perpetrator who persecutes Egyptian Christians.\r\nBackground:\r\nHouse Resolution,H.Res. 673, acknowledges the importance of the United States-Egypt partnership in advancing our common interests, recognizes Egypt's need for certain government reforms, and calls on the Egyptian government to end the culture of impunity and make examples by arresting, prosecuting, and convicting those responsible for attacks on Christians.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1520", "President Trump Signs Tax Reform Bill into Law", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "President Trump Signs Tax Reform Bill into Law \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 22, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after President Trump signed comprehensive tax reform legislation into law:\r\nFor the first time in over three decades, we delivered comprehensive tax reform to Arkansans and Americans to create new jobs, bring jobs back home, and let people keep more of their hard-earned dollars. This bill streamlines the filing process, doubles the child tax credit, doubles the standard deduction  all of which means that Arkansas families will be able to keep more of what they earn and decide how they will spend it to support the dreams of their children and grandchildren.I appreciate President Trump signing this historic measure into law today.\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1521", "Hills Central High Bill Sent to the Presidents Desk", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman French Hill (AR-02) made the following statement after the Senate passed his bill,H.R. 2611, the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Boundary Modification Act, and was sent to President Trump's desk for signature:\r\nCongressman Hill said, It's an exciting day for Arkansas and Little Rock as my bill to preserve Arkansas's civil rights history passed the Senate and is now onto the President's desk for his signature. This could not come at a better time as we just celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine's brave actions integrating Little Rock Central High School. Together with the school, seven homes across the street from Central High will now stand as living monuments to the civil rights movement in Arkansas and the United States.\r\nI want to thank my friend and colleague Senator Tom Cotton, for his leadership moving this bill through the Senate and my colleague, civil rights pioneer, and courageous leader, Congressman John Lewis, for co-authoring this bill with me in the House. Finally, this accomplishment would not have been possible without Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop and Ranking Member Raul Grijalvaand Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell. Each played a key role in seeing this important measure become a reality. I am proud of our efforts, and I look forward to this bill becoming law because Arkansas's history is America's history.\r\nSenator Tom Cotton said: To be able to see exactly how it looked when the Little Rock Nine walked their way into Central High Schooland into historywill remind all of us and generations to come that we must continually stand guard against hatred and intolerance. I'm grateful to Congressman French Hill for working with me on this important bill and I'm glad it's now passed both the House and Senate. I urge President Trump to sign it into law quickly.\r\nBackground:\r\nThe Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Boundary Modification Actexpands seven homes located near Little Rock Central High School to include them in the school's national historic site designation, which consists of approximately 1.47 acres and is preserved by the National Park Service (NPS).", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=6B81C593-BB1D-40B4-889A-DE7547F73635", "AETN: Arkansas Week Special Edition: Sen. John Boozman", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) sits down for a wide-ranging, thirty minute interview where they discuss tax relief, government spending, immigration reform and more.\r\nFull story:http://www.aetn.org/programs/arkansasweek/171222", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=0319353F-ACF6-46E7-87B3-1128D850B6DB", "Arkansan Confirmed to Lead DRA", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON The U.S. Senate unanimously voted to confirm Chris Caldwell to serve as theFederal Co-Chairmanof the Delta Regional Authority (DRA).Caldwell, a seventh-generation Arkansan and member of U.S. Senator John Boozmans staff, was nominated to lead the DRA by President Trump earlier this year. Raised on a cattle ranch in Central Arkansas, he currently resides in Little Rock where he has been serving as the Director of Special Projects on Boozman's Senate staff. Chris brings so much to the table. He's a tenacious, committed public servant who has a strong sense of duty to the region. He understands what it takes to bring economic growth to our communities and will excel in this role. I truly believe that great things are in store for the entire delta region with Chris at the helm of the DRA,\" Boozman said. The DRAa federal-state partnership that works to improve regional economic opportunity in the Mississippi River Delta Regionis led by a board comprised of the Federal Co-Chairman and the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. Caldwell has extensive experience in political campaigns, most recently managing Boozman's successful reelection campaign. He has also served on several other campaigns including Governor Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential bid andSenatorTim Hutchinson's 2002 campaign. Beyond his political and government service, Caldwell has held various roles in the private sector and is an active volunteer in his community. He graduated with a B.A. in Communications from the University of Arkansas's J. William Fulbright School.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=858", "Cotton Statement on Senate Passage of Little Rock Central High National Historic Site Boundary Expansion", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 22, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on Senate passage of the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site boundary expansion: \"This is a fitting end to the 60th anniversary year of the Little Rock Nine. Now, future generations of Americans will be able to see exactly how both Little Rock Central High and the surrounding neighborhood looked to those nine brave students on that fateful day when they changed the course of history. This historic site is a precious part of our country's heritage, and it's vital that we preserve it in its entirety.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-awards-final-golden-fleece-2017-washington-metropolitan-area", "Hill Awards Final Golden Fleece of 2017 to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for Wasteful Spending", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON Congressman French Hill (R-AR) named the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) as the final winner of the Golden Fleece award of 2017 for wasteful spending and an institutional lack of accountability.\nIn the letter to WMATA General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld, Congressman Hill wrote:\nDear Mr. Wiedefeld:\nI write today to inform you that your agency is this months recipient of my Golden Fleece Award. I am awarding this to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) foritswasteful spending, its failure to its customers, and its institutional lack of accountability.\nIn the implementation of theSafeTrack Program, WMATA failed in its fiduciary responsibility to its customers and the federal government. As reported by theWashington Poston November 16, 2016,SafeTrack wasexpectedto cost between $60million and $80 millionand to be completed in twelve months. In fact, according to the Federal Transit Authoritys May 2017 Monthly Oversight Report, SafeTrack took nearly three months longer than expected[1]and cost the agency nearly twice what was budgeted. Specifically, the overall costs were $154 million, $75.5 million of which wasfederalfunding.[2] This demonstrates a lack of good stewardship of taxpayer dollars.\nAdditionally, even after all of the time and funds poured into SafeTrack,since the completion of SafeTrack, customers are still without the level of service they deserve. Despite WMATAsBack 2 Good campaign, in fact,service hours have not returned to pre-SafeTrack times and WMATA continues to shut down sections of the system for weeks at a time.[3] This is not the level of customer service that would be expected of a Program costing as much taxpayer and dollars this.\nFinally, reports are now surfacing WMATAs Office of Inspector General (OIG) was in a situation that prevented them from operating independently.Specifically,the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs wrotetoyourecentlywiththeirconcerns that WMATA does not properly empower the OIG as an independent monitor of WMATA, and they cited reports thatany WMATA employee with administrator rights can track the OIGs work and investigationssince they share the same computer network. A truly independent investigator is critically important to ensuring the safest and most reliable service to WMATA customers. It is also importantto ensure that changes can be made to ensurethe mistakes of the pastare not repeated.\nWe all watched with sorrow at recent tragedies and accidents including the 2015smoke incidentthatsent more than 80 people to the hospital andresulted in one deathandthe2009 crash that killed nine people.Then, we learned of the history ofWMATA workers falsifying reports.This is unacceptable,and WMATA must do better.\nOur nation is currently over $19 trillion in debt, and it is important now more than ever that we carefully scrutinize our government programs to ensure that we are only funding essential programs and projects while eliminating frivolous and wasteful spending and ensuring we have in place necessary accountability mechanisms  like independent Inspectors General. While WMATA continues to push for a dedicated funding source, it should focus onsafety andimproving its accountability to its customers.\nShould you require any additional authority from Congress to address these concerns, I urge you to notify us as soon as possible. I thank you for your consideration and look forward to working with you to address this important issue.\nSincerely,\nFrench Hill\nMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-responds-fhfa-dividend-payment-changes", "Hill Responds to FHFA Dividend Payment Changes", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON - This morning, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the U.S. Treasury Department announced an agreement that deprives taxpayers of the compensation they are entitled to under the current conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac  both Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs).\nThis agreement modifies the prudent practice of the Obama Treasury Department that determines how taxpayers are compensated for the continued risk of their financial backing of the failed GSEs. Under the new proposals, the GSEs will be permitted to reserve $3 billion in capital.\nThe Majority Whip of the House Financial Services Committee, French Hill (AR-02), issued the following statement:\nIm very troubled by this mornings agreement between the FHFA and the Treasury Department. We, the taxpayers, through the Treasury Department, still back GSEs with a line of credit standing at over $250 billion and, while Fannie and Freddie remain in conservatorship, taxpayers continue to be on the hook. If policy makers want to end a decade of negligence and finally reform and modernize our broken and bankrupt secondary mortgage market entities, then I encourage FHFA Director Watt to meet with the House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo. Together, we can design a successful secondary market that facilitates housing markets and operates in a safe and sound manner for taxpayers.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-supports-disaster-relief-measure", "Hill Supports Disaster Relief Measure", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after supporting additional funding for disaster relief:\nAcross the nation, we have neighbors in need not only in Arkansas but in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and in the West where communities are still suffering and recovering from hurricanes and disastrous wildfires. The measure we passed today will provide $81 billion over ten years (about $11 billion in fiscal year 2018) in disaster relief for Arkansan and American families in need as they put their lives back together after destruction from these natural disasters. I am proud that we were able to include an important provision that makes seed cotton eligible for the farm safety net, which is vitally important to Arkansass cotton farmers. Also, this measure structures a good beginning for the critical challenges Puerto Rico faces as they rebuild their communities. I was proud to support this legislation today to aid those in need of recovery because America is strongest when neighbor supports neighbor.\nBackground:\nClick here to read H.R. 4667 - Making further supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, for disaster assistance for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and calendar year 2017 wildfires, and for other purposes.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-votes-keep-government-open", "Hill Votes to Keep Government Open", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement supporting a short-term measure to fund government operations at current funding levels until January 19, 2018:\nGenerally, I am not in favor of short-term spending bills, and, as I have said repeatedly, the ball is in the Senates court because the House has passed all twelve of our spending bills this year. With that said, it was important and responsible for the House to move todays bill to ensure that we continue to fund priorities that Arkansans reply upon such as $2.85 billion for the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Veterans Choice program. I look forward to coming back early January to fully exercise our Article 1 power of the purse, and I am committed to working with my colleagues to ensure that taxpayers dollars are being spent wisely with oversight and accountability.\nBackground:\nClick here to read the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1370 - Further Continuing Resolution.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1514", "Hill Awards Final Golden Fleece of 2017 to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for Wasteful Spending", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman French Hill (R-AR) named the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) as the final winner of the Golden Fleece award of 2017 for wasteful spending and an institutional lack of accountability.\r\nIn theletterto WMATA General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld, Congressman Hill wrote:\r\nDear Mr. Wiedefeld:\r\nI write today to inform you that your agency is this month's recipient of my Golden Fleece Award. I am awarding this to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) foritswasteful spending, its failure to its customers, and its institutional lack of accountability.\r\nIn the implementation of theSafeTrack Program, WMATA failed in its fiduciary responsibility to its customers and the federal government. As reported by theWashington Poston November 16, 2016,SafeTrack wasexpectedto cost between $60million and $80 millionand to be completed in twelve months. In fact, according to the Federal Transit Authority's May 2017 Monthly Oversight Report, SafeTrack took nearly three months longer than expected.and cost the agency nearly twice what was budgeted. Specifically, the overall costs were $154 million, $75.5 million of which wasfederalfunding. This demonstrates a lack of good stewardship of taxpayer dollars.\r\nAdditionally, even after all of the time and funds poured into SafeTrack,since the completion of SafeTrack, customers are still without the level of service they deserve. Despite WMATA'sBack 2 Good campaign, in fact,service hours have not returned to pre-SafeTrack times and WMATA continues to shut down sections of the system for weeks at a time.This is not the level of customer service that would be expected of a Program costing as much taxpayer and dollars this.\r\nFinally, reports are now surfacing WMATA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) was in a situation that prevented them from operating independently.Specifically,the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs wrotetoyourecentlywiththeirconcerns that WMATA does not properly empower the OIG as an independent monitor of WMATA, and they cited reports thatany WMATA employee with administrator rights can track the OIG's work and investigationssince they share the same computer network. A truly independent investigator is critically important to ensuring the safest and most reliable service to WMATA customers. It is also importantto ensure that changes can be made to ensurethe mistakes of the pastare not repeated.\r\nWe all watched with sorrow at recent tragedies and accidents including the 2015smoke incidentthatsent more than 80 people to the hospital andresulted in one deathandthe2009 crash that killed nine people.Then, we learned of the history ofWMATA workers falsifying reports.This is unacceptable,and WMATA must do better.\r\nOur nation is currently over $19 trillion in debt, and it is important now more than ever that we carefully scrutinize our government programs to ensure that we are only funding essential programs and projects while eliminating frivolous and wasteful spending and ensuring we have in place necessary accountability mechanisms  like independent Inspectors General. While WMATA continues to push for a dedicated funding source, it should focus onsafety andimproving its accountability to its customers.\r\nShould you require any additional authority from Congress to address these concerns, I urge you to notify us as soon as possible. I thank you for your consideration and look forward to working with you to address this important issue.\r\nSincerely,\r\nFrench Hill\r\nMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1515", "Hill Votes to Keep Government Open", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement supporting a short-term measure to fund government operations at current funding levels until January 19, 2018:\r\nGenerally, I am not in favor of short-term spending bills, and, as I have said repeatedly, the ball is in the Senate's court because the House has passed all twelve of our spending bills this year. With that said, it was important and responsible for the House to move today's bill to ensure that we continue to fund priorities that Arkansans reply upon such as $2.85 billion for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Veterans Choice program. I look forward to coming back early January to fully exercise our Article 1 power of the purse,' and I am committed to working with my colleagues to ensure that taxpayers dollars are being spent wisely with oversight and accountability.\r\nBackground:\r\nClickhereto read the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1370 - Further Continuing Resolution.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1516", "Hill Supports Disaster Relief Measure", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Hill Supports Disaster Relief Measure \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 21, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after supporting additional funding for disaster relief:\r\nAcross the nation, we have neighbors in need not only in Arkansas but in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and in the West where communities are still suffering and recovering from hurricanes and disastrous wildfires. The measure we passed today will provide $81 billion over ten years (about $11 billion in fiscal year 2018) in disaster relief for Arkansan and American families in need as they put their lives back together after destruction from these natural disasters. I am proud that we were able to include an important provision that makes seed cotton eligible for the farm safety net, which is vitally important to Arkansas's cotton farmers. Also, this measure structures a good beginning for the critical challenges Puerto Rico faces as they rebuild their communities. I was proud to support this legislation today to aid those in need of recovery because America is strongest when neighbor supports neighbor.\r\nBackground:\r\nClickhereto read H.R. 4667 - Making further supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, for disaster assistance for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and calendar year 2017 wildfires, and for other purposes.\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1517", "Hill Responds to FHFA Dividend Payment Changes", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "This morning, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the U.S. Treasury Department announced an agreement that deprives taxpayers of the compensation they are entitled to under the current conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac  both Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs).\r\nThis agreement modifies the prudent practice of the Obama Treasury Department that determines how taxpayers are compensated for the continued risk of their financial backing of the failed GSEs. Under the new proposals, the GSEs will be permitted to reserve $3 billion in capital.\r\nThe Majority Whip of the House Financial Services Committee, French Hill (AR-02), issued the following statement:\r\nI'm very troubled by this morning's agreement between the FHFA and the Treasury Department. We, the taxpayers, through the Treasury Department, still back GSEs with a line of credit standing at over $250 billion and, while Fannie and Freddie remain in conservatorship, taxpayers continue to be on the hook. If policy makers want to end a decade of negligence and finally reform and modernize our broken and bankrupt secondary mortgage market entities, then I encourage FHFA Director Watt to meet with the House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo. Together, we can design a successful secondary market that facilitates housing markets and operates in a safe and sound manner for taxpayers.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://westerman.house.gov/media-center/blog-posts/assistance-firefighters-grant-program-afg-opens-december-26", "Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG) Opens December 26", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Bruce Westerman", "W000821", "westerman.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "This serves as notification that the application period for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG) will open on Tuesday, December 26, 2017, at 7:00 AM (Central). The application period for the FY 2017 AFG Program closes on Friday, February 2, 2017 at 4:00 PM (Central).\nPub. L. No. 115-31 includes $310,500,000 for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Programs to assist first-responder organizations that need support to improve their capability to respond to fires and emergencies of all types under the AFG Program.\nThe goal of the AFG Program is to enhance, through direct financial assistance, the health and safety of the public and firefighting personnel and to provide a continuum of support for emergency responders regarding fire, medical, and all-hazard events. The AFG Program awards grants directly to fire departments, nonaffiliated EMS organizations, and State Fire Training Academies for critically needed resources to protect the public, train emergency personnel, foster interoperability, and support community resilience.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399263", "Womack Votes to Avoid Shutdown", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Steve Womack", "W000809", "womack.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Womack Votes to Avoid Shutdown \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 21, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      WASHINGTON Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) today released the following statement after the House voted in favor of a short-term funding extension:\r\n\r\nWhile there is still disagreement in the spending priorities of our nation, I am glad we were able to move the debate past the holidays. The Congress, however, has a number of major issues pending and the workload in January will prove to be a heavy lift. I am anxious to return to Washington following Christmas with my family to finish work on the 2018 appropriations.\r\n\r\nCongressman Steve Womack has represented Arkansass Third Congressional District since 2011 and serves on the House Appropriations Defense, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Labor-Health and Human Services subcommittees and the House Committee on the Budget.\r\nwomack.house.gov\r\n\r\n###\r\n\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=62403BE3-29CD-406F-9F8D-C4CDA7789DD8", "Boozman, Cotton Applaud Confirmation of U.S. Western District Attorney", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate today confirmed Duane (Dak) Kees to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas.\r\nKees, who was recommended by Boozman and Cotton, was confirmed by unanimous consent. President Trump nominated Kees in September. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination last week.\r\nDak Kees has led a distinguished career in service to our country. He is well prepared for this new role to enforce and uphold our nations laws. I look forward to working with him to combat crime and make our communities safer, Boozman said.\r\nI congratulate Dak Kees on his confirmation as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. Dak brings extensive experience as a public servant anda deeply held belief inthe rule of law. He will be an effectivelaw-enforcementofficerfor the people ofArkansas, Cotton said.\r\nKees is currently employed as the Director of Global Ethics and Compliance at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc in Bentonville. Kees is a decorated Army veteran who rose to the rank of Captain. He was deployed to Afghanistan for one year and served a 15-month rotation in Iraq. During his military career, Kees served as a Legal Assistance Attorney, Trial Counsel, Brigade Judge Advocate and Senior Defense Attorney. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas School of Law.\r\nThe U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) Western District of Arkansas includes 34 counties stretching from Texarkana and El Dorado to Fayetteville and Fort Smith. It is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation for this district. This includes criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits by and against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=88ED1E0C-0DCB-46A3-8D73-0230015B7502", "Boozman Applauds Senate Passage of Tax Reform Bill", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) released the following statement after the U.S. Senate gave its final approval to a comprehensive tax reform package:\r\nHistoric tax relief is not far from being signed into law. This is great news for hardworking Arkansans and it is great news for our states economy.\r\nFor too long, middle-class Arkansans have struggled in an economy that feels like it is stuck in neutral. Our outdated, inefficient and ineffective tax code has played a large role in preventing a full recovery from taking hold.\r\nTax reform will change that. It will help hardworking Arkansans keep more of their money in their own pockets by nearly doubling the standard deduction, lowering rates and eliminating loopholes. By permanently reducing the corporate tax rate, currently the highest in the developed world, we will make American businesses more competitive and keep well-paying jobs here at home.\r\nThis bill is the push our economic recovery needs to get across the finish line.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=948AD2F4-525D-4ED1-BB14-6E61BFB92CB3", "Boozman, Cotton Applaud Confirmation of U.S. Western District Attorney", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate today confirmed Duane (Dak) Kees to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas.\r\n\r\nKees, who was recommended by Boozman and Cotton, was confirmed by unanimous consent. President Trump nominated Kees in September. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination last week.\r\n\r\nDak Kees has led a distinguished career in service to our country. He is well prepared for this new role to enforce and uphold our nations laws. I look forward to working with him to combat crime and make our communities safer, Boozman said.\r\n\r\nI congratulate Dak Kees on his confirmation as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. Dak brings extensive experience as a public servant anda deeply held belief inthe rule of law. He will be an effectivelaw-enforcementofficerfor the people ofArkansas, Cotton said.\r\n\r\nKees is currently employed as the Director of Global Ethics and Compliance at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc in Bentonville. Kees is a decorated Army veteran who rose to the rank of Captain. He was deployed to Afghanistan for one year and served a 15-month rotation in Iraq. During his military career, Kees served as a Legal Assistance Attorney, Trial Counsel, Brigade Judge Advocate and Senior Defense Attorney. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas School of Law.\r\n\r\nThe U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) Western District of Arkansas includes 34 counties stretching from Texarkana and El Dorado to Fayetteville and Fort Smith. It is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation for this district. This includes criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits by and against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=855", "Cotton Statement on Senate Approval of Tax Bill", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 20, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) tonight released the following statement on the Senate's approval of the tax bill: \"This is a victory for Arkansan families and all working Americans. Now they'll be able to keep more of their hard-earned dollars, and in addition, our businesses will be able to create more jobs right here in America. I'm also very pleased the final bill includes my proposal to repeal the Obamacare individual-mandate tax. This is the most hated part of that terrible law, and I'm glad to see it go. All in all, this legislation is a major achievement. It will give working families the tax relief they deserve and help us build an economy that supports the American worker.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=856", "Cotton Statement on Approval of Lethal Defensive Arms Sale to Ukraine", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 20, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on the Trump administration's approval of a lethal defensive arms sale to Ukraine: \"This is a break from failed Obama era policies to make Russia pay a cost for its aggression. With this decision, the Trump administration is reminding Vladimir Putin and his cronies that they lost the Cold War, and we won't tolerate their bullying of our friend Ukraine.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=857", "Cotton, Boozman Applaud Confirmation of U.S. Western District Attorney", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 20, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate today confirmed Duane (Dak) Kees to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. Kees, who was recommended by Cotton and Boozman, was confirmed by unanimous consent. President Trump nominated Kees in September. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination last week.\n\"I congratulate Dak Kees on his confirmation as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. Dak brings extensive experience as a public servant and a deeply held belief in the rule of law. He will be an effective law-enforcement officer for the people of Arkansas,\" Cotton said. \"Dak Kees has led a distinguished career in service to our country. He is well prepared for this new role to enforce and uphold our nation's laws. I look forward to working with him to combat crime and make our communities safer,\" Boozman said. Kees is currently employed as the Director of Global Ethics and Compliance at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc in Bentonville. Kees is a decorated Army veteran who rose to the rank of Captain. He was deployed to Afghanistan for one year and served a 15-month rotation in Iraq. During his military career, Kees served as a Legal Assistance Attorney, Trial Counsel, Brigade Judge Advocate and Senior Defense Attorney. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas School of Law. The U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) Western District of Arkansas includes 34 counties stretching from Texarkana and El Dorado to Fayetteville and Fort Smith. It is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation for this district. This includes criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits by and against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://crawford.house.gov/media/press-releases/crawford-votes-on-final-passage-of-tax-cuts-and-jobs-act", "Crawford Votes on Final Passage of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Eric A. \"Rick\" Crawford", "C001087", "crawford.house.gov", "crawford", "https://crawford.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "December 19, 2017\n\nWashington, D.C. - Upon final passage of the Tax Reform and Jobs Act, Congressman Rick Crawford (AR-01) made the following statement.\n\n\"On top of making it simpler to file every year, the vast majority of middle-income families in my district will get to keep more of their money to use as they wish, and 1st district businesses, both large and small, will be able to invest in new employees, assets, or pay raises. These changes will create new jobs in our rural towns and bring opportunity back from abroad for our children and grandchildren, making east and north-central Arkansas communities even better places to live.\"\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T22:19:19Z"], ["https://crawford.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398541", "Crawford Votes on Final Passage of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Rick Crawford", "C001087", "crawford.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Crawford Votes on Final Passage of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington, D.C.,\r\n        December 19, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      Washington, D.C. - Upon final passage of the Tax Reform and Jobs Act,Congressman Rick Crawford (AR-01) made the following statement.\"On top of making it simpler to file every year, the vast majority of middle-income families in my district will get to keep more of their money to use as they wish, and 1st district businesses, both large and small, will be able to invest in new employees, assets, or pay raises. These changes will create new jobs in our rural towns and bring opportunity back from abroad for our children and grandchildren, making east and north-central Arkansas communities even better places to live.\"                                                                                         ###\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-supports-rolling-back-dodd-frank-flaw", "Hill Supports Rolling Back Dodd-Frank Flaw", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after supporting H.R. 3312, the Systemic Risk Designation Improvement Act of 2017:\nI am pleased to support this measure to remove one more Dodd-Frank creation that has penalized and burdened our banks through a completely arbitrary asset threshold of $50 billion to designate firms as systemically important financial institutions. This provision was created by plucking a number out of thin air  without regard to the actual business of the institution  and in doing so, it gave them a government stamp of too big to fail. I thank my good friend, Chairman Blaine Luetkemeyer, designing this flawed Dodd-Frank requirement and I look forward to the Senate considering this thoughtful approach to reform.\nClick HERE to watch Rep. Hills speech in support of H.R. 3312\nBackground:\nH.R. 3312 will do the following:\n Removes arbitrary thresholds posed by the Dodd-Frank Act to create more flexible and efficient regulation of financial institutions.\n  Removes the $50 billion asset threshold used to automatically designate certain financial institutions as SIFIs.\n  Replaces the arbitrary asset site with enhanced regulatory standards for these financial institutions based upon the specific nature and risk of their activities rather than an arbitrary asset threshold.\n  Authorizes the Financial Stability Oversight Council to subject bank holding companies to enhanced supervision and prudential standards by the Federal Reserve if the institution has been identified as a global systemically important bank (G-SIB).\n  Substitutes G-SIB status in place of the current monetary threshold as the determinant for the Federal Reserves heightened authority over certain bank holding company actions.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-tax-reform-legislation-help-arkansas-families", "House Passes Tax Reform Legislation to Help Arkansas Families", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after voting in support of the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which passed the House:\nThe House has achieved a major victory by passing tax reform legislation to help hardworking Arkansas families can keep more of their hard-earned dollars, to bring jobs back home, and to create new jobs. Reforming our broken tax code is about providing better opportunities for our children and grandchildren to succeed and live out their dreams.\nThis bill lowers individual taxes, meaning that hardworking Arkansans can keep more of what they have earned. For the majority of the over 50,000 families in Central Arkansas who claim the child tax credit, they will see this claim go from $1,000 to $2,000 per child. The bill also doubles the standard deduction, eliminating the requirement for some to itemize their taxes and protecting more of what Arkansans earn each year. Right now, almost seven out of ten households in our area take the standard deduction. Even more Arkansas families will now be helped with a simpler tax filing system.\nFor the job creators in the Second District, this bill lowers the corporate rate to 21 percent. This significant reduction from todays marginal rate of 35 percent will help Central Arkansass job creators grow and expand their businesses.\nFamilies deserve a simple and fair tax system  one that promotes new and better paying jobs. I am excited that, with this bill, the House is delivering on our promise to Arkansans and Americans with a tax code that provides the opportunity and relief they deserve.\nBackground:\nFor more information on the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, click HERE. Go to fairandsimple.gop to learn more.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1512", "House Passes Tax Reform Legislation to Help Arkansas Families", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after voting in support of the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which passed the House: The House has achieved a major victory by passing tax reform legislation to help hardworking Arkansas families can keep more of their hard-earned dollars, to bring jobs back home, and to create new jobs. Reforming our broken tax code is about providing better opportunities for our children and grandchildren to succeed and live out their dreams. This bill lowers individual taxes, meaning that hardworking Arkansans can keep more of what they have earned. For the majority of the over 50,000 families in Central Arkansas who claim the child tax credit, they will see this claim go from $1,000 to $2,000 per child. The bill also doubles the standard deduction, eliminating the requirement for some to itemize their taxes and protecting more of what Arkansans earn each year. Right now, almost seven out of ten households in our area take the standard deduction. Even more Arkansas families will now be helped with a simpler tax filing system. For the job creators in the Second District, this bill lowers the corporate rate to 21 percent. This significant reduction from today's marginal rate of 35 percent will help Central Arkansas's job creators grow and expand their businesses. Families deserve a simple and fair tax system  one that promotes new and better paying jobs. I am excited that, with this bill, the House is delivering on our promise to Arkansans and Americans with a tax code that provides the opportunity and relief they deserve.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1513", "Hill Supports Rolling Back Dodd-Frank Flaw", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Hill Supports Rolling Back Dodd-Frank Flaw \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 19, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after supporting H.R. 3312, the Systemic Risk Designation Improvement Act of 2017:I am pleased to support this measure to remove one more Dodd-Frank creation that has penalized and burdened our banks through a completely arbitrary asset threshold of $50 billion to designate firms as systemically important financial institutions.' This provision was created by plucking a number out of thin air  without regard to the actual business of the institution  and in doing so, it gave them a government stamp of too big to fail.' I thank my good friend, Chairman Blaine Luetkemeyer, designing this flawed Dodd-Frank requirement and I look forward to the Senate considering this thoughtful approach to reform. ClickHEREto watch Rep. Hill's speech in support of H.R. 3312\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBackground:\r\nH.R. 3312will do the following:\r\n \r\n    Removes arbitrary thresholds posed by the Dodd-Frank Act to create more flexible and efficient regulation of financial institutions.\r\n \r\n \r\n    Removes the $50 billion asset threshold used to automatically designate certain financial institutions as SIFIs.\r\n \r\n \r\n    Replaces the arbitrary asset site with enhanced regulatory standards for these financial institutions based upon the specific nature and risk of their activities rather than an arbitrary asset threshold.\r\n \r\n \r\n    Authorizes the Financial Stability Oversight Council to subject bank holding companies to enhanced supervision and prudential standards by the Federal Reserve if the institution has been identified as a global systemically important bank (G-SIB).\r\n \r\n \r\n    Substitutes G-SIB status in place of the current monetary threshold as the determinant for the Federal Reserve's heightened authority over certain bank holding company actions.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://westerman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/first-time-generation-american-people-will-see-real-tangible-tax-relief", "\u201cFor the First Time in a Generation, the American People Will See Real, Tangible Tax Relief,\u201d Westerman says", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Bruce Westerman", "W000821", "westerman.house.gov", "westerman", "https://westerman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) issued the following statement Tuesday (December 19) upon House passage of the conference report on H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:\n\n\"Tax relief for hardworking Americans is long overdue,\" Westerman said. \"Passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will benefit Arkansas families by nearly doubling the standard deduction, doubling the child tax credit, and maintaining tax credits for parents who adopt. It will benefit entrepreneurs by lowering taxes on small businesses and maintaining the federal Historic Tax Credit for the rehabilitation of older, historic buildings. This legislation will put money back in the pockets of Arkansans, drive economic development on Main Streets across the Fourth Congressional District, and support families. For the first time in a generation, the American people will see real, tangible tax relief \u2013 something I was proud to deliver for the people of the Fourth District.\"\n\nAccording to the Tax Foundation, the following provisions are included in the final version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:[i]", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T22:19:19Z"], ["https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399262", "House Votes for Historic Tax Reform", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Steve Womack", "W000809", "womack.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) released today the following statement after the House agreed to the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:\r\n\"For the first time in over three decades, Congress has voted to fundamentally reform our tax code. This bill allows hardworking Americans to keep more of their paycheck, creates jobs and increases wages by making American businesses competitive again, and simplifies a code that has become riddled with loopholes. I commend the work of the Ways and Means Committee and the House majority for keeping its promise to America. Merry Christmas!\"\r\n\r\nCongressman Steve Womack has represented Arkansass Third Congressional District since 2011 and serves on the House Appropriations Defense, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Labor-Health and Human Services subcommittees and the House Committee on the Budget.\r\nwomack.house.gov", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-deutch-cicilline-hill-lead-71-members-pushing-vp-pence-address", "Reps. Deutch, Cicilline, Hill Lead 71 Members Pushing Vice President Mike Pence to Address Human Rights in Egypt", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington -Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee Ranking Member Ted Deutch (FL-22), Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01), and Congressman French Hill (AR-02) led 71 of their House colleagues in asking Vice President Mike Pence to hold the Egyptian government accountable for systemic human rights violations during a scheduled meeting in Cairo this week. For decades American foreign policy has been based on promotion of our values of freedom, equality, and right to democratic representation. We have enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership with the government and people of Egypt and we very much support this continued relationship, they wrote in a letter signed by 71 Republican and Democratic colleagues, including House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27). However, the close U.S-Egypt relationship is at risk as long as the Government of Egypt engages in widespread violations of internationally recognized civil and human rights. We respectfully ask that you do everything you can to ensure this message is delivered forcefully and regularly to the Egyptian government at all levels, particularly during your visit this month. Vice President Pence is visiting Cairo this week to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The Egyptian government has engaged in mass detentions, attacks on journalists, and efforts to restrict civil society. The full text of the letter sent to Vice President Pence is embedded below. A PDF version of the signed letter can be downloaded by clicking here.\n---------------------------------------------------------- The Honorable Mike Pence  Vice President Eisenhower Executive Office BuildingWashington, DC 20501 December 18, 2017 Dear Mr. Vice President: We write to you ahead of your upcoming visit to Egypt to raise concerns about recent actions taken by the Egyptian government that constitute a widespread crackdown against civil and human rights. Egypt and the United States have had a long and enduring partnership, predicated on strong military and counter-terrorism cooperation, shared security goals, and a shared vision for peace in the region. We value the benefits that the U.S-Egypt partnership has brought to both of our countries over the past four decades. In particular, our mutual interest in deterring and combatting the spread of terrorism is only underscored by the horrific attack perpetrated on the al-Rawda mosque in Sinai which killed over 300 worshippers. So while we urge you to extend our condolences and offer our continued support to Egypts fight against terrorism we also urge you to raise our concerns over Egypts domestic civil and political repression. In recent years, independent civil society groups have been the target of a concerted government effort to silence their voices and limit their ability to operate. Minority groups, including religious minorities and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community have been the targets of discrimination and violence. Independent media organizations have been shuttered, and dozens of journalists, bloggers, and citizens have been jailed for their speech. The Egyptian government has been engaged in a wide-ranging effort to crack down against public discourse, civil society activity, and independent media using a variety of methods and tools, including the use of legislation ostensibly designed to promote public safety or regulation, but practically used to stifle dissent. In particular, the NGO law ratified by President al-Sisi in May 2017 threatens to devastate the ability of independent organizations to operate within Egypt and calls into question the Egyptian Governments own commitments to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. The government routinely pressures journalists and private citizens to suppress criticism of the government, and has used criminal prosecution, gag orders, arbitrary detention, and serious physical abuse in police custody to target free speech. The criminalization of legitimate NGO activity complicates the effectiveness of the foreign assistance package that the United States provides to Egypt annually. The usage of these funds, and their compliance with U.S. law under the Brownback Amendment, relies on the ability of implementing partners on the ground to function freely. Recently, the Egyptian government has participated in the disturbing global trend of government authorities targeting directly, as well as fostering an environment of discrimination and violence against, members of the LGBT community. The most recent wave of anti-LGBT persecution has been ongoing since September, when authorities in Cairo arrested seven people who had been photographed at a concert raising a rainbow flag. These arrests marked the beginning of a widespread crackdown on LGBT Egyptians with reports of 65 people being arrested. Most have been charged with sentences ranging from 6 months to 12 years in prison. Reports that the Egyptian Parliament will consider legislation that would criminalize same sex relations are further cause for concern. While the Egyptian government has demonstrated an interest in achieving greater parity for Coptic Christians, Copts continue to be the frequent target of systemic discrimination as well as violence carried out by non-state actors, including fellow Egyptians. Despite statements of support, the government has not taken sufficient steps to protect Copts from violence and ensure equal treatment under the law. Finally, the Egyptian government has repeatedly stated its intent to find a satisfactory resolution in the case against 43 NGO workers, including 19 Americans, who were unjustly convicted under the Morsi government in 2013. This issue has been an irritant in U.S.-Egyptian relations for too long and has set a troubling precedent with regard to Egypts treatment of democracy, human rights, and governance efforts, including programs funded by U.S. tax dollars. Given your stated commitment to the protection of free speech and human rights, we ask that you raise these issues during your meetings this month with the highest levels of Egyptian leadership. Specifically, we respectfully ask that you raise with your counterparts the following: 1. The case against the 43 NGO workers must be resolved as soon as possible and without a retrial, specifically by Egypts court of cassation swiftly allowing an appeal in the case to be heard, the court issuing a ruling, and then President Sisi pardoning every individual (not just the Americans) convicted in the case.  2. The repressive NGO law should be repealed and independent civil society organizations should be allowed to operate, free from government interference. 3. The arrest, harassment, and incitement against LGBT individuals inside Egypt must cease immediately, the individuals in detention must be released, and the government should oppose any laws that seek to criminalize the speech or activities of the LGBT community. 4. The Government of Egypt should take additional steps to end the culture of impunity for attacks on Coptic Christians and continue to undertake the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of individuals who carry out attacks on Copts and other Christians in Egypt. 5. The government must stop impinging on freedom of speech and release journalists, bloggers, and citizens who have been arrested on political charges. 6. The government should take steps to release any American citizens or Legal Permanent Residents who have been arbitrarily detained and comply with international human rights standards for detention of all prisoners.  \n\t  For decades American foreign policy has been based on promotion of our values of freedom, equality, and right to democratic representation. We have enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership with the government and people of Egypt and we very much support this continued relationship. However, the close U.S-Egypt relationship is at risk as long as the Government of Egypt engages in widespread violations of internationally recognized civil and human rights. We respectfully ask that you do everything you can to ensure this message is delivered forcefully and regularly to the Egyptian government at all levels, particularly during your visit this month. Thank you for your attention. Sincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1501", "Reps. Ros-Lehtinen, Deutch, Cicilline, Hill Lead 71 Members Pushing Vice President Mike Pence to Address Human Rights in Egypt", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee ChairwomanIleana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27), Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee Ranking Member Ted Deutch (FL-22), Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01),and Congressman French Hill (AR-02) led 71 of their House colleagues in asking Vice President Mike Pence to hold the Egyptian government accountable for systemic human rights violations during a scheduled meeting in Cairo this week. For decades American foreign policy has been based on promotion of our values of freedom, equality, and right to democratic representation. We have enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership with the government and people of Egypt and we very much support this continued relationship, they wrote in a letter signed by 71 Republican and Democratic colleagues, including House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27). However, the close U.S-Egypt relationship is at risk as long as the Government of Egypt engages in widespread violations of internationally recognized civil and human rights. We respectfully ask that you do everything you can to ensure this message is delivered forcefully and regularly to the Egyptian government at all levels, particularly during your visit this month. Vice President Pence is visiting Cairo this week to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The Egyptian government has engaged in mass detentions, attacks on journalists, and efforts to restrict civil society. The full text of the letter sent to Vice President Pence is embedded below. A PDF version of the signed letter can be downloaded byclicking here.\r\n---------------------------------------------------------- The Honorable Mike Pence  \r\nVice President\r\nEisenhower Executive Office Building\r\nWashington, DC 20501 December 18, 2017 Dear Mr. Vice President: We write to you ahead of your upcoming visit to Egypt to raise concerns about recent actions taken by the Egyptian government that constitute a widespread crackdown against civil and human rights. Egypt and the United States have had a long and enduring partnership, predicated on strong military and counter-terrorism cooperation, shared security goals, and a shared vision for peace in the region. We value the benefits that the U.S-Egypt partnership has brought to both of our countries over the past four decades. In particular, our mutual interest in deterring and combatting the spread of terrorism is only underscored by the horrific attack perpetrated on the al-Rawda mosque in Sinai which killed over 300 worshippers. So while we urge you to extend our condolences and offer our continued support to Egypt's fight against terrorism we also urge you to raise our concerns over Egypt's domestic civil and political repression. In recent years, independent civil society groups have been the target of a concerted government effort to silence their voices and limit their ability to operate. Minority groups, including religious minorities and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community have been the targets of discrimination and violence. Independent media organizations have been shuttered, and dozens of journalists, bloggers, and citizens have been jailed for their speech. The Egyptian government has been engaged in a wide-ranging effort to crack down against public discourse, civil society activity, and independent media using a variety of methods and tools, including the use of legislation ostensibly designed to promote public safety or regulation, but practically used to stifle dissent. In particular, the NGO law ratified by President al-Sisi in May 2017 threatens to devastate the ability of independent organizations to operate within Egypt and calls into question the Egyptian Government's own commitments to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. The government routinely pressures journalists and private citizens to suppress criticism of the government, and has used criminal prosecution, gag orders, arbitrary detention, and serious physical abuse in police custody to target free speech. The criminalization of legitimate NGO activity complicates the effectiveness of the foreign assistance package that the United States provides to Egypt annually. The usage of these funds, and their compliance with U.S. law under the Brownback Amendment, relies on the ability of implementing partners on the ground to function freely. Recently, the Egyptian government has participated in the disturbing global trend of government authorities targeting directly, as well as fostering an environment of discrimination and violence against, members of the LGBT community. The most recent wave of anti-LGBT persecution has been ongoing since September, when authorities in Cairo arrested seven people who had been photographed at a concert raising a rainbow flag. These arrests marked the beginning of a widespread crackdown on LGBT Egyptians with reports of 65 people being arrested. Most have been charged with sentences ranging from 6 months to 12 years in prison. Reports that the Egyptian Parliament will consider legislation that would criminalize same sex relations are further cause for concern. While the Egyptian government has demonstrated an interest in achieving greater parity for Coptic Christians, Copts continue to be the frequent target of systemic discrimination as well as violence carried out by non-state actors, including fellow Egyptians. Despite statements of support, the government has not taken sufficient steps to protect Copts from violence and ensure equal treatment under the law. Finally, the Egyptian government has repeatedly stated its intent to find a satisfactory resolution in the case against 43 NGO workers, including 19 Americans, who were unjustly convicted under the Morsi government in 2013. This issue has been an irritant in U.S.-Egyptian relations for too long and has set a troubling precedent with regard to Egypt's treatment of democracy, human rights, and governance efforts, including programs funded by U.S. tax dollars. Given your stated commitment to the protection of free speech and human rights, we ask that you raise these issues during your meetings this month with the highest levels of Egyptian leadership. Specifically, we respectfully ask that you raise with your counterparts the following: 1. The case against the 43 NGO workers must be resolved as soon as possible and without a retrial, specifically by Egypt's court of cassation swiftly allowing an appeal in the case to be heard, the court issuing a ruling, and then President Sisi pardoning every individual (not just the Americans) convicted in the case. 2. The repressive NGO law should be repealed and independent civil society organizations should be allowed to operate, free from government interference. 3. The arrest, harassment, and incitement against LGBT individuals inside Egypt must cease immediately, the individuals in detention must be released, and the government should oppose any laws that seek to criminalize the speech or activities of the LGBT community. 4. The Government of Egypt should take additional steps to end the culture of impunity for attacks on Coptic Christians and continue to undertake the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of individuals who carry out attacks on Copts and other Christians in Egypt. 5. The government must stop impinging on freedom of speech and release journalists, bloggers, and citizens who have been arrested on political charges. 6. The government should take steps to release any American citizens or Legal Permanent Residents who have been arbitrarily detained and comply with international human rights standards for detention of all prisoners.  \r\n  \r\nFor decades American foreign policy has been based on promotion of our values of freedom, equality, and right to democratic representation. We have enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership with the government and people of Egypt and we very much support this continued relationship. However, the close U.S-Egypt relationship is at risk as long as the Government of Egypt engages in widespread violations of internationally recognized civil and human rights. We respectfully ask that you do everything you can to ensure this message is delivered forcefully and regularly to the Egyptian government at all levels, particularly during your visit this month. Thank you for your attention. Sincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/dr-boozman-s-check-up?ContentRecord_id=D010184A-5529-4AF8-94AA-621D7A4900EF", "Commissioning of USS Little Rock", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Despite the cold weather in Buffalo, New York, there was a warm welcome for the USS Little Rock, its crew and Arkansans who traveled to celebrate the commissioning of the Freedom-class littoral combat ship on Saturday.Its been more than four decades since the Navy had a ship named after the City of Little Rock, and it is an honor to have one its more versatile warships named after our states capital city.Watch the historic commissioning.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/videos?ContentRecord_id=8099D845-95C2-4283-BF4B-C5AA48C65F14", "Commissioning of the USS Little Rock", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Little Rock Office \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1401 W. Capitol Ave., Suite 155  Little Rock, AR 72201  Phone: (501) 372-7153  Fax: (501) 372-7163\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDC Office Info\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEmail Me", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/weekly-columns?ContentRecord_id=4D924B82-F02C-4525-80B8-26D7F8611ECF", "End the Diversity Visa Lottery", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The bombing at New York Citys Port Authority is the second terrorist attack in the Big Apple in as many months. These are reminders that our homeland continues to be the target of violence by individuals who are intent on threatening our nation and its ideals. While the methods our enemies use continue to change, we must ensure our national security officials are able to stay one step ahead of these evolving dangers.\r\nOur national security is the number one responsibility of the federal government. As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, Im pushing for the necessary resources to meet the needs of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and advocating for policies that safeguard American soil.\r\nThe recent attacks make it clear that we need to improve our immigration policies to reflect the fact that we face very real threats. That begins with eliminating the Diversity Visa program. This lottery system is based on random chance rather than merit-based criteria which allows citizens of certain countries to attain permanent resident status in the U.S.\r\nThis is how Uzbekistan native Sayfullo Saipov, accused of attacking innocent people on a New York City bicycle path on Halloween, legally entered our country. The alleged terrorist who attacked the New York Port Authority six weeks later, Akayed Ullah, was also a beneficiary of the Diversity Visa program. He was permitted to enter the U.S. in 2011 because a relative, who won a visa through the lottery, sponsored family to immigrate to the country through a process known as chain migration.\r\nA 2007 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report raised concerns about potential security risks because of the Diversity Visa programs vulnerability to fraud. The State Departments Office of Inspector General reported in 2013 about an investigation that produced a detailed portrait of [a] pervasive and sophisticated fraud scheme\" affecting the program in Ukraine.\r\nThe alarms have been sounding for more than a decade, but the recent terror attacks put the problems with this program in the spotlight. Its clear that we must end this program.\r\nEarlier this month, the Senate approved confirmation of Kirstjen Nielsen to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She called the program misguided during a press conference the day after the latest New York attack and agrees that ending it and modifying chain migration will lead to improved national security.\r\nIm pleased to support Secretary Nielsen and President Trump in their call to reform our immigration policies so that we can prohibit individuals who are intent on attacking the United States from entering our country.\r\nAmericans have stood strong in the face of terrorism and we will continue to be resilient. The terrorists will not win, but that wont keep them from trying to attack us and our way of life. Terrorists groups like ISIS will continue to radicalize supporters and recruit within our borders. We must remain vigilant and take the necessary measures to protect our homeland.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=854", "Cotton Statement on the President's National Security Strategy", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 18, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on the President's national-security strategy: \"The president's national-security strategy is a clear-eyed assessment of the threats we face and what it will take to confront them. I also applaud the president for committing to rebuild our military. Any strategy, to be successful, will depend on our having a military that's second to none. After eight years of neglect, there's much we need to do, but I'm confident the president is determined to build the best-trained, the best-equipped, and the best-led military in the world.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399256", "Relief for State - Tax reform to aid Arkansans", "2017-12-16", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Steve Womack", "W000809", "womack.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Fulfilling our promise of a fair and simple tax code is a top priority in Congress.\r\nFor decades, tax season has brought unnecessary stress and anxiety on families across our state and nation. People are spending over six billion hours and $168 billion annually to file their returns with a total of 90 percent of taxpayers being forced to hire a tax professional.\r\nOn Nov. 16, we supported and passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in the House, while the Senate passed its version on Dec. 2. For the first time in more than three decades, Congress voted to move forward with tax-reform legislation. This crucial reform would jump-start the economy, give hardworking families a break, and make the United States more competitive worldwide.\r\nNow, both chambers are in a conference committee--a place where selected members of both bodies meet to reconcile the differences between their respective tax reform bills. The goal of the conference is to agree on a final tax proposal that reforms America's out-of-date tax code, lowers and simplifies taxes for working families, and boosts economic growth--all of which lead to more jobs and higher wages here in Arkansas.\r\nAs your representatives, our objective is to keep key provisions in the final bill that allow families and individuals to invest in themselves. We believe Arkansans know how best to spend their hard-earned dollars, not Washington.\r\nOur goal is to see lower individual tax rates, an increase to the standard deduction, and the elimination of Washington-generated loopholes. With nearly 77 percent of Arkansans taking the standard deduction, doubling the amount would put more money in the pockets of citizens across the Natural State.\r\nWe are hopeful key provisions in the House bill will be included in the final version. For example, our bill would allow a typical Arkansas family to keep an additional $2,020 of their income. According to the Tax Foundation, it would also create 8,277 new full-time jobs across the state.\r\nIn addition, we want to ensure an increase in the child tax credit--from $1,000 to $1,600--a boost that would help most working families.\r\nFor entrepreneurs, we would like to eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax and keep small-business tax rates under 25 percent--which would be the lowest rate since World War II. This would be a significant reduction from today, and would help job creators expand their businesses.\r\nBy lowering our corporate tax rates and ending double taxation on foreign earnings of American businesses, we would incentivize businesses and investments to return home, bringing more jobs with them.\r\nReforming the nation's tax code provides better opportunities for people to succeed and live the American dream. Our ultimate goal is to grow the economy, simplify the tax code, and ease the financial burden on families.\r\nThis is our chance to make it easier for people across our state to navigate our tax system and provide them with significant relief.\r\nWe look forward to reviewing the text of the final bill and delivering the historic tax reform that Arkansas families need and deserve.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=853", "Cotton Statement on NLRB's Overturning of Browning-Ferris", "2017-12-15", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 15, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on the National Labor Relations Board's decision to overturn the controversial Browning-Ferris decision: \"I'm glad to see the NLRB overturn this ruling, as I called for back in 2015. Keeping Browning-Ferris on the books would've resulted in fewer jobs for working Arkansans and made it that much harder for the nearly 10,000 franchises in our state to grow. This decision is a good step toward more commonsense regulation and will give our state's franchises the flexibility they need to expand.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-supports-bills-use-tools-stop-terrorism", "Hill Supports Bills to Use Tools to Stop Terrorism", "2017-12-14", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after supporting two pieces of legislation to provide stronger oversight over Iran\u2019s financial transactions in an effort to stop Iran\u2019s sponsorship of terrorism:\n\u201cI am pleased that, as a member of the House Financial Services Committee, I have the opportunity work on legislation that has a direct effect on the safety and protection of Arkansas and American families. This rogue regime poses one of the greatest threats to our nation and allies. These two bills help stop the flow of funds to Iran - known as the foremost sponsor of terrorism and a habitual money launderer. We will continue to assess how we can change laws to block money used to finance terrorism. Through the Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act, we also expand awareness of the corruption of the Iranian Mullahs and Military.\u201d\nClick here to watch Rep. Hill\u2019s floor speech in support of H.R. 4324.\nBackground:\nThe Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act, H.R. 1638, requires the Secretary of the Department of Treasury to publically maintain a list estimating the \u201cfunds and assets\u201d of senior Iranian political and military leaders, along with a description of how they acquired the assets and how those assets are employed.\nThe Strengthening Oversight of Iran\u2019s Access to Finance Act, H.R. 4324, requires the Treasury Secretary to submit a report to Congress regarding financial transactions authorized in connection with commercial passenger aircrafts sales to Iran.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1500", "Hill Supports Bills to Use Tools to Stop Terrorism", "2017-12-14", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after supporting two pieces of legislation to provide stronger oversight over Iran's financial transactions in an effort to stop Iran's sponsorship of terrorism:\r\nI am pleased that, as a member of the House Financial Services Committee, I have the opportunity work on legislation that has a direct effect on the safety and protection of Arkansas and American families. This rogue regime poses one of the greatest threats to our nation and allies. These two bills help stop the flow of funds to Iran - known as the foremost sponsor of terrorism and a habitual money launderer. We will continue to assess how we can change laws to block money used to finance terrorism. Through the Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act, we also expand awareness of the corruption of the Iranian Mullahs and Military.\r\nClickhereto watch Rep. Hill's floor speech in support of H.R. 4324.\r\nBackground:\r\nThe Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act,H.R. 1638, requires the Secretary of the Department of Treasury to publically maintain a list estimating the funds and assets of senior Iranian political and military leaders, along with a description of how they acquired the assets and how those assets are employed.\r\nThe Strengthening Oversight of Iran's Access to Finance Act,H.R. 4324, requires the Treasury Secretary to submit a report to Congress regarding financial transactions authorized in connection with commercial passenger aircrafts sales to Iran.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://westerman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/westerman-statement-iran-financial-transparency-bills", "Westerman Statement on Iran Financial Transparency Bills", "2017-12-14", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Bruce Westerman", "W000821", "westerman.house.gov", "westerman", "https://westerman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "December 14, 2017\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) issued the following statement Thursday (December 14) upon passage of H.R. 1638, the Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act, and H.R. 4324, the Strengthening Oversight of Iran's Access to Finance Act:\n\n\"Iran's government and political leaders have long been involved in financial dealings which have sidestepped Western sanctions in order to pad the pockets of the Iran's elite,\" Westerman said. \"Passage of bills requiring transparency regarding the financial activities of Iran and its leaders is paramount if we are to ensure compliance with current sanctions.\"\n\nThe following are bill summaries, courtesy of Bloomberg Government:\n\nH.R. 1638: The Treasury Department would be required to report to Congress about the total assets held by Iran's most senior political, religious, and military leaders, under H.R. 1638.\n\nIran's president, Hassan Rouhani, and supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are among those whose funds and assets would have to be disclosed in the report.\n\nThe report would also cover the assets of commanders and deputy commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its branches, members of the Council of Guardians, the minister of intelligence and security, and the head of the Atomic Energy Organization in Iran.\n\nH.R. 4324: The Treasury Department would be required to submit a report to Congress on authorized commercial passenger aircraft sales to Iran under H.R. 4324.\n\nU.S. sanctions prevented Iran from replacing old aircraft, which have become outdated and unsafe. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- the formal name for the Iran nuclear deal -- committed the U.S. to resume licensing new commercial aircraft sales to Iran for civilian use.\n\nThe measure would require the Treasury Department to notify Congress of the sales and certify that they don't violate any existing sanctions.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T22:19:19Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=blog&id=851", "Cotton Remembers ALS Advocate Thomas Galyon", "2017-12-14", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 14, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nSenator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today spoke on the Senate floor about the life of ALS advocate Thomas Galyon of Rogers, Arkansas.  You can watch the video in full here. In addition, a full transcript of his remarks is below.\n  Last year, I stood on this floor and said a few words about a fellow Arkansan: Thomas Galyon of Rogers. We had just met to discuss his work with the Arkansas chapter of the National ALS Association. He'd been diagnosed with ALS in 2014, and, never one to let the grass grow under his feet, he'd been a tireless advocate for ALS research ever since then. Well, I'm sorry to report that Tom died last month on November 22. He lived three years after his diagnosis, which is about average these days for people with ALS. And with his death, the national ALS Association lost one of its great champions. Tom was always bursting with energy. He was born in 1946 in Abingdon, Virginia, and graduated from Emory and Henry College. He spent 33 years in the tourism industry, and, after a rather brief and, I must say, failed stint at retirement, he went back to work as the property manager for the Center for Nonprofits at St. Mary's in Northwest Arkansas. As luck would have it, the ALS Association was headquartered in that very building, so he could give both organizations his all. When we met last year, Tom asked me to help fix a problem that people with ALS have when applying for disability insurance. There's a five-month waiting period to receive benefits, you see, and though that might be a prudent antifraud measure in many cases, for people with ALS it consumes a lot of their remaining time in this world. So I joined with Senator Whitehouse to sponsor the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act, which would waive the waiting period for people with ALS. Tom's death should be a reminder of the urgent need to defeat this disease and to finally pass this bill into law. It's the least we could do to commemorate a man who gave this effort so much-because even in death, Tom's commitment was complete. By his request, his brain and spinal cord were donated to the Brain Bank of Miami, Florida, to continue the search for a cure for ALS. It's not hard to understand why. He himself used to stress the positive in every situation. His motto was \"blue skies always\"-and he certainly did all he could to bring blue skies into his life and the lives of those around him. So now that he has joined our heavenly Father in the blue skies, I want to recognize him and his family that he leaves behind: his wife of 44 years, Sally Armstrong; their two children; and their two grandchildren. Our state is better off for Tom's having lived in it, and all of us are better off for having known him. May he rest in peace.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=852", "Cotton Statement on Iran's Violations of UN Resolution 2231", "2017-12-14", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 14, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on a new report confirming Iran has repeatedly violated UN resolution 2231 by providing missiles and other illegal arms to the Houthi rebels in Yemen:\n\"We knew Iran was untrustworthy, but this report provides more hard evidence of just how brazen it's become. The ayatollahs feel no compunction about lying to the rest of the world or violating their international commitments. And the Iran deal only served to reward them for their treachery. The administration is to be commended for drawing attention to the ayatollahs' duplicity, and this report should put the free world on notice: If Iran won't abide by its commitments, then we must hold it accountable.\"\nUN Ambassador Nikki Haley's official remarks on the report can be read here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-awards-golden-fleece-office-personnel-management-wasteful-spending", "Hill Awards Golden Fleece to the Office of Personnel Management for Wasteful Spending on Idle Warehouse", "2017-12-13", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u00a0\u2013 Congressman French Hill (R-AR) named the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) as the latest winner of the Golden Fleece award for wasteful spending on an idle data warehouse.\nOPM\u00a0has spent over $10 million\u00a0to build a data warehouse for health claims data from beneficiaries of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB), data that OPM does not have, according to a recent Politico article.\n\u201cFor an agency that reveals the misuse of tax dollars within the federal government, OPM missed their own mark by wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on a warehouse to store data they don\u2019t have,\u201d said Rep. Hill. \u201cI question whether OPM should even have access to FEHB beneficiary data after Chinese hackers breached their security system in 2015 and accessed\u00a021.5 million OPM files. I sent a letter to Acting Director of OPM Kathleen McGettigan to raise these concerns with her.\u201d\nTo view the letter sent to Acting Director of OPM Kathleen McGettigan, click here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1499", "Hill Awards Golden Fleece to the Office of Personnel Management for Wasteful Spending on Idle Warehouse", "2017-12-13", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman French Hill (R-AR) named the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) as the latest winner of the Golden Fleece award for wasteful spending on an idle data warehouse.\r\nOPMhas spent over $10 millionto build a data warehouse for health claims data from beneficiaries of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB), data that OPM does not have, according to a recent Politico article.\r\nFor an agency that reveals the misuse of tax dollars within the federal government, OPM missed their own mark by wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on a warehouse to store data they don't have, said Rep. Hill. I question whether OPM should even have access to FEHB beneficiary data after Chinese hackers breached their security system in 2015 and accessed21.5 million OPM files. I sent a letter to Acting Director of OPM Kathleen McGettigan to raise these concerns with her.\r\nTo view the letter sent to Acting Director of OPM Kathleen McGettigan, clickhere.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=3C6B1B06-35C3-4A59-BCC2-F11763947A01", "Boozman Recognizes Service of Veteran Who Broke Barriers at Arkansas Army National Guard", "2017-12-13", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator John Boozman recognized the service and sacrifice of Chief Warrant Officer (retired) Pamela Huff in \u2018Salute to Veterans,\u2019 a series recognizing the military service of Arkansans.\r\nHuff graduated from Little Rock\u2019s Hall High School in 1975. Her cousin was interested in enlisting for the Army National Guard and convinced Huff to join her. \u00a0\u00a0\r\n\u201cBelieve it or not I signed up for not only the Arkansas Army National Guard but I also signed up for the Air Force, so I said whichever one calls me the first, that\u2019s the way I\u2019m going,\u201d Huff said.\u00a0\r\nHuff and her cousin went to basic training for the Army National Guard in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Unfortunately, Huff\u2019s cousin had medical issues that prevented her from completing the training.\r\nFollowing basic training, Huff was assigned to Fort Sam Houston, Texas for Advanced Individual Training (AIT) as a dental technician. She used these skills in an Arkansas dentist\u2019s office for a few years before changing careers. Huff was encouraged to explore full-time job opportunities with the Arkansas Army National Guard, something she didn\u2019t know existed.\r\n\u201cI applied for a job at Camp Robinson with Combined Support Maintenance Service,\u201d Huff recalled. \u201cThe job announcement actually said \u2018black hire only.\u2019 All of that was explained to me because of a discrimination suit, so lucky for me that I applied at that time, so I was hired.\u201d She became the second woman to join the department.\r\nHuff was inspired to become an officer. She chose to pursue the track of a warrant officer and along the way broke barriers. While she worked toward achieving this rank, ultimately becoming the first female in the Arkansas Army National Guard to obtain the rank of Chief Warrant Officer Five (CW5), she also became the first black female noncommissioned officer (NCO) instructor at the NCO academy.\u00a0\r\nDuring her assignment with the 119th Personnel Service Company, she learned that her unit would be mobilized for the Gulf War with the possibility of deployment to Iraq. In preparation for deployment, Huff was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.\r\nInstead of deploying overseas, she operated the mobilization station at Fort Sill.\u00a0 \u201cAt the mobilization station, you do everything from A to Z,\u201d Huff said. For her work, she was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.\u00a0\r\nHuff retired earlier this year with more than 40 years of military service.\r\n\u201cI am grateful for Pamela Huff\u2019s dedication and service to our nation. Her memories of military service are an important part of our history and I am pleased to be able to collect and preserve her stories,\u201d Boozman said.\u00a0\r\nBoozman will submit Huff\u2019s entire interview to the Veterans History Project, an initiative of the Library of Congress\u2019s American Folklife Center to collect and retain the oral histories of our nation\u2019s veterans.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/weekly-columns?ContentRecord_id=F33C3920-BC21-4FCD-8BFA-B396244D9F17", "Tax Reform: One Step Closer", "2017-12-13", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "It\u2019s the season of giving, and Congress wants to celebrate it by giving you more of your money back. This year, Congress is on track to provide historic tax relief to hardworking Americans by passing the first comprehensive legislation to overhaul our tax code in over 30 years.\u00a0\r\nOur current tax code makes it difficult to get ahead in today\u2019s economy and to save for the future. That\u2019s why the Senate spent significant time developing a comprehensive tax reform plan that will allow families to keep more of their money rather than send it to Washington.\r\nThis tax overhaul has been a thorough, years-long process. The Senate Finance Committee has held 70 hearings on how to simplify the tax code and make it fair and more efficient for all Americans. The committee\u2019s working groups created bipartisan solutions that were used to help guide members as they crafted legislation that will lower federal income taxes across the board.\r\nI was pleased to support the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act because of the relief it will provide to middle-income Arkansans. The standard deduction doubles to $24,000 for married couples. This means that families aren\u2019t subject to federal income tax for the first $24,000 they make. Similarly, the standard deduction increases to $18,000 for single parents. The Senate plan also doubles the child tax credit to $2,000. These improvements will help families keep more of their hard-earned money to help make ends meet or save for the future.\u00a0\r\nAccording to the Tax Foundation\u2019s state-by-state analysis, the Senate bill will add 7,800 new full-time jobs to the Arkansas economy and middle-income Arkansas families would see a $2,020 increase in income.\u00a0\r\nIn addition to providing relief to the middle-class, this update to our tax code will help grow the economy. The bill permanently reduces the corporate tax rate, currently the highest in the developed world. The lower corporate tax rate will make American businesses more competitive and keep well-paying jobs here at home. It will also help small businesses expand, invest in their employees and increase wages.\r\nWhile the federal government cannot create jobs, it can implement policies that create an environment that encourages job creators to expand and invest. This overhaul of the tax code is an invitation to do business in the United States.\r\nThis is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. While members of both chambers have to hammer out the differences between the Senate and House bills before delivering a final package to President Trump for his signature, our goal remains the same - provide Americans with a more fair, simpler tax system that encourages job growth while keeping more money in the pockets of hardworking individuals. I look forward to supporting a final bill that achieves this.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=blog&id=850", "Cotton Honors the Memory of Capt. Thomas J. Hudner and Col. Wesley L. Fox", "2017-12-13", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 13, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nSenator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today spoke on the Senate floor about the lives of Medal of Honor recipients Capt. Thomas J. Hudner and Col. Wesley L. Fox. You can watch the video in full here. In addition, a full transcript of his remarks is below.\n  A month ago, we lost another Medal of Honor recipient, Capt. Thomas J. Hudner, who died at the ripe old age of 93. And not long after, we lost a second one, Col. Wesley L. Fox, who died at the distinguished age of 86. Two different men who led two different lives-each equally deserving of praise and honor. But I can't help but wonder if there's a reason their deaths came so suddenly and close together. It's almost as if our Lord took them in one fell swoop, so the greater loss would inspire greater gratitude for their sacrifice. What Captain Hudner of the U.S. Navy did to earn his medal is remarkable for the simple fact that he could've been court-martialed for doing it. It was December 1950, in Korea. Just days before, the Chinese People's Liberation Army had crossed the Yalu River and thrown back U.S. forces on the cusp of victory. Then-lieutenant Hudner was a naval aviator, flying one of six Navy Corsairs near the Chosin Reservoir, five miles behind enemy lines, when he saw his squadron mate, Ensign Jesse L. Brown, get hit by enemy fire and crash-land on a snowy mountainside. What Lieutenant Hudner probably should've done is stick to the plan; what he did instead was an act of pure bravery. He intentionally crash-landed his plane not far from Ensign Brown's and tried to rescue him from the burning wreckage-all in subzero temperatures. But Ensign Brown was trapped, his knee was crushed between the fuselage and the control panel. When help arrived, their hatchet couldn't hack through the plane's metal, and no one could get close enough to amputate his leg. They had to leave him behind. Ensign Brown's last words were \"Tell Daisy I love her.\" It might be appropriate to note here that Ensign Brown was black and Lieutenant Hudner was white. But I mention it as almost an afterthought because to the two of them that's just what it was-a postscript, an addendum, a mere detail. They were comrades in arms, wearing the red, white and blue, not seeing the color of each other's skins. The only color that mattered to them and that they shared in common besides the color of our flag was the Navy blue of their uniform. Just two years after Harry Truman had integrated the armed forces, Lieutenant Hudner and Ensign Brown's friendship was a symbol of America's promise. And he went on to have a successful career, but for giving us a moral example from that day we should all be thankful. Col. Fox, meanwhile, was a legend in the Marine Corps. He served for 43 years, leaving only when forced to by the mandatory retirement at the age of 62. In that time, he held every enlisted rank except sergeant major and every officer rank except for general. He once admitted that \"my first four years as a Marine I didn't own one stitch of civilian clothes-everything I did was in a Marine uniform. I'd go home on leave, working in the hay fields or whatever, I wore my Marine utilities. Go in town to see the movies, I wore Marine dress.\" That's just how proud Wesley Fox was to be a Marine. And it was that deeply felt love for his fellow Marines that drove him in his service. Like Lieutenant Hudner, he fought in Korea. In fact, he was wounded, and after he recovered, he was so eager to get back to the fight that he wrote to the commandant asking to be deployed once again. But the battle that earned him his place in history was in the jungles of Vietnam. It was February 1969, deep in the A Shau Valley in Vietnam. Then-First Lieutenant Fox was fighting in the last major Marine offensive of the war: Operation Dewey Canyon. His unit was Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines-it earned the nickname \"The Walking Dead\" for suffering so many casualties during the war. They came under heavy fire from a larger force, yet the fearless Lieutenant Fox led a charge against the enemy. He was wounded, but he refused medical attention, instead concentrating on leading the attack, coordinating air support, and supervising the evacuation of the dead and injured. It was a stunning show of valor, and for it, he too would earn the Medal of Honor. His citation read, in part, \"His indomitable courage, inspiring initiative and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of grave personal danger inspired his Marines to such aggressive action that they overcame all enemy resistance and destroyed a large bunker complex. Capt. Fox's heroic actions reflect great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps, and uphold the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.\"  As I said two different men, two different stories-but the same courage and service to the same great country. They showed the same selflessness-one risking his life for his friend, the other risking his life for his Marines. And so I think it's fitting that we celebrate their lives together-because they both showed us the utter selflessness of courage. They didn't fight and display such bravery because they hated our enemies but because they loved our country and they loved their comrades in arms. A good lesson, I'd say, for this time of year. And so I want to honor the memory of Capt. Thomas J. Hudner and Col. Wesley L. Fox. They were true American patriots, and may they rest in peace.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/president-signs-law-supporting-arkansas-military-and-families", "President Signs Law Supporting Arkansas Military and Families", "2017-12-12", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013\u00a0 Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law:\n\u201cI appreciate President Trump signing into law a bill that continues our support for Arkansans - and their families - serving in our nation\u2019s military. This is the fifty-fourth consecutive year that Congress has worked in a bipartisan fashion to ensure funding for vital functions of our armed forces. This includes more than $200 million for modernization for the C-130 Hercules fleet, which is the backbone of our Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard airmen and airwomen at Little Rock Air Force Base. It also gives our military personnel a much-deserved 2.4 percent pay increase. Our military is the most effective military in the world, and our brave men and women in uniform deserve the funding, tools, and support to successfully complete their strategic missions around the globe.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1498", "President Signs Law Supporting Arkansas Military and Families", "2017-12-12", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "President Signs Law Supporting Arkansas Military and Families \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 12, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law:\r\nI appreciate President Trump signing into law a bill that continues our support for Arkansans - and their families - serving in our nation's military. This is the fifty-fourth consecutive year that Congress has worked in a bipartisan fashion to ensure funding for vital functions of our armed forces. This includes more than $200 million for modernization for the C-130 Hercules fleet, which is the backbone of our Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard airmen and airwomen at Little Rock Air Force Base. It also gives our military personnel a much-deserved 2.4 percent pay increase. Our military is the most effective military in the world, and our brave men and women in uniform deserve the funding, tools, and support to successfully complete their strategic missions around the globe.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399243", "House Lawmakers introduce the CERTIFY Heroes Act", "2017-12-12", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Steve Womack", "W000809", "womack.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON\u2013\u00a0Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3)\u2014 joined by Representatives John Carter (TX-31), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5), Steve Russell (OK-5), and Sanford Bishop (GA-2)\u2014 today introduced the Credentialing, Educating, and Relevant Training Initiative For Your (CERTIFY) Heroes Act.\u00a0\r\nThis legislation will permit individuals who are eligible for the Department of Defense tuition assistance program (TA) to use their benefit for licensing, credentialing, and certification programs offered by entities other than an institution of higher education.\r\nUpon introduction, the sponsors released the following statement:  \r\n\r\n\u201cThe members of our Armed Forces deserve nothing short of the best, and we should provide them with the resources necessary for success once they return to civilian life. The CERTIFY Heroes Act will allow active duty men and women who are unable to attend a four-year college to pursue more than 1,500 different licenses, certifications, and credentials using TA. This bill makes clear the House\u2019s priority to not only equip our servicemembers for their future, but also to give our nation\u2019s workforce the best we have to offer.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\nThe text of the bill can be found here.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\nCongressman Steve Womack has represented Arkansas\u2019s Third Congressional District since 2011 and serves on the House Appropriations Defense, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Labor-Health and Human Services subcommittees and the House Committee on the Budget.\r\n\u00a0\r\nwomack.house.gov\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-introduces-bill-prevent-bailouts-government-sponsored-enterprises", "Hill Introduces Bill to Prevent Bailouts of Government-Sponsored Enterprises", "2017-12-11", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2013 Congressman French Hill (AR-02) introduced H.R. 4560, the GSE Jumpstart Reauthorization Act of 2017.\nThis legislation would extend an existing prohibition while preventing the U.S. Treasury Department from selling its Government-Sponsored Enterprise (GSE) preferred shares. It also would require the GSEs to pay dividends to the Treasury Department prior to making payments to the Housing Trust Fund for that year.\n\u201cBy allowing the GSEs to retain earnings is beside the point,\u201d said. Rep. Hill. \u201cThe U.S. Treasury still backs the GSEs with a line of credit standing at over $250 billion and, while Fannie and Freddie remain in conservatorship, the taxpayers continue to be on the hook. Rather than increasing taxpayer exposure by withholding money, it is time to mandate that the GSEs pay their bills to taxpayers before growing this Trust Fund.\u201d\nBackground Information:\nH.R. 4560, introduced December 6, 2017, would do the following:\n Extends the S. 1217, GSE Jumpstart language in the 2015 Omnibus for one year through December 1, 2019. This provision prevents Treasury from selling its GSE Senior Preferred shares and its warrant for 79.9 percent of the GSEs\u2019 common shares.\u00a0\n  Expands the current provision in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) that states the Federal Housing Finance Authority \u201cshall temporarily suspend\u201d GSE payments to the Housing Trust Fund if it thinks those payments would weaken their finances. The bill adds a second provision to HERA, which says that if the GSEs fail to pay their any of their dividends to Treasury in a year then FHFA must prohibit payments to the Housing Trust Fund for that entire fiscal year.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1497", "Hill Introduces Bill to Prevent Bailouts of Government-Sponsored Enterprises", "2017-12-11", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman French Hill (AR-02) introduced H.R. 4560, the GSE Jumpstart Reauthorization Act of 2017.\r\nThis legislation would extend an existing prohibition while preventing the U.S. Treasury Department from selling its Government-Sponsored Enterprise (GSE) preferred shares. It also would require the GSEs to pay dividends to the Treasury Department prior to making payments to the Housing Trust Fund for that year.\r\nBy allowing the GSEs to retain earnings is beside the point, said. Rep. Hill. The U.S. Treasury still backs the GSEs with a line of credit standing at over $250 billion and, while Fannie and Freddie remain in conservatorship, the taxpayers continue to be on the hook. Rather than increasing taxpayer exposure by withholding money, it is time to mandate that the GSEs pay their bills to taxpayers before growing this Trust Fund.\r\nBackground Information:\r\nH.R. 4560, introduced December 6, 2017, would do the following:\r\n \r\n    Extends the S. 1217, GSE Jumpstart language in the 2015 Omnibus for one year through December 1, 2019. This provision prevents Treasury from selling its GSE Senior Preferred shares and its warrant for 79.9 percent of the GSEs' common shares.\r\n \r\n \r\n    Expands the current provision in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) that states the Federal Housing Finance Authority shall temporarily suspend GSE payments to the Housing Trust Fund if it thinks those payments would weaken their finances. The bill adds a second provision to HERA, which says that if the GSEs fail to pay their any of their dividends to Treasury in a year then FHFA must prohibit payments to the Housing Trust Fund for that entire fiscal year.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=blog&id=849", "'A Foreign Policy for Jacksonian America'", "2017-12-11", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 11, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nA Foreign Policy for \u2018Jacksonian America'Jason WillickWall Street Journal   Washington At 40, Tom Cotton of Arkansas is the youngest member of the U.S. Senate. He was called a young man in a hurry four years ago when he announced, during his first and only term in the House, that he would challenge the incumbent senator, Mark Pryor. Now there is talk President Trump may nominate him to lead the Central Intelligence Agency as part of a national-security shake-up. Admirers have also suggested he is presidential timber. I met Mr. Cotton this week in his Capitol Hill office to explore his foreign-policy thinking. What emerged was the outline of a coherent if contentious worldview-one might even call it a doctrine-that begins with a sense that U.S. foreign policy has been adrift for a quarter-century. \"The coalitions of the Cold War rapidly began to break down as soon as the Soviet Union dissolved,\" Mr. Cotton says. That first became clear during the debate over the Balkan wars of the Clinton years. \"You had some Cold War hawks that were all of a sudden sounding like doves,\" Mr. Cotton says, referring to conservatives who'd been staunchly anti-Soviet but were wary of U.S. involvement in what was then Yugoslavia. \"You had Cold War doves\"-including the liberal humanitarians of the Clinton administration-\"that were beginning to sound like Teddy Roosevelt, ready to charge up the hill. That pattern consistently repeated itself\" in subsequent years. When it comes to America's present challenges-from Iran to North Korea, China to Russia, Syria to Ukraine-Mr. Cotton, a conservative Republican, is squarely on Team Roosevelt. \"There is always a military option,\" he says. \"That is the case everywhere in the world.\" But he believes that the lack of a clear organizing principle for how and when to use that power has knocked America's global strategy off kilter. It also has created a divide between foreign-policy elites and what Mr. Cotton calls \"Jacksonian America\"-heartland voters who favor a strong national defense but are skeptical of foreign entanglements and humanitarian interventions. \"Foreign policy, to be durable and to be wise, must command popular support,\" Mr. Cotton says. Statesmen and diplomats \"might craft what they think is a wise foreign policy-something that Metternich or Bismarck might draw up in his study,\" he continues. \"But without the support of Jacksonian America, the people who are going to cash the checks that are written by elites in New York and Washington\"-that is, to pay the price for intervention-\"no foreign policy can ultimately be successful.\"  On that score, he thinks the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations all fell short. \"Some of the interventions over the last 25 years, I think, have been plainly unwise and had very limited popular support, and they've created foreign-policy disasters,\" he says. As a prime example, he cites the desultory 2011 air campaign in Libya, whose aftermath is now \"destabilizing Europe and creating new terrorist breeding grounds.\" President Obama, Mr. Cotton argues, \"probably did the wrong thing\" in helping to oust Moammar Gadhafi while leaving Bashar Assad alone. If the U.S. had intervened in Syria and not Libya, \"we might have had a happier end in both.\" What about Iraq, where Mr. Cotton served as a U.S. Army infantry captain? The senator does not say, as President Trump has, that the invasion was a mistake-although neither does he tell me, as he insisted as recently as 2016, that Iraq was a \"necessary, just and noble war.\" Instead, he observes that the war's mismanagement alienated voters and cost Republicans dearly. The Bush administration, he adds, erred in prioritizing democratic ambitions ahead of the basic task of securing the country: \"There was a belief in the immediate aftermath of the invasion in 2003 that we could simply fly the flag of democracy, have an election with some purple fingers\"-the symbol of proud Iraqi voters in 2005-\"slap a uniform on some people, call it an army and declare victory.\" On the other hand, he calls the 2007 surge George W. Bush's \"finest hour.\" For Mr. Cotton, the lesson from Iraq is not that the U.S. should be more circumspect about confronting hostile powers. Rather, it is that security must come first-before \"political reconciliation, economic development, democracy promotion, human rights or anything else. Without security, there's nothing else.\" That's one reason Mr. Cotton's hawkish approach to Iran emphasizes strictly military objectives, not political or ideological ones. \"Any military action against Iran,\" he says, \"would look more like Operation Desert Fox from Iraq in December of 1998 or Operation El Dorado Canyon in Libya in 1986.\" Those were limited bombing campaigns designed to punish misbehaving regimes. Mr. Cotton insists-controversially-that such an attack on Iran would not require a sustained military commitment: \"It would be primarily a naval and air attack against its nuclear infrastructure.\"  Mr. Cotton sees Iran as a greater long-term challenge than North Korea. But Kim Jong Un's nuclear brinkmanship is the more immediate threat. \"If I were the leader of Japan or I were the leader of South Korea,\" he says emphatically, \"and I had any reason to doubt U.S. resolve to extend its nuclear deterrent to me, then I would absolutely pursue nuclear weapons.\" Mr. Trump has suggested he is relying on Beijing to help solve the North Korea problem. Mr. Cotton thinks that is unlikely: \"China is a rival in every regard. China is not a partner.\" He calls China's 2001 admission to the World Trade Organization \"one of the biggest failures of post-Cold War foreign policy.\" He is fiercely critical of the view that integrating China into the global economy would cause it to liberalize internally. \"Those who argue that position,\" he tells me, \"should have their judgment impeached in future, similar arguments.\" At the same time as Beijing is becoming more repressive at home, it is challenging the U.S. \"in every domain, not just militarily, but politically and economically and diplomatically.\" Mr. Cotton worries that China, a rising power, can afford to play the long game, and that \"in many ways, they've been beating us at that game.\" The U.S. needs to \"join the competition in every way,\" including by conducting more freedom-of-navigation operations in the disputed South China Sea. Yet in the very long game, Mr. Cotton says, America's market liberalism gives it a clear advantage: \"Nothing in China's state-driven economy has rewritten the basic rules of market-driven economics that have made the Anglo-Americans the dominant world power for 400 years.\" Has the Trump administration undercut this advantage by pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which had been designed to draw other Asian countries into America's orbit? \"I know that many of the countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership who thought they got a good deal from the Obama administration have pitched that line,\" Mr. Cotton answers. \"I know that Xi Jinping \"-China's president-\"has pitched that line as well. I'm skeptical.\" Mr. Cotton's view on TPP seems less an exercise in antitrade philosophy than a bow to political reality: \"Ultimately, the American people simply did not want to ratify that agreement.\" The voters who swung the 2016 election to Mr. Trump \"believed that we needed to make fewer economic and political concessions to allies than might have been necessary in the Cold War to defeat the Soviet Union.\" If Mr. Cotton sounds comfortable accommodating the Trumpist mood on trade, he rejects the view that the U.S. might be able to \"get along\" with Russia, as Mr. Trump frequently suggests. \"Russia is the great land power of the Old World,\" he says. \"The United States is the great maritime power of the New World. Those facts will never change; those facts will always create tension between our nations.\" Mr. Cotton points to a book on his coffee table, \"Democracy in America\" by Alexis de Tocqueville. \"I assume you've read that book over there,\" he says. Tocqueville, Mr. Cotton paraphrases, predicted that Russia's authoritarian spirit and America's democratic spirit put the two countries on a collision course. As Tocqueville puts it, \"each seems called by some secret desire of Providence one day to hold in its hands the destinies of half the world.\" In discussing Vladimir Putin, Mr. Cotton makes clear his prime concern is U.S. interests, not the Russian president's dictatorial practices at home. \"I condemn Russia for their atrocious treatment of their own people,\" he says. \"But it's of graver concern that they are bombing our allies in Syria, or that they are invading sovereign countries in the heart of Europe.\" Russia's various aggressions, he says, \"spring from the common core of Vladimir Putin being a dictator.\" Mr. Cotton's hawkish realism is tinged with idealism. \"It simply is a fact,\" he says, \"that the American people have moral aspirations about America's role in the world, and about the Founding principles of America being universal.\" There's no contradiction, however, if favoring democracy also serves U.S. interests.  \"The easiest way to prevent attack is to secure the Western Hemisphere,\" he says, and \"the easiest way to secure the Western Hemisphere is to defend forward in the Old World\"-by which he means the Middle East and Asia as well as Europe. \"In doing so, we would need to have alliances and those alliances are easier to build with countries that share our principles. That doesn't mean that we can only work with democratic governments or with capitalist societies, but those are longer-lasting, more durable alliances.\" Mr. Cotton does not share liberal internationalists' alarm over developments in Poland and Hungary, both of which are consolidating power around populist parties of the right. \"Many of those Central and Eastern European countries are moving towards nationalism. and I think that's an understandable trend,\" he says. \"If your nation had spent 100 years being invaded and occupied and facing genocide you might be happy with the way you are as well-which is small and politically, culturally, ethnically, linguistically homogenous. Much of the turn in these countries . . . is against the Brussels-driven transnationalist movement in Europe.\" This points to the obvious establishmentarian critique of the Cotton Doctrine: that a shortsighted focus on security over values and national interest over multilateralism risks damaging American interests in the long run. But there's another, more serious risk: that the impulse to increase America's military commitment in so many chaotic and disorderly places cannot hold the support of Jacksonian America. If military intervention leads to quagmire, it could widen the gap between elites and the public that Mr. Cotton says he is trying to bridge. If he can navigate around these treacherous pitfalls, the Republican Party may one day be his. But even if he can't, his ambition to ground America's long-drifting foreign policy is serious and valuable. The Cotton Doctrine represents a first draft of the GOP's effort to rebuild a coalition that began to fall apart not long after the Berlin Wall.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=847", "Cotton Statement on China's Threat to Invade Taiwan", "2017-12-11", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 11, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement after a senior Chinese diplomat threatened to invade Taiwan: \"I take Beijing's threats to use military force against Taiwan seriously. That's why I urge both the president and Congress to accelerate the sale of defensive weapons to Taiwan, as well as to bring Taiwan into joint military exercises with the United States. We can't afford to take Beijing's saber-rattling lightly.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=AC5AEBA8-320E-4EA6-9D02-C56F0FE3EE0E", "Boozman Leads Call for Nationwide Review of VA Providers in Light of USA Today Report", "2017-12-08", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON\u2014A bipartisan group of U.S. senators are calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct a nationwide review of its providers after a USA Today investigation found multiple providers hired by the Department had at least one state medical license revoked due to malpractice.\r\nIn a letter to VA Secretary David Shulkin authored by Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), the senators presented a series of questions.\u00a0\r\n\u201cFor years, states have experienced provider shortages across many different medical specialties, and like the private sector healthcare industry, the VA has faced similar provider shortages,\u201d the senators wrote to Shulkin. \u201cAs such, we request information about the VA\u2019s oversight of provider hiring guidelines to ensure that the pressure to fill shortages has not led to insufficient health care quality controls.\u201d\u00a0\r\nIn addition to Boozman, the letter was signed by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), John Barrasso (R-WY), Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).\r\nFull text of the letter can be found here and below:\r\n\r\nDecember 8, 2017\r\nThe Honorable David Shulkin  Secretary  U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs  810 Vermont Ave NW  Washington, DC 20420-0001\r\nDear Secretary Shulkin:\r\nWe write to express our serious concerns regarding recent media reports suggesting that the Department of Veterans Affairs offers employment to medical practitioners with a known history of licensure revocation by a state medical licensing board. The national reporting also highlighted cases of the VA hiring providers with known conduct and performance deficiencies that resulted in sanctions and criminal charges of the individuals.\u00a0\r\nFor years, states have experienced provider shortages across many different medical specialties, and like the private sector healthcare industry, the VA has faced similar provider shortages. For states, such as Arkansas, in which many veterans eligible for VA care are rural, the provider shortage is even more pronounced. As such, we request information about the VA\u2019s oversight of provider hiring guidelines to ensure that the pressure to fill shortages has not led to insufficient health care quality controls.\u00a0\u00a0\r\nWe request that the Department of Veterans Affairs conduct a nationwide review to identify all providers by state and specialty, who were known to have had adverse actions taken against their clinical privileges, to include the revocation of state medical licensure, and were subsequently hired by the Department. Of the individuals identified by the aforementioned report, what is the employment status of each individual identified? What additional oversight measures are required for providers identified through this review who remain employed by and practicing within the VA?\r\nIn addition to a review to determine the current status of providers within the VA, we would also like information relevant to oversight of VA policies regarding hiring of individuals who have disciplinary or performance deficiencies that resulted in sanctions, claims, or charges. At what level is a final personnel decision approved? Does the VA have regular reporting and review of any providers hired under these circumstances? How is the performance and conduct of such individuals tracked, including the healthcare outcomes they deliver for veterans? When the VA intends to hire a provider with known medical malpractice claims, what additional scrutiny or consideration are such applicants subjected to?\r\nDoes the VA have authority to hire a provider whose license has been revoked? When the VA considers hiring these providers, at what level does the VA approve a final offer of employment? Are such hiring decisions subject to reporting requirements to the Department? If so, to what level? Following the employment of such a provider, does the VA require any probationary periods of review or mandatory consultation prior to authorizing the direct provision of care to patients? Do these positions include any responsibility for the direct provision of medical care? \u00a0 \u00a0\r\nPlease confirm the status of this request and provide a timeline for completion of the requested review. We ask that you please keep our offices updated on this issue. Thank you for your consideration of this request.\r\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=846", "Cotton Statement on Palestinian Protests in Jerusalem", "2017-12-08", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 8, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on the Palestinian riots in the wake of the United States's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel:\n\"What today's protests show is there would be less violence in the region if the Palestinian Authority didn't promote it-whether by design or inaction. Whatever their policy disagreements with the Israeli government, the PA and Fatah have the responsibility to prevent this violence from escalating any further. And the United States will never accept a 'rioter's veto' against our policies.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-s-statement-two-week-government-spending-bill", "Hills Statement on Two-week Government Spending Bill", "2017-12-07", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after voting to fund the federal government through December 22, 2017:\n\u201cWe\u2019ve already done our job in the House by passing all twelve government funding bills this year, but the Senate hasn\u2019t done their job by\u00a0passing any of them. In addition to these twelve funding bills, the House has also successfully passed reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and reauthorized the critically important funding for the Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program\u00a0(CHIP).\n\u201cI have said it many times and I will say it again, Continuing Resolutions are no way to govern. They particularly punish our men and women in uniform who are actively engaged around the world protecting America\u2019s interests. We must ensure our military, federal agencies, and other key government entities have the resources they need to fulfill their duties and serve hardworking Arkansans and Americans.\u201d\nBackground:\nClick\u00a0here\u00a0for more information on the Continuing Appropriations Act, H.J.Res.123.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1496", "Hills Statement on Two-week Government Spending Bill", "2017-12-07", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Today, Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after voting to fund the federal government through December 22, 2017:\r\nWe've already done our job in the House by passing all twelve government funding bills this year, but the Senate hasn't done their job bypassing any of them. In addition to these twelve funding bills, the House has also successfully passed reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and reauthorized the critically important funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program(CHIP).\r\nI have said it many times and I will say it again, Continuing Resolutions are no way to govern. They particularly punish our men and women in uniform who are actively engaged around the world protecting America's interests. We must ensure our military, federal agencies, and other key government entities have the resources they need to fulfill their duties and serve hardworking Arkansans and Americans.\r\nBackground:\r\nClickherefor more information on the Continuing Appropriations Act, H.J.Res.123.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://westerman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/westerman-condemns-ethnic-cleansing-burma", "Westerman Condemns Ethnic Cleansing in Burma", "2017-12-07", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Bruce Westerman", "W000821", "westerman.house.gov", "westerman", "https://westerman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) issued the following statement Thursday (December 7) in support of H.Con.Res. 90, condemning ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya and calling for an end to the attacks in and an immediate restoration of humanitarian access to the state of Rakhine in Burma. The concurrent resolution passed the House Wednesday (December 6).\n\n\"No group should ever be targeted for elimination based on their religious beliefs,\" Westerman said. \"America must speak with a loud, unified voice and say the targeting of civilians by Burmese security forces is immoral and unjust. This resolution is direct - Burmese Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing must end attacks on civilians in the state of Rakhine. I pray for those caught in this violence and those seeking refuge in neighboring Bangladesh.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T22:19:19Z"], ["https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399240", "Two-Week Continuing Resolution Passes House", "2017-12-07", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Steve Womack", "W000809", "womack.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON\u2013\u00a0Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) today released the following statement after the House voted in favor of a short-term funding extension:\u00a0\r\n\u201cThis afternoon, I voted in favor of the short-term continuing resolution (CR) that will fund our government through December 22. I have often noted that I don\u2019t like this kind of legislating, and I am disappointed that we have come to this point as a Congress. I prefer we handle funding the government separate from other contentious issues, as originally intended, but the short-term CR is necessary for the House to reach an all-important deal on spending levels, particularly for our nation\u2019s defense. I am hopeful this resolution will give Congress time to establish a path forward to fund the government and avoid a shutdown.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\r\nCongressman Steve Womack has represented Arkansas\u2019s Third Congressional District since 2011 and serves on the House Appropriations Defense, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Labor-Health and Human Services subcommittees and the House Committee on the Budget.\r\nwomack.house.gov\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=70345B23-0A91-47D4-9A08-76C6F47A7322", "Boozman Presses for Extension of Secure Rural Schools Program", "2017-12-07", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) joined a group of senators in sending a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), urging them to include a reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Program in any end-of-year legislation. SRS supports public schools, public roads, forest health projects, emergency services and many other essential county services for more than 775 counties across the country including 27 in Arkansas.\u00a0\r\nThe SRS program expired on September 30, 2015, and has not been reauthorized. Forest counties and schools received their last authorized SRS payment in 2016. Without the SRS program, existing revenue-sharing payments are not sufficient to support the critical services that these counties must provide.\u00a0\r\nThe Senators wrote:\r\n\u201cThe SRS program continues to be a critical safety-net for forest counties as we work to diversify rural economies, improve forest management and forest health, strengthen historic forest revenue sharing with local governments, and ensure that our forests provide a range of values such as clean water, jobs, and wood fiber for local economies.\u00a0\r\n\u201cIn the interest of working together in a bipartisan way to support local rural communities, we ask that you include a reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools in any end-of-the-year legislation. We appreciate your assistance with this matter.\u201d\u00a0\r\nSenators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) led the bipartisan letter that in addition to Boozman was signed by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Dean Heller (R-NV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Joe Manchin III (D-WV), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Jeffery A. Merkley (D-OR), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Patty Murray (D-WA), Gary Peters (D-MI), James E. Risch (R-ID), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Jon Tester (D-MT) and Roger Wicker (R-MS).\u00a0\r\nThe full letter is as follows:\u00a0\u00a0\r\nDear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer:\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We write to strongly urge the inclusion of at least a two-year reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, which enjoys tremendous bipartisan support, in any end-of-the-year legislation.\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0On U.S. Forest Service land, the federal government has historically shared 25 percent of timber harvest revenues with counties to compensate for federal ownership. On certain land managed by the Department of Interior, the Bureau of Land Management shares 50 percent of the revenue from federal timber sales with counties. Due to declining timber harvests, a critical source of funding for rural counties, sometimes referred to as \u201cforest counties,\u201d has seen significant decreases, often decimating impacted county budgets.\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In 2000, Congress passed SRS with broad bipartisan support as a fiscal solution to help fund essential services resulting from the reduced revenue-sharing receipts. Since then, SRS has been a critical lifeline for over 775 counties in over 40 states across the country by helping fund more than 4,400 schools, road maintenance, law enforcement, and search and rescue operations.\u00a0 However, SRS authorization lapsed last year and rural counties are now back to simply receiving the timber revenue-sharing receipts. These receipts are up to 80 percent less than what forest counties received under SRS.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We are now witnessing firsthand the hardships rural counties face as a result of SRS authorization lapsing. Without the certainty of SRS payments, schools, libraries, and jails are closing. Schools that remain open will see a reduction of teachers. Roads go unpaved and become unsafe. Mental and physical health services are scaled back or even ended. Fewer and fewer law enforcement officers are forced to patrol larger and larger areas.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The SRS program continues to be a critical safety-net for forest counties as we work to diversify rural economies, improve forest management and forest health, strengthen historic forest revenue sharing with local governments, and ensure that our forests provide a range of values such as clean water, jobs, and wood fiber for local economies.\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In the interest of working together in a bipartisan way to support local rural communities, we ask that you include a reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools in any end-of-the-year\u00a0legislation. We appreciate your assistance with this matter.\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=845", "Cotton Statement on HUD Reversal of PACE Loan Policy", "2017-12-07", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 7, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on the decision by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to stop insuring new mortgages on homes with PACE assessments:\n\"I commend Secretary Carson for acting on my request from earlier this year and reversing this dangerous policy. We shouldn't allow PACE lenders to come before taxpayers. Instead, we should help homeowners by requiring greater disclosure for residential PACE loans. Secretary Carson's decision today is a good down payment on that effort, and I applaud the administration for protecting homeowners and taxpayers alike.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://crawford.house.gov/media/press-releases/cross-county-high-school-team-wins-ar-1-congressional-app-challenge", "Cross County High School Team Wins AR-1 Congressional App Challenge", "2017-12-06", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Eric A. \"Rick\" Crawford", "C001087", "crawford.house.gov", "crawford", "https://crawford.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "December 6, 2017\n\nCherry Valley, Ark. \u2013 Each year, students from across the country submit their app ideas for their district's Congressional App Challenge. Today, Congressman Rick Crawford announced that out of 33 applicants, a group of students from Cross County High School is the winner of the 2017 Congressional App Challenge for Arkansas' 1st Congressional District. Isabella Guerrero, Anastacia Guerrero, Logan Turner, Caroline Ward, and their instructor, Jason Blake, created the ROA Calculator to assist individuals and companies who need to quickly calculate their return on assets.\n\nBlake was contacted by a national corporation and was asked if students could create an app to help the corporation's customers determine their return on assets. The students evaluated excel spreadsheets provided by the corporation that contained several cost variables in order to create the proper equation that would output the return on assets for each specific client.\n\n\"I am very impressed by the ROA Calculator app created by the students from Cross County High School. These individuals are incredibly talented and prove why STEM education is so important in providing value in today's economic landscape. Their app will be able to help business owners and individuals,\" said Congressman Rick Crawford.\n\nThis is the second year a group from Cross County High School has been selected as the winner of the Congressional App Challenge.\n\n\"Creating this app, students were able to work with a client to experience how their coding skills could be used to solve real problems and they were able to develop soft skills needed beyond the classroom,\" said Jason Blake.\n\nIn Arkansas, there are 1,601 open computing jobs and there are only 328 computer science graduates in the state currently. Additionally, 71 percent of new STEM jobs involve computer science.\n\nContact:\n\nJames Arnold\n\n(202) 679-4346\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T22:19:19Z"], ["https://crawford.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398532", "Cross County High School Team Wins AR-1 Congressional App Challenge", "2017-12-06", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Rick Crawford", "C001087", "crawford.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Cross County High School Team Wins AR-1 Congressional App Challenge \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Cherry Valley, Ark.,\r\n        December 6, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      Cherry Valley, Ark. \u2013 Each year, students from across the country submit their app ideas for their district\u2019s Congressional App Challenge. Today, Congressman Rick Crawford announced that out of 33 applicants, a group of students from Cross County High School is the winner of the 2017 Congressional App Challenge for Arkansas\u2019 1st Congressional District. Isabella Guerrero, Anastacia Guerrero, Logan Turner, Caroline Ward, and their instructor, Jason Blake, created the ROA Calculator to assist individuals and companies who need to quickly calculate their return on assets. A picture of Crawford and the winning team is attached.  \r\n\u00a0  \r\nBlake was contacted by the Fastenal Corporation, the largest fastener disruptor in North America, and was asked to create an app to help Fastenal customers determine their return on assets. The students evaluated excel spreadsheets provided by Fastenal that contained several cost variables in order to create the proper equation that would output the return on assets for each specific client.  \r\n\u00a0  \r\n\u201cI am very impressed by the ROA Calculator app created by the students from Cross County High School. These individuals are incredibly talented and prove why STEM education is so important in providing value in today\u2019s economic landscape. Their app will be able to help business owners and individuals working with Fastenal,\u201d said Congressman Rick Crawford.  \r\n\u00a0  \r\n\u00a0This is the second year a group from Cross County High School has been selected as the winner of the Congressional App Challenge.  \r\n\u00a0  \r\n\u201cCreating this app, students were able to work with a client to experience how their coding skills could be used to solve real problems and they were able to develop soft skills needed beyond the classroom,\u201d said Jason Blake.  \r\n\u00a0  \r\nIn Arkansas, there are 1,601 open computing jobs and there are only 328 computer science graduates in the state currently. Additionally, 71 percent of new STEM jobs involve computer science.Contact:\u00a0  \r\nJames Arnold  \r\n(202) 679-4346  \r\n \u00a0\r\n  \r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0###  \r\n\u00a0\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-our-right-bear-arms-should-extend-across-state-lines", "Hill: Our Right to Bear Arms Should Extend Across State Lines", "2017-12-06", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after voting for legislation that upholds the Second Amendment:\u00a0\n\u201cThe right to bear arms is firmly established by our Constitution, and that right should extend across state lines. After being robbed twice and fearing for her and her children\u2019s safety, Shaneen Allen obtained her concealed carry permit in Pennsylvania and legally purchased a firearm. When she traveled from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, she was stopped by a State Trooper and told him she had a firearm on her person and a concealed carry permit. Shaneen was then arrested on lawful weapons charges and resided in jail for 48 days. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie pardoned her two years later.\n\u201cFrom day one, I strongly supported this common sense legislation that allows law-abiding citizens like Shaneen with concealed carry permits to travel from state to state with their legally-obtained firearms. This bill clarifies the disarray of concealed carry reciprocity agreements between states, and it does not alter or change any local laws. Every person who wants to buy a firearm in America would still have to go through a thorough federal background check. We\u2019ve taken a great step in the House today to preserve Arkansans\u2019 and Americans\u2019 right to bear arms. I was proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill, and I am committed to upholding our Second Amendment rights.\u201d\nTo view myth vs. fact, click HERE.\nBackground:\nThe Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, H.R. 38, does the following:\n Grants reciprocity to U.S. law-abiding citizens with concealed carry permits who are in other states that also issue concealed carry permits. A qualified individual must: (1) be eligible to possess, transport, or receive a firearm under federal law; (2) carry a valid photo identification document; and (3) carry a valid concealed carry permit issued by, or be eligible to carry a concealed firearm in, his or her state of residence.\n  Maintains states\u2019 rights to determine permitting requirements and allows citizens who meet the qualifications for concealed carry in their home states to carry in any state they may be travelling in as long as they follow the local firearm laws, including those governing concealed carry permits.\n  Contains strong provisions to ensure states and federal agencies upload records that are already required to be included in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System\u00a0(NICS) and would have ensured that the Virginia Tech, Charleston church, and Sutherland Springs shooters would have been flagged in the NICS system and prevented their firearm purchases.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1495", "Hill: Our Right to Bear Arms Should Extend Across State Lines", "2017-12-06", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Hill: Our Right to Bear Arms Should Extend Across State Lines \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 6, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after voting for legislation that upholds the Second Amendment:\r\nThe right to bear arms is firmly established by our Constitution, and that right should extend across state lines. After being robbed twice and fearing for her and her children's safety, Shaneen Allen obtained her concealed carry permit in Pennsylvania and legally purchased a firearm. When she traveled from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, she was stopped by a State Trooper and told him she had a firearm on her person and a concealed carry permit. Shaneen was then arrested on lawful weapons charges and resided in jail for 48 days. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie pardoned her two years later.\r\nFrom day one, I strongly supported this common sense legislation that allows law-abiding citizens like Shaneen with concealed carry permits to travel from state to state with their legally-obtained firearms. This bill clarifies the disarray of concealed carry reciprocity agreements between states, and itdoes not alter or change any local laws.Every person who wants to buy a firearm in America would still have to go through a thorough federal background check. We've taken a great step in the House today to preserve Arkansans' and Americans' right to bear arms. I was proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill, and I am committed to upholding our Second Amendment rights.\r\nTo view myth vs. fact, clickHERE.\r\nBackground:\r\nThe Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act,H.R. 38, does the following:\r\n \r\n    Grants reciprocity to U.S. law-abiding citizens with concealed carry permits who are in other states that also issue concealed carry permits. A qualified individual must: (1) be eligible to possess, transport, or receive a firearm under federal law; (2) carry a valid photo identification document; and (3) carry a valid concealed carry permit issued by, or be eligible to carry a concealed firearm in, his or her state of residence.\r\n \r\n \r\n    Maintains states' rights to determine permitting requirements and allows citizens who meet the qualifications for concealed carry in their home states to carry in any state they may be travelling in as long as they follow the local firearm laws, including those governing concealed carry permits.\r\n \r\n \r\n    Contains strong provisions to ensure states and federal agencies upload records that are already required to be included in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System(NICS) and would have ensured that the Virginia Tech, Charleston church, and Sutherland Springs shooters would have been flagged in the NICS system and prevented their firearm purchases.\r\n \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://westerman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/individual-right-bear-arms-strengthened-concealed-carry-reciprocity-act", "Individual Right to Bear Arms Strengthened by Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, Westerman Says", "2017-12-06", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Bruce Westerman", "W000821", "westerman.house.gov", "westerman", "https://westerman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) issued the following statement Wednesday (December 6) upon passage of H.R. 38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017:\n\n\"When you received your driver's license, there were no restrictions for driving in another state,\" Westerman said. \"Your driver's license allows you to drive in any other state or territory because you passed a written test and a driving test administered by the state of Arkansas. Just as your driver's license ensures the right to drive in other states, a concealed carry permit should also grant the right to lawfully carry in any other state without the threat of prosecution. Shaneen Allen, a 27-year-old from Philadelphia who was twice robbed and beaten, obtained her Pennsylvania concealed carry. But she was stopped in New Jersey and faced five years in prison because she was carrying. This should not have happened and the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act will prevent it in the future. This common-sense legislation is supported by a variety of groups, including the National Rifle Association, National Gun Owners Association, and 73 percent of Americans. I was proud to support national concealed carry reciprocity and I will continue to stand for the 2nd Amendment in Congress.\"\n\nIn reporting the bill, the Committee on the Judiciary included H.R. 4477, the Fix NCIS Act of 2017, sponsored by Texas Republican Congressman John Culberson. His office reports the bill would:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T22:19:19Z"], ["https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399239", "Womack Backs Reciprocity for Concealed Carry", "2017-12-06", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Steve Womack", "W000809", "womack.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Womack Backs Reciprocity for Concealed Carry \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 6, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      WASHINGTON\u2013\u00a0Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) today released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act:\r\n\u201cThis newly reworked legislation clears up confusion for law enforcement and law abiding concealed carry permit holders while it also strengthens the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). This bill will hold federal and state officials accountable by ensuring they report criminal history records to NICS, without at all expanding the ranks of those barred. Additionally, it will require the Bureau of Justice Statistics to inform Congress how many times a bump stock has been used to commit a crime \u2013 an accessory reported to be used in the Las Vegas massacre. I cosponsored this legislation because I believe in protecting the constitutional rights of American citizens to own a firearm, and I understand the vital responsibility to ensure that right is only enjoyed by those who abide by the letter of the law.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\r\nCongressman Steve Womack has represented Arkansas\u2019s Third Congressional District since 2011 and serves on the House Appropriations Defense, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Labor-Health and Human Services subcommittees and the House Committee on the Budget.\r\nwomack.house.gov\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\n###\r\n\u00a0\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=817898B0-54E7-467A-9D89-A238EA1D927E", "Boozman Applauds Announcement that U.S. Will Recognize Jerusalem as Israels Capital", "2017-12-06", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON\u2013 U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) released the following statement after President Trump announced the United States will recognize Jerusalem as Israel\u2019s capital and move the U.S. Embassy to the city:\r\n\u201cThis is a long overdue decision that I, and a majority of my colleagues in Congress, have been calling for in the decades since the law was passed. I applaud President Trump for making the historic determination to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and for pledging to move our embassy there.\r\nDuring the announcement, President Trump reaffirmed our commitment to a process that brings lasting peace to the region. Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel\u2019s capital in no way weakens our resolve to achieve peace through direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=844", "Cotton Statement on the President's Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel", "2017-12-06", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 6, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on the president's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel: \"The president has rightly acknowledged the plain truth that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, as it has always been, and the only way to secure a just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians is to build upon a foundation of truth. Twenty-two years ago, President Clinton signed into law a statute, passed with bipartisan support, that declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Even so, Israel was the only country in the world whose capital the State Department refused to recognize. Today's decision corrects this glaring discrepancy, and I'm glad to see President Trump right this wrong.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-introduces-bill-increase-arkansas-banks-ability-extend-credit", "Hill Introduces Bill to Increase Arkansas Banks Ability to Extend Credit", "2017-12-05", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2013 Today, Congressman French Hill (AR-02) introduced the Community Bank Access to Capital Act of 2017, which further increases the ability of community banks in Arkansas and across the Nation to extend credit to hardworking Arkansans and Americans. Rep. Hill issued the following statement:\n\u201cHaving spent two decades in community banking in Arkansas, I understand the importance of being able to extend credit to hardworking Arkansans. This bill attempts to relieve community banks from excessive and unnecessary regulatory burdens with the intent of improving their ability to extend credit in hometown communities across Arkansas and the Nation. I am pleased to have worked with my colleague, Representative David Scott (D-GA), to take the first step in improving our community banks\u2019 ability to lend.\u201d\nBackground Information:\nThe Community Bank Access to Capital Act of 2017 would do the following:\n Exempt community banks with $50 billion or less in assets from the Basel III capital rules.\n  Increase the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement qualifying asset threshold from $1 billion to $3 billion.\n  Exempt publicly held community banks with less than $1 billion in assets from the Sarbanes-Oxley Act\u2019s internal control attestation requirements.\n  Preserve current Securities and Exchange Commission rules regarding the definition of \u201cunaccredited investor.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=605930A9-62BD-47BD-B16F-CA79DD3ADF59", "Boozman Votes to Confirm Nielsen as Secretary of Homeland Security", "2017-12-05", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON\u2013 U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) released the following statement after voting to confirm Kirstjen Nielson to lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS):\r\n\u201cSecuring our nation from the many threats we face is one of Washington\u2019s most important responsibilities. I am confident that Kirstjen Nielsen has the experience, knowledge & leadership skills to serve our nation in this extremely challenging capacity. As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, I look forward to working closely with Ms. Nielsen and her team to ensure that Congress is giving DHS all the support it needs.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/weekly-columns?ContentRecord_id=E51017C7-8582-4C01-B6D3-CCB8703CFC94", "Fighting Hunger During the Holiday Season", "2017-12-05", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "As we gather with family, friends and loved ones over the holiday season, we often find ourselves feeling both thankful for our blessings and wanting to help others less fortunate. Since much of our traditional celebrating during this time of the year revolves around gathering for meals, the desire to help those in need of a meal is on the forefront of our minds.\r\nThe United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released its annual report on household food security which shows that the vast majority of American households had consistent, dependable access to enough food for each family member to lead an active, healthy life.\r\nThe USDA report shows promising trends. The number of people struggling with hunger declined to its lowest level in a decade; reliance on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dropped to its lowest level since July 2010; and, as a credit to the work of many dedicated Arkansans, our state was among those that made the biggest strides in combating hunger.\u00a0\r\nHowever, any number short of one hundred percent food secure households means that we still have work to do.\r\nAccording to the USDA report, 12.3 percent of American households were food insecure at least some time during 2016, including 4.9 percent with very low food security. USDA defines food insecure household as those where \u201cthe food intake of one or more household members was reduced and their eating patterns were disrupted because the household lacked money and other resources for obtaining food.\u201d\r\nAs a co-chair of the Senate Hunger Caucus, a bipartisan coalition committed to fighting hunger and food insecurity, I am working with my colleagues\u2014as well as public and private organizations\u2014to build on the progress we have made on this issue both at home and abroad.\r\nHunger knows no borders. As a nation, we can be proud of the leading role the U.S. takes in coordinating relief with non-governmental organizations and our international partners like the World Food Program (WFP) to help those in dire need of food.\r\nWFP, the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivers food assistance in emergencies and works with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience with the goal of ending hunger worldwide by 2030.\u00a0\r\nAlong with helping those in emergency need after a natural disaster, the organization\u2014under the dedicated leadership of David Beasley\u2014is doing yeoman\u2019s work in conflict zones where food is often used as a weapon between warring factions. WFP is on the ground in places like South Sudan and Yemen\u2014some of the most dangerous corners of the world\u2014where there are famine or near-famine conditions as the result of civil war. These man-made crises desperately require humanitarian relief.\u00a0\r\nWhile solving hunger issues abroad and at home are two distinctly different challenges, the solution does share at least one thing in common. An effective approach channels the dedication and compassion of doers, not takers.\r\nThat is why it is important that we all do our part to build on the positive strides that have been made. Washington can\u2019t solve this problem by itself. It will take a concerted effort in our states, cities and communities. There is a part for us all to play in this fight against hunger. This holiday season is a good time to reflect on how each of us can help.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=blog&id=843", "Cotton Calls Democrats' Bluff on Immigration on Senate Floor", "2017-12-05", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 5, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nI want to associate myself with much of what my Republican colleagues have said about the immigration bill we're working on. Or perhaps I should say, to be more accurate, the immigration bill we should be working on. Because the Democrats at this point simply will not take yes for an answer. We're offering a package that they should support and in return they're threatening to shut down the government. So let me just dispense off the top with their argument, such as it is, about the so-called DACA recipients. No one is eager to deport 690,000 illegal immigrants who are here mostly through no fault of their own. They were left in legal limbo by President Obama, and everyone wants to find a good, durable, long-term solution. But if we're going to give legal status to these illegal immigrants in their 20s and their 30s, we have to recognize there are going to be negative side effects. First, you're going to encourage parents from around the world who live in poverty and oppression and war to illegally immigrate to our country with small children. What could be more dangerous and even immoral than that? And second, you're going to create a whole new category of Americans who could get legal status for their extended family to include the very parents who brought them here in violation of our laws. We often hear that children ought not pay for the crimes of their parents. That may be so, but surely parents can pay for the crimes of the parents. They are the ones who created the situation in the first place. Now, I offered legislation with Senator Perdue earlier this year called the RAISE Act. It had many features in it to replace unskilled and low-skilled immigration with high-skilled immigration, to limit chain migration, to reform our refugee program, and eliminate our diversity lottery. This Congress needs to take up our legislation and pass it. But today I want to focus on chain migration in particular. Because chain migration is one of the biggest categories of immigration that brings unskilled and low-skilled workers to this country to compete for jobs and drive down wages of working Americans. Did you know that once you have legal status in this country, once you have a green card and become a citizen, you can bring to this country not only your spouse and your unmarried minor children but your adult children and their spouses and their children and your adult brother and your adult sister and your parents and their siblings and it goes on and on and on. That's why it's called chain migration. Our legislation today would put a halt to chain migration. It's a kind of down payment on long-lasting legal immigration reform in addition to things like strengthening e-verify, improving security at our border, Kate's Law named in honor of Kate Steinle, as you heard Chairman Grassley outline earlier today. We're also pairing those provisions with a bill that Democrats and Republicans should support, the BRIDGE Act. The idea of this bill is simple enough, that everyone who has a DACA card gets three-year provisional status. That gives them the certainty without giving them permanent residency or citizenship, which I think sounds pretty reasonable.\nI know the Democrats agree with me, too, because earlier this year, they were calling for passage of the BRIDGE Act. And the BRIDGE Act is supported by members of both parties as Chairman Grassley outlined, including many prominent Democratic senators. Both senators from California, the senior senator from Florida, the junior senator from New York, even the minority leader and the minority whip. In fact, the minority whip called the BRIDGE Act a \"bipartisan breakthrough.\" So if the Democrats were to oppose our legislation today, the SECURE act, the question would be why? Well, I think I know what they might say. They might say, \"Oh, those terrible Republicans have added a bunch of terrible Republican ideas to this bill.\" But let me just ask which of these provisions are so terrible? That we secure our border? Countries have borders, and those borders have to be secure. That we stop unscrupulous employers from hiring illegal immigrants, by strengthening e-verify? When people say that E-Verify doesn't work, what they mean is E-Verify works. What they mean is they want employers to be able to hire illegal immigrants, to take jobs away from Americans and pay them submarket wages. Or what about discouraging illegal and highly dangerous border crossings? And to get back to chain migration do we really want a system in which green cards are given out by random chance? Because that is what we have, not just in the diversity lottery but through chain migration. Today, you can get a green card in this country simply because someone in your extended family happened to immigrate to this country 20 or 30 or 40 years ago, irrespective your ability to stand on your own two feet in our economy, to get a job and pay taxes and not take welfare, to assimilate into our culture. Shouldn't we have an immigration system that focuses on the needs of America's workers and economy, not one that gives out green cards by random chance, the way we have today? Shouldn't we be focused on the jobs and the wages of American citizens? After all, they are who elected us to come here to represent their interests. I don't think this is unreasonable. And frankly I don't think the Democrats do either. They've supported the BRIDGE Act. They've supported reform of other immigration programs, temporary visas, because they worry about the impact of immigration on lower-wage, blue-collar workers. And now the Republicans have stepped up and done exactly what the Democrats have said they wanted-we have offered a real long-term solution for persons who have received a DACA work permit. All we're asking for in exchange is commonsense reforms that would prevent another situation like the one happening now in the future. So it's time for Democrats and Republicans to come together and support this bill. If you're serious about helping these DACA permit recipients, you should vote for this bill now. It's good for those DACA recipients. It's good for American workers. It's good for our communities, and it would be a good first step towards lasting pro-American, pro-worker immigration reform.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=841", "Cotton Statement on the Expulsion of Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympics", "2017-12-05", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 5, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on the International Olympic Committee's decision to expel Russia from the 2018 Winter Games:\n\"I commend the International Olympic Committee for protecting the integrity of the Olympic Games from sordid Russian doping schemes. Of course, cheating on this scale could only occur in Russia with Vladimir Putin's approval and the support of his intelligence services and Ministry of Sport. This punishment, while unprecedented, is appropriate and fitting. Putin's scheme to steal gold medals from deserving athletes around the world was merely another way to distract his own people from Russia's failing economy and his corrupt and repressive rule. Instead, Russia's expulsion from the Olympic Games now highlights the corruption at the black heart of the Kremlin.\"\nBackground: Senator Cotton has long advocated for the Olympic Committee to punish Russia for its doping activities. He released this statement after a former conspirator came forward about a Russian doping scheme. And in July 2016 he urged the Olympic Committee to punish Russia after the World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed those allegations, saying in part, \"It is pathetic that Putin felt the need to cheat at the Sochi Olympics, and it is pathetic to watch him play dumb today and shift blame by suspending lower-level officials.\" Click here to read that statement in full.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=842", "Republican Senators Author Plan to Resolve DACA Situation, Improve Integrity & Confidence in Immigration System", "2017-12-05", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 5, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and several of his Republican colleagues today joined Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in introducing legislation to protect and provide certainty to DACA recipients, and improve the lawful immigration system by targeting illegal immigration and criminal aliens.  The Security, Enforcement, and Compassion United in Reform Efforts, (SECURE) Act contains provisions from several immigration proposals, including Senator Dick Durbin's (D-Ill.) bipartisan BRIDGE Act, which protects DACA recipients from deportation. The SECURE Act is also cosponsored by senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and David Perdue (R-Ga.). \"This bill draws upon ideas supported by members of both parties to provide legal status to the thousands of young people who are here through no fault of their own-without encouraging more illegal immigration in the future. This legislation would go a long way to building an immigration system that supports the American worker, and there's simply no good reason for either party to oppose it,\" Cotton said. \"This legislation combines common sense border security and interior enforcement reforms with Senators Graham's and Durbin's bipartisan solution on DACA. It restores integrity to our immigration system by cracking down on illegal immigration and criminal immigrants, while recognizing the circumstances of those brought here through no fault of their own. This bill improves public safety and prosperity for Americans and immigrants alike, and ensures tragedies like the deaths of Kate Steinle and Sarah Root never happen again. This is a bill that our colleagues from both sides of the aisle should be able to support. President Trump is ready and willing to sign it, so it's time for Congress to get it done,\" Grassley said. \"This bill provides a real, bipartisan solution for those brought here by their parents illegally who now find themselves in limbo. The SECURE Act gives us the chance to both help these young adults and win back public confidence by securing our borders and enforcing our immigration laws,\" Cornyn said. \"Congress has a responsibility to secure our borders and address the legal uncertainty facing the DACA-eligible population. The SECURE Act takes concrete steps to accomplish both objectives by helping prevent future illegal immigration while providing Congress with more time to work on a long-term solution for undocumented children,\" Tillis said. \"An essential part of national security is border security. Every nation has the right to know who comes into their country. For decades, the United States has ignored obvious issues in our immigration policy, which has only made the problem worse. The President and many Members of Congress believe a DACA solution should be combined with a permanent fix to the many broken elements in our nation's border security and immigration system. The SECURE Act is a first step to bring everyone to the table to negotiate a common-sense solution to DACA and issues related to illegal immigration. It is my hope that in the months ahead, Republicans and Democrats will come together so that we can provide the certainty that families deserve and the border security our country desperately needs,\" Lankford said. \"Our outdated and broken immigration system is an economic and national security issue that we have got to fix. As it stands today, our immigration policies encourage illegal immigration, existing laws are being ignored by rogue cities, and our country's southern border is not secure. Furthermore, green-cards are primarily awarded through a chain migration system that does not prioritize skill and merit. In this proposal, we've taken steps to fix these problems and more. It's time we have an immigration system that meets our country's economic needs, protects our national security, prioritizes the well-being of Americans, and truly discourages illegal immigration,\" Perdue said. The SECURE Act includes various border security provisions, such as additional human and technological resources on the border and fencing in certain areas. It also provides more judicial resources to reduce backlogs in immigration court and target fraud. The bill seeks to improve community safety and cooperation by eliminating so-called \"sanctuary\" policies that inhibit enforcement and it provides expedited removal for individuals involved in certain criminal activities.   The SECURE Act permanently reauthorizes the proven E-Verify program and encourages greater voluntary enrollment to strengthen our legal workforce and encourage legal immigration. It also limits family migration to spouses and minor children. Finally, the bill includes the BRIDGE Act, which was cosponsored by senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.).  This bill protects the status of the approximately 690,000 current DACA recipients for three years. Legislative text is available HERE.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=840", "Cotton Statement on the Pentagon's Decision to Retain Cluster Munitions", "2017-12-04", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 4, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on the decision by the Pentagon to retain its supply of cluster munitions:  \"I commend the administration for making a difficult, but prudent decision to preserve cluster munitions to deter North Korean aggression, as I have long contended was necessary. It's a disappointing commentary on 25 years of failed policy, yet a clear sign to Pyongyang and Beijing that U.S. policy has changed.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=A1A59310-F9D7-4CEB-9F41-7D3D6133EBC4", "Boozman Votes for Tax Relief for Arkansans", "2017-12-02", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON\u2013 U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) released the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive tax reform bill:\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\u201cToday\u2019s vote brings us one step closer to historic tax relief for Arkansans while encouraging investment that will help grow the Natural State\u2019s economy. It\u2019s all about helping hardworking Arkansans keep more of their money in their own pockets, not Uncle Sam\u2019s.\u00a0\r\nPassage of the Senate bill is a great step toward finally having an efficient and effective tax code that works for the American people by doubling the standard deduction, lowering rates and eliminating loopholes.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=839", "Cotton Statement on Senate Approval of Tax Bill", "2017-12-02", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 2, 2017\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tContact: Caroline Rabbitt Tabler (202) 224-2353\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) tonight released the following statement on the Senate's approval of the tax bill, which includes a repeal of the Obamacare individual mandate:\n\"The bill we passed tonight puts us one step closer to bringing tax relief to working families. It will let Arkansans keep more of their hard-earned money and help our businesses create more jobs. It's just what we need to make our economy grow faster. I'm also pleased this bill includes my proposal to repeal the Obamacare individual-mandate tax. This is the cruelest part of that hated law. It punishes over 65,000 Arkansas families and the poor for being unable to afford the insurance that Obamacare itself made unaffordable. Its repeal is long overdue, and I urge the conference committee to include this provision in the final bill.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-helps-provide-arkansans-affordable-housing-options", "Hill Helps Provide Arkansans with Affordable Housing Options", "2017-12-01", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after supporting bipartisan legislation to help provide Americans with affordable housing options:\n\u201cHardworking Arkansans, especially those in our rural communities, depend on manufactured homes as an affordable housing option. With only a handful of lenders making loans for manufactured home, it is already difficult for homebuyers to get the financing they need without needless obstacles. The days of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau\u2019s prescriptive, one-size fits all regulation standing the way of affordable home ownership are numbered thanks to the bill we passed today, which I was proud to support.\n\u201cI appreciate Rep. Andy Barr\u2019s (R-KY) thoughtful work on this measure to help hardworking Arkansans and Americans who are attempting to obtain the dream of homeownership.\u201d\nClick HERE to view Rep. Hill\u2019s floor speech in support of H.R. 1699.\nBackground:\nThe Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act, H.R. 1699, helps protect consumers\u2019 ability to buy a manufactured home. It clarifies that a manufactured home salesperson is not originating a loan when helping a consumer apply for a mortgage or prepare loan information, unless they are compensated by a creditor, lender, or mortgage broker.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1493", "Hill Helps Provide Arkansans with Affordable Housing Options", "2017-12-01", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after supporting bipartisan legislation to help provide Americans with affordable housing options:\r\nHardworking Arkansans, especially those in our rural communities, depend on manufactured homes as an affordable housing option. With only a handful of lenders making loans for manufactured home, it is already difficult for homebuyers to get the financing they need without needless obstacles. The days of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's prescriptive, one-size fits all regulation standing the way of affordable home ownership are numbered thanks to the bill we passed today, which I was proud to support.\r\nI appreciate Rep. Andy Barr's (R-KY) thoughtful work on this measure to help hardworking Arkansans and Americans who are attempting to obtain the dream of homeownership.\r\nClickHEREto view Rep. Hill's floor speech in support of H.R. 1699.\r\nBackground:\r\nThe Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act,H.R. 1699, helps protect consumers' ability to buy a manufactured home. It clarifies that a manufactured home salesperson is not originating a loan when helping a consumer apply for a mortgage or prepare loan information, unless they are compensated by a creditor, lender, or mortgage broker.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://westerman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/natural-resources-committee-passes-keep-america-s-refuges-operational", "Natural Resources Committee Passes Keep Americas Refuges Operational Act", "2017-11-30", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Bruce Westerman", "W000821", "westerman.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 The House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 3979 \u2013 the Keep America\u2019s Refuges Operational Act \u2013 on Thursday (November 30). The bill, co-sponsored by Congressman Bruce Westerman, would \u201creauthorize the volunteer services, community partnership, and refuge education programs of the National Wildlife Refuge System.\u201d\nThe bipartisan bill, introduced by primary sponsor Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York, is co-sponsored by five Democrats and 12 Republicans.\n\u201cThis bill allows volunteers in our communities to serve their fellow man and improve our nation\u2019s wildlife refuges,\u201d Westerman said. \u201cGroups like Friends of Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge in Yell County have played an important role in their local NWR and it is vital for our refuges that local groups continue to have the ability to provide volunteer services at no cost to taxpayers. I look forward to this bill\u2019s quick passage in the House.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://westerman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/natural-resources-committee-passes-keep-americas-refuges-operational", "Natural Resources Committee Passes \u201cKeep America\u2019s Refuges Operational Act\u201d", "2017-11-30", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Bruce Westerman", "W000821", "westerman.house.gov", "westerman", "https://westerman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 The House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 3979 \u2013 the Keep America's Refuges Operational Act \u2013 on Thursday (November 30). The bill, co-sponsored by Congressman Bruce Westerman, would \"reauthorize the volunteer services, community partnership, and refuge education programs of the National Wildlife Refuge System.\"\n\nThe bipartisan bill, introduced by primary sponsor Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York, is co-sponsored by five Democrats and 12 Republicans.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T22:12:50Z"], ["https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399235", "Arkansas Representatives Introduce Legislation to Recognize the Aviation Cadet Museum in Eureka Springs as the National Aviation Cadet Museum of the United States", "2017-11-30", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Steve Womack", "W000809", "womack.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON\u2013\u00a0Congressman Steve Womack, along with Congressmen Rick Crawford, French Hill, and Bruce Westerman, today introduced a resolution recognizing the Aviation Cadet Museum in Eureka Springs as the National Aviation Cadet Museum of the United States.\r\nFounded in 1994 by former aviation cadet and Air Force First Lieutenant Errol Severe, and his wife, Beth, the museum honors aviators from the 20th century. \u00a0\r\nAfter the resolution was introduced, the Arkansas House Delegation released the following statement:\u00a0\r\n\u201cThe Aviation Cadet Museum in Eureka Springs honors America\u2019s aviators who bravely fought for our nation during World War I and World War II. By recognizing the museum as the National Aviation Cadet Museum of the United States, we are paying tribute to these individuals and preserving their commitment to our country.\u201d\u00a0\r\nFor almost fifty years, the flying cadet and succeeding aviation cadet programs provided pilots, navigators, and bombardiers for our nation\u2019s military.\u00a0 The service and dedication of these aviators helped the United States defeat the enemies of freedom in both World Wars.\r\n\u00a0\r\nCongressman Steve Womack has represented Arkansas\u2019s Third Congressional District since 2011 and serves on the House Appropriations Defense, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Labor-Health and Human Services subcommittees and the House Committee on the Budget.\r\n\u00a0\r\nwomack.house.gov\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399236", "House Lawmakers: 2018 RFS Levels More of the Same", "2017-11-30", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Steve Womack", "W000809", "womack.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Steve Womack (R-Ark.), and Jim Costa (D-Calif.) released the following statement on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s (EPA) finalized rule establishing renewable fuel volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2018:\u00a0\r\n\u201cThe RFS has run out of gas, but that hasn\u2019t stopped the EPA from once again acting to prop up the ethanol industry. The 2018 volumes announced today are more of the same, as another 15 billion gallons of corn ethanol will be added to our nation\u2019s fuel supply next year. Who will bear the brunt of the ethanol mandate? American consumers, food producers, livestock farmers, vehicles, small engines, and even the environment stand to experience the harmful impacts of more ethanol forced into the market. These numbers underscore exactly why Congress must act. Our bill, the RFS Reform Act, is an absolute fix that can begin the needed process of decreasing the burdensome effects of the ethanol mandate. Reforming the RFS remains a major priority, and we will continue working to see a legislative solution move forward through Congress.\u201d\r\n\r\nEarlier this year, Goodlatte, Welch, Womack, and Costa re-introduced the RFS Reform Act (H.R. 1315), which eliminates corn-based ethanol requirements, caps the amount of ethanol that can be blended into conventional gasoline at 10 percent, and requires the EPA to set cellulosic biofuels levels at production levels.\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/cei-blog/why-mentorship-matters", "Why Mentorship Matters", "2017-11-29", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "It\u2019s long been the case that the success of communities depends on the development of young people \u2013 whether in the classroom, in the workplace, or in the home. One of my priorities throughout my life has been mentorship. Without the mentorship of bosses, troop leaders, or parents, I would not have developed the skills I needed to be successful in my career and in my life. I have embraced the importance of mentorship and have had the opportunity to work with great Arkansas organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs, among many others.\nMentoring brings tangible benefits. Child Trends, an organization in Bethesda, Maryland, that focuses on child development, found that mentorship leads to increased school attendance and an increased likelihood of students receiving a higher education. Their data also showed that mentorship helps our youth cultivate a better attitude towards school and helps reduce certain negative youth behaviors, including substance abuse. These numbers are even more significant in minority youth populations provided with mentorship opportunities, where they were 70 percent less likely to initiate drug use than similar youth not in a mentor program.\nOne of initiatives that I am proud to highlight is the OK Program (OKP). Spearheaded by Arkansas native Donald Northcross, this nationwide program, which includes Little Rock, provides influential mentoring for African-American males. While serving as the Deputy Sheriff with the Sacramento County Sheriff\u2019s Department, Northcross witnessed the devastating fate of too many young Africa-American males, which lead to the creation of this thriving program.\nOKP brings together African-American police officers and pastors to recruit, train, and organize African-American men to mentor African-American boys between the ages of 12 and 18. Their vision is to inspire these boys to live full, productive lives. Having a well-respected man within the Arkansas community like Northcross and Little Rock Police Department Sergeant Willie Davis running and facilitating OKP has added to this program\u2019s great success in Little Rock.\nAlso, very active in youth mentoring is the local chapter of 100 Black Men of America. Each Saturday, young men\u00a0 who participate in the 100 Academy Mentoring Program gather with role models and learn about their responsibilities as young men, in service to community, health and wellness, and\u00a0 financial literacy. Thanks to 100 Black Men of Greater Little Rock president Kenneth \u201cMuskie\u201d Harris for his continued leadership and mentorship.\nI\u2019m encouraged by organizations that dedicate their time and resources to the enrichment of our youth. That\u2019s why I\u2019m also proud to highlight The Fresh Air Fund (TFAF), an independent, non-profit agency that provides free, enriching summer experiences and year-round academic programs for children from underserved New York City neighborhoods. During the summer, students attend five Fresh Air camps in Fishkill, New York, or visit volunteer host families across the Northeast and Canada. Here, they learn about new environments and skills that they can bring back to their communities. I\u2019ve seen firsthand the great work TFAF does and have witnessed the lasting impact these experiences have made on the lives of these children.\u00a0\u00a0\nOrganizations like 100 Black Men, OKP, and TFAF are deeply dedicated to their communities and the youth they serve. Whether it\u2019s mentorship through education, ministry, or recreation, our commitment to the next generation of leaders of our communities is vital to their success.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hill-supports-mandatory-sexual-harassment-training", "Hill Supports Mandatory Sexual Harassment Training", "2017-11-29", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after voting for and cosponsoring legislation to require Members of Congress and staff to complete sexual harassment training each session of each Congress:\n\u201cSexual harassment in the workplace is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Before this legislation was introduced, my office staff and I had completed the House\u2019s sexual harassment training. I expect more entities - businesses, institutions, and offices \u2013 to follow suit and put in strong accountability measures to make workplaces free from inappropriate behavior. Today, the House declared that we are taking sexual harassment seriously and that there is no place for misconduct in Congress. I look forward to additional recommendations on what other steps can be taken by House Administration.\u201d\nBackground:\nFor more information on H.Res. 630, click HERE.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1492", "Hill Supports Mandatory Sexual Harassment Training", "2017-11-29", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Hill Supports Mandatory Sexual Harassment Training \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        November 29, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after voting for and cosponsoring legislation to require Members of Congress and staff to complete sexual harassment training each session of each Congress:\r\nSexual harassment in the workplace is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Before this legislation was introduced, my office staff and I had completed the House's sexual harassment training. I expect more entities - businesses, institutions, and offices  to follow suit and put in strong accountability measures to make workplaces free from inappropriate behavior. Today, the House declared that we are taking sexual harassment seriously and that there is no place for misconduct in Congress. I look forward to additional recommendations on what other steps can be taken by House Administration.\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=ABF250A1-DB97-4925-92AE-865DFA975211", "Boozman Supports Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Veterans' Health Services", "2017-11-29", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), a member of the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, voted to advance legislation to consolidate and improve access to veterans\u2019 healthcare services at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and in the communities where veterans live, work and seek medical care.\r\nThe Caring for our Veterans Act of 2017, introduced by Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-MT), would establish a permanent, streamlined \u2018Veterans Community Care Program\u2019 to ensure access to timely and quality care.\r\n\u201cThis legislation builds off the improvements made by the Choice program so we can provide the best care available to our veterans. We have a responsibility to take care of the men and women who served in uniform. This helps make good on the promise we made to our veterans,\u201d Boozman said.\u00a0\r\nThe legislation incorporates provisions Boozman pushed for including:\r\n \r\nImproving\u00a0the\u00a0VA\u2019s third-party fee collection. This will help the VA recover its costs for providing non-service connected\u00a0care at VA facilities and will help ensure that funding for VA healthcare remains available for veterans.\r\nEnsuring that community care providers who have already gone through extensive processes to care for veterans can continue to do so without undergoing duplicative procedures to participate in the new program.\r\nAllowing industry partners to perform certain VA functions, like the processing of claims for community healthcare, so that the VA can better focus it\u2019s time and resources on providing healthcare to veterans.\u00a0\u00a0\r\nAllowing veterans who seek care in the community and are prescribed medications to fill initial, short-term prescriptions without requiring the veteran to go to a VA facility.\u00a0\r\n \r\nThe\u00a0Caring for Our Veterans Act of 2017\u00a0as amended was passed 14-1 by the committee. The legislation now goes to the full Senate for a vote.\r\nThe legislation is supported by The American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Wounded Warrior Project.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/weekly-columns?ContentRecord_id=B8667CE7-57B1-4548-BB0A-FF5A7116FA02", "Committed to Improving Veteran Services", "2017-11-29", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "AR", "John Boozman", "B001236", "www.boozman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Honoring our veterans is one of the greatest privileges I have as a U.S. Senator. Earlier this month, President Trump proclaimed November \u201cNational Veterans and Military Families Month.\u201d As we recognize our veterans and honor the sacrifice and heroism of those who answered the call to serve our nation in uniform, we must recommit ourselves to fighting on their behalf.\r\nAs a member of the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, I am committed to honoring the promise made to our veterans. We\u2019ve made tremendous progress during this Congress. In June, President Trump signed the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act. This law strengthens accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by allowing the Department to dismiss bad employees while protecting those who expose wrongdoing.\u00a0\r\nWe have also enhanced post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to increase educational opportunities. I\u2019m proud to have played a role in crafting this law, along with my colleague Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). This bipartisan legislation is a great example of how we work across the aisle to get things done. For several years, we championed fixing an oversight that prevented combat-injured members of the National Guard and Reserve from receiving the same GI Bill benefits as active duty military members. Wounded and injured service members were being unfairly penalized from accruing educational benefits they rightly earned while in recovery. This was a priority for us because these men and women deserve better. To correct this injustice, we introduced legislation earlier this year as well as in the last Congress. I\u2019m pleased it was included in the comprehensive GI Reform bill that was signed into law this summer.\u00a0\r\nWhile we\u2019ve made improvements, there is still more that needs to be done including the expansion of VA services for female veterans. I encourage my colleagues to support\u00a0the Deborah Sampson Act to address these concerns, and I urge VA Secretary Shulkin to implement reforms written in the bill that don\u2019t require congressional action.\r\nIn the coming days the Senate VA Committee will consider bipartisan legislation to consolidate and improve access to community care \u2013 a must needed update to the Choice Program, created by the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act. That law was passed by Congress in 2014 to expand access to community health care for veterans. We knew then that this was just the first step. We\u2019ve made incremental improvements to the program since then, but more must be done.\u00a0\r\nThe VA estimates that one third of enrolled veterans live in rural areas. We must improve how we are meeting their needs, especially how we deliver treatment and care. Earlier this year I hosted listening sessions with Arkansas veterans to obtain their input on the strengths and weaknesses of the program as we continue to expand access to adequate health care options for veterans. I am committed to ensuring our veterans are getting the very best care so hearing input directly from veterans was tremendously helpful.\r\nThis country made a promise to our veterans that we must live up to and I\u2019m proud to be a champion for them to ensure we follow through with our commitment. Working together, we can find solutions that deliver the results they expect and earned.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://westerman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/westerman-votes-support-law-enforcement", "Westerman Votes in Support of Law Enforcement", "2017-11-28", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Bruce Westerman", "W000821", "westerman.house.gov", "westerman", "https://westerman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) issued the following statement Tuesday (November 28) upon passage of H.R. 2228, the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017:\n\n\"The job of a law enforcement officer is taxing both physically and mentally,\" Westerman said. \"Passage of the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act gives the Justice Department the ability to grant funds to state and local police departments for mental health pilot programs at law enforcement agencies. I was proud to vote for this important bill and support the men and women in blue.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T22:12:50Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 1182, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"party\" = :p0 and \"state\" = :p1 and \"year\" = :p2 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "Republican", "p1": "AR", "p2": "2017"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=AR&year=2017", "results": [{"value": "Republican", "label": "Republican", "count": 1182, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=AR&year=2017", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=AR&year=2017", "results": [{"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 1182, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=AR&year=2017&chamber=House", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=AR&year=2017", "results": [{"value": "AR", "label": "AR", "count": 1182, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&year=2017", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=AR&year=2017", "results": [{"value": "2017", "label": "2017", "count": 1182, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=AR", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": "2017-11-28,https~3A~2F~2Fwesterman~2Ehouse~2Egov~2Fmedia-center~2Fpress-releases~2Fwesterman-votes-support-law-enforcement", "next_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=AR&year=2017&_next=2017-11-28%2Chttps~3A~2F~2Fwesterman~2Ehouse~2Egov~2Fmedia-center~2Fpress-releases~2Fwesterman-votes-support-law-enforcement&_sort_desc=date", "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 171.21231323108077, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}