Weekly Columns
If you've lived in rural Arkansas for any length of time, you know that broadband connectivity is a huge issue. Something as simple as uploading a resume to a job posting or researching for a time-sensitive project can quickly be delayed by a spotty internet connection. Communities are becoming more reliant on internet connectivity by the day, which further increases the divide between rural and heavily populated areas.
With a national election on the horizon and geopolitical issues at play, there's no doubt 2020 will be an interesting year. But now that 2019 is over and I'm planning out the new year, I'm really looking forward to what's in store.
My priority this year is remaining available to Fourth District residents to answer questions, give Capitol tours and meet with you in both D.C. and in Arkansas. If you and your family are planning on taking a trip to D.C. sometime in the coming year, give my office a call at (202) 225-3772 so we can help with your visit.
It's hard to believe 2019 is almost over. This year has been filled from beginning to end with constituent meetings, legislation, House votes, Arkansas business tours and lots of time in the Atlanta airport waiting for my connecting flight to D.C. I think the numbers speak for themselves: in 2019, my office mailed out 212,320 letters to constituents, opened 826 new casework files, held 58 mobile offices around the Fourth District, gave 152 U.S. Capitol tours and visited more than 37 local Arkansas businesses. I also sponsored or cosponsored 140 bills in the House.
I voted against the impeachment of President Donald Trump. I believe impeachment is one of the most serious votes Congress can use – second only to declaring war – and unfortunately this whole process has been a sham from beginning to end.
As the end of the year approaches, there's no shortage of news here on Capitol Hill. The House of Representatives is quickly trying to get impeachment articles, appropriations and military funding finalized before Christmas. But by far the most important news of the week was a deal on the United States, Mexico and Canada Agreement (USMCA). This is an overwhelmingly bipartisan trade agreement that's been ready to go for over a year, and yet House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to bring it to the floor for a vote for unspecified reasons.
At their best, robocalls are a frustrating nuisance. At their worst, robocalls are a means by which criminals scam people to get money or personal information. Robocalls have been around for years, but an estimated 48 billion robocalls occurred in 2018 – a 64 percent increase since 2016. Many of you have received these calls, some even posing as your own phone number.
In his book, Love Your Enemies, author Arthur Brooks cites a study showing that 70 percent of Americans believe the U.S. will endure long-term hurt if both political parties don't work together.
The federal budget process isn't likely to be dinner table conversation, it rarely grabs cable news headlines, and it's usually the furthest thing from our minds. But on Nov. 19 in a now-annual pattern, Congress punted its appropriation – government funding – duties for another month in what's called a continuing resolution (CR). I voted against this CR, for several reasons.
At any given time this week, impeachment proceedings completely dominated national news headlines. Yet while networks focused on the partisan process, a huge win for poultry producers across America slipped quietly under the radar. On November 14, China lifted its ban on poultry imports from the United States, thereby reopening a huge market for poultry production.
Former President Ronald Reagan once said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We did not pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." This Veterans Day week, we get to honor the men and women who have fought to protect these freedoms.