Weekly Columns
Serving in Congress and spending long amounts of time in Washington, D.C. makes it even more special when I get to enjoy Arkansas's natural beauty. Some of my fondest memories were made with family and friends fishing on Lake Ouachita or hunting the forests and fields of Arkansas.
My first exposure to public office was in 2006, when I ran for the Fountain Lake School Board. Since my wife was a special education teacher, I'd realized the need for proactive approaches – based on the latest science of reading – to teach children the fundamentals of reading and writing.
Late in the evening on June 25, President Trump signed the Blue Water Navy Act into law. This bill represents the bipartisan efforts of veterans, advocacy groups, Congress and the administration to give Vietnam-era veterans the VA benefits they need.
When the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced at the end of May that it would be closing nine Civilian Conservation Center (CCC) programs across the country, I was discouraged to learn that the Cass Center in Ozark was one of the nine.
There's no denying it: these have been hard weeks for Arkansas. I've traveled all along the Arkansas River to assess flood damage, speak with the Arkansas National Guard and lend a helping hand to struggling communities, but the work is just beginning.
I'm honored to represent many incredible men and women in uniform, both active-duty and retired. They and their families have made countless sacrifices during training and deployments. However, our nation's veterans are not always aware of the treatments available if they're facing facing mental health issues because of their service.