Media

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.