Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) today released the following statement after passage of H.R. 4870, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2015, which provides the Department of Defense (DoD) $491 billion in discretionary spending and $79.4 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) for fiscal year 2015: “Our national debt and constrained resources have made our annual appropriations process much more difficult; they have also made it much more important. We owe it to our troops to ... Read more

On March 7, 2011, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a final rule that imposed blanket third-party certification requirements for all products applying for participation in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR program. Unfortunately, the rule disregarded successful and existing industry programs and has increased the regulatory burden on manufacturers, as well as the cost of testing for manufacturers and the federal government. The ENERGY STAR Regulatory Improvement Act,... Read more

Garished neckties, potent cologne, and child-made cards with “I luv you” scribbled in red crayon will be placed in the large, open hands of doting fathers across Arkansas’s Third Congressional District this Sunday. To all you fathers out there, enjoy the day; you are worth celebrating. Fathers teach and inspire us. They strengthen us. They guide us. Their love is unconditional. The value of a father cannot be underestimated, though it all-too-often is. One person who didn’t undervalue the role ... Read more

Congressmen Rick Crawford (AR-1), Tim Griffin (AR-2), Steve Womack (AR-3), and Tom Cotton (AR-4) today sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe expressing concern over the proposed endangered species classification of the Northern Long-Eared (NLE) bat. “We are troubled by this conclusion, as such a listing would eliminate forest harvesting in Arkansas during the months of April through November, devastating what is a vital indus... Read more

Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) today released the following statement after the passage of H.R. 4810, the Veteran Access to Care Act of 2014, of which he is a cosponsor: “Rewarding VA employees for delaying and denying care for tens of thousands of our veterans is indefensible. I am proud to cosponsor and support this bill, which ends this practice and ensures that our veterans can access the care they need – within or outside of the VA system.” ### Read more

Congressmen Rick Crawford (AR-1), Tim Griffin (AR-2), Steve Womack (AR-3), and Tom Cotton (AR-4) today sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy requesting the agency hold a field hearing in Arkansas to examine the impact of its recently proposed carbon rule on the state, particularly the rural areas. “In your proposed rule you identify four planned field hearings: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Denver, Colorado; Atlanta, Georgia; and Washington, D.C. We agree... Read more

U.S. Senators Mark Pryor and John Boozman, along with Congressmen Tim Griffin (AR-2) and Steve Womack (AR-3), today announced that four Arkansas airports will receive over $3.1 million from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to support facility upgrades and expansions. “Local airports are a vital resource for Arkansas communities, attracting businesses and jobs and providing convenient travel options for residents,” Pryor said. “These funds will allow our airports to make important infras... Read more

Each year, members of Congress have the privilege of making nominations to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (USMA), the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAF), and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA). The honor of attending a Service Academy comes with the obligation to serve in the military for a minimum of five years upon graduation. Today, Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) announced the appointment of nine students from the Third District of Arkansas to our nat... Read more

Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) today released the following statement in response to the resignation of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary, General Eric Shinseki: “There are tremendous problems plaguing the VA and its ability to carry out one of the most important missions of our government – caring for our veterans. It's been determined that the VA’s problems are systemic, and while I’m encouraged that the administration is beginning to take responsibility for them, Secretary Shinse... Read more

As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to finalize 2014 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) to meet the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), Representatives Bob Goodlatte (VA-6), Jim Costa (CA-16), Steve Womack (AR-3), and Peter Welch (VT-AL) announced today that 218 Members of the House of Representatives have expressed concerns regarding the current ethanol mandate: “There is one thing a bipartisan majority of Members of the House can agree upon – there is a serious problem with the RFS... Read more