Blog

"Many men are great, but few capture the imagination and spirit of the times."

You could try, but you wouldn’t be able to describe President Ronald Reagan any better than he just did. It’s hard to believe, but today marks what would have been his 100th birthday. Reagan led our country during a time of unprecedented change, yet he stood steadfast, seeing this nation through it all. I believe in that kind of character. I believe in that kind of integrity. I believe in a better tomorrow with extraordinary opportunities. So today, as we face a similar time of change, let us commemorate the life of Ronald Reagan by remembering his words.

"Always remember that you are Americans, and it is your birthright to dream great dreams in this sweet and blessed land, truly the greatest, freest, strongest nation on earth."

On another note, it’s been a very busy few weeks at the Capitol. I and my colleagues have been going nonstop from the very beginning of this 112th Congress. This new Majority was sent to Washington for no other reason than to keep our promises to the people of America.

You demanded that the government put a stop to its out of control spending.

So far, the House has:

• Cut Congress’ own budget by 5 percent, saving $35 million a year
• As a member of the Appropriations Committee, we nearly doubled that number by cutting our budget by 9%.
• Rolled back government funding to the 2008 levels – before the taxpayer-funded bailouts and stimulus programs were put into place.
• Further eliminated unnecessary government spending by approving YouCut legislation which posts bills online rather than printing 200 copies for every one bill introduced. That’s 2.8 million paper copies a year now eliminated.

(Click here to view Rep. Womack’s speech from the House Floor urging fellow members to vote in favor of H.R. 359 which will reduce Federal spending and the deficit by terminating taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions. By eliminating this wasteful program, Congress would reduce spending by $617 million over 10 years.)

With a vote of 245-189, the House passed H.R.2, 'Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law' saving tax payers an expected $2.6 trillion. By repealing and replacing this law, we have an opportunity to create an adequate and more affordable healthcare system for generations to come.

Although the repeal failed to pass the Senate (47-51), it may not matter. If the Supreme Court rules in the same light as the recent ruling by a Florida judge, the Health Care Reform Law will ultimately be deemed unconstitutional and tossed out.

(Click here to view Rep. Womack’s speech from the House Floor urging members to vote in support of HR2.)

I am pleased by what this Congress has already done but I am in no way content. These are big steps in the right direction; however, there need to be a few hundred more just like it. As your Congressman, I will give everything I have to fight for what’s right and what’s good for the future of Arkansas’ 3RD District and the future of this country.

Have a great weekend and we’ll talk again next week.


Rep. Steve Womack