Press Releases

Washington, DC—December 17, 2019....Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) released the below statement following the passage of Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations packages that keep the government open and fully fund critical defense and domestic priorities:

Congressman Womack said, “It’s our constitutional duty to provide for the common defense, and our courageous men and women in uniform deserve stable and predictable funding. By boosting military readiness, providing our troops with a well-deserved pay raise, and supporting Arkansas’s defense and National Guard programs – we are enhancing the safety and security of our homeland. Importantly, this bill also includes medical, agriculture, and economic development priorities important to the Third District.”

Appropriations package highlights include:

• Strengthening national security and continuing to rebuild our military;
• Securing our border by providing $1.375 billion in new border wall funding;
• Granting resources for immigration, U.S. Coast Guard, and cybersecurity defenses;
• Instituting a 3.1% pay raise for the military – the largest increase in 10 years;
• Advancing our military power by investing in new equipment, including combat ships, submarines, and helicopters;
• Supporting Arkansas’s National Guard missions and boosting troop levels;
• Providing our veterans with greater healthcare access and services;
• Increasing funds for military training, maintenance, and base operations;
• Standing with Arkansas’s hardworking truckers by blocking burdensome regulations;
• Extending tax provisions to allow families and businesses to keep more of their hard-earned money;
• Enhancing resources for medical research through the National Institutes of Health for diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer; and
• Advancing critical research programs at the University of Arkansas.

He continued, “While I am pleased that we have avoided another continuing resolution – or government shutdown – I feel strongly that this work should have been addressed and completed long ago. Our budget and appropriations process is broken and has perpetuated the dysfunction of this chamber for far too long. The American people deserve better – we need to get back to regular order, prioritize the fiscal issues facing the nation, and fulfill our Article I responsibilities on time.”

Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) has represented Arkansas’s Third Congressional District since 2011. He serves as the Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Budget and is a member of the House Appropriations defense and transportation, housing and urban development subcommittees.

womack.house.gov

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