Washington, DC—March 9, 2022….Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG), secured funding for Third District of Arkansas priorities along with other critical defense and domestic programs.
Congressman Womack said, “It’s our constitutional duty to fund the government. After a long and delayed process, we have secured vital conservative wins and important resources for the Third District and our nation. From Northwest Arkansas to the River Valley, we are delivering on priorities to help our communities. The appropriations package also supports our national defense, restrains wasteful spending, contains pro-life protections, and includes no poison pill riders. The American people have asked us to do better. Tonight, this chamber showed we can resolve differences. This can’t be where compromise and momentum on funding issues end. We must now get back to regular order and fulfill our Article I responsibilities on time.”
Womack authored and secured resources for several Third District priorities:
- Camp Jack: The Jack Williams Veterans Resource Center — “Camp Jack” — of Harrison will receive $2.28 million to rehabilitate and expand its facilities, which support local veterans. Created by those who have worn the uniform, Camp Jack offers a safe and welcoming environment for veterans and their families to find information on benefits and health support, attend meetings, receive food assistance, or just grab a cup of coffee and enjoy camaraderie. The center is named after Jack Williams, a proud Arkansan and American who saved many lives at the cost of his own during the Battle of Iwo Jima. This World War II hero and recipient of the Medal of Honor—the highest and most prestigious award in the U.S. military—selflessly gave his last full measure of devotion to defend our freedom, embodying the impact and meaning of the center.
- Future I-49: The Arkansas Department of Transportation will receive $18 million to support the expansion of the Western Arkansas section of I-49 from Arkansas Highway 22 to I-40 in Alma. This project is the first step to having an uninterrupted interstate highway through the central United States, from Winnipeg, Canada to New Orleans. Connecting I-40 in Alma to Ft. Smith is vital to supporting the second-largest city in Arkansas and further opening up important commerce and transit routes.
- Fort Smith Peak Innovation Center: The Fort Smith Peak Innovation Center will receive $400,000 for its Career Connections Curriculum to support local students and expose them to Career and Technical Education (CTE). This investment will deliver early exposure to career clusters in new Career Connections and STEM classes for grades 6-8. In these classes, PEAK will use YouScience data to match interest and aptitude to career possibilities. Career Development Facilitators, students, and counselors will also use Naviance to help create student success plans and expose our next generation to their options for careers, secondary and postsecondary training, and education.
- SLS Community: SLS Community, a non-profit in Fayetteville dedicated to providing neurodiverse and developmentally disabled adults with vocational, residential, and clinical resources, will receive $3 million for infrastructure investment. The project will improve access to care, create residential housing for autistic adults, and expand clinic offerings.
- Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA): The Northwest Arkansas National Airport will receive $4 million for XNA’s major lobby renovation, which will ensure continued ADA compliance and streamline the flow of passenger traffic through the terminal. Transportation infrastructure is vital to economic growth and a valuable resource for residents and businesses. This investment will improve safety, accessibility, and efficiency.
- Arkansas Tech University: Arkansas Tech University will receive $675,000 to enhance its nursing program. This investment will provide new simulation labs for clinical training and education of future healthcare professionals. The pandemic has showcased the necessity of highly-skilled medical professionals in all parts of the country, with nurses being among the most highly demanded personnel.
Other omnibus package highlights include:
- Strengthens national security and continues to rebuild our military;
- Secures our border by stopping the White House’s plan to cancel existing border wall funding and increases support for ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents;
- Restrains Democrats’ wasteful spending, slashing the administration’s requested increase in domestic spending by nearly two-thirds;
- Protects the lives of unborn children by maintaining all existing pro-life funding restrictions;
- Provides $13.6 billion in critical military, economic, and humanitarian assistance to counter Russian aggression;
- Grants resources for immigration, U.S. Coast Guard, and cybersecurity defenses;
- Modernizes our nuclear deterrent with significant investments in the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, the B-21 Raider, and the Columbia-class Ballistic Missile Submarine;
- Institutes a pay raise for our military heroes;
- Advances our military power by investing in new equipment, including combat ships, submarines, and helicopters;
- Supports Arkansas’s National Guard missions, including providing continued funding for Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) training at Razorback Range;
- Provides our veterans with greater healthcare access and services;
- Increases funds for military training, maintenance, and base operations;
- Stands with Arkansas’s hardworking truckers by blocking burdensome regulations;
- Enhances resources for medical research through the National Institutes of Health for diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer;
- Advances groundbreaking critical research programs at the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture;
- Funds advanced weapon programs such as the Tomahawk Cruise Missile and the Naval Strike Missile that are made with components produced in Northwest Arkansas;
- Robustly funds agricultural research programs, including a new Histomonas research program to address the disease’s devastating impacts on turkey flocks; and
- Fully funds Iron Dome replenishment to support our ally Israel.
Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) has represented Arkansas’s Third Congressional District since 2011. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
womack.house.gov
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