Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. — July 22, 2026…Today, Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3), a senior appropriator and Chairman of the House Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD), and Related Agencies Subcommittee, stressed the need for policy reform to prevent future government funding lapses during a full committee hearing.

The hearing witnesses were Senator James Lankford (OK), Representative Tom McClintock (CA-5), as well as former Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and current New York University School of Law Distinguished Scholar Shalanda Young.

Congressman Womack said, “Government shutdowns reflect a complete failure of Congress to do our primary job: fund the government according to the needs and wants of the American people. Accepting these failures as the status quo is impermissible, and I am grateful for the leadership of Chairman Tom Cole to examine the stumbling blocks that contribute to our system’s breakdown and potential solutions. Americans deserve a functioning government, and today’s hearing represents our commitment to delivering this and reliable access to the essential services it provides.”

During the hearing, Congressman Womack asked Young to outline the benefits of moving Congress to a biennial budget framework—a key pillar of his newly introduced bill, the Budgeting for a Better America Act. Her response: "You were in my opening remarks as one of the proposals. I've always thought that was just commonsense."

Read more about the Budgeting for a Better America Act HERE.

A video of Congressman Womack’s questions for the witnesses can be found HERE.

A full recording of the hearing is available HERE.

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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