In San Diego visit, Hill tours border
Second District U.S. Rep. French Hill toured the nation's southern border last weekend, traveling to San Diego and observing the frontier between California and Mexico.
It's the third such trip the Little Rock Republican has made since his election to Congress. Previously, he spent time in Laredo and El Paso, Texas.
In a radio interview Thursday with KARN-FM in Little Rock, Hill said he was "disturbed" by what he saw at the border crossing that separates the suburbs of San Diego from Tijuana.
Hundreds of people from around the world line up there to seek asylum, arguing that they have a credible fear that they'll face persecution or torture if they return to their homeland.
"Our customs officials and Border Patrol officials in my judgment are overwhelmed," he said.
"It is really, I think, creating an immigration crisis once again on the southwest border."
He said many of the asylum-seekers are admitted into the country and then fail to show up for their hearings.
State's 4 in House sign catfish letter
The four U.S. representatives from Arkansas joined colleagues in signing a letter to House leadership last week. It urged them to bypass Senate Joint Resolution 28, which would shift a catfish inspection program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture back to the Food and Drug Administration.
"We believe that the Senate's action to nullify the catfish inspection program shortly after the program has been implemented is irresponsible and disregards overwhelming evidence proving that imported catfish represents a significant food safety threat to U.S. consumers," the letter stated.
In a news release, 1st District U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford said the Department of Agriculture supervision is "critical to preventing adulterated catfish and catfish-like products from entering the U.S. food supply." He noted that inspectors had flagged two tainted shipments of foreign catfish earlier in the week.
Retail group touts 5 in state's delegation
Five of the six members of Arkansas congressional delegation were named Heroes of Main Street by the National Retail Federation.
The trade group honored U.S. Sen. John Boozman and all four U.S. House members -- 1st District's Rick Crawford, 2nd District's French Hill, 3rd District's Steve Womack and 4th District's Bruce Westerman.
The federation describes itself as "the world's largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries."
Sixty-five of 100 senators and more than 200 representatives received the annual award this month.
Westerman: Debt is island's to handle
Fourth District U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman appeared live on C-SPAN for 35 minutes Thursday morning, taking phone calls from television viewers and fielding questions from C-SPAN host John McCardle.
The Republican from Hot Springs talked about Puerto Rico's debt crisis, arguing that San Juan, not Washington, is responsible for what is owed.
"The U.S. doesn't have the means to go in and bail Puerto Rico out," Westerman said.
The nation already owes $59,000 for every man, woman and child in the United States, he said, alluding to a national debt that has topped $19 trillion.
The territory, which has rejected independence and statehood over the years, owes roughly $115 billion.
The congressman serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources, which voted 29-10 Wednesday to create an oversight board to help the Caribbean nation restructure its debts.
Westerman favored the legislation. House leadership and the White House are eager to pass legislation addressing the problem in June. Payments of roughly $2 billion will be due at the beginning of July, officials say.
Puerto Rico, a Caribbean nation with 3.5 million residents, was part of the Spanish empire for hundreds of years but became a U.S. possession after the Spanish-American War in 1898.
Boozman receives champion award
U.S. Sen. John Boozman on Wednesday received the Opportunity Finance Networks' Congressional Champion Award.
The Republican from Rogers was recognized "for enacting policies that further economic development and job creation in low-income communities in his state and across the nation," the group said in a news release.
The group is a network of community-development finance institutions that "works with legislators to garner support for federal policies that create jobs; spark small-business growth; deliver quality, affordable housing; and create community facilities, including charter schools and healthcare centers," the release added.
Cotton will speak at Boys, Girls State
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton is to speak at the Arkansas American Legion Boys State on Monday afternoon. The group is gathering on the University of Central Arkansas campus in Conway for the annual program. The Republican from Dardanelle attended Boys State and Boys Nation when he was in high school. His father, Len Cotton of Dardanelle, is also a Boys State alumnus. The elder Cotton serves as chairman of the event and is a member of the state organization's Hall of Fame.
Boys State is a nonpartisan organization that teaches participants about government, patriotism and citizenship. Prominent Arkansas graduates include former President Bill Clinton, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, former White House Chief of Staff Mack McLarty and former University of Arkansas head football coach Ken Hatfield.
The younger Cotton also plans to address Girls State at Harding University in Searcy on Monday morning.
State bee speller gets tour of Capitol
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack took the state's top speller and her family on a tour of the U.S. Capitol on Friday.
Pavani S. Chittemsetty is a fourth-grader from Bentonville who participated in the national spelling bee last week, successfully completing the first three rounds before being eliminated Wednesday.
The 10-year-old fared better than dozens of teenage competitors.
Womack plans to attend the National Memorial Day Concert on Monday in Washington. The performance outside of the U.S. Capitol draws thousands of people and airs live, beginning at 7 p.m. on PBS.
Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or flockwood@arkansasonline.com. Want the latest from the Democrat-Gazette's Washington bureau? It's available on Twitter @LockwoodFrank.
SundayMonday on 05/29/2016