Boozman at home after heart surgery
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. John Boozman, who underwent heart surgery on Aug. 15, hopes to return to the U.S. Senate when it reconvenes Sept. 5.
"That's still his goal," said spokesman Patrick Creamer.
The Republican from Rogers was released from a Washington-area hospital on Aug. 19. He was undergoing follow-up surgery, three years after having a tear in his aorta repaired.
"He's resting and recovering at home," Creamer said.
"The senator and his family are very appreciative of all the prayers and well wishes that they have received."
Westerman expects busy month in D.C.
Congress is going to have a busy September, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman predicted Thursday.
"We've got the budget to deal with, we've got appropriations, we've got the debt ceiling, we've got tax reform. There's a lot of issues that need to be addressed in a short amount of time. You can throw health care in there too because that hasn't gone away," the Republican from Hot Springs said.
On top of that, lawmakers will have to decide whether to provide funding for additional barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border.
"The president seems to think it's very important. That's going to be in all the discussion we have when we get back to D.C.," Westerman said. "I believe we need to secure the border."
The lawmaker, whose district includes Pine Bluff, El Dorado and Texarkana, said he has visited the border and is committed to increasing security measures there.
"From an engineering standpoint ... I don't know that there's areas where it's practical to build the wall or to use fences and electronic surveillance [instead], but there does need to be very good border security all along our Southern border."
Keep nonprofit wall, say dozens in state
More than two dozen Arkansans are urging Congress to keep a law that prevents nonprofit groups from endorsing political candidates. President Donald Trump has criticized the "Johnson Amendment," which was championed six decades ago by then-U.S. Sen. Lyndon Baines Johnson of Texas.
Supporters say organizations that have tax-exempt status shouldn't be allowed to spend their tax-exempt funds on partisan political activities. But opponents, including Trump, portray the law as a restriction on free speech and the free exercise of religion.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty helped spearhead the letter, which has gained more than 4,000 signatures.
Arkansans on the list included the Rev. Preston Clegg, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Little Rock; Rabbi Barry Block of Congregation B'nai Israel in Little Rock; the Rev. Randy Hyde, senior pastor of Pulaski Heights Baptist Church in Little Rock; and former state Sen. Jim Argue, president and CEO of the United Methodist Foundation of Arkansas.
50% in poll leaning toward Trump in '20
President Donald Trump's 2016 pollster, Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, asked Republicans for whom they plan to vote in the 2020 GOP presidential primaries.
The incumbent begins with a mammoth lead, the survey found.
Fifty percent of the 1,500 Republican and Republican-leaning voters said they would definitely or probably vote for Trump; 14 percent favored U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas; and 10 percent backed Ohio Gov. John Kasich. U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas trailed with 1 percent each. Another 24 percent said they are undecided.
Released last week, the poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent.
Cotton spoke at a Republican fundraiser in Iowa in May. He has expressed no interest in running for president in 2020.
Health care at top of Crawford's week
U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford spent much of his time last week on health care, a spokesman said.
On Tuesday, he stopped by the Caldwell Pharmacy in Wynne and heard about the challenges facing pharmacists in rural Arkansas. On Wednesday, he discussed health care, among other issues, while appearing before the Lions Club in Trumann. On Friday, he visited Fred's Pharmacy in Jonesboro and witnessed an outpatient surgery at the Jonesboro Surgical Clinic.
On Thursday, he consulted with the Stock and Poultry Advisory Board in Heber Springs.
The Republican from Jonesboro also touched base with several other groups, visiting businesses, meeting with state legislators and celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Exchange Club of Jonesboro.
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 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Washington bureau? It's available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank
SundayMonday on 08/27/2017