Washington news in brief

El Dorado teenager speaks to ag panel

WASHINGTON -- A Union County 4-H Club member who testified on Capitol Hill said she hopes to return one day -- as a member of Congress, not as an observer.

Hannah Crawford, an 18-year-old El Dorado High School senior, was one of 15 young people who were chosen to speak before the House Agriculture Committee's subcommittee on biotechnology, horticulture and research.

Crawford and the others were in town for the 2018 National 4-H Conference.

It was her first visit to Washington, D.C.

"We addressed the Farm Bill and shared with them how agriculture has impacted our lives," she said. "We each had our own little mini-speech that we read out to them."

When she was registering for the conference, she noticed that one of the options involved working with the House of Representatives, she said.

She quickly decided to volunteer.

"I'm very interested in politics. I plan to maybe one day become a representative so I chose that, and I luckily got picked," she said.

The nation's capital is "very beautiful: day or night," she said.

"There's so much action going on," she said. "You see it in the news when you're at home, and it pops up on my phone throughout the day, but when you're there where it's happening, it is just so breathtaking."

Pence posts photo, lauds pastor Floyd

The Rev. Ronnie Floyd, pastor of Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas, got an electronic shout-out recently from Vice President Mike Pence.

The nation's second-in-command was photographed shaking hands with the Arkansan and posted the image on Twitter.

"So good to see Pastor @RonnieFloyd and faith leaders in town," Pence wrote. "@POTUS and I are grateful for the prayers, support, and ministries of all these great men and women of faith. God bless them all!"

Floyd, a megachurch minister and former Southern Baptist Convention president, was in Washington for the 2018 Mega Metro Conference, which drew more than 100 religious leaders.

The group stopped by the new, 430,000-square-foot Museum of the Bible. They also heard from former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, who serves as U.S. ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom.

Floyd, one of President Donald Trump's evangelical advisers, will be back in Washington next month to observe the annual National Day of Prayer activities. Floyd is president of the event.

Boozman to chair veterans subpanel

U.S. Sen. John Boozman got a new assignment on the Senate Appropriations Committee recently.

The Republican from Rogers will serve as the chairman of its Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies.

Previously, he had chaired its subcommittee on homeland security.

The change of assignment was announced last week.

"I'm pleased to continue my commitment to our nation's veterans in this new role," Boozman said in a written statement. "I look forward to advancing policies that fulfill the promises made to our veterans and their families and prioritizing Department of Defense infrastructure investments to strengthen our national security."

Boozman, who also serves on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, is co-chairman of the Senate Air Force Caucus.

The Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville is reportedly the seventh-largest employer in Arkansas.

The state's senior senator grew up in a military family; his father was a master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force.

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 04/15/2018

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