WASHINGTON — Every member of the all-Republican Arkansas congressional delegation except U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs voted early Friday to approve a bipartisan budget agreement that adds an estimated $300 billion in spending while also cutting a number of taxes.
Lawmakers emphasized that much of the money would go to support the nation’s military, which has been at war for 17 years.
U.S. Sens. John Boozman of Rogers and Tom Cotton of Dardanelle cast their votes shortly after midnight.
U.S. Reps. Steve Womack of Rogers, French Hill of Little Rock and Rick Crawford of Jonesboro followed suit in the pre-dawn hours.
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Womack, who chairs the House Budget Committee, said: “This bill isn’t perfect, but it does do a lot of good for the country, including boosting the investment in our national defense and improving resources for the brave men and women in uniform who serve on our behalf.”
The legislation, which was quickly signed into law by President Donald Trump, “acknowledges that the current budget and appropriations process is not working. And so I’m encouraged this agreement initiates real talks that could reform the process and make it work better,” Womack said.
Westerman was among more than 60 House Republicans who voted against the bill, which passed 240-186 in that chamber.
Arkansas' two Republican senators both released statements explaining their decisions to support the legislation.
“This budget agreement will give our military a desperately needed spending increase as well as the certainty it needs to plan ahead for the coming years," Sen. Tom Cotton wrote. "But the very fact that we need to pass this agreement four months into the fourth year demonstrates the folly of keeping the Budget Control Act on the books."
That law hasn’t controlled spending, he added, and needs to be repealed before "we face this situation again next fall.”
Sen. John Boozman said the newly passed bill "allows us to uphold our promise to the men and women who served our nation in uniform, fight the opioid epidemic that is devastating our communities and begin to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure."
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
Arkansas Online deputy editor Jillian Kremer contributed to this story.