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U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman

Westerman backs House 6-point plan

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AP

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., addresses delegates July 18 during the opening day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

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Democrat-Gazette file photo

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack is shown in this file photo.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman last week promoted a series of proposals put forth by House Republicans.

The six-point plan calls for fighting poverty, improving the economy, changing tax law, overhauling health care, strengthening national security and tackling what Republicans portray as government overreach.

Among other things, it advocates making tax codes "simpler, fairer and flatter" and calls for defeating "radical Islamic extremism," decreasing government regulations and "a crack down on lawsuit abuse."

Details are available at http://abetterway.speaker.gov/.

Westerman called the plan "a framework for our policy going forward" and said Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has agreed to help implement changes if he's elected.

Westerman, a Republican from Hot Springs, predicted that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton would block the House agenda if she wins.

Cotton uses airtime to criticize Clinton

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton started last week by appearing on Face the Nation, CBS' Sunday morning public affairs program. He appeared Tuesday on Fox News' The O'Reilly Report and was a guest that same day on Hugh Hewitt's nationally syndicated radio program.

In all three appearances, the Republican from Dardanelle criticized Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for her handling of sensitive emails during her time as secretary of state.

And on Face the Nation, he sidestepped a question about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, telling the moderator, "I'm not going to respond to every single thing that Donald Trump has to say or that Hillary Clinton says. I'm not going to follow the back-and-forth on the campaign trail. What is ultimately going to matter in the long term is not who won or lost a week in the campaign, but whether the American people are safe."

Clinton's judgment, he said, "is not suited to keep this country safe."

Also last week, the Family Research Council announced that Trump and Cotton will appear next month at the group's Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. The annual gathering attracts Christian conservative activists.

Tillar farm among stops for Crawford

U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford made plenty of stops in his Arkansas congressional district last week. Among other things, he stopped in Tillar on Monday to visit Steve Stevens' Discovery Farm.

At the farm, "they are still growing normal commodity crops, but they are working with the University of Arkansas to conduct water-quality research and how different farming practices affect water quality," Crawford spokesman James Arnold said.

Crawford, a Republican from Jonesboro, also visited Bayou Meto's Marion Berry pump station, which is named after Berry, the longtime Democratic lawmaker who preceded Crawford in representing the 1st Congressional District. Officials briefed Crawford on a water management program there.

On Tuesday, he stopped by a sweet potato farm near Wynne and attended a Greene County Farm Bureau meeting.

The former agriculture news broadcaster visited a rice expo in Stuttgart on Wednesday and a fish hatchery Thursday in Pocahontas.

On Friday, he stopped at a livestock advisory board in Melbourne.

Agriculture focus of Boozman's week

U.S. Sen. John Boozman will highlight Arkansas agriculture this week.

His tour is to begin Monday. He plans to visit a livestock auction in Cleburne County.

Other stops during the week are to highlight a farm-to-school program in Harrisburg; a vocational-agriculture program that is part of the Greene County Tech School District; and the Arkansas State University farmers market in Jonesboro. The Republican from Rogers is to visit farms or agriculture businesses in or near Manila, Wynne, Monticello, Marianna and West Memphis.

He also is to address the Craighead County Kiwanis Club and attend the annual Grady Fish Fry.

Hill sets LR session on poverty fighting

U.S. Rep. French Hill will hold a community empowerment initiative roundtable in Little Rock on Monday, his office announced.

Hill created the program last year "as a way to hear ideas from community leaders who are involved with successful upward mobility programs," his office said in a news release.

This is the sixth such meeting that the Republican from Little Rock has convened. The first-term lawmaker said he hopes "to engage with local communities to find meaningful solutions to help Americans get out of poverty."

Last week, Hill gave a speech to the Military Officers Association of America in North Little Rock, outlining increases in defense spending and troop levels, higher pay for servicemen and funds for modernizing weaponry.

He called for the Senate to pass House-approved legislation that he said would give the Veterans Affairs secretary "sweeping new authority to fire corrupt or incompetent employees ... and hold accountable those VA employees that are at fault for the recent scandals and data manipulation of our veterans' medical records," according to a copy of Hill's speech.

Womack tours firm, new hospital wing

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack traveled extensively in his district last week, attending a question-and-answer session in Fort Smith and stopping by Sugar Creek Foods International in Russellville. The company is known for its soft-serve desserts, including ice cream, custard, gelato and Italian ice.

He also toured the St. Mary's Medical Center's new wing. Workers from Survival Flight Inc., an emergency medical transportation company, showed him the firm's helicopter.

Later in the week, he attended a weekly gathering affiliated with the Springdale Chamber of Commerce and a medical clinic in Fayetteville.

On Friday, he was scheduled to address the Gravette Kiwanis Club and to meet with the town's teachers, administrators and other school district employees. He was also to visit Pea Ridge's new city hall and school administration facility, and join Gov. Asa Hutchinson for a grant announcement at the World Trade Center in Rogers.

Womack has also posted a video on his Facebook page about a recent visit to the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. There are 7,861 American military war dead who fought the Axis powers and are buried in the 77-acre cemetery.

Among them is Earl Ball, a U.S. Army private first class from Eureka Springs who died Jan. 31, 1944.

The video is at: https://www.facebook.com/RepSteveWomack/videos/1180923498633971

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