Boozman presses for new trade deal
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., urged passage last week of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the trade deal that's been called NAFTA 2.0.
In a speech on the Senate floor, he emphasized the importance of exports to Arkansas' economy.
Canada and Mexico are the state's two largest international markets, he noted.
Free trade is especially important to Arkansas' farmers, the lawmaker from Rogers said during his 5-minute address.
Commodity prices are low, and the trade war with China has caused pain, he noted.
Recent federal financial assistance to farmers has been helpful, but it's not agriculture's preferred option, Boozman said.
"In my discussions with farmers on how we can help, the same mantra is often repeated. They prefer trade over aid," Boozman said. "While they appreciate the president's efforts to ease the pain during these trade standoffs, what they really need are more markets in which to sell their products. They understand that increased trade is the way forward to create a better, long-term outlook for their operations. Our neighbors to the north and the south are our natural allies and trading partners," he added.
Boozman was one of nine senators who gave speeches on the need for free trade, according to U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., the organizer of Tuesday's series of addresses. Lawmakers from South Dakota, Colorado, Kansas, Indiana, Iowa and Ohio were also listed as participants.
Cotton speaks at leadership event
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., spoke at the Family Leadership Summit in West Des Moines, Iowa earlier this month.
He was joined by several other lawmakers from his party, including U.S. Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Joni Ernst of Iowa.
Cotton joked that he and the others hadn't been the top picks to speak. Seven Senate Democrats -- each a presidential hopeful -- had apparently been invited, but had opted not to attend, he added.
"I'm sure that Bernie Sanders would've fit in very well here," Cotton told the gathering of social conservatives, whose sponsors included the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Focus on the Family.
During the gathering, Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, addressed the importance of racial, as well as, political reconciliation.
"Ninety-three percent of Americans say that we are too corrosive and too toxic as a nation and too polarized," he said. But there are forces that profit from the divisions, he said.
"The media, I think, makes more money off of conflict than they do Kumbaya," he said.
Students take in D.C.-area events
Several students have participated in Washington-area events in recent days.
Elleigh Lowery, a senior at Jessieville High School, attended the Washington Journalism and Media Conference at George Mason University last week.
The program featured speakers from USA Today, the Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN and Politico, according to the organization's website.
One of the best-known participants on the list was Brian Lamb, founder of C-SPAN, the organization that has been airing coverage of Capitol Hill proceedings for the past 40 years.
While in Washington, Lowery stopped by and visited with her congressman and fellow Garland County resident, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, a Republican from Hot Springs.
Also traveling to Washington recently -- two participants in Bank of America's Young Leaders program.
Sophie Bravo and Marehsa Jackson, both of Little Rock, attended a student leaders program and met with their congressman, U.S. Rep. French Hill, a Republican from Little Rock.
Bravo, who graduated this year from Mount St. Mary Academy, plans to attend Arizona State University.
Jackson, a 2019 graduate of Hall High School, plans to attend the University of Houston.
The leadership program seeks to provide "community-minded young students with the leadership training they need to be successful in the workforce," the bank's website states.
The program, launched in 2004, recently expanded to central Arkansas.
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 07/21/2019