Westerman touts trillion-trees bill
Though the coronavirus has complicated matters, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., continues to promote his Trillion Trees Act legislation.
The bill, which has drawn support from House Republican leadership, as well as the White House, promotes global efforts to plant 1 trillion trees worldwide over the next three decades.
It also would make it harder for environmentalists to successfully challenge federal forest management proposals.
"We continually work on it and hope to make progress," Westerman said. "There's so much else in the news right now that it's not getting a lot of headlines but that doesn't mean we're going to stop."
The lawmaker from Hot Springs, who has a graduate degree in forestry from Yale University, is working with President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. on the bill.
"We did a video over at the White House," Westerman said. "There's going to be a big forestry conference, a nationwide virtual forestry conference at the end of July, and we videoed a segment for that."
Trump touted the effort in his State of the Union speech in February. His daughter was also quick to embrace the idea.
"She's a big, big supporter of the Trillion Trees Act, and I think the environment in general," Westerman said.
Womack talks up private innovation
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., last week participated in a virtual congressional hearing titled "Fueling American Innovation and Recovery: The Federal Role in Research and Development."
The former Rogers mayor is the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, which organized the event.
In his opening statement, Womack stressed the importance of research and development, saying it has enabled the country "to make unthinkable progress across industries and drive the United States -- indeed, the world -- forward."
During his remarks, Womack highlighted the work done by NOWDiagnostics in Springdale.
"They develop simple diagnostic tests, which require nothing more than a drop of blood and a few minutes to yield results. Their products cover everything from a covid-19 antibody test to screenings for malaria and Ebola. It's just one example of the many American companies producing cutting-edge technology and solutions," he said.
It's important to create an environment where innovation flourishes, he said.
"Washington should support private industry -- which has led a vast majority of investment -- and promote policies that encourage companies to continue to unleash opportunity in this critical space. This supporting role of the federal government should focus on resources for R&D in areas -- such as early-stage research -- and streamlining regulations," he said.
Womack warned that "out-of-control deficit and debt" pose a threat to these efforts.
"We are spiraling toward a fiscal crisis and, once we get there, once it hits, there will be zero money to fund critical programs," he said.
He called on the committee to create "a budget that addresses out-of-control mandatory spending, the driver of our unsustainable deficits and debt. If policymakers want to prioritize R&D funding, they must first tackle this threat."
Arkansan's King sermon derailed
When he visits Washington, Arkansan Arthur Hunt sometimes holds worship services on Sundays at 11 a.m. beside the Martin Luther King memorial.
But his plans last week were derailed. The coronavirus wasn't the culprit. Debris from the nation's Independence Day celebration was to blame, he said.
A large pyrotechnics display had occurred in that vicinity the previous evening.
"They were closed until about 2 o'clock because they were dealing with the firework cleanup," said Hunt, who has published a Martin Luther King Bible.
The visit wasn't wasted. Officials let him record a message while he was at the site. He also promoted a Martin Luther King school curriculum while in town.
As leader of The College of Aspiring Artists, Hunt -- a minister, artist and educator -- has emphasized the importance of eliminating racial barriers.
On "Meet the Press" in April 1960, Martin Luther King called 11 o'clock on Sunday morning "one of the most segregated hours, if not the most segregated hour, in Christian America."
King said the lack of integration at houses of worship was "one of the tragedies of our nation."
It's a sentiment Hunt shares.
"We're still, in many ways, in the same predicament," he said.
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.