John Boozman
Members of U.S. Senate agriculture panel spar with Vilsack over USDA spending, response
WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack bristled at complaints from both Democrats and Republicans of unchecked departmental spending and delayed support for farmers during a Thursday U.S. Senate oversight hearing. He also lobbied Congress to provide a farm bill that will balance large-scale productivity with the needs of small and mid-sized producers, a theme the […]
U.S. Senate panel debates safety-net spending in upcoming farm bill
WASHINGTON — Members of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee quibbled Thursday over spending on crop insurance and ad-hoc disaster relief, previewing potential fights in the 2023 farm bill. Legislators of both parties emphasized their support at a Thursday hearing for better funding programs that protect underserved producers, and accounting for future natural disasters […]
Butterfield Overland Trail historic designation headed to Biden’s desk
Legislation designating a stage coach route that ran through Arkansas from 1858-1861 as a National Historic Trail is headed to the president’s desk to be signed into law. The bill, authored by Republican U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, passed the House on Thursday, according to a press release from the senator’s office. The law […]
U.S. Senate candidates debate agriculture, immigration
Agriculture and the struggles of Arkansas’ rural communities were top of mind for U.S. Senate candidates who participated in a debate hosted by Arkansas PBS Friday afternoon. Agriculture is the state’s largest industry, adding about $16 billion to the state’s economy each year. However, farmers are struggling with higher costs this year. The war in […]
Republicans in Congress say they’d keep federal abortion funding in cases of rape, incest
WASHINGTON — A nearly 50-year-old federal law backed by Republicans allows the use of federal dollars for abortions in cases of rape, incest or the life of the pregnant person. That so-called Hyde Amendment, which is folded into spending bills, is less stringent than new or planned abortion bans in some GOP-led states, where governors […]
New fight opens in Congress over VA policy that sidesteps state abortion bans
WASHINGTON — Democrats in the U.S. Senate are confident the Department of Veterans Affairs can implement a new policy that allows its doctors to provide abortions when the pregnancy threatens the patient’s life or health, or when it’s the result of rape or incest. The VA announced the new policy last week to cheers from […]
Boozman visits irrigation projects meant to preserve Arkansas groundwater
Two water infrastructure projects decades in the making would make Arkansas farmers less reliant on one of the most-used aquifers in the state, officials said Wednesday after U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, visited both projects. The Bayou Meto and White River water management districts have each been digging canals and installing pipelines to transport surface […]
Arkansas congressmen report millions in trips, investments and book deals
WASHINGTON — Members of the Arkansas congressional delegation disclosed book deals, multiple homes and millions of dollars in assets in their personal financial disclosure filings required by Congress. The disclosures are to be filed annually by May 15 or else members must seek an extension. Lawmakers list a range of value for their assets and […]
Farm bill season arrives: What’s the outlook for 2023?
WASHINGTON — Over the course of the next year, lawmakers on the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture committees will draft a new federal farm bill that will shape food, farm, conservation and nutrition programs across the country for the next five years. The omnibus law that began 90 years ago as crop supports now has […]