This is "Arkies in the Beltway" for the week of July 21, 2024. I'm Alex Thomas, Washington Correspondent for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, with your look at the Arkansans influencing our national political discussions.

This week, we are taking a look at an event outside of Beltway. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette joined Arkansans in Milwaukee last week as they participated in the Republican National Convention and formally nominated former President Donald Trump as their presidential nominee.

On this week's episode, we provide you with an inside look at the emotions of the week following the assassination attempt against Trump, the Arkansans who shared the convention stage with other leading Republican figures, and what some people are thinking with the general election less than four months away.

STORY: Arkansas Republicans eager for convention as emotions over Trump assassination attempt linger

STORY: Arkansas Republicans applaud Trump’s selection of Vance as running mate

STORY: Cotton, Sanders call for a second Trump White House term in Republican National Convention speeches

STORY: Hutchinson watches GOP convention from sidelines, 6 months after ending presidential campaign

STORY: Arkansas Republicans energized after convention, ready to support Trump's candidacy

Thank you for supporting "Arkies in the Beltway!" Make sure to stay up to date with all news involving Arkansas at arkansasonline.com. You can also track what's happening in the nation's capital by following me on social media; my handle across all platforms is @AlexHouseThomas.

This is "Arkies in the Beltway" for the week of July 14, 2024. I'm Alex Thomas, Washington Correspondent for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, with your look at national politics and the Arkansans influencing the discussions.

Members of Congress were busy upon returning to Capitol Hill from their Independence Day break. U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., introduced separate measures confronting different matters; Cotton's bill involves the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision overturning its longstanding Chevron deference, while Westerman's measure addresses the use of cell phones in classrooms.

STORY: Sen. Tom Cotton seeks court case, agency reviews after Supreme Court overturns regulatory precedent

The United States and Mexico have agreed on actions protecting steel and aluminum industries from Chinese efforts to enter other markets.

The nations hope these new efforts will stop China's ability to enter North America by shipping products to Mexico, avoiding American tariffs in the process.

STORY: U.S., Mexico reach deal to protect steel and aluminum from foreign tariff circumvention

Members of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee are getting more serious about establishing a regulatory framework for digital commodities.

Lawmakers and regulators alike have been pushing to close the current gap in federal oversight, which was made apparent by the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX nearly two years ago.

Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., is the Senate Agriculture Committee's ranking member; he wants the committee to address the matter but warns of taking any action risking the United States' chances of having an advantage over its international counterparts.

STORY: Senators eye action on digital commodities; Boozman unsure of success in current Congress

Thank you for supporting "Arkies in the Beltway!" The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette will have coverage this week from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. On next week's episode, we will recap the gathering and the Arkansans who played a part in the GOP gathering.

This is "Arkies in the Beltway" for the week of July 7, 2024. I'm Alex Thomas, Washington Correspondent for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and in a change of pace, we are not spending time this week focusing on national politics and the Arkansans influencing those discussions.

Rather, we're taking a break from our usual coverage to discuss this year's Congressional Art Competition.

Since 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated in the nationwide contest, submitting portraits, illustrations, photographs and other media in hopes of representing their state in a rotating exhibit located below the U.S. Capitol.

Winners from each U.S. House of Representatives district are recognized in the year-long display.

The Democrat-Gazette spoke with the four Arkansas teenagers represented in this year's exhibit and discussed the inspiration behind their submissions.

STORY: Check out Arkansasonline.com for this story

Thank you for supporting "Arkies in the Beltway!" Make sure to stay up to date with all news involving Arkansas at arkansasonline.com. You can also follow what's happening in the nation's capital by checking me out on social media; my handle across all platforms is @AlexHouseThomas.

This is "Arkies in the Beltway" for the week of June 30, 2024. I'm Alex Thomas, Washington Correspondent for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, with your look at national politics and the Arkansans influencing the discussions.

The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee continues to move swiftly in considering Congress' annual appropriations measures.

The committee's Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee approved a $90 billion measure covering programs under the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., serves as the subcommittee's chairman.

STORY: U.S. House appropriators set to consider Womack-led spending measure in July

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced its version of the Water Resources Development Act. Congress considers the legislation biennially to authorize U.S. Army Corps of Engineer projects and water-related research.

Reps. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., and Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., serve on the committee and supported moving forward with the bill.

STORY: U.S. House committee approves water resources measure

Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., and Katherine Andrews with the state Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism appeared before members of the House Natural Resources Committee to discuss a possible expansion of the Flatside Wilderness Area.

Hill, of Little Rock, introduced legislation last June to add more than 2,200 acres of the Ouachita National Forest to the protected wilderness.

STORY: Hill, Andrews pitch Flatside Wilderness expansion to U.S. House subcommittee

Thank you for supporting "Arkies in the Beltway!" Make sure to stay up to date with all news involving Arkansas at arkansasonline.com. You can also follow what's happening in the nation's capital by checking me out on social media; my handle across all platforms is @AlexHouseThomas.

This is "Arkies in the Beltway" for the week of June 23, 2024. I'm Alex Thomas, Washington Correspondent for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, with your look at national politics and the Arkansans influencing the discussions.

The U.S. Capitol last week was rather quiet. The Senate did not make much legislative progress on the chamber floor, and members of the House of Representatives spent the week away from Washington, D.C.

Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., participated in an event focused on the United States' alliances and congressional participation in global affairs.

The nonpartisan McCain Institute hosted Boozman, of Rogers, and Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., for a panel discussing the anniversary of the D-Day invasion and the founding of NATO.

The international organization is comprised of the United States and 31 other countries focused on protecting North American and European interests. NATO will hold a summit in Washington, D.C., next month.

STORY: Boozman and Hassan discuss NATO’s importance, global alliances at McCain Institute panel

Thank you for listening to this week's episode of "Arkies in the Beltway!" Make sure to stay up to date with all news involving Arkansas at arkansasonline.com. You can also follow what's happening in the nation's capital by checking me out on social media; my handle across all platforms is @AlexHouseThomas.

This is "Arkies in the Beltway" for the week of June 16, 2024. I'm Alex Thomas, Washington Correspondent for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, with your look at national politics and the Arkansans influencing the discussions.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., released Senate Republicans' framework of the next farm bill, another step in Congress' efforts to pass a sweeping legislative package addressing agricultural, rural development and nutrition issues during the current congressional session.

Boozman, of Rogers, serves as the top Republican on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.

The framework — which Boozman says emphasizes the agriculture portion of the farm bill — comes more than a month after Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., released an overview highlighting Democrats' priorities.

STORY: Boozman reveals farm bill framework as deadline for action nears

An Arkansas lawyer appeared before the Senate Finance Committee to address reports of abuse and neglect at residential treatment facilities, including centers in the Natural State.

Reagan Stanford, the abuse and neglect managing attorney for Disability Rights Arkansas, told senators the current care model is failing to help children, with methods instead promoting a dangerous environment.

The committee additionally released a 135-page report detailing the mistreatment of young people at these centers.

STORY: Arkansas disability advocate addresses lawmakers about reports of abuse in residential treatment centers

All four of Arkansas’ members in the U.S. House of Representatives signed a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough opposing the display of Pride flags at department facilities.

The Department of Veterans Affairs authorized the flags to be flown across the country during June — widely recognized as Pride month — to honor more than 1 million LGBTQ+ veterans and their families.

The lawmakers, however, contend this policy is an expression of a political leaning.

Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., addressed Margie Scott, the medical center director of the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, in a separate June 7 letter challenging the Pride flag at the Little Rock veterans hospital.

STORY: Arkansas’ U.S. House members want VA facilities to remove Pride flag authorized during June

STORY: Westerman once more challenges VA facilities over flying Pride flag

Thanks for supporting "Arkies in the Beltway!" Make sure to stay up to date with all news involving Arkansas at arkansasonline.com. You can also follow what's happening in the nation's capital by checking me out on social media; my handle across all platforms is @AlexHouseThomas.

This is "Arkies in the Beltway" for the week of June 9, 2024. I'm Alex Thomas, Washington Correspondent for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, with your look at national politics and the Arkansans influencing the discussions.

As the Israel-Hamas war enters its eighth month, family members of American hostages continue pushing lawmakers and government officials to take action to get their loved ones back.

The Congressional Task Force on American Hostages and Americans Wrongfully Detained Abroad hosted a roundtable with family members and colleagues to discuss the war's ongoing impact.

U.S. Reps. French Hill, R-Ark., and Haley Stevens, D-Mich., serve as the task force's co-chairs.

STORY: Family members of Hamas hostages gather for Capitol Hill roundtable

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson participated in a forum on the United States' response to the coronavirus pandemic and hurdles in addressing future health emergencies.

Hutchinson's final years as governor were dominated by the response to COVID-19. Arkansas was one of a few states never to have a stay-at-home order, even as officials recorded high case numbers.

STORY: Hutchinson reflects on his Arkansas covid policies, U.S. response during pandemic

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., helped lead a bipartisan Senate delegation to France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.

Boozman, of Rogers, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., were selected to lead the group given their seniority on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

STORY: Boozman heads Senate trip commemorating D-Day

The House of Representatives advanced legislation to name the Kingsland post office after country music icon Johnny Cash.

Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., introduced the measure in January.

Cash was born in Kingsland in February 1932, although his family moved to Mississippi County three years later.

Cash, however, never forgot his South Arkansas roots. One notable instance happened in March 1994; he returned to Kingsland to celebrate the opening of a new post office, the same one that may soon bear his name.

STORY: U.S. House of Representatives passes bill to name Kingsland post office after Johnny Cash

Thanks for listening to "Arkies in the Beltway!" Make sure to stay up to date with all news involving Arkansas at arkansasonline.com. You can also follow what's happening in the nation's capital by checking me out on social media; my handle across all platforms is @AlexHouseThomas.

This is "Arkies in the Beltway" for the week of May 26, 2024. I'm Alex Thomas, Washington Correspondent for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, with your look at national politics and the Arkansans influencing the discussions.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives used two congressional hearings to ask questions surrounding the March 19 raid at Little Rock airport official Bryan Malinowski's home and his subsequent death.

The House Judiciary Committee heard testimony on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and how agents executed a search warrant at Malinowski's west Little Rock residence.

Malinowski, the executive director of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, had gained attention for his gun purchases and sales without a proper license. Malinowski family attorney Bryan Cummins told the committee that Malinowski collected guns as a hobbyist, noting he attended gun shows to display his firearm and coin collections.

STORY: Malinowski’s attorney appears before U.S. House subcommittee amid congressional interest in fatal March raid

STORY: ATF director mum about ongoing Malinowski investigation, notes funding problems in getting body cameras

The House Agriculture Committee took a step forward in trying to pass a new farm bill during this Congress.

The committee advanced the legislation during a lengthy markup that ended after midnight on Friday.

Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., was among the legislators who supported this move. Crawford, of Jonesboro, is the only Arkansas lawmaker who serves on the House Agriculture Committee.

STORY: U.S. House committee advances farm bill proposal; Crawford backs move

The full House passed comprehensive legislation addressing digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies.

The Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act sets new authorities for federal agencies in regulating digital assets and related transactions.

Seventy-one Democrats joined most Republicans to support the legislation.

Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., was one of the central figures in drafting and passing the bill.

STORY: U.S. House passes Hill measure confronting digital asset regulatory gaps

Thanks for supporting "Arkies in the Beltway!" Make sure to stay up to date with all news involving Arkansas at arkansasonline.com. You can also follow what's happening in the nation's capital by checking me out on social media; my handle across all platforms is @AlexHouseThomas.