Averting a Rail Strike CLICK HERE to watch the full speech. This week, the House voted to pass legislation which would impose a contract and avert a rail strike. In a speech on the House floor, I emphasized that the vote is a result of the failures of Speaker Pelosi and President Biden to reach a deal with their largest special interest group. The self-proclaimed “most union friendly president in history” has punted this to the House of Representatives to deal with his colossal mistake.   I’m relieved that we are a step closer to preventing a rail strike. We were forced to act because the Biden Administration, despite its claims to the contrary, couldn’t get buy-in from its Big Labor allies to avoid a strike that would cripple large parts of the economy that have already been crippled by our President’s policies. A rail strike would worsen our continuing supply chain woes, hammer our agriculture industry, and give us even more empty store shelves. It would also fuel further inflation at a time when American families can least afford it.

H.J. Res 100 - To Implement an Agreement Between Rail Unions and Rail Companies - Yea Averts a rail strike which would cost our economy $2 billion a day and be catastrophic for our supply chain.  Includes one personal day of paid leave for all employees.  Provides a 14.1% pay increase immediately and a 24% increase between 2020 and 2024, the most substantial in decades. Gives scheduled days off for conductors and engineers who have the least predictable schedule to attend up to three medical exams each year, as well as unlimited excused absences for ER and surgery and three preventative care days off.  H.Con. Res. 119 - Amending the Rail Tentative Agreement  - No Was added last minute in an attempt to appease far left democrats who were threatening to vote down the agreement and causes a rail strike. Adds significant changes to the original tentative agreement made between the rail unions and rail companies.  Creates a broad and costly proposal rather than settling attendance disputes through the grievance process.  H.R. 6878 - Pregnant Women in Custody Act  - No Failed to include an amendment which would ensure resources would not be used for abortion. H.R. 3372 - One Stop Shop Community Reentry Program Act  - No Creates yet another new federal grant program for a total of $59 million in new spending over the next five years with no offsets. Encourages states, Indian tribes, and local governments to employ sex offenders, murderers, human traffickers, and other dangerous criminals to operate reentry services assistance hotlines.

My office has been sending, and is continuing to send, flags that were flown above the U.S. Capitol to Mayors, County Judges, and other elected officials across the First District to honor them for their service to Arkansans. This week, I stopped by to visit with the Mayor of Jonesboro and present him with his.

Fox News Crawford Floor Speech Featured on Fox

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette U.S. Rep. Crawford wants Congress to stay out of national railroad strike WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., does not want Congress to get involved in the possible national railroad strike, but the option remains on the table. Crawford, of Jonesboro, serves as the ranking member of the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials. He helped introduce legislation in September requiring railroads and unions to accept the presidential board's recommendations if both sides cannot reach a deal. "I really hope that cooler heads will prevail here and that both sides will recognize that this is not in our interest economically, particularly at this time, to be making these kinds of threats or taking this kind of action," Crawford told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Crawford's main concern stems from a possible strike's economic effects. According to the Association of American Railroads, a freight rail strike would cost the economy $2 billion a day. The organization argues a short-term switch to trucks and barges "would be costly and disruptive," noting there are not enough truck drivers to meet demand. "The timing couldn't be worse as we're approaching Christmas," Crawford said.

Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Arkansas’ lawmakers in Washington preparing to work on nation’s next farm bill Arkansans will have a noticeable impact on the next farm bill. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., will continue serving as the top Republican on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee in the next Congress. The House of Representatives Agriculture Committee -- whose members include Republican Rep. Rick Crawford of Jonesboro -- has spent part of this year reviewing the current law. "We need not only rural America represented at the table, but we also need big metropolitan represented at the table. We need them to understand that the nutrition that they're voting for comes from rural America producers that provide for the entire rest of the country. So, the two are inextricably linked." Other sections of the bill allocate funds for agriculture research, conservation efforts, drought and disaster assistance, and improving broadband access. "That's critical," Crawford said of broadband deployment. "We found out how critical it is over the covid years, over the last two or three years."