Strategic Production Response Act This week, the House passed the Strategic Production Response Act to ensure that the President has a plan to increase domestic production following any non-emergency draining of our Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).  The solution to low oil supply is simple - increase domestic production. However, the Biden administration has continued to halt federal land and offshore lease sales for oil and gas development over the past two years and has interfered with the creation of pipelines and large-scale refineries with new and cumbersome regulations. Instead of unleashing domestic energy and encouraging American production of oil and gas, President Biden has drained the SPR to its lowest level since 1984 with no concrete plan to refill it. More than 250 million barrels of oil—approximately 40 percent of the reserve—have been depleted in less than two years. That’s more than all former presidents in history, combined. This misuse of our strategic reserves has weakened our economic and national security for political purposes. To prevent further abuse of the SPR, the Strategic Production Response Act would require any future non-emergency reductions to be accompanied by a plan from the Secretary of Energy to replace them with an increase in domestic petroleum production. Specifically, the bill would require the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Secretaries of Interior, Defense, and Agriculture, to develop a plan to increase oil and gas production on federal lands to replace oil depletions from the SPR. This will preserve the SPR for its vital and central purpose—to provide the oil supplies Americans need during true emergencies.

H.R. 159 - Chance to Compete Act of 2023 - Yea Implements merit-based reforms to the civil service hiring system that replace degree-based hiring with skills- and competency-based hiring. H.R. 300 - Settlement Agreement Information Database Act of 2023 - Yea Requires executive agencies to submit information regarding settlement agreements to a public database. H.R. 346 - NOTAM Improvement Act - Yea Establish a task force on improvements for notices to air missions. This is in response to the system outage this month that grounded all domestic flights. H.R. 400 - Investing in Main Street Act - Yea Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to increase the amount that may be invested in small business investment companies (SBICs). Authorizes certain banking entities to invest up to 15 percent of their capital and surplus in one or more SBICs or in any entity established to invest solely in SBICs. The current limit is 5 percent. H.R. 21 - Strategic Production Response Act - Yea Prohibits non-emergency drawdowns of the SPR without a plan to increase federal lands available for energy production by an equal amount. In situations of non-emergency drawdowns, the Secretary of Energy must develop the increased production plan in consultation with the Agriculture, Interior, and Defense Secretaries.

I paid a visit to Ralph Barnes, a Jonesboro resident, who enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942 and served in the Pacific during World War II. In December, he celebrated his 101st birthday. I hand delivered a flag that had been flown over the U.S. Capitol in honor of Mr. Barnes’s birthday and his service to our country. Mr. Barnes represents our country’s greatest generation. In the time we have left with our World War II veterans, we want to take every opportunity that we can to recognize their service and sacrifice. Our veterans exemplify the best of our country, and it is an honor to represent them in Washington D.C.

Speaker.gov Speaker McCarthy Announces Members Appointed to Intel, China, and Rules Committees “I'm honored to once again be named a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for the 118th Congress. I am eager to work to protect our national security against threats like China, Iran, and Russia, as well as conducting important oversight of the US Intelligence Community," Rep. Crawford said. Paragould Daily Press Crawford’s staff sets remote office schedule U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford’s staff will host onsite remote office visits on Tuesday, Jan. 31 in Paragould, Walnut Ridge and Pocahontas. Times Dispatch Online LawCo farmers bend Congressman’s Ear Crop insurance, input costs, and Risk Management Agency (RMA) standards were the top concerns among farmers at the Lawrence County Farm Bureau breakfast on Thursday. Representative Rick Crawford (AR-01) attended the breakfast as part of his listening tour as Congress prepares to write a new Farm Bill, which is federal legislation that sets policies for vital farm programs and is renewed every five years.