Committees and Subcommittees

for the 118th Congress

This week, the House completed its organizational process and I am pleased to have the honor of serving on four committees for the 118th Congress: the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Agriculture Committee, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has jurisdiction over all modes of transportation. The Committee also oversees other aspects of our national infrastructure, such as highways, airports, inland waterways, shipping ports, rail, the transport of resources by pipeline, and the development of economically depressed rural and urban areas.

Under this committee, I will serve as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. This panel is responsible for the development of national surface transportation, including construction and improvement of highway and transit facilities, safety and research programs, and regulation of commercial motor vehicle operations. Within this scope of responsibilities, the Subcommittee has jurisdiction over many Department of Transportation (DOT) programs.

An efficient and safe highway system improves the quality of life for all of us. It is also critical to America’s competitiveness in the global economy and a vital component of our national security. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, I look forward to providing rigorous oversight of federal highway funding to ensure that those funds are spent on projects that are priorities for state and local governments.

The House Agriculture Committee oversees agriculture, forestry, nutrition, and water conservation. In the 118th Congress, the Committee will focus on reauthorizing the Farm Bill, which is crucial for producers and consumers alike. We sometimes take for granted fully stocked grocery shelves; however, recent disruptions in our supply chain have taught us that domestic food production is indeed a national security imperative.

I will again serve on the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee, which is responsible for keeping America’s row crop farmers stable and competitive so that we all have access to food grown in the United States. A country incapable of feeding and clothing itself is inherently vulnerable. The First District is one of the largest row crop farming districts in the country; consequently, this committee is always one of my top priorities.

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is in charge of oversight of the United States Intelligence Community (IC). The world has only grown more dangerous and our adversaries more bold in testing our capabilities and resolve. Under Republican leadership, the Intelligence Committee will return its focus to national security and pairing intelligence with policy making to protect our country. I will serve as the Chairman of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Subcommittee where I will lead in providing oversight of counterintelligence, counterproliferation, and counterterrorism activities. With China, Russia, and Iran continuing to undertake aggressive destabilizing actions, this work becomes increasingly more important and complex.

The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee oversees non-defense federal scientific research and development and has complete jurisdiction over agencies like NASA. This Congress, the Committee will take action to shore up U.S. leadership in space, improve our weather forecasting and environmental observation, and ensure that federally funded research programs protect our national security and strengthen our economy. In my first term on the Committee, I am confident we will keep America at the forefront of scientific, technological, and economic competitiveness.

H.R. 185 – To terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers – YEA

Removes the order issued by the CDC that restricts the entry of noncitizens who are not immigrants into the United States by air travel unless they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19
Nullifies any successor or subsequent orders that require foreign persons traveling by air to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of entry and prohibits the use of federal funds to administer or enforce such a requirement.

H.J. Res 24 – Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 – YEA

Condemns the District of Columbia’s Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 by allowing illegal immigrants to vote in local elections.

H.J. Res 26 – Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Revised Criminal Code Act – YEA

Condemns the District of Columbia’s Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022, which doubles down on the soft-on-crime policies that have worsened crime across the country.

KATV

Arkansas lawmakers react to President Joe Biden's State of Union speech

The rosy vision that President Biden painted is far from the reality that Americans currently face. The median household has to earn $9,000 more annually than they did when Biden was inaugurated, just to break even with the same buying power today. The Administration is oblivious to the hurt their ‘transient’ inflation is still causing families. A better, more effective course was laid out by Gov. Huckabee Sanders, my governor, and a great leader for our state.

Arkansas Business

Crawford Vows Hard Eye On Infrastructure Funds

I want to make sure bureaucrats don’t muddle up the works when it comes to infrastructure funding. There is a lot of wasted money in this $1.2 trillion expenditure. We need to invest, but we need to do a better job of making sure what finite resources we have go to the highest and best use.