District Update |May 30, 2016
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U.S. Congressman French Hill
Dear Friends,

Memorial Day is a time to honor the brave men and women who have laid down their lives in defense of our Republic. These heroes sacrificed everything to serve their country dutifully, all in the name of freedom.

Without their courage, America--and the rest of the world--would be a dark, desolate place devoid of the values and ideas that have spurred generations of progress. There are many brave Arkansans who have died in service to our country, and I am proud that the House and Senate came together to honor one of them this year.

Sergeant Harold George Bennett was born on October 16, 1940, in Thornburg, Arkansas, a small town near the outskirts of the Ouachita National Forest.

In 1964, Sergeant Bennett volunteered to serve in South Vietnam as a Special Forces adviser with the Military Assistance Command. On December 29, 1964, his unit was airlifted to a small village after it had been overrun by a division of Viet Cong.

He spent 179 days as a POW and, at great risk, attempted to escape three times. His captors executed him on June 25, 1965.  

Only 24 years old, Sergeant Bennett was the first American POW killed in Vietnam, and like many other U.S. servicemen who lost their lives there, his remains have never been returned home to their final resting place.

In April, the House passed my bill to rename the post office in Perryville, Arkansas, after Sergeant Bennett, and this past week, the Senate passed the same bill; it now goes to the President for his signature.

I can think of no better time to honor the life of one of Arkansas’s great war heroes than Memorial Day Weekend. I look forward to the President signing it into law so that Sergeant Harold George Bennett can receive the lasting tribute he deserves for his brave service to our great Nation.

Wishing you a Happy Memorial Day,


Representative French Hill

Skilled Workforce Initiative

Rep. Hill and Rep. Brenda Lawrence (MI-14) traveled throughout the Second Congressional District to promote jobs and opportunities in the skilled trades, stopping at Arkansas State University at Beebe’s John Deere Agriculture Technology program, the Be Pro Be Proud Initiative through the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce at Maverick Transportation, and Dassault Falcon Jet.

Lawrence created the Skilled Workforce Caucus last year, and Hill has served as Co-Chair since its inception. A major byproduct of the caucus has been the Skilled Workforce Initiative, where members travel to each other’s districts to not only discuss jobs and training, but also to get hands on experience with skilled workforce jobs.

Lawrence’s visit to Arkansas was part of the Skilled Workforce Initiative and was the second time the two Members of Congress have traveled together to promote skilled workforce training and jobs. Last October, Hill visited Detroit for a similar trip.


Rep. Hill testing the welding simulator at the Be Pro Be Proud Initiative


Rep. Hill, Rep. Lwrence and representatives from the Arkansas State University at Beebe’s John Deere Agriculture Technology program


Border Trip

Rep. Hill visited the U.S.-Mexico Border in San Diego, California last week. This was Rep. Hill's third visit to the Southwest Border in the past year. Following the visit he made the following statement:

"This was my third visit to the Southwest Border in the past year, and it was the most eye-opening of the three by far. I appreciate the difficult job that local law enforcement and our customs and border patrol officers have, but from my visits and discussions it is obvious that there are serious deficiencies in our ability to control the flow of people and narcotics coming into our country. I have spoken with countless Arkansans who have made it clear that securing our homeland is one of—if not the greatest—issue facing this Nation. Seeing firsthand the obstacles in securing our border and hearing from those on the frontlines are invaluable to me in my role as a Member of Congress working to design solutions to this continuing crisis. “As I have said since my visit to Laredo, TX, last spring, a wall is a useful tool in regaining control of what is occurring in populated areas on our border, but we need a more comprehensive approach that utilizes all technologies and manpower at our disposal to provide us with the maximum amount of security along the length of the diverse topography and demography of the entire border."


Rep. Hill with Border Patrol Officers in San Diego

News for the Week

Cyber unit still in plans at air base
Arkansas Online
Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James notified Arkansas' congressional delegation last week that the National Guard would maintain a specialized facility at Little Rock Air Force Base for possible use by one of the Guard's coveted cyber-protection teams. The Guard announced last year that the state's Army National Guard would operate one of the nation's 11 Army Guard cyber teams by the end of fiscal year 2019.

Read More

2 at VA in Little Rock avoided penalty until inquiries
Arkansas Online
The supervisors at central Arkansas' veterans hospital who instructed employees to manipulate patient data and lied to federal investigators were reassigned to lower-paying jobs only after members of the media and Congress inquired about the hospital's disciplinary actions, documents show. U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., called for the removal of any VA employees who doctor patient data.
"The longer this story goes on, and the more details that emerge, it becomes increasingly clear that VA's only motivation for discipline is to quell public outrage," Hill said Wednesday. "
Read More
 


How to Win the War on Terror

Last week, Newsmax featured Rep. Hill's op-ed  on changing how we approach the War on Terror.

Here is an excerpt from the op-ed:

President Ronald Reagan, a man never ill-equipped to deliver a great soundbite, once famously said: "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in the bloodstream.

"The only way they can inherit the freedom we have known is if we fight for it, protect it, defend it and then hand it to them with the well thought lessons of how they in their lifetime must do the same."
 
For President Reagan's generation, that mentality was forged on the beaches of Normandy, on the islands in the Pacific, and in frozen misery at the Battle of the Bulge by the millions who stepped up and provided needed support on the home front.

Victory in the Second World War required not just the men and women in uniform contribute to the effort, but an the entire country. Those who survived the war and birthed the next generation of Americans did well in passing on that important lesson. 

Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we do better to instill in the next generation of Americans the belief that "freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."

The United States again is being tested and confronted by groups as evil and as hell-bent on our destruction as the Axis powers. However, the sense of urgency in defeating this enemy pales in comparison to America's commitment to winning the Second World War.

We have spent nearly 15 years engaging in the War on Terror and contributed enormous resources, but have yet to be able to declare victory.
 
The lack of quantified success is remarkable when you consider the incredible devastation the American men and women in uniform have inflicted on our enemy. Our veterans of these wars are nothing short of superheroes, many of whom have served multiple tours and years away from family and loved ones; they have performed as admirably in battle as any group of warriors in American history.

But their efforts have been made stagnant by an administration only half-heartedly engaging the enemy, foolishly making decisions based more on fulfilling campaign promises than on the reality on the ground — and a nation that has grown apathetic to the task at hand.
 
The biggest problem with any perceived apathy towards the Global War on Terror is that President Reagan's idea of fighting and protecting freedom is at risk of being lost by the youngest generation of Americans.

"Remember the Lusitania." "A Date Which Will Live in Infamy." "We Will Never Forget." These have all been important reminders throughout our history about the cost of freedom and the need to protect our country from those that wish to do us harm.
 
The War on Terror requires a more nuanced approach to achieve victory than previous U.S. conflicts, requiring the attention of much more than just our men and women in combat roles.

One of the most underrated aspects of winning this war has been infiltrating and cutting off sources of funding for terrorist groups....

Click here to read the rest.


Solar Panel Accountability

Last year, Rep. Hill and Sen John Boozman requested a Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General report (VAOIG) on the failed solar panel construction project at the Little Rock VA Medical Center.

The House passed an important provision last week as part of H.R. 4974, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017 that would prohibit funding solar panel projects under the Green Management Program.

Prior to passage of the bill, Rep. Hill spoke on the House Floor night in support of this provision.

Click the image below to watch Rep. Hill speaking on the House Floor about stopping funding for solar panel projects under the Green Management Program at VA.

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