Dear Friends,
The size and scope of the role of the federal government has become increasingly unclear. As a conservative Member of Congress, I fight on a daily basis to limit the role of the federal government in your daily lives, while at the same time ensuring we commit resources and new accountability measures toward the limited endeavors where we need government to excel.
In my view, the principal responsibility of our government is protecting the lives and well-being of our citizens, their freedoms, and our Nation's sovereignty.
In the 114th Congress, House Republicans top legislative priorities have included funding our military, defending the homeland, and honoring the service of our veterans.
For the 54th and 55th straight years, we passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which fully funds our military at the levels they need to do their jobs properly at home and overseas. We have also successfully blocked the president from closing Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (GTMO) in Cuba.
I visited GTMO during my first year in Congress, and I saw a safe and secure facility for the custody of the worst perpetrators of terror. GTMO is a state-of-the-art facility that enables the proper adjudication of its detainees. The president’s mission to close it down flies in the face of our national security interests. The next commander-in-chief must work with Congress to utilize GTMO better so it can fulfill its purpose as an important strategic asset in the Global War on Terror (GWOT).
As a member of the House Financial Services Committee's Task Force to Investigate Terrorism Financing, I was able to use my 30 years in banking to help our Committee create an agenda that assists American efforts to win the GWOT.
In my role on the Task Force, I provided vocal opposition to the president's Iranian Nuclear Deal. In freeing up over $100 billion for the world's largest state-sponsor of terrorism, we have potentially provided some of the world's worst agents of terrorism a new lifeline to large sums of money to help carry out their evil acts. Like many of my colleagues in the House, I believe we need to continue our work to hold the Iranian government accountable for their hostile actions toward Americans and our allies.
We need to do everything in our power to cripple the efforts of those seeking to harm America and its interests. Military and diplomatic strategies alone won't be enough, and it is important we shut down the economic backing of ISIS and other terrorist organizations around the world. In the next Congress, the Committee will continue to do our work in cutting off funding to terror groups.
As the representative from the Second Congressional District in Arkansas, a lot of my work in supporting the military is directly related to the missions being carried out in central Arkansas. We are fortunate to have Little Rock Air Force Base (LRAFB) in our district. LRAFB is one of the most technologically advanced and well-run military installations in the entire country and is clearly the center of excellence for our global airlift operations.
The Arkansas delegation has been working to bring a new cyber training center to LRAFB for the National Guard. The addition of a cyber training center to Arkansas would bring a new and important challenge for the men and women of our National Guard. There is an obvious demand for cyber training in our military, and I can think of no better place to train our cyber warfighters than in Little Rock. I will continue to work with my Arkansas colleagues to finalize this crucial addition to our base.
I am also proud of the work we have done to honor the service of our veterans. Whether it is through making the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) a more accountable agency, increasing veteran access to mental healthcare, or helping over 350 central Arkansas veterans break through the bureaucratic mess at VA to receive their benefits, my office is committed to making sure our veterans get the care and benefits they need.
Congress has no more sacred obligation than protecting the people we serve. While there is a long list of issues that need to be addressed, the most important will always be the safety and well being of the American people. As long as I am in this role, know that you have a voice in Congress who believes that our national security matters most.
Sincerely,
Representative French Hill |
Veterans, Military, and National Security Highlights for the 114th Congress
Rep. Hill with Harold George Bennett's family at this week's post office dedication ceremony. |
Rep. Hill with Border Patrol on the Rio Grande during one of his three border trips during his first term in Congress.
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Rep. Hill with other Members of Congress during their CODEL visit to Afghanistan in 2015. |
Rep. Hill greeting an Arkansas veteran during a Memorial Day event last May.
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Post Office Dedicated to Arkansas Hero
This week, Rep. Hill attended the dedication ceremony to rename the post office in Perryville after Harold George Bennett (pictured above). You can read Hunter Field of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's recap of the event below:
Laura Vaught rarely visits her local post office, but she'll drop in from time to time after it's renamed.
Soon the small, brick federal building off Perryville's main strip will bear her brother's name.
Perryville Post Office 72126 will become the Harold George Bennett Post Office, honoring the first American prisoner of war killed during the Vietnam War -- a young man from Perryville.
Inside the gym Monday at Perryville High School, a U.S. congressman and a packed gymnasium remembered Bennett's overseas heroism.
Vaught's thoughts recently drifted to her wedding day. It was one of the last moments she shared with her older brother, who had taken on her late father's role.
"He gave me away at my wedding," she said, her eyes shining and her lips quivering. "He was very protective. He was wonderful."
Bennett died shortly after the wedding. He was 24, and to date the whereabouts of his remains is unknown.
It took an act of Congress and several years to affix Bennett's name to the post office. It's a rare honor, with only a handful of post offices in Arkansas dedicated to a person, said David Camp, the state district manager for U.S. Postal Service.
A small, rectangular, black plaque will be placed on the post office's outer wall in the coming days. Post offices in Rose Bud, Little Rock and Hot Springs also honor former service members.
Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, during his stint in Congress, started the effort to honor Bennett in 2014, but his bill stalled in the U.S. Senate. U.S. Rep. French Hill, a Republican from Little Rock, revived the measure this year, and the bill cleared both chambers after U.S. Sen. John Boozman, a Republican from Rogers, sponsored a companion bill in the Senate.
Click here to read the rest of the story.
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Mobile Office Hours
Next week, Rep. Hill will host Mobile Office Hours at seven different locations across the Second Congressional District. The mobile office hours will take place in the following counties: White, Pulaski, Saline, Van Buren, Faulkner, Perry, and Conway.
Mobile office hours are an opportunity to serve constituents who can’t easily access the Congressman’s Little Rock and Conway offices. Constituents can work with staff to help resolve any issues they are having with the federal government—especially veterans in need of guidance on how to receive benefits.
Click here for locations and times for the seven mobile office hours.
Fairfield Bay Gets Major Investment
On Tuesday, Rep. Hill was in Fairfield Bay to help break ground on a new $5 million residential development.
Read the story from Arkansas Business below to learn more about the development project in Fairfield Bay:
A developer in Van Buren County kicked off a $5 million residential development in Fairfield Bay with a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday.
This is the biggest home development the city has seen in more than 25 years, city officials said.
U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark.; U.S Rep. French Hill, R-Ark; Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin; and state Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View were expected to attend the event for the new Osage Point Luxury Townhomes at 721 Woodlawn Drive.
Noacon Inc. of Shirley is the developer. Noacon CFO Mike Lester told Arkansas Business that the company partnered with the city and the Fairfield Bay Community Club on the project, which Noacon has been working on for about 18 months.
The project sits on nearly five acres, which Noacon purchased from the club. The city has provided a street to the development, and the club is furnishing it with sewer service, Lester said.
The developer intends to build 20 townhomes over the next two or three years. There will be two homes per building.
One building with two model units will be built first; the developer expects it to be complete by the end of May. The other homes will be built as they are purchased.
The 2,272-SF townhomes will have panoramic views of Greers Ferry Lake from a height of up to 1,148 feet. There will be views from the townhomes' kitchens, living rooms, master bedrooms, dining rooms, lofts, patios and front entries.
"Fairfield Bay is growing, and our community partners are enthusiastically responding," Mayor Paul Wellenberger said in a news release. "This new housing development makes Fairfield Bay even more attractive and appealing, and continues to shine a light on this beautiful city."
Click here to read the rest of the story.
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