If you need evidence of former President Donald Trump’s stranglehold on the Republican Party, you need look no further than what is going on in Arkansas at the moment.
Earlier this week, state Attorney General Leslie Rutledge ended her campaign for the GOP nomination — and started her campaign for lieutenant governor. “At this crossroads in our country’s history, now is a time for Christian conservative leaders to unite and fight together against those who wish to destroy the America we know and love,” she said.
What’s the difference between the governor’s race and the lieutenant governor’s race, you ask? Sarah Sanders is in one — and it’s virtually impossible to beat her in a Republican primary. Because not only did she work in the Trump White House, but she has the endorsement of the former President, who called her a “warrior who will always fight for the people of Arkansas and do what is right, not what is politically correct.”
And so, despite the fact that Rutledge entered the race six months before Sanders and had been elected and reelected as the state’s top cop, there was simply no way for her to keep up with her.
Former Faulkner County Circuit Judge Mike Maggio has been released from federal prison after serving less than half of a 10-year sentence for bribery.
The development is the latest in a long-running and complex criminal case that dates back to 2014 and that has entangled a once-powerful Republican lobbyist, a wealthy nursing home owner, an Arkansas Supreme Court justice and others. Maggio was accused of reducing the amount of money a jury awarded in a 2013 civil case he presided over as a judge and expecting campaign donations in return.
Maggio, 60, was freed Wednesday, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons’ website. Since he was first incarcerated on July 19, 2017, he has been held in facilities in Kentucky, Atlanta and other undisclosed places.
Maggio, who lived in Faulkner County before his imprisonment, could not be reached for comment Friday. Conway attorney James Hensley, who represented Maggio at one point, said Friday that he was not involved in this phase of the case.
When federal prosecutors first threatened Maggio with criminal charges, he was soon ready to cooperate. Under an agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Little Rock in January 2015, the U.S. attorney’s office said that if Maggio provided “substantial assistance” in prosecuting criminal conduct, including testimony before a grand jury or trial jury, the prosecution could recommend a sentence reduction to the court.
The Arkansas Legislature has given final approval to a re-drawn map of the state’s four U.S. congressional districts that splits Pulaski County among three districts. The proposed map now awaits a signature from Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
With little debate, members of the state House and Senate passed identical versions of the map on Thursday. House Bill 1982, sponsored by Rep. Nelda Speaks, R-Mountain Home, passed the Senate by a vote of 21 to 12. Shortly afterward, the House approved Senate Bill 743, sponsored by Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock, on a vote of 53 to 35.
The proposal would trisect Pulaski County among the 1st, 2nd and 4th congressional districts. Most of Little Rock would remain in the 2nd District, while areas on the southeast edge of the city would go to the 4th District, currently represented in the U-S House by Republican Bruce Westerman. All of Pulaski County is currently in the 2nd District, represented by Republican French Hill of Little Rock.
Maumelle, Sherwood, Jacksonville and most of North Little Rock would also remain in the 2nd District, though the eastern edge of North Little Rock would go to the 1st district, represented by Republican Rick Crawford. Unincorporated parts of southern and eastern Pulaski County would go to the 4th and 2nd Districts, respectively.
Critics of the proposal have said it seeks to dilute the voting power of minority communities in central Arkansas. While the governor has not indicated whether he will approve the map, Hutchinson said Wednesday he does not support any redistricting proposals that dilute minority districts.
The Arkansas Department of Health reported 2,181 new COVID-19 cases in the state Wednesday. While hospitalizations declined by 19, the number of deaths rose by 34.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson said during his weekly press conference on the pandemic That as of Wednesday morning, there were 23 reported intensive care unit beds available statewide for COVID-19 and general ICU. At least 10 of the available ICU beds are for COVID-19 patients. In addition, there are two pediatric ICU beds available in the state.
“That’s closer than we’d like, but it’s better than it has been,” said Hutchinson.
The governor announced there will be 27 new ICU beds coming online in the state this month.
“We are trying to get ahead of the curve. If there is a curve that goes up, hopefully it goes down,” Hutchinson said. “We want to bring on new beds in September to meet any additional needs that will be out there.”
Arkansas’ revenue has outpaced expectations for the month of May, while the state’s budget surplus has risen to its highest level.
The state’s net available general revenue for the month of May totaled just over $655 million, nearly an 80% jump over this time last year and about $263 million above forecast.
The latest report from the state Department of Finance and Administration shows results were above forecast in all major categories. A change in the tax deadline caused growth in individual income tax revenue, while revenues from other tax categories like tobacco and gaming also came in above forecast.
Arkansas Term Limits and other plaintiffs filed suit Friday in the federal Eastern District of Arkansas to overturn a new state law that limits who can gather signatures for citizen-led constitutional amendments and other initiatives.
Act 951 by Sen. Breanne Davis, R-Russellville, and Rep. Michelle Gray, R-Melbourne, limits paid petitioners to state residents, which Arkansas Term Limits said in a press release is not required for any other political job or for petitions used to gather signatures for candidates to run. It passed with an emergency measure.
The ban applies to gathering signatures for citizen-led constitutional amendments; initiatives, which have the force of law; and referenda, which allow voters to rescind a law passed by the state Legislature.
If you need evidence of former President Donald Trump’s stranglehold on the Republican Party, you need look no further than what is going on in Arkansas at the moment.
Earlier this week, state Attorney General Leslie Rutledge ended her campaign for the GOP nomination — and started her campaign for lieutenant governor. “At this crossroads in our country’s history, now is a time for Christian conservative leaders to unite and fight together against those who wish to destroy the America we know and love,” she said.
What’s the difference between the governor’s race and the lieutenant governor’s race, you ask? Sarah Sanders is in one — and it’s virtually impossible to beat her in a Republican primary. Because not only did she work in the Trump White House, but she has the endorsement of the former President, who called her a “warrior who will always fight for the people of Arkansas and do what is right, not what is politically correct.”
And so, despite the fact that Rutledge entered the race six months before Sanders and had been elected and reelected as the state’s top cop, there was simply no way for her to keep up with her.
Former Faulkner County Circuit Judge Mike Maggio has been released from federal prison after serving less than half of a 10-year sentence for bribery.
The development is the latest in a long-running and complex criminal case that dates back to 2014 and that has entangled a once-powerful Republican lobbyist, a wealthy nursing home owner, an Arkansas Supreme Court justice and others. Maggio was accused of reducing the amount of money a jury awarded in a 2013 civil case he presided over as a judge and expecting campaign donations in return.
Maggio, 60, was freed Wednesday, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons’ website. Since he was first incarcerated on July 19, 2017, he has been held in facilities in Kentucky, Atlanta and other undisclosed places.
Maggio, who lived in Faulkner County before his imprisonment, could not be reached for comment Friday. Conway attorney James Hensley, who represented Maggio at one point, said Friday that he was not involved in this phase of the case.
When federal prosecutors first threatened Maggio with criminal charges, he was soon ready to cooperate. Under an agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Little Rock in January 2015, the U.S. attorney’s office said that if Maggio provided “substantial assistance” in prosecuting criminal conduct, including testimony before a grand jury or trial jury, the prosecution could recommend a sentence reduction to the court.
The Arkansas Legislature has given final approval to a re-drawn map of the state’s four U.S. congressional districts that splits Pulaski County among three districts. The proposed map now awaits a signature from Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
With little debate, members of the state House and Senate passed identical versions of the map on Thursday. House Bill 1982, sponsored by Rep. Nelda Speaks, R-Mountain Home, passed the Senate by a vote of 21 to 12. Shortly afterward, the House approved Senate Bill 743, sponsored by Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock, on a vote of 53 to 35.
The proposal would trisect Pulaski County among the 1st, 2nd and 4th congressional districts. Most of Little Rock would remain in the 2nd District, while areas on the southeast edge of the city would go to the 4th District, currently represented in the U-S House by Republican Bruce Westerman. All of Pulaski County is currently in the 2nd District, represented by Republican French Hill of Little Rock.
Maumelle, Sherwood, Jacksonville and most of North Little Rock would also remain in the 2nd District, though the eastern edge of North Little Rock would go to the 1st district, represented by Republican Rick Crawford. Unincorporated parts of southern and eastern Pulaski County would go to the 4th and 2nd Districts, respectively.
Critics of the proposal have said it seeks to dilute the voting power of minority communities in central Arkansas. While the governor has not indicated whether he will approve the map, Hutchinson said Wednesday he does not support any redistricting proposals that dilute minority districts.
The Arkansas Department of Health reported 2,181 new COVID-19 cases in the state Wednesday. While hospitalizations declined by 19, the number of deaths rose by 34.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson said during his weekly press conference on the pandemic That as of Wednesday morning, there were 23 reported intensive care unit beds available statewide for COVID-19 and general ICU. At least 10 of the available ICU beds are for COVID-19 patients. In addition, there are two pediatric ICU beds available in the state.
“That’s closer than we’d like, but it’s better than it has been,” said Hutchinson.
The governor announced there will be 27 new ICU beds coming online in the state this month.
“We are trying to get ahead of the curve. If there is a curve that goes up, hopefully it goes down,” Hutchinson said. “We want to bring on new beds in September to meet any additional needs that will be out there.”
Arkansas’ revenue has outpaced expectations for the month of May, while the state’s budget surplus has risen to its highest level.
The state’s net available general revenue for the month of May totaled just over $655 million, nearly an 80% jump over this time last year and about $263 million above forecast.
The latest report from the state Department of Finance and Administration shows results were above forecast in all major categories. A change in the tax deadline caused growth in individual income tax revenue, while revenues from other tax categories like tobacco and gaming also came in above forecast.
Arkansas Term Limits and other plaintiffs filed suit Friday in the federal Eastern District of Arkansas to overturn a new state law that limits who can gather signatures for citizen-led constitutional amendments and other initiatives.
Act 951 by Sen. Breanne Davis, R-Russellville, and Rep. Michelle Gray, R-Melbourne, limits paid petitioners to state residents, which Arkansas Term Limits said in a press release is not required for any other political job or for petitions used to gather signatures for candidates to run. It passed with an emergency measure.
The ban applies to gathering signatures for citizen-led constitutional amendments; initiatives, which have the force of law; and referenda, which allow voters to rescind a law passed by the state Legislature.
This Arkansas onAir hub supports its citizens to become more informed about and engaged in federal and state politics while facilitating more civil and positive discussions with their representatives, candidates, and fellow Arkansans.
Arkansas onAir is one of 50 state governance and elections hubs that the US onAir Network is providing to reinvigorate our imperiled democracy.
Virginia onAir is US onAir’s model of how a state’s onAir Council and curators can enhance a state Hub with fresh Top News and state legislature content, moderated discussions, and production of zoom aircasts with committees, interviews and debates with candidates, and presentations.
For more information about the many opportunities to learn about and engage with this Arkansas onAir hub, go to this US onAir post on the US onAir central hub.
Our two minute vision video about the US onAir network is below.
This Arkansas onAir hub supports its citizens to become more informed about and engaged in federal and state politics while facilitating more civil and positive discussions with their representatives, candidates, and fellow Arkansans.
Arkansas onAir is one of 50 state governance and elections hubs that the US onAir Network is providing to reinvigorate our imperiled democracy.
Virginia onAir is US onAir’s model of how a state’s onAir Council and curators can enhance a state Hub with fresh Top News and state legislature content, moderated discussions, and production of zoom aircasts with committees, interviews and debates with candidates, and presentations.
For more information about the many opportunities to learn about and engage with this Arkansas onAir hub, go to this US onAir post on the US onAir central hub.
Our two minute vision video about the US onAir network is below.
Arkansas is located in the Southern region of the USA with Little Rock as its capital. Doug Ducey (R) is Governor. Secretary of State is Kattie Hobbs (R), and Attorney General, Mark Brnovich (R).
The Arkansas legislature i.e. General Assembly of Arkansas was founded in 1836. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house Arkansas Senate with 35 members, and the lower Arkansas House of Representatives with 100 members. All 135 representatives and state senators represent an equal number of constituent districts. The General Assembly convenes on the second Monday of every other year. A session lasts for 60 days unless the legislature votes to extend it. The Governor of Arkansas can issue a “call” for a special session during the interims between regular sessions. The General Assembly meets at the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock.
Current Position: Governor since 2015 Affiliation: Republican Former Position(s): Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Border and Transportation Security from 2003 – 2005; Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration from 2001 – 2003; US Representative from 1997 – 2001
Featured Quote: Today’s report provides us with some good news on the vaccine front. Almost 13,000 doses administered helps us get closer to our goal, but the continued, steady increase in hospitalizations puts a strain on our health care workers.
Featured Video: LIVE: Governor Hutchinson Holds News Conference (07.29.21)
Gov. Asa Hutchinson proposed more than $300 million in income tax breaks Tuesday, but said there will not be a special session starting Oct. 25. He hopes a special session to discuss tax cuts can be called before Thanksgiving, but said no timetable has been set.
Several state lawmakers are expected to try and bring up other issues such as abortion restrictions, and Hutchinson said he wants to vet the legality of those issues being brought up in the special session.
“Everyone knows I’ve been in favor of lowering the individual income tax rate in Arkansas,” the governor said.
Hutchinson offered a three-phase plan. Phase one would increase the tax credit for low-income earners who make about $22,900 or less, from $29 to $60. It would cost $19.6 million annually.
Phase two would combine lower and middle-class income tax brackets and would create a total reduction of $132.7 million in taxes for this group.
The third phase would drop the upper income tax rate from 5.9% next year to 5.5% the following year at a cost of about $109.6 million. The rate would then drop to 5.3% the following year costing the state another $27.4 million in annual revenues.
Hutchinson, a Republican who chairs the National Governors Association, compared Biden’s order to a push by some conservatives to prohibit private businesses from requiring vaccinations.
“I have been consistent in the freedom of businesses to require their employees to be vaccinated, and I have opposed the government from saying businesses cannot exercise that freedom,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “The same principle should protect the private sector from government overreach that requires them to vaccinate all employees.”
Current Position: Governor since 2015 Affiliation: Republican Former Position(s): Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Border and Transportation Security from 2003 – 2005; Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration from 2001 – 2003; US Representative from 1997 – 2001
Featured Quote: Today’s report provides us with some good news on the vaccine front. Almost 13,000 doses administered helps us get closer to our goal, but the continued, steady increase in hospitalizations puts a strain on our health care workers.
Featured Video: LIVE: Governor Hutchinson Holds News Conference (07.29.21)
Gov. Asa Hutchinson proposed more than $300 million in income tax breaks Tuesday, but said there will not be a special session starting Oct. 25. He hopes a special session to discuss tax cuts can be called before Thanksgiving, but said no timetable has been set.
Several state lawmakers are expected to try and bring up other issues such as abortion restrictions, and Hutchinson said he wants to vet the legality of those issues being brought up in the special session.
“Everyone knows I’ve been in favor of lowering the individual income tax rate in Arkansas,” the governor said.
Hutchinson offered a three-phase plan. Phase one would increase the tax credit for low-income earners who make about $22,900 or less, from $29 to $60. It would cost $19.6 million annually.
Phase two would combine lower and middle-class income tax brackets and would create a total reduction of $132.7 million in taxes for this group.
The third phase would drop the upper income tax rate from 5.9% next year to 5.5% the following year at a cost of about $109.6 million. The rate would then drop to 5.3% the following year costing the state another $27.4 million in annual revenues.
Hutchinson, a Republican who chairs the National Governors Association, compared Biden’s order to a push by some conservatives to prohibit private businesses from requiring vaccinations.
“I have been consistent in the freedom of businesses to require their employees to be vaccinated, and I have opposed the government from saying businesses cannot exercise that freedom,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “The same principle should protect the private sector from government overreach that requires them to vaccinate all employees.”
Asa Hutchinson is the 46th governor of the State of Arkansas. In 2018, he was re-elected with 65% of the vote, having received more votes than any other candidate for governor in the state’s history.
President Ronald Reagan appointed Governor Hutchinson as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. In 1996, he won the first of three successive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. During his third term in Congress, President George W. Bush appointed him director of the Drug Enforcement Administration and later as an undersecretary in the newly created Department of Homeland Security.
His experience has established him as a national resource for his expertise on trade, energy, national security, and education. The governor has been invited to the White House several times to join discussions about health care, Medicaid, and education issues.
The Governor is the current Vice Chair of the National Governors Association. He is the former co-chair of the Council of Governors and the former chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), Southern States Energy Board (SSEB), and the Southern Regional Education Board.
Governor Hutchinson grew up on a small farm in Gravette. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas law school. He and his wife, Susan, have been married 47 years. They have four children and six grandchildren.
In 2006, Hutchinson was the Republican nominee for governor of Arkansas, but was defeated by Democratic nominee Mike Beebe, the outgoing state attorney general. In 2014, Hutchinson was again the Republican nominee for the governorship, this time winning the election by defeating Democratic U.S. Representative Mike Ross. He was reelected in 2018 with nearly two-thirds of the vote. Hutchinson is barred by term limits from seeking reelection for Arkansas governor in 2022 and beyond.
From 2020 to 2021, Hutchinson served as vice chair of the National Governors Association, then succeeded Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York as chair of the organization for 2021–2022.
Early life and legal career
Hutchinson was born in Bentonville, Arkansas, the son of Coral Virginia (Mount) Hutchinson (1912–1998) and John Malcolm Hutchinson Sr. (1907–1991).[3] He earned his bachelor’s degree from Bob Jones University in South Carolina in 1972, and received his J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1975. He practiced law in Fort Smith for 21 years and handled more than 100 jury trials.
In early 2005, Hutchinson founded a consulting firm, Hutchinson Group, LLC, with partners Betty Guhman and Kirk Tompkins, in Little Rock, and accepted a contract for a one-year position with Venable LLP in Washington, D.C., as the chair of its Homeland Security practice.“Hutchinson heading homeland security at Venable”. The Daily Record. Maryland. March 2, 2005. Retrieved May 1, 2022.</ref> Hutchinson ended his contract with Venable LLP in March 2006 to focus on his gubernatorial campaign and his consulting firm in Little Rock. In January 2007, Hutchinson rejoined Venable.[5]
In June 2006, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that Hutchinson’s $2,800 investment in Fortress America Acquisition Corporation, a company that Hutchinson was advising, was worth over a million dollars after the company’s initial public offering. The news story noted that Hutchinson was unable to touch his stock for another two years. The six founding shareholders in Fortress America, in addition to Hutchinson, included former U.S. Representative Tom McMillen of Maryland, former U.S. Senator Don Nickles of Oklahoma, and a private-equity firm that had former CIA Director James Woolsey among its partners.
Two months earlier, on May 4, 2006, Hutchinson had filed a financial disclosure form, which he was required to submit as candidate for governor. The form did not list his 200,000 shares in Fortress America, which were trading at about $5 per share. “Just totally an oversight,” Hutchinson said when questioned by the media in June.[6] He filed an amended report the next day to correct the error.[7]
Political career
Early efforts
In 1986, Hutchinson ran against incumbent Democratic Senator and former Governor Dale Bumpers.[8] It was a nationally Democratic year, and Hutchinson fared worse than Bumpers’ previous Senate challenger, Little Rock investment banker William P. “Bill” Clark, in the 1980 election.
In 1990, Hutchinson ran against Winston Bryant for Attorney General of Arkansas; he lost in a tight race. After losing the 1990 race, Hutchinson became the co-chairman, with Sheffield Nelson, of the Arkansas Republican Party, a position he held for five years. Hutchinson considered a rematch with Bumpers in 1992 before he deferred to Mike Huckabee, who lost to Bumpers.
In 1992 Hutchinson’s brother, Tim, was elected to Congress in Arkansas’s third congressional district, when veteran Republican U.S. Representative John Paul Hammerschmidt retired. In 1996, when his brother decided not to run for a third term in the House in order to seek the open Senate seat caused by the retirement of Democrat David Pryor, Hutchinson ran for the seat and won.
Hutchinson, who had at first decided to run for an open seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives from Sebastian County, defeated Ann Henry, a long-time friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton, in November 1996. Although Henry outspent Hutchinson during the campaign, the district’s heavy Republican tilt and his brother Tim’s presence atop the ballot helped Asa win with 55 percent of the vote—to date, the last remotely competitive race in the Third District. His brother Tim also won his campaign for the U.S. Senate and served for one term, losing his reelection bid in 2002.
In 1998, Hutchinson was reelected to the House with far less difficulty, taking 80 percent of the vote against an underfunded Democratic challenger. He was re-elected unopposed in November 2000.
In office, Hutchinson compiled a voting record as conservative as that of his brother. He led efforts to crack down on illegal drugs, particularly methamphetamine. Hutchinson also served as one of the managers (prosecutors) during the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton in 1998. In 1999, Hutchinson was involved in the effort to reform campaign finance laws and offered an alternative proposal to the bill by Christopher Shays and Marty Meehan, which he opposed on the grounds that it “went too far” because it attempted to ban television commercials by legal third-party organizations. Hutchinson did support the bill by John McCain and Russ Feingold in the Senate.[9]
Hutchinson attempted, unsuccessfully, to modify the civil asset forfeiture reform bill that sought to prevent police abuse of its power to seize private property on mere suspicion of being linked to any criminal investigation. His amendment, allegedly, would have empowered the police to continue profiting from drug money.[10]
Drug Enforcement Administration
Hutchinson as Undersecretary for Border and Transportation Security
Hutchinson and U.S. Representative Frank Wolf tour a DEA drug testing facility in Northern Virginia in 2001
After the September 11 attacks, Congress created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). President George W. Bush tapped Hutchinson to lead the Border and Transportation Security Directorate, a division of the DHS. Hutchinson was confirmed by unanimous consent by the Senate on January 23, 2003.[12] Hutchinson left office as Undersecretary on March 1, 2005.[13]
In the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the National Rifle Association (NRA) assembled a task force of experts in homeland security, law enforcement training, and school safety to review school security standards in select areas of the country. The stated goal of the task force was to come up with a comprehensive plan to address the safety of children in schools and to prevent such shootings in the future. Hutchinson served as the leader of the task force. On April 2, 2013, Hutchinson presented the National School Shield plan during a news conference at the National Press Club.[17][18]
In May of 2022, Hutchinson said he would consider running for president in 2024 even if Donald Trump ran again and that such a candidacy would not be a factor in his decision to enter the race.[19][20] He added, I think he did a lot of good things for our country, but we need to go a different direction.”[19]
Shortly after his return to Arkansas, Hutchinson announced his intention to run for governor in 2006. Initially, Hutchinson was to face three-term Lieutenant Governor Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, who was favored in most pre-election polls, in the Republican primary. However, Rockefeller’s withdrawal and death from a blood disorder in early 2006 led to Hutchinson winning the primary. He was defeated in the general election by the Democratic candidate, then-Arkansas Attorney GeneralMike Beebe.[21]
Hutchinson was the Republican nominee for governor of Arkansas in 2014. He was supported by House SpeakerDavy Carter.[22] On November 4, 2014, after defeating Tea Party-backed Curtis Coleman in the Republican Primary, he defeated Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mike Ross in the general election with 55 percent of the vote, the best showing for a Republican in an open-seat gubernatorial race since the end of Reconstruction. His victory also gave the GOP complete control of state government for the first time since the end of Reconstruction.
Hutchinson won re-election on November 6, 2018, in a landslide, taking over 65 percent of the vote and carrying all but eight counties. In a bad year for the GOP nationally, Hutchinson garnered the largest margin of victory for a Republican candidate in Arkansas’ history.
On November 16, 2015, Hutchinson said that he would block all Syrian refugees from entering the state in response to the November 2015 Paris attacks.[23]
Under Hutchinson, the state of Arkansas resumed executions in 2017 after having executed no prisoners since 2005.[24][25][26] In 2021, DNA testing on the murder weapon and a bloody shirt at the scene of the crime did not match Ledell Lee, who was convicted and executed for murder.[27] Hutchinson defended the execution of Lee, saying “the DNA findings released today do not present any conclusive evidence to undermine [Lee’s guilty verdict].”[27]
As governor, Hutchinson implemented work requirements for Medicaid enrollees. As a result, by December 2018, almost 17,000 Arkansans had lost their Medicaid health insurance, with reapplication available in the new calendar year.[28]
In February 2019, Hutchinson signed a bill into law that would criminalize abortion in the event Roe v. Wade is overturned.[29] On March 9, 2021, he signed SB6, a near-total abortion bill, into state law. He said that the bill was intended “to set the stage for the Supreme Court overturning current case law. I would have preferred the legislation to include the exceptions for rape and incest, which has been my consistent view, and such exceptions would increase the chances for a review by the U.S. Supreme Court.”[30] On May 8, 2022, Hutchinson responded to comments by Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell about potential passage of a future federal law prohibiting abortions nationwide saying, “If the court reverses Roe v. Wade, they’re saying that the Constitution does not provide that, which returns it to the states.” “And that’s where the vigorous debate is going to be. That is where we’re going to face a lot of concerns on the compassion side.”[20]
In 2015, Hutchinson signed into law legislation that would prohibit localities from extending civil rights protections to LGBT individuals.[31] At the time, Arkansas was among states that allowed discrimination in the workplace, housing and business on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.[32] In March 2021, Hutchinson signed into law legislation that would allow doctors to refuse non-emergency medical treatment to LGBT individuals based on moral objection.[33] In April 2021, he vetoed a bill that would make it illegal for transgender minors to receive gender-affirming medication or surgery,[34] calling it “a vast government overreach”,[35] though the state legislature later overrode this veto.[36]
In August 2021, Hutchinson signed bills into law that prohibited businesses and government facilities from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for staff and customers to enter facilities.[37] While Arkansas was experiencing a wave of COVID-19 cases, he also signed a bill into law that prohibited state and local officials from enacting mask mandates.[38] He later said that he regretted doing so.[38] In December 2021, Hutchinson praised president Biden‘s COVID policies and thanked Biden for his efforts to “get the vaccinations out” and for “depoliticizing” the federal COVID response.[39][40] In January 2022, Hutchinson encouraged large businesses to not comply with the Biden administration’s vaccine requirements.[41]
^United States Congress, Committee on Appropriations (2004). 108-2 Hearings: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations for 2005, Part 4, March 18, 2004. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 232.
^“Think tank plans study of how US treats detainees”. Wall Street Journal. December 17, 2010. Archived from the original on December 19, 2010. Former FBI Director William Sessions, former Arkansas U.S. Rep. Asa Hutchinson, a retired Army general and a retired appeals court judge in Washington are among 11 people selected for a task force that will meet for the first time in early January, said Virginia Sloan, a lawyer and president of The Constitution Project.
TEST The Arkansas General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house Arkansas Senate with 35 members, and the lower Arkansas House of Representatives with 100 members. All 135 representatives and state senators represent an equal number of constituent districts.
The General Assembly convenes on the second Monday of every other year. A session lasts for 60 days unless the legislature votes to extend it. The Governor of Arkansas can issue a “call” for a special session during the interims between regular sessions. The General Assembly meets at the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock.
Legislative leaders said they expect to call the state House of Representatives and Senate back into the extended regular session, starting Sept. 29, to consider legislation to redraw the state’s four congressional district boundaries based on the 2020 U.S. Census data.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jimmy Hickey, R-Texarkana, and House Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, last week provided lawmakers with a timeline for considering the redistricting legislation.
Hickey said Tuesday that there is no consensus in the Senate on how to redraw the boundaries and he’s hoping for a fairly concrete plan “before we come back into session.”
He said he is anticipating and hoping that the extended session meets three days and then the Legislature adjourns its regular session.
State lawmakers met for 108 days earlier this year before going into an extended recess with plans to return this fall to approve new boundaries for the congressional districts. The session started Jan. 11 and it was slowed by precautions taken for the coronavirus pandemic and a week’s break after a severe snowfall. The fall meeting was set because census data was delayed in its delivery to states.
“Leadership encourages congressional redistricting bills be filed no later than September, 24, 2021, for consideration during the extended session of the 93rd General Assembly,” according to Hickey and Shepherd’s two-page timeline.
Arkansas’ revenue has outpaced expectations for the month of May, while the state’s budget surplus has risen to its highest level.
The state’s net available general revenue for the month of May totaled just over $655 million, nearly an 80% jump over this time last year and about $263 million above forecast.
The latest report from the state Department of Finance and Administration shows results were above forecast in all major categories. A change in the tax deadline caused growth in individual income tax revenue, while revenues from other tax categories like tobacco and gaming also came in above forecast.
Summary
TEST The Arkansas General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house Arkansas Senate with 35 members, and the lower Arkansas House of Representatives with 100 members. All 135 representatives and state senators represent an equal number of constituent districts.
The General Assembly convenes on the second Monday of every other year. A session lasts for 60 days unless the legislature votes to extend it. The Governor of Arkansas can issue a “call” for a special session during the interims between regular sessions. The General Assembly meets at the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock.
Legislative leaders said they expect to call the state House of Representatives and Senate back into the extended regular session, starting Sept. 29, to consider legislation to redraw the state’s four congressional district boundaries based on the 2020 U.S. Census data.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jimmy Hickey, R-Texarkana, and House Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, last week provided lawmakers with a timeline for considering the redistricting legislation.
Hickey said Tuesday that there is no consensus in the Senate on how to redraw the boundaries and he’s hoping for a fairly concrete plan “before we come back into session.”
He said he is anticipating and hoping that the extended session meets three days and then the Legislature adjourns its regular session.
State lawmakers met for 108 days earlier this year before going into an extended recess with plans to return this fall to approve new boundaries for the congressional districts. The session started Jan. 11 and it was slowed by precautions taken for the coronavirus pandemic and a week’s break after a severe snowfall. The fall meeting was set because census data was delayed in its delivery to states.
“Leadership encourages congressional redistricting bills be filed no later than September, 24, 2021, for consideration during the extended session of the 93rd General Assembly,” according to Hickey and Shepherd’s two-page timeline.
Arkansas’ revenue has outpaced expectations for the month of May, while the state’s budget surplus has risen to its highest level.
The state’s net available general revenue for the month of May totaled just over $655 million, nearly an 80% jump over this time last year and about $263 million above forecast.
The latest report from the state Department of Finance and Administration shows results were above forecast in all major categories. A change in the tax deadline caused growth in individual income tax revenue, while revenues from other tax categories like tobacco and gaming also came in above forecast.
The Arkansas General Assembly is authorized by the Arkansas Constitution, which is the state’s fifth constitution. The first was constitution was ratified on January 30, 1836, and the current constitution was adopted in 1874.[1] The constitution has also been amended throughout the state’s history since 1874.[1]
Originally, legislators met biennially, but today meet annually.[2]
In 1922, Frances Hunt became the first woman elected to a seat in the Arkansas General Assembly when she was elected to a seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives.[3]
Powers and process
The Arkansas General Assembly is responsible for making and amending the laws of Arkansas. The legislative process is similar to that of other state legislatures in the United States. Bills undergo committee review and three readings on the floor of each house of the legislature. The governor has veto power, but a simple majority of both houses of the legislature can override that veto.[4]
Legislators also select 20 state representatives and 16 state senators to serve on the Arkansas Legislative Council, which oversees the Bureau of Legislative Research and acts as an organizing committee for the legislature.[2]
Terms and term limits
Amendment 73 of the Arkansas Constitution, approved by voters in the 1992 state general elections, set term limits for Representatives and Senators. Representatives were limited to three two-year terms (six years); Senators were limited to two four-year terms (eight years).
Amendment 73 also set term limits for U.S. Senators and Representatives, but this part of the Amendment was found unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton. As Section 4 of the Amendment included a severability clause, the remainder of the amendment remained in force.
This was replaced to a large extent by Amendment 94 in 2014, which extended the total years that could be served to 16 in any combination of House and Senate seats.
The law was changed again in 2020 by a referendum removing the lifetime limit of 16 years in the legislature and switching to 12 consecutive years with the option to return after a four year break.
Current Position: US Senator since 2011 Affiliation: Republican Former Position(s): US Representative from 2001 – 2011; Optometrist
Featured Quote: The @TaxFoundation found Democrats’ reckless tax and spending spree would result in Arkansans paying, on average, $745 more in taxes within 5 years. READ my latest weekly column on how we’re all paying the price for it through higher taxes and inflation.
Featured Video: Boozman: Democrats’ Tax and Spend Policies Will Devastate Family Farms and Ranches, Rural America
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KNWA/KFTA) — Sen. John Boozman urges the Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to address its oversight failures across the country.
This comes after a report found the Fayetteville VA failed to properly oversee former VA pathologist Robert Morris Levy who was drunk on the job.
Boozman co-signed a letter with members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to the VA secretary.
Levy was sentenced to 240 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter and mail fraud on January 22.
Current Position: US Senator since 2011 Affiliation: Republican Former Position(s): US Representative from 2001 – 2011; Optometrist
Featured Quote: The @TaxFoundation found Democrats’ reckless tax and spending spree would result in Arkansans paying, on average, $745 more in taxes within 5 years. READ my latest weekly column on how we’re all paying the price for it through higher taxes and inflation.
Featured Video: Boozman: Democrats’ Tax and Spend Policies Will Devastate Family Farms and Ranches, Rural America
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KNWA/KFTA) — Sen. John Boozman urges the Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to address its oversight failures across the country.
This comes after a report found the Fayetteville VA failed to properly oversee former VA pathologist Robert Morris Levy who was drunk on the job.
Boozman co-signed a letter with members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to the VA secretary.
Levy was sentenced to 240 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter and mail fraud on January 22.
John Boozman is Arkansas’s senior U.S. Senator and the dean of the state’s Congressional delegation.
A fifth-generation Arkansan, John was raised in Fort Smith and graduated from Northside High School. He went on to play football for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks while completing his pre-optometry requirements. He graduated from the Southern College of Optometry in 1977 and entered private practice that same year co-founding a family business with his brother that would ultimately become a major provider of eye care to Northwest Arkansas.
As the son of an Air Force Master Sergeant, John learned at an early age about the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, as well as the unique challenges military families face. He brings these values with him to Washington where he is committed to enhancing the quality of life for both our veterans and their families. As a member of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, John has authored provisions to bolster care and services for women veterans, modernize educational benefits under the GI Bill and better reach and provide mental health care and resources to former service members.
John will serve as the Ranking Member of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry during the 117thCongress. This position enables him to play a key role in influencing policy that relates to the agriculture economy, nutrition programs and quality of life in rural America.
John will also continue to serve on the Committee on Appropriations, which is responsible for allocating federal funds, and the Committee on the Environment and Public Works, where much of the nation’s infrastructure policy is developed.
Along with these committees, John serves on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, commonly referred to as the Helsinki Commission. He serves on the Congressional Study Group on Europe (CSGE), a bipartisan organization dedicated to frank and candid dialogue between American lawmakers and their peers in European capitals and Brussels, and has been appointed the Vice Chairman of the Senate Delegation to the British-American Interparliamentary Group during the 117th Congress.
In addition, John also serves as one of six Congressional Regents on the Smithsonian Institute’s Board of Regents which governs and administers the organization.
First elected to the Senate in 2010, John was sworn in for a second term on January 3, 2017. Prior to serving in the Senate, he represented the people of the Third District of Arkansas in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Active in his community, John has served on the Rogers School Board, the Benton County Fair Board, established the low vision program at the Arkansas School for the Blind in Little Rock and worked as a volunteer optometrist at an area clinic that provides medical services to low-income families. He successfully raised Polled Hereford cattle that were competitive in the show ring, as well as in bull testing at Oklahoma State University.
John, is married to the former Cathy Marley and they currently reside in Rogers. The couple has three daughters and four grandchildren.
4-H Caucus* Afterschool Caucus Air Force Caucus* Anti-Value Added Tax Caucus (Anti-VAT Caucus) Bicameral Congressional Caucus on Parkinson’s Disease Bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease Border Security and Enforcement First Caucus Coalition for Autism Research and Education (CARE) Congressional Arthritis Caucus Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus Congressional Boating Caucus Congressional Caucus on the European Union Congressional Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Caucus (COPD) Congressional Coalition on Adoption Congressional Farmer Cooperative Caucus Congressional Fire Services Caucus Congressional French Caucus* Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Congressional Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus Congressional Manufactured Housing Caucus Congressional Olympic and Paralympic Caucus Congressional Real Estate Caucus Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Congressional TRIO Caucus Congressional Veterans Jobs Caucus Congressional Vision Caucus Career & Technical Education Caucus (CTE) Friends of Wales Caucus International Conservation Caucus (ICC) Mississippi River Caucus National Service Caucus Panama Canal Expansion Caucus Paper and Packaging Caucus* Prescription Drug Abuse Caucus Second Amendment Task Force Senate ALS Caucus Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus Senate Broadband Caucus* Senate Chemistry Caucus Senate Chicken Caucus Senate Community Health Center Caucus Senate Cybersecurity Caucus Senate General Aviation Caucus* Senate Hunger Caucus* Senate Law Enforcement Caucus Senate Malaria Working Group Senate Marine Corps Caucus Senate Manufacturing Caucus Senate National Guard Caucus Senate Oceans Caucus Senate Prayer Caucus Senate Prescription Drug Abuse Caucus Senate Recycling Caucus* Senate Rural Health Caucus Senate Steel Caucus Senate Taiwan Caucus Senate Travel & Tourism Caucus Senate Unmanned Aerial Systems Caucus Senate Veterans Jobs Caucus Senate Western Caucus U.S.- Korea Caucus USO Congressional Caucus Whistleblower Protection Caucus Zero Capital Gains Tax Caucus
Offices
Washington, DC
141 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-4843
Little Rock
1401 W. Capitol Ave. Suite 155 Little Rock, AR 72201 Phone: (501) 372-7153 Fax: (501) 372-7163
Fort Smith
1120 Garrison Ave. Suite 2B Fort Smith, AR 72901 Phone: (479) 573-0189 Fax: (479) 575-0553
Lowell
213 West Monroe Suite N Lowell, AR 72745 Phone: (479) 725-0400 Fax: (479) 725-0408
Jonesboro
300 South Church St. Suite 400 Jonesboro, AR 72401 Phone: (870) 268-6925 Fax: (870) 268-6887
Mountain Home
1001 Hwy. 62 East Suite 11 Mountain Home, AR 72653 Phone: (870) 424-0129 Fax: (870) 424-0141
El Dorado
106 West Main St. Suite 104 El Dorado, AR 71730 Phone: (870) 863-4641 Fax: (870) 863-4105
Stuttgart
620 E. 22nd St. Suite 204 Stuttgart, AR 72160 Phone: (870) 672-6941 Fax: (870) 672-6962
Boozman was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, where his father was stationed with the U.S. Air Force, but the family eventually returned to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he was raised. He is the brother of the late state senator Fay Boozman. He attended the University of Arkansas, where he played football for the Arkansas Razorbacks, and graduated from the Southern College of Optometry. He co-founded a private optometry clinic in 1977 and worked as a volunteer optometrist for low-income families. He won a special election in 2001 to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as assistant majority whip and sat on the Republican Policy Committee. He was an advocate for drug policy issues and chaired the Veteran Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, where he led the passage of bills expanding services for unemployed veterans.
Boozman was born in Shreveport, Louisiana,[1] the son of Marie E. (née Nichols) and Fay Winford Boozman, Jr. (1923–1991).[2] Boozman’s father, whose last address was in Rogers, Arkansas, was a Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force.[3] His elder brother, Fay Boozman (1946–2005), was also a politician. After graduating from Northside High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Boozman played football for the Arkansas Razorbacks at the University of Arkansas, which he attended from 1969 to 1973,[4] while completing his pre-optometry requirements. He did not graduate from the University of Arkansas.[5] He graduated from the Southern College of Optometry in 1977 and entered private practice that same year as co-founder of Boozman-Hof Regional Eye Clinic in Rogers, which has become a major provider of eye care to Northwest Arkansas. He established the low vision program at the Arkansas School for the Blind in Little Rock and worked as a volunteer optometrist at an area clinic that provides medical services to low-income families.
Before his election to Congress, Boozman served two terms on the Rogers Public School Board, which governs one of Arkansas’s largest school districts.[6]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
Boozman was elected to Congress in a special election after his predecessor, Asa Hutchinson, resigned to become the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Boozman was unopposed in 2002, defeated DemocraticState Representative 59%-38% in 2004, and defeated Democratic nominee in 2006. The Democrats did not field a candidate against him in 2008, and he won with over 78% of the vote against token opposition from a Green Party candidate.[7]
Tenure
In October 2002, Boozman voted in favor of the Iraq Resolution that led to the Iraq War.[8] In 2011, after 4,500 Americans and hundreds of thousands of civilians had died, Boozman said the war was “worth it.”[9]
Starting during the 108th Congress, Boozman served as an Assistant Whip, making him responsible for helping House Republican Whips Roy Blunt and Eric Cantor secure the votes for or against major legislation.
Boozman was also named to the Speaker’s Task Force for a Drug-Free America in 2003. The task force advised House Speaker Dennis Hastert on major drug policy issues and helped author legislation regarding recreational drugs, including anti-methamphetamine legislation. Boozman was the lead author of the Stop Marketing Illegal Drugs to Minors Act, a bill that would increase penalties on criminals who design and market drugs, such as candy-flavored meth, that are targeted to kids.[10] He was praised by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, earning the organization’s Congressional Leadership Award in 2009.[11] In 2006, Congress passed a Boozman-authored provision promoting an expanded role for drug courts in efforts to reduce drug abuse and recidivism.[12]
In the 109th Congress, Boozman chaired the Veterans Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, which focuses on ensuring veterans have a smooth transition to civilian life. He has used his seat on the Veterans Affairs Committee to pass legislation honoring the service and sacrifice of United States military veterans and increasing benefits to them and their families. In the 111th Congress, Boozman introduced and the House of Representatives passed the Veterans Retraining Act of 2009, which provides resources and training opportunities for unemployed veterans.[13] The House also passed several other Boozman-authored bills, including one that creates grants to help disabled veterans adapt their homes and vehicles to meet their needs.[14]
In May 2004, Boozman was appointed to the House Policy Committee, a committee of Republicans who vet issues and formulate legislation to address them.[15]
Boozman was also a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), an inter-parliamentary organization of legislators from the 19 member countries of NATO and 20 associate countries. He was also appointed vice-chairman of the British American Parliamentary Group, a group of American and British lawmakers who meet to discuss issues of concern and fortify the already strong alliance between the two nations.
Boozman was a member of numerous House caucuses, including the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine, the National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus, the Congressional Rural Caucus and the Congressional Sportsman’s Caucus. He was also one of the founding members of the Congressional I-49 Caucus to promote completion of Interstate 49, and chaired the Congressional Caucus on the Ivory Coast and West Africa Caucus.
Congress.org’s power rankings rated Boozman’s power rating at 7.31, making him the 386th most powerful member out of 435.[16]
According to the April 28, 2007, Washington Post, Boozman was told by officials in the White House about its intention to fire Bud Cummins, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and replace him with Tim Griffin, an aide to Karl Rove. According to the Post, none of the Democrats in Arkansas’ congressional delegation were told that Cummins was to be one of eight U.S. Attorneys to be fired. Although Boozman did not represent any counties in the Eastern District, he was informed because he was the only Republican in the state’s congressional delegation.
Boozman told the Post and the Associated Press that White House officials had promised him that Griffin would be subject to Senate confirmation. Instead, Attorney GeneralAlberto Gonzales appointed Griffin as interim U.S. Attorney, using a provision of the Patriot Act that has since been repealed due to the controversy. Boozman also said that he did not think Cummins should have been fired because he was “very well respected and has served the president well.”[17]
In 2010, Boozman did not run for reelection to the House and instead ran for the Senate seat held by incumbent two-term DemocratBlanche Lincoln. He won the May 2010 Republican primary and defeated Lincoln in the general election with nearly 58% of the vote.[18]
Boozman won a second term in 2016, defeating former U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge with 59.8% of the vote.[19] He became the first Republican to be popularly elected to a second term in the Senate from Arkansas.[citation needed]
On March 6, 2021, Boozman announced he would seek a third term as Senator.[20]
Tenure
Boozman began his term in the Senate in January 2011.
Boozman agreed, alongside Tom Cotton and other Republican senators, to object to the certification of the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count. But in the wake of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, both Boozman and Cotton voted in support of the certification. Boozman called the attack on the Capitol “shocking and unlawful” and “a dark moment in our country’s history that we must reckon with today and in the days to come.”[21]
Boozman voted for legislation requiring the Food and Drug Administration to improve safety by regulating non-corrective colored contact lenses as medical devices.[25] President Bush signed this legislation into law in 2005.[26]
In the 111th Congress, Boozman introduced legislation (H.R. 2230) to provide tax credits for teachers and principals who work in challenging, low-income schools.[14] He has also introduced legislation to reform the No Child Left Behind Act. One bill (H.R. 2229) would give states latitude to adopt alternate and modified standards for children with disabilities.[27]
Other Boozman bills include legislation to provide a tax credit for volunteer firefighters, a bill to require that parents be notified when a minor seeks an abortion, and a bill to create alternatives to traditional foreign aid to poor countries in sub-Saharan Africa.[14][28]
On December 11, 2014, Boozman voted “yea” on Senator Ted Cruz‘s point of order declaring the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (popularly called the “cromnibus” bill) unconstitutional because it funded an executive order by President Barack Obama regarding[clarification needed] children who are undocumented immigrants,[30] but he later voted for the bill.[30] He has received an 85.48% Lifetime Score from the American Conservative Union.[31]
Arkansas history
Boozman introduced legislation in the 110th Congress calling for a study of the historic Butterfield Overland Mail Trail for the potential addition to the National Trails System. This legislation passed as part of an omnibus bill (P.L. 111-11), and was signed by Obama on March 30, 2009.[32]
In addition to preserving the historical significance of the Butterfield Trail, Boozman supported an effort to secure the home[clarification needed] of the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith;[33] in January 2007, it was announced that Fort Smith would be the museum’s permanent home. In the 111th Congress, Boozman introduced legislation to recognize the 225th Anniversary of the U.S. Marshals Service with a commemorative coin to be minted in 2014.[34]
Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson listen to Boozman speak about flood damage in Arkansas in 2017
Boozman has penned three bills, each enacted into law, to name certain U.S. Post Offices in Arkansas,[35] including naming The Harrison Post Office after former Arkansas Congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt.[36]
Health care reform
Boozman voted against the Affordable Care Act on November 7, 2009, arguing that the bill “does more harm than good”.[37] In a 2009 debate, he pointed to Medicare cuts, including cuts to Medicare Advantage, increased taxes on health insurance and innovations, and anti-abortion concerns, in his opposition to the ACA.[38][39][40]
Boozman has an A rating from the National Rifle Association for his support of gun rights.[45] In May 2011, he voted to table an amendment that prohibited usage of the Patriot Act to access firearm records.[46] In April 2013, in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Boozman was one of 46 senators to vote against a bill that would have extended background checks to all firearm transfers. He voted with 40 Republicans and five Democrats to stop the bill.[47]
Boozman voted against the proposed Feinstein Amendment, in 2016, that sought to ban the sale of firearms to known and/or suspected terrorists,[48] claiming that it would deprive Americans of due process.
Employment discrimination
In November 2013, Boozman was one of 32 senators (all Republican) to vote against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a bill prohibiting discrimination in organizations of 15 or more employees based on sexual orientation or gender identity.[49]
In April 2014, Boozman voted against a cloture motion for the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that establishes additional penalties for violations of equal pay requirements in the Fair Labor Standards Act, including a prohibition on an employer from paying a wage rate to employees of a particular sex that is lower than the rate paid to employees of the opposite sex for equal work unless such payment is made due to certain factors including, but not limited to, “a bona fide factor other than sex.”[50] Some groups characterized the legislation as redundant, citing the 1963 Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act as existing protections against wage discrimination based on gender or race. The Senate Republican Conference called the bill and vote “a transparent attempt by Democrats to distract from President Obama’s” record on the economy and health care and “the latest ploy in the Democrats’ election-year playbook.”[51]
In July 2006, Boozman co-introduced and voted for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.[53] The amendment did not pass.[53]
In April 2009, Boozman voted against the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which sought to define crimes committed against a person because of their sexual orientation or gender identity as hate crimes. He said he “opposed this legislation because it creates a new federal offense for so-called hate crimes, and adds a special class crimes potentially motivated by the victims sexual orientation, ‘gender identity,’ or the perceived thoughts of the alleged criminal.”[54] The act passed the House.[54]
In December 2010, Boozman voted against repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, claiming that the “current policy has worked well” and that “we haven’t had any significant problems with it.”[55][56] The vote passed by a margin of 250-175, and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was repealed.[55]
In December 2012, Boozman voted against ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, an international human rights treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities.[57] The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities sought to “promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity,” but the convention only reached 61 of the 66 votes required for passage.[57][58]
In February 2013, Boozman voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.[59][60] The bill passed by a 78–22 margin.[59] He cited concerns “about the constitutionality of allowing tribal courts jurisdiction over non-Native Americans who are accused of committing an act of domestic violence on tribal lands or against Native Americans” as part of his opposition to the measure.[61]
Veterans Job Corps
In September 2012, Boozman voted to block advancement of the Veterans Job Corps Act of 2012, even though he partially authored the bill.[62] The bill, which would have established a $1 billion Veterans Jobs Corps at a time when the unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans was 10.9%, fell two votes shy (58–40) of the 60 needed for passage.[62] The legislation underwent changes related to how it would offset spending, which led Boozman to vote against it.[63][64]
Environment
In 2017, Boozman was one of 22 senators to sign a letter[65] to President Donald Trump urging him to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement. According to OpenSecrets, Boozman has received nearly $150,000 from oil, gas and coal interests since 2012.[66] He claimed that EPA regulations are creating a dirtier climate abroad and providing no gain to the United States.[67]
Boozman cited the Obama administration’s failure to bring the accord before the U.S. Senate for a vote as a treaty. He also reiterated his position that the United States should continue to “pursue an ‘all-of-the-above’ approach to meeting our energy needs free of the significant litigation risk created by the agreement” and emphasized his view that the withdrawal would “not take away the United States’ seat at the table in future discussions, nor will it detract from our efforts to pursue renewable energy solutions…including emissions-free nuclear energy.”[68]
Foreign policy
In March 2017, Boozman co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (s. 720), which made it a federal crime for Americans to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories if protesting actions by the Israeli government.[69][70]
In January 2019, Boozman was one of 11 Republican senators to vote to advance legislation intended to block Trump’s intent to lift sanctions against three Russian companies.[71]
Boozman lives in Rogers with his wife, Cathy Marley Boozman.[77][78] They have three daughters. He has raised Polled Hereford cattle that were competitive in the show ring, and in bull testing at Oklahoma State University. The Boozman family is active in the 4-H program.[77]
On April 22, 2014, Boozman underwent emergency heart surgery.[79] In 2017, he underwent a successful followup procedure that was recommended by doctors who had been monitoring his aorta since a tear in it was surgically repaired in 2014.[80]
John’s ophthalmologist brother, Fay Winford Boozman III, co-founded the Boozman Regional Eye Clinic (now named BoozmanHof Regional Eye Clinic) with John after receiving his ophthalmology degree. Fay was elected to the Arkansas Senate in 1994 as a Republican and was nominated for the United States Senate in Arkansas in the 1998 election, losing to Democratic Congresswoman Blanche Lincoln 55% to 42%.[81] Despite his defeat, Fay was nominated to be director of the Arkansas Health Department in 1999.[82] He remained close with former Governor Mike Huckabee, and also with his brother Fay until his untimely death due to an accident on his Arkansas farm in 2005 at the age of 59.[82]
As of 2017, according to OpenSecrets.org, Boozman’s net worth was more than $2.3 million.[83]
^“Sen. John Boozman”. American Conservative Union Center for Legislative Accountability. Retrieved May 3, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Bloch, Matthew; Fairfield, Hannah; Harris, Jacob; Keller, Josh; reporting, Derek Willis/The New York Times Kitty Bennett contributed (19 December 2012). “How the National Rifle Association Rates Lawmakers”. The New York Times. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
Senate Republicans are pressing President Joe Biden to account for how many Americans, green card holders and special immigrant visa applicants remain in Afghanistan after the U.S. completed its withdrawal earlier this week.
Led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a group of 26 Republicans wrote Biden on Thursday morning requesting information by next week about who remains in Afghanistan after the frenzied evacuation effort at the end of August.
Led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a group of Republicans is requesting information by next week about who remains in Afghanistan. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo
Senate Republicans are pressing President Joe Biden to account for how many Americans, green card holders and special immigrant visa applicants remain in Afghanistan after the U.S. completed its withdrawal earlier this week.
Led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a group of 26 Republicans wrote Biden on Thursday morning requesting information by next week about who remains in Afghanistan after the frenzied evacuation effort at the end of August.
“Our immediate priority is the safety and well-being of American citizens, permanent residents, and allies who were left behind in Afghanistan. We are also concerned by reports that ineligible individuals, including Afghans with ties to terrorist organizations or serious, violent criminals, were evacuated alongside innocent refugee families,” the senators write in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO ahead of its release.
Senate Republicans are pressing President Joe Biden to account for how many Americans, green card holders and special immigrant visa applicants remain in Afghanistan after the U.S. completed its withdrawal earlier this week.
Led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a group of 26 Republicans wrote Biden on Thursday morning requesting information by next week about who remains in Afghanistan after the frenzied evacuation effort at the end of August.
Led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a group of Republicans is requesting information by next week about who remains in Afghanistan. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo
Senate Republicans are pressing President Joe Biden to account for how many Americans, green card holders and special immigrant visa applicants remain in Afghanistan after the U.S. completed its withdrawal earlier this week.
Led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a group of 26 Republicans wrote Biden on Thursday morning requesting information by next week about who remains in Afghanistan after the frenzied evacuation effort at the end of August.
“Our immediate priority is the safety and well-being of American citizens, permanent residents, and allies who were left behind in Afghanistan. We are also concerned by reports that ineligible individuals, including Afghans with ties to terrorist organizations or serious, violent criminals, were evacuated alongside innocent refugee families,” the senators write in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO ahead of its release.
Tom Cotton is a United States Senator from Arkansas. Tom’s committees include the Banking Committee, where he chairs the Economic Policy Subcommittee, the Intelligence Committee, and the Armed Services Committee, where he chairs the Air Land Power Subcommittee.
Tom grew up on his family’s cattle farm in Yell County. He graduated from Dardanelle High School, Harvard, and Harvard Law School. After a clerkship with the U.S. Court of Appeals and private law practice, Tom left the law because of the September 11th attacks. Tom served nearly five years on active duty in the United States Army as an Infantry Officer.
Tom served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne and in Afghanistan with a Provincial Reconstruction Team. Between his two combat tours, Tom served with The Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery. Tom’s military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, and Ranger Tab.
Between the Army and the Senate, Tom worked for McKinsey & Co. and served one term in the House of Representatives.
Tom and his wife Anna have two sons, Gabriel and Daniel.
Birth Year: 1977 Place of Birth: Dardanelle, AR Gender: Male Race(s): Caucasian Religion: Christian Spouse: Gretchen Marie Reimer Children: Alex, Josette, and Grayson
Thomas Bryant Cotton was born on May 13, 1977, in Dardanelle, Arkansas.[1] His father, Thomas Leonard “Len” Cotton, was a district supervisor in the Arkansas Department of Health, and his mother, Avis (née Bryant) Cotton, was a schoolteacher who later became principal of their district’s middle school.[2] Cotton’s family had lived in rural Arkansas for seven generations, and he grew up on his family’s cattle farm.[3][4] He attended Dardanelle High School, where he played on the local and regional basketball teams; standing 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall, he was usually required to play center.[4][5]
Cotton was accepted to Harvard College after graduating from high school in 1995. At Harvard, he majored in government and was a member of the editorial board of The Harvard Crimson, often dissenting from the liberal majority.[5] In articles, Cotton addressed what he saw as “sacred cows” such as affirmative action.[6] He graduated with an A.B.magna cum laude in 1998 after only three years of study. Cotton’s senior thesis focused on The Federalist Papers.[4]
In June 2006, while stationed in Iraq, Cotton gained public attention after writing an open letter to the editor of The New York Times, asserting three journalists had violated “espionage laws” by publishing an article detailing a classified government program monitoring terrorists’ finances. The Times did not publish Cotton’s letter, but it was published on Power Line, a conservative blog that had been copied on the email.[16][17] In the letter, Cotton called for the journalists to be prosecuted for espionage “to the fullest extent of the law” and incarcerated. He accused the newspaper of having “gravely endangered the lives of my soldiers and all other soldiers and innocent Iraqis”. Cotton’s claims circulated online and were reprinted in full elsewhere.[18] According to Jay Rosen, a professor of journalism at New York University in 2011, the Espionage Act has never been used against journalists. Rosen argued accusing investigative journalists of engaging in espionage is “essentially saying that they’re working for another power, or aiding the enemy. That is culture war tactics taken to an extreme.”[18]
Army Ranger controversy
In 2021, Salon reported that Cotton falsely claimed in campaign ads and videos from 2011 to 2014 that he had served in Iraq and Afghanistan and earned a Bronze Star as a U.S. Army Ranger even though he did not serve in the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment.[13][19][20][21] Fact-checking site Snopes rated Salon’s reporting as true.[22] In response to the article, Democratic congressman Jason Crow, who served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, criticized Cotton for calling himself a Ranger. A spokesperson for Cotton said, “To be clear, as he’s stated many times, Senator Cotton graduated from Ranger School, earned the Ranger Tab, and served a combat tour with the 101st Airborne, not the 75th Ranger Regiment.”[23] As the Salon story garnered widespread attention, Cotton’s spokeswoman recommended that the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette talk to retired Command Sergeant Major Rick Merritt, a former regimental sergeant major of the 75th Ranger Regiment, who said that Cotton is “100% a Ranger. He will always be a Ranger. It’s unfair. It’s almost slanderous.”[21]
In an article on the controversy, Business Insider wrote, “[w]hile the distinction [between being a “Ranger” and attending Ranger School] is rarely brought up outside of military circles, it has been fiercely debated among veterans and encapsulates the nuances of military titles.”[24]
Cotton dismissed allegations of falsifying his military record as politically driven. “I graduated from the Ranger School, I wore the Ranger tab in combat with the 101st Airborne in Iraq. This is not about my military record. This is about my politics.”[25]
In September 2011, Arkansas Times editor Max Brantley, criticized Cotton for a 1998 article he wrote in The Harvard Crimson in which he questioned the internet’s value as a teaching tool in the classroom, saying the internet had “too many temptations” to be useful in schools and libraries. Cotton later said the internet had matured since he wrote the article.[29][30]
Beth Anne Rankin, the 2010 Republican nominee, and John David Cowart, who was backed by Louisiana businessman and philanthropist , were the only other Republican candidates in the race after Marcus Richmond dropped out in February 2012.[5] In the May 22 primary, Cotton won the Republican nomination with 57.6% of the vote; Rankin finished second with 37.1%.[31]
The Club for Growth endorsed Cotton.[32] Of the $2.2 million Cotton raised for his campaign, Club for Growth donors accounted for $315,000 and were his largest supporters.[4] Senator John McCain also endorsed him.[33] Cotton was supported by both the Tea Party movement and the Republican establishment.[34][35]
In the November 6 general election, Cotton defeated state senator Gene Jeffress, 59.5% to 36.7%.[31] He was the second Republican since Reconstruction Era of the United States to represent the 4th district. The first, Jay Dickey, held it from 1993 to 2001, during the presidency of Bill Clinton, whose residence was in the district at the time.[36] On January 3, 2013, Cotton was sworn into the House of Representatives by SpeakerJohn Boehner.[37]
Cotton accused Obama of presenting a “false choice” between the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and war. Cotton was also criticized in some media outlets for underestimating what successful military action against Iran would entail.[43] Cotton said, “the president is trying to make you think it would be 150,000 heavy mechanized troops on the ground in the Middle East again as we saw in Iraq. That’s simply not the case.” Drawing a comparison to President Clinton’s actions in 1998 during the Bombing of Iraq, he elaborated: “Several days’ air and naval bombing against Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction facilities for exactly the same kind of behavior. For interfering with weapons inspectors and for disobeying Security Council resolutions.”[43][44] On July 21, 2015, Cotton and Mike Pompeo claimed to have uncovered the existence of secret side agreements between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on procedures for inspection and verification of Iran’s nuclear activities under the JCPOA. Obama administration officials acknowledged the existence of agreements between Iran and the IAEA on the inspection of sensitive military sites, but denied that they were “secret side deals,” calling them standard practice in crafting arms-control pacts and saying the administration had provided information about them to Congress.[45][46]
As a U.S. senator, Cotton has received multiple death threats. In 2018, Adam Albrett of Fairfax County, Virginia, was arrested for “faxing death threats” against President Donald Trump and members of Congress, including Cotton. Police traced the fax to Albrett using the phone number in the fax header.[59]
In October 2019, local authorities charged James Powell, a 43-year-old Arkansas resident, with “first-degree terroristic threatening” after an investigation by U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI. The felony charge carries a maximum six-year prison sentence and $10,000 fine. Powell also threatened Arkansas Representative Rick Crawford with death.[60][61] In January 2020, 78-year-old Henry Edward Goodloe was sentenced to two years’ probation for sending Cotton a threatening letter and a package containing white powder. Goodloe admitted to mailing an envelope containing white powder to Cotton’s office, with a note stating, “You ignored me. Maybe this will get your attention.” The Senate mail facility intercepted the letter, which included Goodloe’s home address, and alerted a hazardous response team which determined the powder was unbleached flour and starch.[62]
Tenure
Cassandra Butts nomination
In February 2015, Obama renominated Cassandra Butts, a former White House lawyer, to be the United States ambassador to the Bahamas. Her nomination was blocked by several senators. First, Ted Cruz placed a blanket hold on all U.S. State Department nominees.[63] Cotton specifically blocked the nominations of Butts and ambassador nominees to Sweden and Norway after the Secret Service leaked private information about a fellow member of Congress, although that issue was unrelated to those nominees. Cotton eventually released his holds on the nominees to Sweden and Norway, but kept his hold on Butts’s nomination.[63]
Butts told New York Times columnist Frank Bruni that she had gone to see Cotton about his objections to her nomination and said he had told her that because he knew that Obama and Butts were friends, it was a way to “inflict special pain on the president”, Bruni said. Cotton’s spokeswoman did not dispute Butts’s characterization. Butts died on May 26, 2016, still awaiting a Senate vote.[63]
During Trump’s presidency, Cotton was characterized as a Trump loyalist.[64][65] He frequently met with Trump’s staff during the transition period, and according to Steve Bannon, suggested John F. Kelly as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.[9] Bannon told The New Yorker in November 2017, “Next to Trump, he’s the elected official who gets it the most—the economic nationalism. Cotton was the one most supportive of us, up front and behind the scenes, from the beginning. He understands that the Washington élite—this permanent political class of both parties … needs to be shattered.” In the same article, Karl Rove, a senior figure in the George W. Bush administration, said Cotton was a more consensual figure than someone like Bannon.[9]
In a CNN interview shortly after the 2016 presidential election, Cotton denied that waterboarding is a form of torture. He said “tough calls” such as allowing it were an option Trump was ready to take: “If experienced intelligence officials come to the President of the United States and say we think this terrorist has critical information and we need to obtain it and this is the only way we can obtain it—it’s a tough call. But the presidency is a tough job. And if you’re not ready to make those tough calls, you shouldn’t seek the office. Donald Trump’s a pretty tough guy, and he’s ready to make those tough calls”. During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump said the United States should resume the use of waterboarding.[66]
In September 2020, Trump shortlisted Cotton as a potential Supreme Court nominee, but ultimately chose Amy Coney Barrett instead.[67][68] With less than two months to the next presidential election, Cotton supported an immediate Senate vote on Trump’s nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy caused by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg‘s death. In March 2016, Cotton refused to consider Obama’s Supreme Court nominee during a presidential election year, providing his rationale with these questions: “Why would we cut off the national debate on the next justice? Why would we squelch the voice of the populace? Why would we deny the voters a chance to weigh in on the makeup of the Supreme Court?”[69]
Cotton is considered politically conservative. The American Conservative Union’s Center for Legislative Accountability gives him a lifetime rating of 86.06.[73]
Race relations
Senator Cotton at First in the Nation Townhall, New Hampshire
Cotton drew scrutiny for columns he wrote for The Harvard Crimson about race relations in America, calling Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton “race-hustling charlatans” and saying race relations “would almost certainly improve if we stopped emphasizing race in our public life.”[74]
In 2016, Cotton rejected the claim that too many criminals are being jailed, that there is over-incarceration in the United States, as “Law enforcement is able to arrest or identify a likely perpetrator for only 19 percent of property crimes and 47 percent of violent crimes. If anything, we have an under-incarceration problem”.[75] Cotton said that reduced sentencing for felons would destabilize the United States, arguing that “I saw this in Baghdad. We’ve seen it again in Afghanistan.”[75]
In November 2018, while arguing against a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill, Cotton incorrectly said that there had been no hearings on the bill. PolitiFact stated Cotton had “ignored years of congressional debate and hearings on the general topics of the bill, as well as the consideration and bipartisan passage of largely similar bills at the House committee level, by the full House, and by the Senate Judiciary Committee.”[76] Arguing against the bill in question, the FIRST STEP Act, Cotton asserted that “convicts of certain sex-related crimes could accrue credits making them eligible for supervised release or ‘pre-release’ to a halfway house“. A spokesperson for Mike Lee responded that “just because a federal offense is not on the specific list of ineligible offenses doesn’t mean inmates who committed [a] non-specified offense will earn early release”.[77] The bill passed 87–12 on December 18, 2018. Cotton voted against it.[78]
Following the murder of George Floyd, Cotton rejected the view that there is “systemic racism in the criminal justice system in America“.[79] Amid the ensuing protests, Cotton advocated on Twitter that the military be used to support police, and to give “No quarter for insurrectionists, anarchists, rioters, and looters.”[80] In the military, the term “no quarter” refers to the killing of lawfully surrendering combatants, which is a war crime under the Geneva Convention. Cotton subsequently said that he was using the “colloquial” version of the phrase and cited examples of Democrats and the mainstream media using the phrase.[81][82]
A few days later, The New York Times published an opinion piece by Cotton titled “Send in the Troops”, arguing for the deployment of federal troops to counter looting and rioting in major American cities. Dozens of Times staff members sharply criticized the decision to publish Cotton’s article, calling its rhetoric dangerous.[83][84] Following the negative response from staffers, the Times responded by saying the piece went through a “rushed editorial process” that would be reexamined.[85] Editorial page editor James Bennet resigned days later.[86]
Statements about slavery
In July 2020, Cotton introduced the Saving American History Act of 2020, proposed legislation preventing the use of federal tax dollars for the teaching of The 1619 Project, an initiative of The New York Times.[87][88][89] In an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Cotton said of slavery, “As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built, but the union was built in a way, as Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction.”[90]Joshua D. Rothman, a history professor at the University of Alabama, responded that slavery was neither “necessary” nor on the way to “extinction” when America was founded, because it “was a choice defended or accepted by most white Americans for generations, and it expanded dramatically between the Revolution and the Civil War”.[91]
1619 Project director Nikole Hannah-Jones tweeted: “If chattel slavery—heritable, generational, permanent, race-based slavery where it was legal to rape, torture, and sell human beings for profit—were a ‘necessary evil’ as @TomCottonAR says, it’s hard to imagine what cannot be justified if it is a means to an end.” Cotton responded, “more lies from the debunked 1619 Project” and said he was “not endorsing or justifying slavery” because he was relaying what he believed were the “views of the Founders”.[92] Georgetown University historian Adam Rothman said Cotton’s phrase is “really a kind of shorthand way of describing the complex set of attitudes of the founding generation and it’s not really accurate.”[93] “Of course slavery is an evil institution in all its forms, at all times in America’s past, or around the world today,” Cotton said on Fox News on July 27.[93]
COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act
Cotton was one of six Republican senators to vote against advancing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which would allow the U.S. Justice Department to review hate crimes related to COVID-19 and establish an online database.[94][95]
Gun laws
In January 2019, Cotton was one of 31 Republican senators to cosponsor the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, a bill introduced by John Cornyn and Ted Cruz that would grant individuals with concealed carry privileges in their home state the right to exercise this right in any other state with concealed carry laws while concurrently abiding by that state’s laws.[96]
Cotton has an A rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA), which endorsed him in the 2014 election. The NRA’s Chris W. Cox said, “Tom Cotton will always stand up for the values and freedoms of Arkansas gun owners and sportsmen.”[97] In response to the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, Cotton said that he did not believe any new gun control legislation would have prevented the shooting.[98]
Immigration
Cotton’s 2012 campaign website stated, “We cannot afford to grant illegal aliens amnesty or a so-called ‘earned path to citizenship.’”[99]
In July 2013, after the Senate’s bipartisan Gang of Eight passed the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, an immigration reform proposal, House Republicans held a closed-door meeting to decide whether to bring the bill to a vote.[100] Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan spoke at one podium arguing for its passage;[101] Cotton spoke at another arguing against it, even exchanging terse comments with Speaker Boehner.[100] The House decided to not consider the bill.[101] Cotton supported Trump’s 2017 Executive Order 13769 prohibiting immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries.[102]
On February 7, 2017, in the presence of President Trump, Cotton and Senator David Perdue proposed a new immigration bill, the RAISE Act, which would limit the family route or chain migration. The bill would set a limit on the number of refugees offered residency at 50,000 a year and would remove the Diversity Immigrant Visa. Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain expressed opposition to the bill.[103][104]
Cotton, a supporter of Trump on immigration, was present at a January 11, 2018, meeting at which Trump is alleged to have called Haiti and African nations “shithole countries.”[105][106] Cotton and Senator David Perdue said in a joint statement that “we do not recall the President saying these comments specifically”.[107][108] In a statement, the White House did not deny that Trump had made the comment, although Trump did in a tweet the following day.[105]The Washington Post reported that Cotton and Perdue told the White House they heard “shithouse” rather than “shithole”.[109] Cotton reiterated on CBS’s Face The Nation, “I certainly didn’t hear what Senator Durbin has said repeatedly”. “Senator Durbin has a history of misrepresenting what happens in White House meetings, though, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by that”, Cotton added.[110]Slate magazine asserted that Cotton was referring to a misquotation Dick Durbin made of a 2013 gathering at the Obama White House at which Durbin was not present, nor had he claimed to be present. Durbin was not the only person at the meeting to confirm Trump’s words; another was Lindsey Graham.[106][111]
In December 2018, Cotton placed a senatorial hold on H.R.7164 – A Bill to add Ireland to the E-3 Non-immigrant Visa Program.[112] The bill did not create new non-immigrant visas, but rather allowed Irish college graduates to apply for any surplus E-3 visas in Specialty Occupations that had gone unused by Australians within their annual cap of 10,500.[113] The bipartisan bill had passed the House of Representatives on November 28, 2018, and had also received the backing of the Trump administration. Because of Cotton’s hold, it did not reach the Senate floor for consideration.[114]
Cotton’s immigration positions have led to protests at his Washington office. In January 2018, five demonstrators were arrested for obstructing his office while they were protesting his position on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. They were released after paying a $50 fine.[115]
In February 2021, in a speech at CPAC, Cotton criticized the Democrats’ and Joe Biden’s immigration policies. Cotton claimed, “They have halted deportations for all illegal aliens. Murderers, rapists, terrorists, MS-13 gang members are not being deported.” PolitiFact rated Cotton’s claim as “False” and elaborated that the “Biden’s administration ordered a 100-day deportation pause, but it did not apply to criminals such as murderers, rapists, terrorists or gang members.”[116]
In September 2021, the Senate voted along partisan lines to reject Cotton’s amendment that sought to curtail assistance to Afghan refugees after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, and hinder the refugees’ ability to obtain federally recognized identification cards without proving their identity.[117]
Health and social issues
Cotton opposed the Affordable Care Act, saying in 2012 that “the first step is to repeal that law, which is offensive to a free society and a free people”.[118][119]
In April 2019, Cotton called the Southern Poverty Law Center a “political hate group” and asked the IRS to check whether it should retain its tax-exempt status.[120]
In 2012, Cotton said, “Strong families also depend on strong marriages, and I support the traditional understanding of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. I also support the Defense of Marriage Act.”[121] In 2013, Cotton voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, saying that the federal powers in the act were too broad.[121][122]
Abortion and related issues
In June 2013, Cotton voted in favor of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, a bill to ban abortion after 20 or more weeks following fertilization.[123] He has said that Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey were “wrongly decided as a constitutional matter” and that the legality of abortion should be up to politicians in the individual states.[124][125] He was one of 183 co-sponsors of the version of the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act introduced in 2013.[126]
Cotton has said, “I oppose the destruction of human embryos to conduct stem-cell research and all forms of human cloning.”[127]
Student loans
In August 2013, Cotton voted against the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013, which sets interest rates on student loans to the 10-year Treasury note plus a varying markup for undergraduate and graduate students. He preferred a solution that ended what he called the “federal-government monopoly on the student-lending business”, referring to the provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that changed the way the federal government makes student loans.[128]
January 6
On January 6, 2021, Cotton released a statement repudiating the attack on the Capitol:[129]
Last summer, as insurrection gripped the streets, I called to send in the troops if necessary to restore order. Today, insurrectionists occupied our Capitol. Fortunately, the Capitol Police and other law-enforcement agencies restored order without the need for federal troops. But the principle remains the same: no quarter for insurrectionists. Those who attacked the Capitol today should face the full extent of federal law.
He subsequently repeated his earlier description of those involved as “insurrectionists” and said they should be brought to justice.[130]
Cotton’s foreign policy views have been characterized as “hawkish“.[132][133]
During a February 5, 2015, Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Cotton called for housing more prisoners at Guantanamo Bay instead of closing it. He said of the detainees in the camp, “every last one them can rot in hell, but as long as they don’t do that they can rot in Guantanamo Bay”.[9][134] The following June, he was one of 21 Senate Republicans to oppose an amendment to the 2016 Defense Authorization Act that would impair any future president’s ability to authorize torture. The amendment, which passed, had bipartisan support and was sponsored by John McCain and Dianne Feinstein.[135][136]
In September 2016, Cotton was one of 34 senators to sign a letter to United States secretary of stateJohn Kerry advocating that the United States use “all available tools to dissuade Russia from continuing its airstrikes in Syria” from an Iranian airbase near Hamadan “that are clearly not in our interest” and stating that there should be clear enforcement by the US of the airstrikes violating “a legally binding Security Council Resolution” on Iran.[137]
In July 2017, Cotton co-sponsored the bipartisan Israel Anti-Boycott Act (S.270), which amended existing federal law that criminalized foreign-led boycotts of U.S. allies, by specifically prohibiting support to foreign governments or organizations imposing a boycott on Israel. The proposal generated controversy as some interpreted the law as a restriction on activities by private citizens and potentially a violation of constitutional rights.[139][140] Others viewed it as a clarification of the existing Export Administration Act of 1979 in response to the 2016 United Nations Human Rights Council resolutions that called on corporations to reassess business activities that may impact Palestinian human rights.[141]
In December 2018, after Trump announced the withdrawal of American troops in Syria, Cotton was one of six senators to sign a letter expressing concern about the move and their belief “that such action at this time is a premature and costly mistake that not only threatens the safety and security of the United States, but also emboldens ISIS, Bashar al Assad, Iran, and Russia.”[142] In January 2019, Cotton was one of 11 Republican senators to vote to advance legislation intended to block Trump’s intent to lift sanctions against three Russian companies.[143]
In August 2019, it was reported that Cotton had suggested to Trump and the Danish ambassador that the U.S. should buy Greenland.[144][145][146] Cotton supports U.S. withdrawal from the Open Skies agreement, which lets nations use special aircraft to monitor each other’s military activities. In 2018, he asserted that the agreement was outdated and that it favored Russian interests.[147]
China
In 2018, Cotton was a cosponsor of the Countering the Chinese Government and Communist Party’s Political Influence Operations Act, a bill introduced by Marco Rubio and Catherine Cortez Masto that would grant the U.S. secretary of state and the director of national intelligence (DNI) the authority to create an interagency task force with the purpose of examining attempts by China to influence the U.S. and key allies.[148]
In August 2018, Cotton and 16 other lawmakers urged the Trump administration to impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act against Chinese officials who are responsible for human rights violations in western China‘s Xinjiang region targeting the Uyghur ethnic minority.[149] They wrote in a bipartisan letter, “The detention of as many as a million or more Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in ‘political reeducation’ centers or camps requires a tough, targeted, and global response”.[150]
In February 2019, Cotton was one of the group of Senate Republicans who signed a letter to Speaker of the House of RepresentativesNancy Pelosi requesting that Pelosi invite President of TaiwanTsai Ing-wen to address a joint meeting of Congress. The request came amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and China and was expected to anger Chinese leadership if granted.[151]
In May 2019, when asked about the impact of tariffs on farmers in Arkansas, Cotton said there would be “some sacrifices on the part of Americans, I grant you that, but I also would say that sacrifice is pretty minimal compared to the sacrifices that our soldiers make overseas that are fallen heroes that are laid to rest in Arlington make”, and that farmers were willing to make sacrifices in order for the U.S. to fend off against Chinese attempts to displace the U.S. globally.[152]
In May 2019, Cotton was a cosponsor of the South China Sea and East China Sea Sanctions Act, a bipartisan bill reintroduced by Marco Rubio and Ben Cardin that was intended to disrupt China’s consolidation or expansion of its claims of jurisdiction over both the sea and air space in disputed zones in the South China Sea.[153]
In July 2019, Cotton and Senator Chris Van Hollen were the primary sponsors of the Defending America’s 5G Future Act, a bill that would prevent Huawei from being removed from the “entity list” of the Commerce Department without an act of Congress and authorize Congress to block administration waivers for U.S. companies to do business with Huawei. The bill would also codify Trump’s executive order from the previous May that empowered his administration to block foreign tech companies deemed a national security threat from conducting business in the United States.[154]
In April 2020, Cotton said that Chinese students in the United States should be restricted to studying the humanities and banned from studying science-related fields. In an interview with Fox News, he said, “It is a scandal to me that we have trained so many of the Chinese Communist Party’s brightest minds.”[155][156]
COVID-19
On January 28, 2020, in the context of the emergence of COVID-19, Cotton urged the Trump administration to halt commercial flights from China to the United States. On January 31, spurred in part by Cotton’s warnings, the Trump administration banned most travel from China.[157][158][159][160]
In a February 16, 2020, Fox News interview,[161] Cotton said that the coronavirus may have started at the biosafety level 4 super laboratory in Wuhan, China. “Now, we don’t have evidence that this disease originated there”, Cotton said, “but because of China’s duplicity and dishonesty from the beginning we need to at least ask the question”.[162][163] Articles published by The New York Times and The Washington Post the same day reported that scientists had dismissed claims that the Chinese government created the virus. The Times said this was because of its resemblance to the SARS virus, which originated with bats.[163][162] In another interview on Fox the next day, Cotton said of the two articles, “It tells you the Chinese Communist Party, just like any communist party, has a widespread propaganda effort.”[164]The Post called Cotton’s comments “debunked” and “conspiracy theory” for 15 months until issuing a correction: “The term ‘debunked’ and The Post's use of ‘conspiracy theory’ have been removed because, then as now, there was no determination about the origins of the virus.” Molecular biologist Richard Ebright said The Post had omitted his views supporting the lab leak hypothesis and “materially misrepresented” his views, adding, “Watching ‘the first rough draft of history’ being written as a partisan exercise, rather than a journalistic exercise, was dismaying.”[163][165]
Cotton tweeted around March 2020: “we will hold accountable those who inflicted it on the world” for what it had done. To a tweet stating “China will pay for this”, he responded “Correct.”[166] In late April 2020, Cotton said in a Fox News interview that the non-containment of the pandemic was a “deliberate” and “malevolent” attack by Chinese government on the rest of the world. “They did not want to see their relative power and standing in the world decline because the virus was contained [in China]”, he said.[167][168]
Iran
Cotton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in July 2018
In 2013, Cotton introduced legislative language to prohibit trade with relatives of individuals subject to U.S. sanctions against Iran. According to Cotton, this would include “a spouse and any relative to the third degree”, such as “parents, children, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, grandparents, great grandparents, grandkids, great grandkids.” After Cotton’s amendment came under harsh criticism regarding its constitutionality, he withdrew it.[169][170]
In March 2015, Cotton wrote and sent a letter to the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, signed by 47 of the Senate’s 54 Republicans, that cast doubt on the Obama administration’s authority to engage in nuclear-proliferation negotiations with Iran. The next president, they asserted, could reject it “with the stroke of a pen”.[171] The open letter was released in English as well as a poorly translated Persian version, which “read like a middle schooler wrote it”, according to Foreign Policy.[172] Within hours, commentators[173][clarification needed] suggested that the letter prepared by Cotton constituted a violation of the Logan Act.[174][175] Questions were also raised about whether it reflected a flawed interpretation of the Treaty Clause of the United States Constitution.[176]
President Obama mocked the letter, calling it an “unusual coalition” with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as well as an interference with the ongoing negotiations of a comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.[177] In addition, Obama said, “I’m embarrassed for them. For them to address a letter to the Ayatollah—the Supreme Leader of Iran, who they claim is our mortal enemy—and their basic argument to them is: don’t deal with our president, ’cause you can’t trust him to follow through on an agreement … That’s close to unprecedented.”[178]
Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, responded to the letter by saying “[the senators’] letter in fact undermines the credibility of thousands of such mere executive agreements that have been or will be entered into by the US with various other governments”. Zarif pointed out that the nuclear deal is not supposed to be an Iran–US deal, but an international one, saying, “change of administration does not in any way relieve the next administration from international obligations undertaken by its predecessor in a possible agreement about Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.” He continued, “I wish to enlighten the authors that if the next administration revokes any agreement with the stroke of a pen, as they boast, it will have simply committed a blatant violation of international law.”[179]
Cotton defended the letter amid criticism that it undermined Obama’s efforts, saying, “It’s so important we communicated this message straight to Iran… No regrets at all… they already control Tehran, increasingly they control Damascus and Beirut and Baghdad and now Sana’a as well.”[180][181][182] He continued to defend his action in an interview with MSNBC by saying, “There are nothing but hardliners in Iran. They’ve been killing Americans for 35 years. They kill hundreds of troops in Iraq. Now they control five capitals in the Middle East. There are nothing but hardliners in Tehran and if they do all those things without a nuclear weapon, imagine what they’ll do with a nuclear weapon.”[183]
Cotton received extensive financial support from pro-Israel groups due to his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal and for his hawkish stance toward Iran. Several pro-Israel Republican billionaires who contributed millions of dollars to William Kristol‘s Emergency Committee for Israel spent $960,000 to support Cotton.[184]
In July 2018, Cotton introduced the Iran Hostage Taking Accountability Act, a bill that would call for the president to compose a list of Iranians that were “knowingly responsible for or complicit in…the politically-motivated harassment, abuse, extortion, arrest, trial, conviction, sentencing, or imprisonment” of Americans and have those on the list face sanctions along with enabling the president to impose sanctions on their family members and bar them from entering the United States. Cotton stated that Iran had not changed much since 1981 and called for Americans to avoid Iran and its borders as there were “many friendly countries in the region that you can visit where you’d be safer”.[185]
In May 2019, Cotton said that in the event of a war with Iran, the United States could easily win in “two strikes. The first strike and the last strike”.[132] He said there would be a “furious response” by the United States if there was any provocation from Iran.[132]
Russia
On March 13, 2018, in an interview on conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt‘s radio show, Cotton said he expected Russian officials to “lie and deny” about the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, an ex-Russian spy on British soil.[186] After Prime Minister of the United KingdomTheresa May gave Russia 24 hours to respond to the poison, Cotton said, “I suspect the response will be the typical Russian response. They’ll lie and deny.”[186] He went on to suggest retaliatory measures that the U.K. and the U.S. could implement in response to Russia’s alleged actions, including renewed sanctions on oil.[186]
Personal life
Cotton married attorney Anna Peckham in 2014. They have two children.[187]
^Ruth Brown, January 12, 2017, New York Post, “GOP lawmakers ‘do not recall’ Trump’s ‘shithole’ slur”, Retrieved January 14, 2017, “…Republican Sens. David Perdue and Tom Cotton say they “don’t recall” President Trump “specifically” smearing Haiti and African nations as “shitholes” …”
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