WASHINGTON – Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after the administration formally notified Congress of its plan to enter into trade negotiations with the United Kingdom consistent with Congressional priorities. “I’m pleased to hear the good news that the United States and the United Kingdom will be entering trade negotiations. We are the first and fifth largest economies in the world, respectively, and by working on trade priorities consistent with Congressional objec...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after the president awarded United States Marine Corps Sergeant Major John L. Canley from Caledonia, Arkansas, with the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry in 1968 during the Vietnam War. “Sergeant Major Canley didn’t run away from danger, but towards it. Though wounded, he put himself directly in the line of enemy fire to protect his fellow Marines - placing the lives of his comrades in front of his own. I’m please...
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Blacks' WWI valor gets another look By Frank Lockwood Researchers are calling for a systematic review to determine whether black servicemen were unjustly denied medals of valor for service during World War I. The proposal, which is backed by the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, was detailed last week during a news conference at the annual meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army in Washington. On Nov. 11, the nation will mark the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day -- the mome...
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Raye Montague, Arkansas 'Hidden Figure', Dead At 83 By Paula Rogo An Arkansas native, who was considered a local “hidden figure” for her revolutionary work with the U.S. Navy, died this week. Raye Montague was credited “with revolutionizing the way the Navy’s ships are designed by developing a computer program that creates rough drafts of ship specifications,” the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. She is of many black women “hidden figures” who were STEM trailblazers forgotten by hist...
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WASHINGTON NEWS IN BRIEF: By Frank Lockwood Hill calls out VA over its retesting U.S. Rep. French Hill has given his latest Golden Fleece Award to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, accusing the agency of wasting millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars. The Republican from Little Rock cited a recent review by the department's office of inspector general. It found that the agency had required thousands of disabled veterans to submit to unwarranted medical re-examinations. Between March 2017...
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Little Rock, Arkansas - Congressman French Hill (AR-02) released the following statement after the passing of Arkansas’s ‘Hidden Figure’, Raye Montague. Montague was a civilian engineer who worked for the U.S. Navy, changing how U.S. Navy ships were made and used after learning to use an IBM computer on her own. She received the third highest Navy recognition given to a civilian, the Meritorious Civilian Service Award, and is in the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame. “Arkansas lost an influential fe...
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WASHINGTON – Congressman French Hill (R-AR) named the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as the latest winner of the Golden Fleece Award for wasting over $10 million on ‘unwarranted medical reexaminations for disability benefits.’ “Giving unnecessary, redundant examinations is not only a waste of taxpayer dollars, but it also takes away resources from those who actually need them,” said Hill. “The VA can do better. That’s why I have four full-time veterans on my staff to assist our heroes ...
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WASHINGTON - The Small Business Investor Alliance (SBIA), the leading association of lower middle market private equity funds and investors, today recognized Congressman French Hill (AR-02) for his support of small business investment and presented him with SBIA’s Champion of Small Business Investing Award. Hill is among a group of select Members of Congress being honored by SBIA for their support of investors in small business. “When there’s more capital available and less government red tape, ...
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Little Rock, Arkansas - Today, Congressman French Hill (AR-02) announced that Chelsea Perry has joined his office in Conway. Chelsea, a native of Powder Springs, Georgia, is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force with a deployment to Qatar in 2014. She will serve as Rep. Hill’s District Representative for Military and Veterans Affairs. Chelsea was born in Kailua, Hawaii, and joined the Air Force in 2010 after graduating from high school in Georgia in 2009. In the Air Force she served as a Knowledge Ope...
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Medals due for black war hero from Arkansas killed in 1919 massacre By Hunter Field Almost a century ago, a war hero from Arkansas returned from combat and was treated worse than a criminal -- beaten, shot, stabbed and left dead on the side of the road. His military records were altered so he wouldn't receive the medals and decorations he earned. His crime? Being a black man in America and in Elaine in September 1919. Leroy Johnston -- one of four brothers killed during the 1919 Elaine Massacre ...
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