Press Releases

Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after supporting a government spending measure that provides stability for our troops by fully funding our defense and also includes funds to combat the opioid epidemic: 

“We are finally fully funding our airmen and women at Little Rock Air Force Base and in the Arkansas National Guard - giving our troops the first pay increase in eight years. It’s critical that our troops have the tools, training, and supplies they need to protect our homeland and carry out their missions abroad. This bill also makes improvements to and fully funds the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background System (NICS), a necessary step to keep guns out of the hands of people with a criminal history. It also includes funding for Department of Justice grant programs that strengthen protocols, training, and other vital components of school security to better protect our students and teachers. Overall, the bill provides more than $2.3 billion for mental health, training, and school safety programs. Further, the opioid crisis has touched every Arkansas family, and this bill allocates $4.7 billion to fight that crisis. I have spoken with many Arkansans about their priority of keeping their nation and families safe, informing my vote today, and I’m pleased to see my colleagues put the safety of Arkansans and Americans first.”

Background:

Our budget and appropriations process is broken and this funding bill demonstrates the failure of the Senate to meet the most fundamental Constitutional task of appropriating. Earlier this year, Rep. Hill requested that the House hold a vote on a balanced budget amendment in order to compel the government to better prioritize spending hard-earned tax dollars. He was given a pledge from House Leadership that we will vote on a balanced budget amendment.

Since the 1980’s our mandatory spending went from 30 percent of our budget to a startling 70 percent today. Rep. Hill is calling on our President to work with Congress to craft mandatory spending reforms that would put us on a sustainable pathway to fiscal stability, ensuring that future generations are not shouldered with insurmountable debt.