Tune-in Ar1

In the episode of Tune-In above, I explain the three main steps that will be taken to repeal the healthcare law and substitute it with a healthcare plan that works. The three steps are budget reconciliation (which occurred last week), administrative action, and legislative repeal. Bottomline, we don't want to create a healthcare cliff, which could be devastating for the healthcare industry and also potentially harmful for the economy at large. For the carpenters out there, the plan to repeal and replace Obamacare will be a sort of lap joint, a fix that is relatively seamless and smooth.

Obamacare Repeal, Cormorants, Cuba Trade by Congressman Rick Crawford (AR-1)

By nature of occupation, farming requires taking on tremendous risk and uncertainty in return for modest pay. The American farmer often faces unforeseeable hardships such as crop failure, pestilence, climate fluctuation, and natural disaster. This reality rings true especially for producers impacted by the floods in Arkansas and Louisiana this summer. For decades, farmers have relied upon ad-hoc disaster assistance to compensate for setbacks, but can no longer count on this solution. The agriculture community has also recently experienced a historic drop in net farm income and cuts to traditional farm support programs after the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill. I introduced the Farm Risk Abatement and Mitigation Election (FRAME) Act, which incentivizes farmers to save money for disaster scenarios

Trade is important for economic development and growth. But often, the bigger the trade deal, the larger the opportunity for gaming the system. This week, the U.S. announced that they will be bringing a case against China to the World Trade Organization. To learn more about that case, the different types of trade agreements, and how all of those affect the 1st District, watch or listen to this week's Tune-In AR1.

Streamlining was whole purpose behind pairing up educators and industry during our STEM tour in AR1. We have so many open jobs in the 1st District, and yet each year thousands of students graduate and don't apply for them. A lot of times that's because people just don't know what's available to them. During the tour I had many teachers tell me that they didn't even know these types of good paying jobs existed for their students right here in the 1st District. My takeaway from the week of the STEM tour and the rest of the August break is that we already have a lot of the tools at our disposal that we need to succeed. We have excellent people, good businesses, and great resources. We just need to do a better job of utilizing and streamlining those gifts.

Despite the fact that GMO's as a whole use less pesticides, less water, and in general are cheaper to produce, there are those who oppose them on the basis that they are bad for you. Study after study has proven that GMO's are just as nutritious as conventional food, but some critics still demand that food should be labeled in order to warn people that many of the products they consume use GMO's. Many families in the 1st District already have problems with access to healthy and affordable food. Mandatory Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) labeling could raise the cost of that food, and for no verifiable scientific reason. However, Vermont recently implemented its own state law that requires certain types of GMO labeling, and other States are already working on similar legislation. In order to prevent a patchwork of different state laws, which would become very complicated for food manufactures and costly for families at the supermarket, Congress this week passed national food labeling legislation that wou

Trying to change the United States' embargo against Cuba is a very politically charged and sensitive topic, particularly for the Cuban Americans who live in south Florida. However, Arkansas, and in particular Arkansas agriculture, stands to benefit greatly from a few small changes to that embargo. After an extremely busy and tense situation on the House floor, I convinced several of the most hard-line Florida Members of Congress that we can change the embargo in a way that allows Arkansas to sell its goods to the island nation while still respecting the sensibilities of their constituents.

Following the devastating Orlando shooting, many officials propose a knee-jerk reaction to censor the 2nd amendment. But as we know, the problem is much more complex and involves solving the deeper problems behind why people commit mass shootings. One answer is radicalization, a phenomenon in which usually an isolated, young, malleable person becomes the victim of some hate-spewing agenda like radical Islam. Watch the short video below to learn more about how we as a nation and the Muslim community can combat youth radicalization.

The Catfish fight has once again arisen in the Senate and House. Opponents have argued against the robust inspections that many Congressional Members worked to ensure. In the latest edition of Tune-In, we're doing a deep dive on imported catfish and the fight in Congress to keep our food supply safe. Bottom line, make sure you know where your fish is from.

The House isn't passing legislation at a level I'm comfortable with, and we're on track to end this year with another omnibus spending bill, which I vote against. Have a question? Comment and I'll answer it in the next edition.

Conservative principles don't accomplish anything without conservative action. From recent claims of Facebook's censorship to the President's announcement concerning transgender restrooms in our schools, folks who identify as ideologically conservative have plenty of reasons to be concerned. We don't mind what others do, but please don't force your opinions on us. After these incidents, I'm challenging you to be more than just upset. Act on those principles as individuals to effect collective change.

On this edition of Tune-In, Congressman Rick Crawford talks about his efforts in support of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians, specifically Army techs. He delves deeply into attempts of the Chemical Corps to appropriate EOD and its mission set, and recent Chemical Corps mission failure. He also discusses his plans to establish EOD as its own branch in the Army, plans that have been included in this year's National Defense Authorization Act

For those of us who love rural Arkansas and are dedicated to its future, we have to start thinking about economic development in a different way. This week on Tune-In, I've started a conversation that I hope will grow and become better defined in the future. On this edition, Rex Nelson joins me and speaks from his depth of personal experience working to improve communities all across the Arkansas Delta. ​If you enjoyed our conversation and have an idea about how to make life better in rural Arkansas, I'd love to hear it. Please email me at this address: ideas@housemail.house.gov

On this edition of Tune-In, Congressman Rick Crawford discusses the different types of legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives and the different rules for getting that legislation passed.

Supporters of the Cuban embargo have legitimate concerns, but I and several other Arkansas law makers are interested in the advantage trade would give not only to Arkansas businesses, but also the Cuban people.

On this edition of Tune-In, Congressman Crawford discusses the hundreds of caucuses in the United States Congress, including some of the stranger ones and the ones he himself has started.

On this edition of Tune-In AR1, I'm covering trade practices by China and India, particularly in regards to cotton and how those practices affect those of us who live in the 1st District of Arkansas. I also question United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Vilsack about his agency's lackluster role in a solution to the problem. The USDA has argued that they do not have the authority to consider cottonseed an oilseed, a designation which would provide some relief.

For the last 10 months, my office has been tracking the development of growing allegations that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may have side-stepped federal law when they engaged in lobbying U.S. citizens to support a rule that the agency has been pushing, the Waters of the United States rule, or WOTUS. WOTUS is a rule that would have massively expanded the federal government's regulatory authority over small bodies of water all over our country. This week during a hearing of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, I questioned EPA administrator Gina McCarthy about the nature of her agency's actions, which were concluded to be in violation of federal law by the Government Accountability Office.

On this edition of Tune-In AR1, Representative Rick Crawford talks about the upcoming year's spending bills and how a strategy could change the process and bring the House back into regular order.

In this edition of Tune-In, Representative Rick Crawford of Arkansas discusses three key issues with the President's final State of the Union Address, including the detainment of American sailors by Iran.