Highway, Iran and education stir debate in Congress, set stage for big votes

The warm weather in Arkansas was a definite match for the debate this past week in Congress as the state’s congressional delegation made their opinions known on a series of issues. The House approved a short-term highway bill while the Senate gave approval to a revamping of the No Child Left Behind law.

Lawmakers were also opposed to a deal between the United States and Iran on the issue of nuclear weapons, with the delegation saying the agreement ramps up the opportunity for Iran to build a bomb.

IRAN DEAL
The announcement Tuesday of the deal brought stiff opposition from the state’s congressional delegation. U.S. Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark. and Tom Cotton, R-Ark. said the deal put the United States and the world into greater danger.

“When these discussions began, President Obama claimed we would be able to diplomatically dismantle Iran’s nuclear program. Initial reports on the details of the final agreement suggest this is far from the case. Leak after leak over the final weeks indicated that the President and his negotiating partners were willing — eager even — to give into every demand made by the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. The goalposts have moved from dismantling Iran’s clandestine nuclear weapons program to containing it,” Boozman said.

“The President claims that this agreement is built on verification, but that appears to be exactly where this deal is lacking any punch. It was hard enough to get the international community to commit to sanctions in the first place. With a reprieve of this nature, we will never be able to reestablish them should Iran not live up to their end of this agreement, which is a strong possibility given the Iranian regime’s duplicitous actions in the past.”

“The deal announced by President Obama today is a grievous, dangerous mistake. It will give Iran tens of billions of dollars to finance its sponsorship of terrorism against the United States and our allies. It will lift embargoes on conventional weapons and ballistic-missile sales to Iran. And, ultimately, it will pave the way for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. If this deal is approved, it will represent a historic defeat for the United States,” Cotton said. “When I was a platoon leader in Iraq, my soldiers and I faced deadly roadside bombs, made and supplied by Iran. I tried to reassure them, but I could only tell them to hope it wasn’t our day to die by Iran’s roadside bombs. If Iran obtains a nuclear weapon, I fear the United States will only be able to hope it isn’t our day to die by an Iranian nuclear bomb.”

HIGHWAY BILL HEADS TO SENATE
The House voted 312-119 Wednesday to approve a temporary funding bill to pay for federal highway and transportation projects. The bill, which would fund highway projects through Dec. 18, 2015, now moves down to the upper chamber with questions over its passage remain.

All four members of the U.S. House from Arkansas applauded the approval of the bill but want a long-term fix to the issue.

“We desperately need a long-term highway funding bill, and it is frustrating that a permanent, sustainable, and agreeable revenue source still evades Congress,” said U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers. “Arkansas’s roads and bridges are in dire need of repair, and they are not waiting for Congress as they continue to crumble.”

“Arkansas still needs a long term highway bill to address our outdated roads and bridges that facilitate crucial economic growth throughout our state. I’m disappointed, as are all Arkansans, that a long-term, sustainable funding mechanism for the highway bill has yet to be found, but in the mean time we must continue to fund our current transportation investments to keep the problem from getting worse,” said U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, who serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “This short-term patch will allow all current programs to operate, and I will continue to work with Chairman (Bill) Shuster (R-Pa.) and the rest of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in fighting for a permanent mechanism that funds the full reauthorization our country so desperately needs.”

The Senate may take up the bill next week.

SENATE APPROVES EVERY CHILD ACHIEVES ACT
Senators voted 81-17 Thursday to pass an overhaul of the No Child Left Behind law, with Boozman and Cotton voting yes. The Senate also approved an amendment from Boozman involving career and technical education.

On the overall bill, Boozman and Cotton were supportive of its goals.

“The ESEA reauthorization is a good step toward expanding state and local control over education. This is the proper way for education decisions to be handled, not a one-size fits all policy forced from Washington,” Boozman said.

“I am a proud graduate of Arkansas’s public schools and the son of a public-school teacher and principal. I believe in our public-school system, but I also know too many children aren’t receiving the quality of education they deserve,” Cotton said. “This bill rightly provides educators and administrators with the long-term stability they need to establish better curriculums and accountability measures. And it empowers states to decide what’s best for their students instead of Washington bureaucrats. Rest assured, I will continue to advocate for policies that improve education in Arkansas and across the country.”

The bill now heads to a conference committee with the House to iron out differences in the two bills.

The House and Senate head back to the nation’s capital Tuesday.