Womack: Patience a must after ‘phenomenal shift’ of political power

With Republicans taking control of the U.S. Senate, all seven Arkansas constitutional offices and strengthening their majority in the Arkansas General Assembly, there's no doubt that this week was a good one for the Republican Party. But U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, said governing will be anything but easy.

To illustrate his point, Womack recited a saying from his father about dreams and reality.

"Son, the realization is never as great as the anticipation," Womack quoted his father as saying, adding a personal anecdote. "In Washington, as in Little Rock, there are things we will always like to do, and they almost always have to be balanced against a political reality of making them happen."

Womack spoke Thursday (Nov. 6) during the annual meeting of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Even with the majorities gained by Republicans Tuesday (Nov. 4), Womack said the fatherly wisdom imparted on him reminds him that he and his constituents will have to be patient as Republicans work to affect change nationally and locally.

Womack, who was re-elected Tuesday by a whopping 79.4% against Libertarian Grant Brand, also acknowledged that the week was not just good for Republicans nationally and locally, but for Arkansas Republicans the election was also historic.

"We're just a couple of days removed from a very historic election in our state and nation. In Arkansas, for the first time in 141 years, the GOP has control of every single federal elected position. Not only have I been witness to this phenomenal shift, but I have participated in it," he said. "And at the state level, every constitutional office in our state now resides with the GOP."

Womack said his work in the next Congress would directly impact his constituents back in Arkansas and specifically, in Fort Smith. Among the local issues Womack said he was working on in Congress was ensuring the new missions of the 188th Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard continue to progress, along with the 123rd Intelligence Squadron which is relocating from Little Rock Air Force Base to the ANG base in Fort Smith.

The missions, according to a presentation Thursday by outgoing Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Melissa Hanesworth, has a $144 million economic impact on the region.

Womack said he was working to make sure the squadrons' operational timelines established by the Pentagon stay on track and said while attending the Army-Navy football game at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., he met with Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James. He and James were able to make plans for her to visit Fort Smith, which he said would happen "soon."

"Secretary James is keenly aware of the transition and has assured me that the future of the 188th is secure and that the timelines will be met," he said.

The timelines established include the establishment of a SCIF, also known as a sensitive compartmented information facility, at the Fort Smith base which he said would allow the squadron to discuss and house classified information tied to its mission. The completion date for the SCIF, he said, is the first quarter of fiscal year 2016.

He also said the remote piloted aircraft (RPA) mission at the base should launch by the third quarter of FY2016, with a space targeting mission set to launch during FY2016's fourth quarter.

Womack's speech also touched on his work on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, specifically discussing local infrastructure needs, the federal Highway Trust Fund and how a solution in Congress could have a direct local impact on industry.

"Long-term solutions to funding America's infrastructure needs continues to be elusive to Congress," he said. "I am hopeful the new Congress can find the right solution, whether it's a user-based solution or some other unique opportunity. Bottom line, we need our roads. We need I-49. We need additional depth on the MKARNS (McClennan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System). When you consider the confluence of systems – river, rail, air, and interstates, not to mention the availability of energy resources – the Fort Smith region and its resources is uniquely situated to be the center of the resurgence of American productivity."