Week in Review: June 1-5 

It was a busy week in Washington. Read more about what we worked on in this Week in Review. 

• Supporting Legislation to Increase Veterans Disability Compensation – I am proud to cosponsor The Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2015, which seeks to increase veterans’ disability benefits. This legislation would allow us to stay ahead of the rising cost of living and provide the best service possible for our heroes and their families.
  
  
• Irresponsible IRS Spending – The IRS needs to change the way it prioritizes what programs to fund. This won’t happen by providing the agency with more money. A change in culture at the agency is necessary to improve taxpayer service. Read my editorial in USA Today.
  
  
• Cutting Red Tape – I’m working to eliminate duplicative and costly permitting requirements for pesticide application users like Arkansas farmers and ranchers. I joined a bipartisan group of senators to introduce the Sensible Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) to improve government efficiency and roll back this regulation.
  
  
• Arkansas Airports Receive FAA Grants - The FAA awarded more than $6.5 million to 11 Arkansas airports for improvements to airport runways, taxiways and aprons. These infrastructure upgrades will help accommodate future growth and development throughout the state.
  
  
• Families Urge Action to Bring Home Iran Hostages – Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee heard from American families who have relatives held hostage in Iran. These families called for a more central focus on the fate of the hostages in negotiations of the Iran nuclear deal. The Iran nuclear deal is the president’s most pressing foreign affairs issue and there is frustration over the lack of insistence to bring these Americans home. The Senate has taken action and we’re waiting for the President to do the same.
  
  
• GAO Report Confirms Need for Science Advisory Board Reforms – The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report this week that shows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hindering the ability of the Science Advisory Board (SAB) to comply with the law. This is all the more reason for the Senate to take up legislation Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and I introduced to reform the SAB.
  
  
• Making my Way Across Arkansas – I spent the week of Memorial Day traveling across Arkansas and meeting with people in Little Rock, Vilonia, Mayflower, Hot Springs, Pine Bluff, Mena and Waldron. Read more about my busy week in Arkansas.