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Senator John Boozman

Dr. Boozman's Check-up

On the Record: COVID-19 Response

Feb 03 2021

Here’s a round-up of some of my public comments about the new coronavirus (COVID-19), including how my colleagues in the Senate and I are responding to this crisis.

WASHINGTON, DC (NEXSTAR) — Republicans have turned to reopening schools as their political rallying cry to try to win back key components of their base: suburban voters and women.

GOP lawmakers continued their push Wednesday for students’ safe return to the classroom with money Congress approved last year, but Democrats still want billions more to make that happen.

“Parents can see that virtual learning simply isn’t working,” said Sen. John Boozman, R-AR. 

Boozman reports nearly 70 percent of his state’s public school students have returned to the classroom, despite different COVID-19 challenges in each district.

“They moved ahead with the same goal: finding the best and the safest way to get and keep children and teachers in the classroom,” Boozman said.

WASHINGTON -- The nomination of Tom Vilsack as agriculture secretary received swift and bipartisan support Tuesday from the Senate Agriculture Committee.

After a controversy-free confirmation hearing Tuesday morning, committee members reported the nomination favorably to the full Senate Tuesday afternoon. The voice vote was unanimous.

The fast-tracking occurred despite the committee lacking a chairman; U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., exited Congress on Jan. 3 and a replacement has not been named. Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, the committee's ranking Republican, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, the committee's top Democrat, took turns Tuesday wielding the gavel...

...While Congress debates additional pandemic-relief measures, Vilsack emphasized the aid that is already in the pipeline.

"As Sen. Boozman indicated, [we] have to review the additional relief that's been ordered by Congress and try to get that into the hands of farmers, ranchers, producers and those in rural America as quickly, efficiently [and] as effectively as possible."

JOHN BOOZMAN: We are all aware of the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our society. We learned our supply chain is more fragile and resilient than we thought. The supply chain didn't break, but the marketplace was certainly very challenging. We need to consider options to make the supply chain even more resilient. In the future, we need to have the ability to respond to these types of black swan events. Unfortunately, we must assume that it is not a question of if another pandemic will occur, but rather when.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman rolled up his sleeve Saturday and did his best imitation of a pin cushion: He got stuck with a needle carrying the vaccine that will eventually give him immunity from covid-19.
The state's senior senator praised the "American ingenuity and investment" that led to vaccines that will, soon, give us all a chance to return some normalcy -- whatever that looks like -- to our lives.

"As our state begins to distribute doses," the former ophthalmologist said through Twitter, "I encourage Arkansans to follow the advice of our health care professionals, who have overwhelmingly expressed confidence in the vaccine. I firmly believe we can put our trust in it."

A U.S. senator from Arkansas announced Saturday morning that he got the vaccine to protect against COVID-19.

In a post on Senator John Boozman’s Facebook page, he said he decided to get it following the recommendation of the Office of the Attending Physician.

He added that this puts us on the path to normalcy. “We can all be proud of the American ingenuity and investment that has resulted in this lifesaving vaccine,” Boozman said.

He then urged Arkansans to follow the advice of health care professionals on the overwhelmingly expressed confidence they have in the vaccine. “I firmly believe we can put our trust in it,” he said.

Boozman said he recognizes that some people have doubts about the vaccine. As a health care professional -- Boozman has been an optometrist for decades -- he said he has confidence in the medical experts who have created the vaccine and approved its use.

"I would really encourage my fellow Arkansans to get the vaccine. This is the path that we can take to get back to normalcy," he said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization on Dec. 11 for the Pfizer vaccine; developers say it is 95% effective. The company is scheduled to deliver 100 million U.S. doses by the end of March.

The Associated Press reported Friday that the FDA had also approved another vaccine, this one developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health.

Boozman said he hesitated before agreeing to be vaccinated, wondering if he should wait and get it in Arkansas when it becomes more readily available.

Ultimately, he decided to get the shot now. By stepping forward, he said he hoped to convince people who are on the fence about getting vaccinated.

"[We] can be so proud, as a country, that we were on the cutting edge of doing this. It just shows American ingenuity and our scientists and our health care providers are the best in the world," he said.

At the moment, Boozman and other senators are waiting to see how congressional leaders and the White House negotiate a possible coronavirus aid package. At least some lawmakers have coalesced around a $908 billion package that is viewed as a starting point for final negotiations. That package includes $26 billion for nutrition and agriculture.

"I hope that, you know, in the next day or two, we can come up with a good compromise that helps," Boozman told DTN in a phone interview. "Certainly, our schools or businesses, particularly small businesses, making sure that our health care providers have all of the resources that they need to fight the virus that's going on as we speak. But also to make sure that, as far as vaccination delivery, all of those kind of things are adequately funded. And I feel sure that they will be, but it's something that we need to come to an agreement."

As Boozman met with hospital officials, the Arkansas Department of Health reported Craighead County had 130 confirmed new cases of COVID-19, 18 more probable cases and one death; Greene County had 52 confirmed and 18 probable new cases and Lawrence County had 17 confirmed and eight probable new cases. Active cases totaled 854 in Craighead, 527 in Greene and 110 in Lawrence County.

Boozman also said that as far as the federal government and legislature is concerned, the best thing that can be done to help the state and the country is to continue to provide funding to hospitals to help them fight COVID-19.

“And we are getting advice on what to work on in the future,” he said. “But right now, it’s money.”

Boozman acknowledged the existence of two proposed stimulus packages in the Congress, one which would provide $908 billion in aid, and a smaller one of $500 billion.

“I like the $500 billion version” he said, “because it’s more targeted.”

As reported by the Seattle Times on Dec. 3, the $908 billion package has bipartisan support. Boozman said he expected a final package would likely be somewhere between the two figures.

“And this is not a stimulus package,” he said. “It’s a survival package.”

As for what he would do differently from what Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has done in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Boozman had nothing but praise for the governor.

“The governor has done a tremendous job in a difficult situation,” he said. “He’s been dealing with issues no one else has had to deal with.”

The White House Coronavirus Task Force reports that Arkansas remains in the “red zone” for new coronavirus cases and 88 percent of the state’s counties have moderate or high community transmission of the virus.

The Task Force ranked Arkansas 24th in the country for new cases per capita. The state’s test positivity ranked 30th, according to the panel, which again recommended restaurants in the state limit indoor dining capacity to less than 25 percent, a proposal Hutchinson has rejected as virus cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations have reached record levels.

Boozman noted the federal government has provided the state $1.25 billion to help fight the pandemic.

“The challenge now is the vaccine,” he said.

Senator John Boozman visited a few places in Region 8 to get input from people on the front lines to ultimately designate where money will be spent in the future.

Friday morning, Senator Boozman visited with administrators at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould and other officials. The meeting lasted a little over an hour, and they wasted no time bringing up the hospital’s concerns.

AMMC said their insurance reimbursement is low. For example, a nine-day patient stay for a right ankle fracture costs $32,144. They were reimbursed $8.34. Hospital officials said this is a threat to rural or small hospitals.

“Whatever problems the hospital has is intervening on their behalf. The one thing I can do is have people take those phone calls, discuss it, and the good news is the hospital’s in the right,” Boozman said when asked about his plans for the issue.

The hospital’s officials also shed light on psychological stress among all employees and how no one was paying attention to it. President Barry Davis commended all of their hard work and said they have not hired travel nurses to take the workload but offered their staff “incentives.”
He also mentioned worrying about the upcoming “surge” of COVID-19 cases projected to come in March 2021. Davis admitted he’s disappointed at a national level at no unified response to the virus, saying discussions became political.

The meeting also included a discussion regarding a COVID-19 vaccine. Senator Boozman supports the vaccine and hopes to see it available soon.

“The way to get back to normalcy, which we definitely all want to do, is to take the vaccine. We can be so proud as a nation,” he said. “When I talk to the people at NIH, the people who have worked so hard on this, no one thought it was humanly possible to develop a vaccine in the amount of time that we have.”
He added that he’s “very comfortable” with the vaccine and said he’s “grown up with vaccines with various diseases.”

Senator Boozman said he is leaning towards the new economic bill worth $500 billion. He said it reprograms helping hospitals, schools, and small businesses.

Thursday was a busy day for U.S. Sen. John Boozman, who traveled across the region to visit with schools and discuss what they need to succeed.

Fort Smith was the third and final stop for Boozman on Thursday. The senator spoke about his Fort Smith roots, having grown up in the area and gone to Fort Smith Public Schools (FSPS). Greenwood Superintendent John Ciesla joined the conference by phone while FSPS Superintendent Doug Brubaker was present with other members of FSPS administration.

Boozman started the conversation by asking the status of virtual school and what percentage of students were enrolled in that option as well as asking if there were students returning to in-class instruction...

...Boozman stated that he knows there is not a one-size-fits-all solution for schools in Arkansas, but he also noted that nutrition was a unifying theme in several districts. His hope for traveling across the state is to see what individual districts of all sizes need in order to do well.

Senator John Boozman met with school leaders to make sure kids are getting all the food that they need during the pandemic.

He visited with school officials in Pike, Montgomery and Sebastian counties today. At the meetings, they discussed federal school nutrition programs.

The USDA has recently relaxed some rules that help make sure children continue to get school meals throughout the rest of the year even if they are learning virtually.

“I want to know how those are working and also if there’s other things we need to provide additional flexibility regarding meals or really any other things as we go forward with additional legislation,” Boozman said.

Boozman said they also discussed other needs like PPE and access to vaccines.

Sen. John Boozman, who is set to take over as the top Republican on the Senate Ag Committee, next year is optimistic that Congress will provide more aid to farmers for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The question is when a new aid package will pass, and that looks unlikely before the election.

“I don’t think we’re going to have a lot of partisanship in getting” additional ag funding, Boozman, R-Ark., said. Both Democrats and Republicans support providing about $20 billion in additional aid to the ag sector.

Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., who is in line to become the top Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee next year, told Agri-Pulse on Tuesday he expects bipartisan support for the ag provisions, although the House and Senate have taken different approaches. 

“I don’t think anything is going to be done between now and the election. On the other hand, myself, Sen. (Pat) Roberts, Sen. (John) Hoeven and several others have been working really hard to make sure that ag is part of the next package that we do after we come back,” Boozman said. Roberts, R-Kan., chairs the Senate Ag Committee now, and Hoeven, R-N.D., chairs the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.

Boozman said that the Agriculture Department has sufficient funding currently to address farmers’ immediate needs, including making payments under the second round of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

U.S Senator John Boozman met with the fire chiefs in Northwest Arkansas today to learn how they are serving their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The senator got the hear what kind of challenges they face and how fire stations are adapting to health guidelines.

“These things like having a great fire department which we are so blessed with in Arkansas, it’s like turning on the lights we just take it for granted,” Boozman said.

Boozman went on to thank the fire teams for continuing to keep our communities safe.

The Trump administrations carries out a major piece of its regulatory reform agenda this week, while some lawmakers hold out hope for breaking an impasse over a coronavirus relief package...

...Perdue has been under pressure from members of Congress to expand the list of commodities that are eligible for the program.

Arkansas Sen. John Boozman, who is in line to become the top Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee next year, told Agri-Pulse he still hoped a new coronavirus aid package can get enacted before the election, but he noted that Perdue “has plenty of money” available to make the CFAP-2 payments.

Senate Republicans on Thursday failed to advance their substantially scaled-back stimulus plan amid opposition from Democrats who called the measure inadequate, further darkening the already dim prospects that Congress will enact another economic recovery measure to address the toll of the coronavirus pandemic before November's election...

...In a written statement, U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Ark., called the vote a "disappointing development."

"Instead of delivering a result, our Democratic colleagues chose to block progress on this package while also refusing to negotiate on any realistic solutions that stand a chance of becoming law," he said.

"I'm certain the frustration I feel about this lack of cooperation is shared by Arkansans and others across the country," he said.

When U.S. Sen. John Boozman stood in front of officials and frontline workers employed at White River Health System, his message was not only of praise for the efforts that have been put forth, but also gave a glimpse of what is to come.

He also answered a few tough questions during his visit, which was held on the campus of the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville.

Boozman said there is no timetable on a vaccine to combat COVID-19.

“This disease is unique, and so acquiring a vaccine, we want to make sure that it works, that it’s safe, and so it’s really difficult to do,” Boozman said. “So the timeline we are on right now is very, very advanced. Hopefully, we’ll have something at the first of the year.”

Boozman shot down any ideas that the virus was politically motivated.

“I think when you look at the timeline we are on, no one thought it was humanly possible to be as far along as we are,” Boozman said. “On the other hand, it’s like when you’re building a home. When you frame it, it goes really fast. When you get to the finish work, we are doing the finish work now. I don’t think it’s politicized.”

Boozman added that people should be proud of the world that the National Institute of Health is doing.

“Everyone is working hard,” Boozman said. The good news is that the mortality rate has come way down because of the treatments that are out there now. Our providers are doing such a good job of using their experience that they have gained to keep people healthy.”

Sen. John Boozman told Unity Health officials Wednesday “there is still a lot of money in the pipeline” to make sure health care workers have the resources going forward to do a great job protecting themselves and to provide the best patient care imaginable.

Boozman, Arkansas’ senior U.S. senator, spent the early morning at Unity Health’s south campus on Main Street thanking health care workers on the front line for all they have been doing in the age of COVID-19.

“In the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security] Act, a lot of money was provided,” Boozman said. “... When you talk about those kind of sums, it’s actually difficult to push it through the channel, so we push it out of the federal government into the state sometimes directly but it just takes a while to get through that pipeline, so there’s still dollars in the pipeline.

“We are in the process now of discussing what we’re going to do in the future. I think what you will see coming up is a number of smaller bills, very targeted bills.”

Supporting community health and hospitals and education are things both Democrats and Republicans agree on, explained Boozman, who is a Republican.

“You have to remember we have probably spent close to 3 trillion dollars at this point,” he said. “In the senate that was unanimous. That was the Democrats and the Republicans working together, coming up, trying to come up with solutions to a very difficult problem.”

U.S. Senator John Boozman  is spending the next few days visiting different parts of Arkansas to talk with and thank frontline health care workers for the work they’re doing to care for and help Arkansans during COVID-19. The past two days have been in southwest Arkansas, including Hope. “We’re certainly grateful for them all the time, but especially amid a public health crisis. I also appreciate the opportunity to hear feedback and concerns directly from these health care heroes as we work to address their needs in future relief legislation in the Senate,” Boozman said.

Tuesday, the senator made stops in Texarkana with representatives from CHRISTUS St. Michael,  UAMS Southwest Regional Campus – Texarkana, and Wadley Regional Medical Center; in Hope at Pafford Medical Services; in Nashville at Howard Memorial Hospital; and Malvern at Baptist Health Medical Center.

Monday night, he had dinner with personnel from Little River Memorial Hospital in Ashdown to wrap up Day 1.” It’s a real privilege to be able to thank these men and women for the job they’re doing and also hear from them about ways I, my staff and the federal government can support them as they wage this incredibly important fight against COVID-19. I’m happy to be getting to offer my thanks and appreciation in person as well as listen to their experiences and learn about what more we can do to help them do their jobs more effectively,” the Senator added.

Senator Boozman and his staff Tuesday stopped by for a visit at the Pafford Corporate Office in Hope.

In a statement, Pafford said, “We appreciate the Senator for taking time to visit with our crews, listen to concerns regarding the VA, and taking notes on other issues ambulance providers face on a daily basis as we are the healthcare safety net in so many of our communities during this global pandemic. Thank you to Rep. Danny Watson for joining us today as well and continuing to be a voice for our region.”

Arkansas Senator John Boozman visited UAMS Family Medical Center- Texarkana on Wednesday morning. 

Senator Boozman thanked frontline workers and spoke with hospital officials to make sure the medical centers have all the resources they need.

UAMS Health Family Medicine Physician Russell E. Mayo, M.D. says it’s important for the senator to understand what obstacles they face in this pandemic. One of those obstacles is testing supplies due to the spike in cases across the country.

The senator said a new testing option is on the way to help ease the shortage.

“In the not too distant future, we will actually have testing that you can do in five to 15 minutes, salvia test, $1 to $5 that you can buy in the local store,” said Boozman. “There should be a better situation in a couple of months.”

According to Boozman, the concerns are the same statewide for medical centers of all sizes. He says hospitals are in reasonable shape with personal protection equipment and funding. He is currently seeking additional funding to make sure it stays that way.

“Senator Boozman’s done a good job at representing Arkansas through the pandemic,” said Texarkana, Arkansas Mayor Allen Brown.

United States Sen. John Boozman anticipates further hospital assistance from government officials is on the way.

Boozman, during a meeting Tuesday morning with healthcare workers at Mercy Hospital-Booneville, said he anticipates legislation at state and federal levels is coming “soon” to hospitals in Arkansas. He said he expects the legislation will provide assistance to hospitals while enabling them to continue measures that have worked during the pandemic.

Logan County on Tuesday afternoon had 105 active COVID-19 cases. This total follows an outbreak at the Booneville Human Development Center, which at one point reported 66 active cases between staff and clients. Dr. Syed Hamed reported at least six people required hospitalization from that outbreak.

Mercy officials at the meeting said rural hospitals like Mercy-Booneville allow for patients in their communities that contract COVID-19 to receive treatment without being moved to larger communities like Fort Smith.

Boozman said lawmakers are looking at the future functions of hospitals and healthcare professionals in light of needs that have been uncovered during the pandemic. He said he wants rural communities to keep healthcare so they can provide services to people in proximity.

Mercy officials told Boozman they would like to see aspects of healthcare during COVID-19 such as telemedicine and the waiving of medicare replacement policies to stay the same.

“The way you can help us is, as you’re doing now, keep giving us a list as to what you’ve found helpful, because we really have been able to move quickly from the government compared to how we have in the past with these emergency declarations, which really makes your life easier,” Boozman said.

Boozman said the federal government is spending “a tremendous amount of money” on COVID-19 testing.

U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, urged U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to continue providing flexibilities to schools and sponsoring organizations for school meals and child nutrition. 

Boozman and his colleagues sent the letter to Secretary Perdue to ensure students have access to healthy, nutritious meals through USDA’s child nutrition programs this school year.

“As the school year begins, the challenges brought on by the COVID emergency persist. We encourage continued use of the child nutrition program waiver authority ably used thus far to assist school food authorities and non-school sponsoring organizations who work collaboratively to provide children meals while schools explore various and blended models of in-person and virtual classroom sessions,” the Senators wrote in the letter. “During this COVID emergency, we ask USDA to utilize program flexibilities, grants or reimbursements that assist school food authorities with procuring, preparing, and serving meals in a manner consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 school re-opening guidelines and that support non-school sponsors providing meals to children on remote-learning days or when in-classroom learning is unavailable.”

Leadership shared a glimpse of the Rogers School District's fall opening plan with U.S. Sen. John Boozman during his visit Friday to Northside Elementary.

The school was chosen to give Boozman, R-Ark., an opportunity to see the building's major renovation, said Ashley Kelley Siwiec, district communications director. The renovation cost about $6.7 million, said Charles Lee, assistant superintendent for general administration.

Superintendent Marlin Berry said the project was comprehensive and included new flooring, ceilings, cabinetry and a heating and cooling system. Boozman's toured the cafeteria, halls and a classroom to see how the spaces will be configured to help prevent the spread of covid-19...

..."The bottom line is we just have to think outside the box," Boozman said, adding it's clear the district is doing so. "You've thought of everything."

Boozman said the school year will have to be addressed on a day-to-day basis. "I feel very strongly that we can make something work," he said.

U.S. Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton and Congressmen Rick Crawford, French Hill, Steve Womack, and Bruce Westerman announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provided Arkansas Public Housing Agencies $3,458,460 in funding to support the prevention, preparation, and response to the coronavirus pandemic in public housing.

“As Arkansas continues to combat the impacts of COVID-19, it is important to put resources in the hands of our communities. These investments will provide locally-driven assistance to help protect and assist families and individuals in need throughout the Natural State,” members said.

Arkansas delegation is urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to amend eligibility thresholds when determining the high-impact payments through the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund.

Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) led a letter alongside U.S. Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton and Congressmen Rick Crawford, French Hill, and Bruce Westerman to HHS hoping to ensure hospitals who saw late surges in hospitalizations can qualify to receive assistance.

“We strongly urge you to take into account states that saw surges in patients in late June and July when determining distribution of payments for high-impact areas,” the members wrote. “Congress and the Administration acted swiftly to allocate resources as quickly as possible, and as this pandemic continues to change and impact different parts of this country, it is imperative that our policies remain flexible and the vast resources provided continue to make the most impact.”

Today Senator Boozman took a trip to the Veterans Healthcare System of the Ozarks (VHSO) Friday (Aug. 7).

Boozman says he wanted to make sure VHSO staff knows they are appreciated, and he wanted to ensure they have the materials and resources needed to keep themselves safe and to treat our veterans.

Senator Boozman says it is important to listen to those on the front-lines and to learn from them during this pandemic.

“We need to be talking to the people on the ground who are actually doing it. The solution to our problem needs to come from the ground up,” Boozman said.

Kelvin Parks with the Veterans Affairs says they have always had the senator's support but today was extra-special to all who were involved.

“It was a really uplifting day for all of our staff. For him to come by and say something encouraging and to motivate and inspire us, made for a very exciting day,” Parks said.

After the senator individually thanked frontline workers, he took a tour around the hospital to see those efforts first-hand.

Some of Fayetteville’s frontline fighters get a special visit from Sen. John Boozman.

The Senator stopped by the Veterans Healthcare Center of the Ozarks to recognize its healthcare workers for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.

He said it’s important to thank them and ensure they are getting the assistance they need to take care of Arkansas’ Veterans.

“We can be so very proud of the network that we have in Arkansas. Nobody’s working any harder,” Boozman said.

Boozman has been a constant advocate for Veterans and their health care.

Last month, he introduced legislation that would cut down on VA Backlog for those applying for disability.

U.S. Senator John Boozman was in Rogers to discuss the upcoming school year.

Boozman met with the Superintendent and board members for Rogers Public Schools to see how schools are preparing to safely reopen for teachers and students.

He says he was impressed with what he saw today.

“I’m very much encouraged by the, seeing the various ways that we’re going to keep our children safe, keep our teachers safe, and really importantly if it’s humanly possible to keep our children in school,” he said.

Boozman said he thinks lawmakers will send additional funding to schools in the future as needed during the pandemic.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $8.2 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to capitalize and administer Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) that will provide critical gap financing to small businesses and entrepreneurs that have been adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic across Arkansas...      

...“Our small businesses have shown remarkable resilience during this challenging time,” said Senator John Boozman (R-AR). “In navigating this crisis, it’s important to ensure they have the ability to revitalize operations, restore or create jobs and continue vital activity that underpins regional economies. I applaud the EDA and the Trump administration for providing Arkansas small businesses and entrepreneurs with needed capital to spur economic recovery and growth.”

Arkansas Sen. John Boozman, who is in line to become the top Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee next year, said Perdue needs the flexibility the GOP proposal would provide him because the needs in agriculture could change in coming months. But Boozman said the highest priority is getting the additional $20 billion to USDA.

“Right now we’re working to get everybody on board in the dollars that we’ve got,” he said. 

Boozman said one issue is how long a benefit increase would last — he suggested a year might be long enough. Another issue is whether Democrats would insist on blocking SNAP work requirements from ever being tightened. Still, he said that many Republicans are open to increasing nutrition assistance. “We don’t want people going hungry,” he said.

Boozman, in line to be Senate Ag’s top Republican in the next Congress, says he will hold USDA accountable for how it spends future COVID-19 payments to producers. 
 
“Certainly, we’re going to hold their feet to the fire and make sure that these dollars are going to be spent in the way that was broadly outlined with the language we finally come up with,” Boozman told Agri-Pulse. 
 
Boozman did commend USDA for being able to roll out programs in a matter of weeks compared, noting some farm bill programs can take years to implement.

A key senator involved in developing the Republican coronavirus relief package for farmers defended the broad authority it gives to USDA to spend $20 billion in farm aid, but he said the Trump administration likely will need to provide assurances about how the money will be spent.

U.S. Senator John Boozman backs a proposal to fund child care centers across the state.

Some child care centers, like Kiddie Campus in Fayetteville, never closed when the pandemic hit.

So, owner Robin Slaton tells KNWA/Fox 24 any sort of financial help right now would make a huge difference.

Slaton said by not closing, the business took huge financial hits that it’s still trying to recover from.

The Back to Work Child Care Grants Act of 2020 would provide nine months of financial assistance to providers like her, and childcare centers that need help reopening.

The U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced today the Department’s Economic Development Administration is awarding $3.2 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to eight EDA Economic Development District organizations across Arkansas to update the economic development plans and fortify programs to assist communities in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic....

...“The economic harm COVID-19 has brought to communities across Arkansas has been readily apparent,” said Senator John Boozman. “Investing in development organizations and strategies to help our communities recover and prepare for future growth opportunities makes perfect sense, and I applaud the administration for announcing these grants and prioritizing economic resiliency,” Boozman said.

U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) is continuing his work to support economic recovery by ensuring Arkansas families have access to child care services.

Boozman joined U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and other colleagues to introduce the Back to Work Child Care Grants Act of 2020, legislation to assist child care providers in continuing to offer critical, affordable services for working families during the COVID-19 emergency. 

“We need to take steps to ensure caregivers can continue to provide this vital service Arkansas parents rely on. As parents seek to return to work, they need an available and safe environment to bring their children. This legislation is critical to meeting the needs of hardworking families and helping providers continue operations,” Boozman said.

U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) continued his efforts to make the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) more flexible by joining a bipartisan effort to streamline forgiveness of the program’s smaller loans.

Boozman cosponsored the Paycheck Protection Small Business Forgiveness Act, introduced by Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ). The bill would make it easier for small businesses to get PPP loans of $150,000 or less forgiven through a simple, one-page form.

“The PPP has been a critical lifeline for small businesses and has helped millions of Americans continue to receive their paychecks during the COVID-19 crisis. However, the bureaucratic hurdles small business owners need to clear to prove their eligibility for loan forgiveness are overly burdensome for the 85 percent of recipients who received loans of $150,000 or less. Simplifying the loan forgiveness process for the smallest borrowers will minimize the burden of extensive paperwork and allow small businesses to focus on retaining jobs and growing our economy,” said Boozman.

As super markets around the state emptied during the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers continued to provide for the community...

...Although U.S. Senator John Boozman believes this won’t be enough. He is in the process of getting another aid package to help these farmers.

“They create the safest, cheapest food supply of any country in the world, we can be really proud of that,” Senator Boozman said. “But it has been a difficult time for them.”

As of now it’s unclear when more federal money will come and that could hurt the state.

“It’s 25% of Arkansas’ economy, and because of that it’s really important to our state and it’s really important to rural Americans which many times gets left out,” Senator Boozman said.

U.S. Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton—along with Congressmen Rick Crawford, French Hill, Steve Womack and Bruce Westerman—applauded the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for awarding $42.7 million to the Arkansas Department of Transportation in support of the state’s public transit systems.

The grant—totaling $42,742,893—comes from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which became law in March with the support of the Arkansas delegation. The funding will be used by ARDOT for state and project administration, including leave for employees due to the reductions in service or the need to quarantine; operating expenses to maintain transit services; and the purchase of personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies.

“The CARES Act is continuing to deliver help to Arkansas. The transportation industry is facing economic challenges as a result of the coronavirus. These funds will help support the changing needs of transit agencies and ensure Arkansans can continue to use the vital services they provide,” members said.

U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) continues his efforts to strengthen access to telehealth services, which have become even more necessary in light of the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Boozman called on the agencies to provide a plan on permanent changes to Medicare telehealth rules.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided HHS with the authority to waive telehealth requirements for the length of the COVID-19 public health crisis, making it possible for patients to continue receiving medical care without exposing themselves or providers to the coronavirus. Additionally, telehealth has provided a source of financial stability as providers had to delay non-emergency procedures.

However, patients have expressed concern that Medicare’s temporary changes to telehealth rules will be rolled back without advance notice.

“We appreciate your recognition that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more patients and providers see the value of telehealth. We believe telehealth is an important tool that enhances patient care and can provide efficiency in health care delivery,” the senators wrote in the letter. “While telehealth may not be able to replace all in-person care, we believe it should continue to be an option to meet individual care needs.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Rogers, on the other hand, wears his mask religiously.

"I try to model that. I'm not perfect, but I do a pretty good job of it," he said. "The science clearly tells us that if we [wear masks], it helps stop the spread. It not only protects us, but it protects those around us, which is so, so very important."

Mask orders, if they come, should be issued by governors, not federal officials, he said.

Ideally, people would comply voluntarily, he said.

"Everyone wants to go back to normal, and the fastest path there is for people to cooperate," he said. "I'm really not in favor of mandating things that are difficult to enforce."

Trump has appeared more open to the idea of wearing a mask in recent days, Boozman said, portraying the shift as

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Permalink: https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2021/2/what-they-are-saying-covid-19-response