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

• Creating Opportunities for American Jobs and Economic Growth: The Senate passed, with my support, the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). This legislation ensures that we can negotiate a fair trade deal while maintaining Congress’s role in the process. International trade supports more than 340,000 Arkansas jobs. Opening new markets for Arkansas’s agriculture producers, small businesses and globally-engaged workforce will drive that number up.
  
  
• Supporting Highway and Transportation Funds: Arkansas needs reliable federal funding to plan and complete road improvements. We need a long-term solution that allows continued progress on our transportation system. The Senate approved an extension of the highway bill that allows us more time to find an answer while preventing interruptions in ongoing construction projects.
  
  
• Improvements Needed at VA: The Senate Appropriations Committee passed the FY2016 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act which included two measures I introduced to strengthen Department of Veterans Affairs services and require the department to be better stewards of taxpayer dollars.
  
  
• Improving EPA Science Review Process: The Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight conducted a hearing on the science behind the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision-making.  This hearing included a discussion about the EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act, legislation I introduced with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). Watch the opening statement.
   
• USDA Grants for Arkansas Communities: McCrory and Cotter received funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for first responder vehicles and equipment. The department approved a loan for the city of Brinkley to make improvements to its existing wastewater treatment plant. 

• On the radio: I joined Jonesboro’s KASU radio and we talked about the debate over granting trade promotion authority to the President, the need to get broadband to rural Arkansas and why the budget proposal passed by Congress is good for America. Listen to the interview here.