Across our country, we do not have to look very far to see the impact of federal investments such as an interstate, vocational program or medical treatment, but we may not always stop to think how they came about.

Stewarding taxpayer resources is a serious responsibility. The dollars that Arkansans provide the federal government are hard-earned fruits of their labor. Determining how best to utilize them calls for wisdom and perspective.

Congress has the constitutional authority to tax and spend, which makes holding a seat on the Appropriations Committee – the panel that decides how to allocate funding across scores of departments and agencies – so coveted. In the Senate, I’m blessed to serve in this capacity and have an opportunity to help oversee federal budgets as well as fight more effectively for Arkansas’s needs. 

With the passage of 11 out of 12 Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills, representing 96 percent of discretionary government spending, I am proud they spend less than if we had just extended last year’s funding levels, saving taxpayer dollars. 

Importantly, they also are a big win for our state.

My staff and I worked hard to secure investments in multiple priorities that will help Arkansas keep pace and be ready to meet the demands of the future. These include improved rural, maternal and infant health care; more workforce development; upgraded transportation and water infrastructure; public safety; and national security operations enhancements in The Natural State.

The first three appropriations bills passed, including the legislation I wrote as Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA), directly bolstered the Arkansas National Guard and Red River Army Depot, much of whose workforce resides in southwest Arkansas.

But the benefits for Arkansas did not stop there. 

We also secured important support for agriculture, our state’s largest industry, through funding for storm damage repairs, facility improvements and equipment for the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart as well as an investment to create a state-of-the-art Agriculture Center of Excellence in Food Science within the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

My office also made a concerted push to help resource the work to improve health outcomes, particularly among moms and babies in Arkansas. The result: millions of Arkansans’ tax dollars will turn back to communities across the state, from Newport and Jonesboro to Fort Smith and Little Rock, in service of advancing accessible, lifesaving care.

Infrastructure modernization needs are another common theme we hear about, both within transportation and water systems. Now thanks to these bills, we will have additional funds to continue work on I-49 between Alma and Barling, replace the Main Street Viaduct Bridge in North Little Rock and construct a new rail track at Yellow Bend Port in Desha County. Additionally, drinking and wastewater systems projects from Hardy and Des Arc to Conway and Springdale are receiving crucial support.

There was great news as well for public safety initiatives in cities like Bald Knob and Batesville, as well as for the Arkansas State Police and other statewide law enforcement efforts. Workforce development opportunities in Camden through SAU Tech and in central Arkansas with Pulaski Tech are also the recipients of new federal resources and partnership.

Finally, I’m proud that Arkansas’s national security missions and defense industry were well accounted for in this year’s spending measures.

We built momentum to ensure numerous Natural State communities are receiving the support they deserve to ultimately help raise the quality of life and expand opportunity. I am eager and hopeful to build on that momentum next fiscal year.