WASHINGTON NEWS: Westerman gives West Point lecture; Kelly reaches out to Boozman, 7 others; Cotton drives home Israel's importance

Westerman gives West Point lecture

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman visited the U.S. Military Academy last week, his first trip to West Point.

"I went up Sunday night and actually did a little guest lecture for one of their geospatial information systems classes," he said.

The Republican from Hot Springs has introduced legislation focusing on geospatial data collection, so he's familiar with the subject matter.

The class instructor, Lt. Col. Jared Ware, had extended the invitation.

The two men both attended Fountain Lake High School. After graduation, Ware went to the academy; Westerman went through the nomination process but ultimately opted to go to school in Fayetteville.

"I've never regretted my decision to go to the University of Arkansas, walk on and play football. But I'll tell you, after being up there [at the military academy], I thought 'This would've been a really neat place to go to school.'"

In addition to the guest lecture, Westerman met with cadets from Arkansas and the academy's superintendent, Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr.

Kelly reaches out to Boozman, 7 others

U.S. Sen. John Boozman met Tuesday with White House Chief of Staff John Kelly on Capitol Hill.

"He actually came over here. We had a good visit. ... He really wanted to know how he could be helpful in the relationship [between] Congress and the White House," Boozman said. "Those things, I think, are very very positive."

The Republican from Rogers was one of about eight lawmakers to meet with Kelly, he said.

Among the topics discussed: tariffs on steel and aluminum. Boozman said everybody agreed that they don't want to see a trade war.

It ended up being a long day. Boozman started with the breakfast meeting with Kelly and wrapped up with a nighttime tour of the U.S. Capitol.

Boozman said he enjoyed guiding Arkansas Farm Bureau members through the building, especially "the first-timers."

"Looking at these people, you can just see [the excitement] in their eyes, so it's neat to share," he added.

Cotton drives home Israel's importance

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton spoke Monday at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington.

The event draws thousands of pro-Israel Americans from across the country.

In an interview, the Republican from Dardanelle said Israel is "critically important" to the United States.

"Most Arkansans support the modern nation of Israel. They support our shared Judeo-Christian heritage. They recognize that Israel is the only constitutional democracy in the Middle East," he said.

"They also are critical security partners, one of the most advanced technological societies in the world. We end up using a lot of their technology not only for our defense needs but civilian life as well," Cotton said. "That's why so many Arkansans are iron-clad supporters of the U.S.-Israel relationship."

Israel also plays an important role in keeping Tehran in check, he said.

"They will actually fight back against Iran, as we've seen repeatedly," he said. "We have a lot of partners in the Middle East who are aligned with us against Iran, but Israel is the nation that has the military capability to actually fight back against Iranian aggression in the region."

Arkansans stop in for visits with Hill

A steady stream of constituents stopped by to visit with U.S. Rep. French Hill last week, including Arkansas Farm Bureau leaders, Arkansas Humanities Council officials, Arkansas Waterways Commission representatives and a delegation from the Arkansas Department of Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Officials from Little Rock and Hope were also on Capitol Hill, and they told the Republican from Little Rock about school nutrition programs.

"They talked about the school lunch and school breakfast program and how it could be improved and how the regulations and paperwork surrounding it could be streamlined," Hill said. "We also talked about the need for kids not only to have balanced meals as governed by nutrition but also to get more exercise in school."

Congress petitioned on career education

Leaders of the Arkansas Association for Career and Technical Education urged lawmakers last week to reauthorize federal Perkins funding.

The program is named after the late U.S. Rep. Carl D. Perkins, D-Ky., a former schoolteacher who served as chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.

In 1984, the year he died, Congress passed the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act.

The measure was reauthorized and its name was slightly tweaked in 2006. It provides nearly $1.3 billion annually to support career and technical education in all 50 states.

Starlinda Sanders, the association's president, and Ross White, its past president, both made the rounds on Capitol Hill, meeting with members of the Arkansas congressional delegation.

Technology is rapidly evolving, and it takes money to provide the training students need, White said.

Federal dollars have been stagnant for more than a decade.

"We've essentially had a 25-30 percent decrease in ... funding because of inflation rates," Sanders said.

"We'd love to see an increase in funding," Ross added.

Sanders is the career and technical education director for the Bentonville school district; White is the career and technical education director in Siloam Springs.

Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or flockwood@arkansasonline.com. Want the latest from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Washington bureau? It's available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank.

Metro on 03/11/2018

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