This week I introduced a bill before the House of Representatives that would give farmers a free-market option to prepare for disasters without relying entirely on the federal government. My bill, the Farm Risk Abatement and Mitigation Election or FRAME Act, would establish tax-deferred farm savings accounts to give farmers a choice in responding to disasters. Farmers in our corner of Arkansas and across the country face risks and uncertainty each day. Crop failure, changing markets, insect dama...
After much pressure, this week the Environmental Protection Agency finally acknowledged it released the personal information of thousands of farm families to radical environmental groups. Moving forward, I plan to hold EPA’s feet to the fire to ensure farm families are not subjected to this kind of trust breach again. The EPA turned over personal information like phone numbers, addresses and even geographic coordinates to environmentalists. An overwhelming majority of the information released ap...
During my two years in the United States Congress I have said time and time again that our nation’s debt crisis is the greatest challenge we face. As the father of two young children, it is important to me that leaders in Washington try to preserve the American dream for future generations. Ending deficit spending, paying down our $17 trillion national debt and strengthening our weak economy should be top priorities. This week the House of Representatives voted on a budget resolution that will s...
Today, Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR), sent a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner expressing his concerns over the Fiscal Year 2013 Continuing Resolution. In the letter, Crawford tells Speaker Boehner he cannot support the final version of the Fiscal Year 2013 Continuing Resolution unless steps are taken to delay implementation of the ObamaCare cost provisions that would increase deficit spending. “I cannot in good conscience sit idle while our nation hurtles off the debt cliff. Delayi...
Today, Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR), Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI), Congressman Stephen Fincher (R-TN), Congressman Tim Walz (D-MN) along with Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) announced the formation of the Mississippi River Caucus. The primary objective of the caucus is to provide a bicameral and bipartisan open forum for the various issues that affect the entire reach of the Mississippi River. The Caucus will focus on a strong sustainable economy and high quality of li...
Today, Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR), voted “NO” on the House Republican Budget Resolution because the legislation does not contain permanent spending controls. Crawford issued the following response to his vote: “When I told voters in my district that I will stand firm for permanent spending controls, I was serious. I applaud Representative Ryan’s budget resolution that aims to balance the budget, but I cannot support non-binding resolutions that will be changed with each new Congress. I vot...
Today, Congressmen Rick Crawford (AR-1), Tim Griffin (AR-2), Steve Womack (AR-3) and Tom Cotton (AR-4) introduced the Sensible School Lunch Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation will provide school districts with greater flexibility in implementing new rules for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The House bill is a companion to bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators John Hoeven (R-ND) and Mark Pryor (D-AR). The School Nu...
Here in Arkansas, farming is a way of life. Agriculture is the number one industry in our First Congressional District and for many families it’s a rich tradition. As Arkansas’s only representative on the House Agriculture Committee, I fight each day to ensure farm families in our state can continue producing the safest, most abundant and reliable source of food on the planet. Recently, I was informed the Environmental Protection Agency had released the personal information of livestock and poul...
Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) is leading a group of 40 House members in writing a letter to EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe expressing concern over the agency releasing livestock producers’ private information to extreme environmental groups and asking the Acting Director to ensure the released information is not improperly used. “I have serious concerns over the EPA’s release of this information, particularly regarding individual privacy rights and possible bio-security threats to th...
Today, Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) made the case for legislation he drafted to fix a Dodd-Frank provision that threatens to undermine transparency and systemic risk mitigation in the global derivatives market. Crawford questioned U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Gary Gensler about the need for such legislation. Crawford’s bill, H.R. 742, the Swap Data Repository and Clearinghouse Indemnification Correction Act of 2013 received bipartisan support during the House Agr...
