It's been about a month since Mark Zuckerberg gave his testimony to congress and we still have yet to receive a follow up.There have been more questions than answers concerning what these companies are doing with our data and whether they are enabling a fair and open environment of dialogue among elected officials of all parties and their constituents.
This week, I sent a letter to Mr. Zuckerberg with an inquiry about how much money was made from and how many of my constituents fell victim to this abuse of personal information. Since I am not on the House Energy and Commerce Committee I didn't participate in the hearing and many of my concerns were left unaddressed.
The lack of follow up from Facebook only validates my decision to turn to other tools (such as my new text messaging system) to communicate with my constituents. I can't continue to encourage folks to engage in conversation with me on a platform that has proven to be insecure.
I don't expect a response from Mark Zuckerberg, but I do think folks have a right to know where their personal data went and how it was used.
My full letter to Mr. Zuckerberg can be found here.
U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, told Talk Business & Politics that China will buy U.S. agriculture products – directly or indirectly.
“China may not be buying our soybeans … for now,” said Rep. Crawford, who has supported Trump’s tariff moves. “They continue to be economically belligerent. However, as I understand it, Argentina has recently purchased U.S. soybeans. Given drought conditions in Argentina at this time, it’s fairly safe to assume that they are buying those soybeans to fill orders from China.”
Agriculture items such as grain are “fungible” in the markets, and China has a large population to feed, he said. This fundamental dynamic hasn’t changed, and it won’t for awhile, he said. Each American industry sector, including ag, needs to stand up against Chinese predatory economic practices, he added.
In a statement, U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford said: “Last evening, a member of my staff spent several hours visiting with one of our nation’s heroes and learned about his concerns regarding the status of his and many others status who served during the conflict in Vietnam in support of those who were in active combat. I fully understand Mr. Bibb’s concerns and he certainly deserves to be heard. I pledge to Mr. Bibb and everyone like him who served during that time in support of those who were in active combat to fully examine the opinions and perspectives of those who would be impacted by any potential legislative or administrative change of their status. As a veteran – and the son of a veteran who served multiple deployments including Vietnam – our veterans deserve our respect and appreciation for all that they have done and I am happy to look in to this further on behalf of Mr. Bibb and those like him.”
Presenting a much more sweeping legislative move, Representative Rick Crawford (R-AR-1) introduced the Scientific Flood Mapping Act (H.R.5559) on April 18, which would transfer functions related to the preparation of flood maps from FEMA to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) due to concerns regarding FEMA’s flood map oversight and management. The USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Program currently provides tools and information to help communities understand their local flood risk and make mitigation decisions, and the USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) gathers geospatial data that can be used to strengthen flood maps. However, transferring the authority and functions from the Department of Homeland Security over to the Department of the Interior, particularly from a regulatory agency such as FEMA to the USGS, a non-regulatory agency, may prove controversial.
WASHINGTON, DC
2422 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4076
Fax: (202) 225-5602
CABOT, AR
112 S. 1st
Cabot, AR 72023
Phone: (501) 843-3043
Fax: (501) 843-4955
DUMAS, AR
101 E. Waterman St.
Dumas, AR 71639
Phone: (501) 438-9824
JONESBORO, AR
2400 Highland Dr
Suite 300
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Phone: (870) 203-0540
Fax: (870) 203-0542
MOUNTAIN HOME, AR
1001 Highway 62 E
Suite 9
Mountain Home, AR 72653
Phone: (870) 424-2075
Fax: (870) 424-3149
In order to improve constituent services provided through all my district offices, it is recommended you first call the appropriate district office to make an appointment.
