WASHINGTON NEWS IN BRIEF

Delegation home on break; August recess lets legislators talk, touch base around state

WASHINGTON — The six Republicans in Arkansas’ congressional delegation were in Arkansas last week continuing their August recess. Lawmakers are to return to Washington on Sept. 8.

On Tuesday, Sen. Tom Cotton visited the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, mobile-app developer Metova and Southwestern Energy. This week, he will be in Israel on a trip with the American Israel Education Foundation, a pro-Israel lobbying group that opposes the Obama administration’s nuclear agreement with Iran.

Sen. John Boozman spoke Thursday at a Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce event, toured Bryce Corp. in Searcy and spoke at the Ouachita River Valley Association convention in Hot Springs. On Friday, he and Rep. Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs had coffee with Hot Springs Village Republicans. Boozman also met with Acxiom officials in Little Rock, toured Park Plaza mall in Little Rock and met with Baptist Health CEO Troy Wells.

On Monday, Westerman toured Cooper Tire in Texarkana. On Tuesday, he visited Southwind Milling and Jefferson Regional Medical Center, both in Pine Bluff, and spoke to the Pine Bluff Rotary Club. He also met Tuesday with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff football team. On Wednesday, he toured the Booneville Human Development Center, spoke to the Paris Rotary Club and visited Family Ministries’ Maggie House in Charleston. On Thursday, he met with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department to discuss road projects in south Arkansas.

Rep. Rick Crawford spoke Monday at the Greater Blytheville Area Chamber of Commerce lunch and received Nucor-Yamato Steel’s Man of Steel award at the company’s Blytheville plant. On Tuesday, he toured Serenity Inc., a domestic violence women’s shelter in Mountain Home. On Wednesday, he spoke at the Trumann Lions Club meeting. On Thursday, he attended the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Rep. Steve Womack on Monday toured Johnson Manufacturing, Claridge Products and Equipment Inc. and the new North Arkansas College greenhouse, all in Harrison, before speaking to the Harrison Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs Group.

On Tuesday, he spoke at a Rogers Rotary lunch and toured the Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville. On Wednesday, he visited Bekaert Steel and the new senior center, both in Van Buren. On Thursday, he spoke at the United Way of Northwest Arkansas’ 2016 campaign kickoff at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville before touring Procter and Gamble, Startup Junkie Consulting and McBride Distributing, all in Fayetteville.

PRESIDENTIAL BIDS

After spending his 60th birthday at a party in Little Rock on Monday, Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee campaigned in Iowa.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, endorsed Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton last week.

On Thursday, Clinton was to attend a grass-roots organizing meeting in Cleveland, where she and volunteers asked supporters to fill out “Commit to Vote” cards, pledging to vote for Clinton in the Ohio primary next year. On Friday, she spoke at the Democratic National Committee’s Summer Meeting in Minneapolis.

COFFEE

On Thursday, Womack is offering “Coffee with the Congressman” at 8:30 a.m. in the Carroll County Senior Activity and Wellness Center at 202 W. Madison Ave. in Berryville.