WASHINGTON NEWS IN BRIEF

Westerman hears Day, Nelson in a musical week

Willie Nelson (center) performs Wednesday with his sons Lukas (left) and Jacob Micah (right) after receiving the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at the Library of Congress.
Willie Nelson (center) performs Wednesday with his sons Lukas (left) and Jacob Micah (right) after receiving the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at the Library of Congress.

Fourth District U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman spent time last week enjoying the music of two famous singers. On Monday evening, he heard Andra Day, the 30-year-old Warner Brothers artist known for her recording of "Rise Up" and her rendition of "Mama Knows Best."

photo

AP Photo File

In this Aug. 1, 2007 file photo, Milton Crenchaw, who was a member of the first all-black unit in the Army Air Corps during World War II known as the Tuskegee Airmen, prepares to speak in a lecture series at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies in Little Rock, Ark. Chrenchaw died Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, in Georgia. He was 96.

Day was the headliner at the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund's 27th annual awards gala. Westerman, a Republican from Hot Springs, serves as the vice chairman of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. The 4th District includes a major historically black school -- the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

On Wednesday night, Westerman was on hand as 82-year-old Willie Nelson received the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

The Texas musician sang a Gershwin standard -- "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" -- plus "Living in the Promiseland."

Westerman had a spare ticket for the Nelson tribute, so he gave it to John English, dean of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville's College of Engineering.

Hill pays tribute

Second District U.S. Rep. French Hill took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to pay tribute to a man he called "one of Arkansas' finest sons" -- Milton Pitts Crenchaw, who died Tuesday at age 96.

The Republican from Little Rock noted that Crenchaw was a supervising squadron commander and helped teach and train the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.

Crenchaw, Hill said, "became known as the father of black aviation in Arkansas." He served the nation for decades, in the U.S. Army Air Corps and later in the U.S. Air Force.

Hill noted that Crenchaw, along with other Tuskegee Airmen, was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007.

"His courageous service and sacrifice to his country is an example all Americans and Arkansans can admire, and will not be forgotten," Hill added.

In another House speech, Hill spoke in favor of legislation to cap the pay of executives at Fannie Mae (the Federal National Mortgage Association) and Freddie Mac (the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.).

Also last week, Hill and his wife, Martha, signed a condolence book to express their sympathies for the victims and survivors of the Nov. 13 Paris terrorist attacks.

Cotton greets Arkansans

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton had a steady stream of constituents last week. Greer Woodruff with J.B. Hunt stopped by to discuss various infrastructure issues. So did Bryan Day with the Little Rock Port Authority. A group from Ecclesia College in Springdale was also in Washington. Deltic Timber President and CEO Ray Dillon stopped by to discuss timber industry issues. There was also a contingent from the National Federation of Families and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Also, Cotton took to the airwaves to call for the U.S. to expand the war on terror.

On Wednesday, the Dardanelle Republican appeared on CNN with Wolf Blitzer to discuss the terrorist attacks in Paris and the threat posed by the Islamic State.

With terrorists targeting America, Cotton said, the country should "go on offense" and "fight them where they are before they fight us here in the United States."

He called for the U.S. to "significantly increase the number of bombing runs we're conducting in Iraq and Syria" and said more troops would need to be deployed. "Some of them are going to have to be American troops. Not necessarily trigger pullers or door kickers out on the front line. The kind of professional support troops that the local forces need, whether it's Iraqi security forces or the Kurds or what have you. ... Ultimately we're going to have to be the leader, though, in this coalition."

Encouraging adoption

U.S. Sen. John Boozman co-sponsored a Senate resolution supporting National Adoption Month and National Adoption Day, which was Saturday.

The resolution was approved.

The Rogers Republican, a member of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, highlighted the need for adoptions in a news release Friday.

"Every child deserves the love and support of a family. I am proud to support the goals and ideals of National Adoption Month and National Adoption Day and to recognize the families who have opened their hearts and homes to children in need of a safe, loving, permanent home. More than 700 children in Arkansas are waiting to become a part of a forever family. I encourage families to share their love with children through adoption," Boozman said.

Boozman met with numerous constituents, including those from Ecclesia College, the National Federation of Families and the Little Rock Port Authority. He also signed a condolence book in Little Rock that will be sent to the French Embassy. His message, in part, said: "We appreciate your friendship and support for centuries and as always will stand with one of our most trusted allies as we battle radical Islam."

Legislation, etc.

Third District U.S. Rep. Steve Womack held a town hall meeting via telephone Monday with constituents. The Rogers Republican also gave an interview to Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, discussing legislation that Womack has introduced called The Terrorist Denaturalization and Passport Revocation Act. It would allow citizenship to be revoked for Americans who join foreign terrorist organizations. Those aligning with terrorist groups could also be stripped of their passports. Womack introduced the legislation in January.

First District U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, a Republican from Jonesboro, introduced legislation last week that would block the relocation of refugees from Syria and Iraq to the United States.

Crawford also congratulated a constituent who was recognized for her outstanding work.

"Yesterday St. Bernards' Connie Hill was named Nurse of the Year in Arkansas Business. Congratulations Connie, people like you are who make Jonesboro and all of the 1st District of Arkansas such a great place to live!" Crawford said in a message he posted to Facebook.

Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or [email protected].

SundayMonday on 11/22/2015

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