Boozman Bulletin: Reckless Spending Agenda Targets Hardworking Arkansans

The $3.5 trillion partisan proposal the White House and Congressional Democrats are pushing would expand the already troubling level of federal overreach into all components of Americans’ lives. In recent days the Biden administration has advanced a laughable narrative that its reckless tax and spending bill actually costs nothing. The sad reality is hardworking Arkansas will be left to foot the bill. 

The more we learn about this radical agenda, the more Arkansans are raising their voices and joining me in the fight to prevent this out-of-control spending. 

Arkansans have reached out to my office in record numbers opposing the plan allowing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to snoop on the private, confidential financial data of law-abiding Americans.

I share these concerns and have sounded the alarm over the proposed expanded reporting requirements. In a column recently published in The Hill, I warned of the additional threat to the security of personal information if this policy is enacted.

I’ve taken action to block this overreach by joining U.S. Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) in introducing the Tax Gap Reform and Internal Revenue Service Enforcement Act, bicameral legislation that safeguards taxpayers against IRS targeting and abuse.

This IRS overreach was one of the topics I discussed on Washington Watch with Tony Perkins this week. 

There is a long list of bad ideas in the tax and spending bill that I’ve been fighting against including:

• Penalties for married couples: The president proposes piling even more costs onto married couples which would ultimately deter marriage. Instead, we need to be creating policies to foster strong marriages which are important to the family foundation and building robust communities.
  
  
• Civilian Climate Corps: The president proposes handing over $4.5 billion to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to create something called the Civilian Climate Corps — which is better described as the Climate Police – and is an idea directly lifted from the Green New Deal. The Civilian Climate Corps would be allowed to operate on federal forests and private lands. The last thing farmers and ranchers need is another federal bureaucracy solely focused on advancing left-wing policies in the name of conservation. 
  
  
• Tree Equity, Rooftop Gardens & Urban Forests: The president has proposed billions of dollars to support “urban agriculture” including more than $200 million dedicated to numerous urban agriculture projects and more than $3 billion  allocated for a tree-planting program to increase "tree equity" in urban areas and for the acquisition of "urban forests." 

Arkansans are already paying more for essential goods and services. We are experiencing the worst inflation in 30 years, and approving this tax and spending spree will only make things worse.

End the Border Crisis

President Biden’s open border policies have created a humanitarian and national security crisis. We are experiencing an unprecedented surge on our southern border and the president continues to abandon enforcement of our immigration laws. 

I have repeatedly called on the president to reinstate commonsense measures to protect our border, prevent the flow of deadly drugs into our country and allow Border Patrol agents the ability to use the tools and resources we've approved so they can perform their duties and hold accountable those who enter our country illegally. Unfortunately, the administration continues to block these efforts and is making the crisis worse.

According to the Associated Press and other media outlets, the Department of Homeland Security is failing to follow through with its plan to remove thousands of Haitian migrants who had been camping under a bridge in Texas. My Senate colleagues and I are demanding answers from the DHS Secretary about these reports and continue to call on the secretary to remove these migrants.

Voice for Outdoor Sports Enthusiasts

I was honored to receive the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership's 2021 Capital Conservation Award for championing conservation programs to protect our wetlands and fish and wildlife habitat. Arkansans pride ourselves in being a premier duck hunting location. I'm proud to support enhanced federal polices to maintain and strengthen our natural resources and preserve our environment so future generations of outdoor sports enthusiasts can experience the time-honored traditions treasured in our state. 

Connecting on Social Media 

Stay up to date with what I’m doing for Arkansans via social media. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.