Arkansans and the CIA

Arkansas is now the most important state in the U.S. Congress — by far — when it comes to overseeing intelligence-gathering agencies like the CIA.

That’s clear after U.S.

Rep. Rick Crawford’s appointment last week to chair the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He represents the 1st District covering eastern and northern Arkansas. He joins Sen.

Tom Cotton, who recently became chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

From both sides of the U.S. Capitol, the two Arkansans will chair the committees responsible for overseeing the CIA and the various military branches’ intelligence gathering activities. They will lead often-private committee hearings involving sensitive national security information. They’ll be part of the “Gang of Eight” that will have access to White House classified intelligence. That group also includes the top Democrats on their committees as well as the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate.

Rep. French Hill, who represents central Arkansas’ 2nd District, is also a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

If military experience is needed for the jobs, Cotton and Crawford certainly have it. Cotton served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and received the Bronze Star. Crawford was a bomb disposal technician in the Army.

Cotton’s appointment came after President Trump nominated the previous ranking Republican, Sen. Marco Rubio, to be his secretary of state. Crawford’s came after Speaker of

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the House Mike Johnson removed the previous chair, Rep. Mike Turner, for what appear to be political reasons.

Crawford had served on the Intelligence Committee since 2017 and was its senior Republican. In fact, he was the first Arkansan ever to serve on it.

He previously served as the committee’s CIA Subcommittee chair and led the investigation into the mysterious “Havana syndrome” incidents, where American diplomatic and other overseas personnel had fallen ill in Cuba and elsewhere. Disagreeing with intelligence leaders, he believes a foreign adversary was responsible for at least some of the illnesses.

Much of Cotton’s committee work has been related to national security matters. He has served on the Armed Services Committee and on the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism. In addition, in November he was elected to be the Senate Republicans’ conference chair, the party caucus’s number three position. The conference chair is the caucus’s chief messenger – a position that fits Cotton, who makes frequent media appearances.

Arkansans are leading other committees in addition to those related to intelligence.

Sen. John Boozman now chairs the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. He’ll be leading the agriculture committee at a time when Congress is debating the latest (and overdue) Farm Bill. Hill, a banker, now leads the House Financial Services Committee, which oversees banking. Rep. Bruce Westerman, an engineer and forester, recently began his second term chairing the House Natural Resources Committee. It has jurisdiction over areas such as fisheries and wildlife, forest reserves, and national parks. He represents the sprawling 4th District, which covers much of southern and western Arkansas.

Rep. Steve Womack, who represents northwest Arkansas’ 3rd District, is the only delegation member not chairing a committee. However, the former Rogers mayor chairs the House Appropriations Committee’s powerful Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee.

It plays a major role in determining how dollars are spent in those areas.

The leadership positions are happening in part because of two factors. One is that the state’s delegates are all Republicans, and the Republican Party now controls both chambers, albeit by a razorthin margin in the House. The other is that the state’s delegates have been in Congress for a while and have built up seniority.

That’s not to take away from their personal achievements in gaining these positions. They have bided their time while flying back and forth to Washington, including during those frustrating years when their party was out of power in their particular chamber.

Along the way, they’ve gained their colleagues’ respect and trust because of their expertise in particular areas. Yes, they’ve played their politics right. But that’s just part of the job.

For all of those reasons, Arkansas probably has one of the most influential delegations it’s ever had.

It’s definitely influential in intelligence

Steve Brawner is a syndicated columnist published in 17 outlets in Arkansas. Email him at