Rep. Bruce Westerman

If 2025 was all about tax reform, 2026 is all about permitting reform!

It's an honor to lead the charge in crafting legislation that ultimately gets Arkansas building and lowers YOUR electricity bills and gas prices.

It's time to put our taxpayers first and that's why I introduced the SPEED Act.

From seed to sawmill, our trees play an integral role in our daily lives. In the ground, they provide clean air, clean water, and better ecosystems for our wildlife. After the sawmill, we use forest products every day, from the furniture we decorate our homes with to the paper towels in our kitchens and the boxes our deliveries arrive in. This week, we recognize National Forest Products Week and celebrate the economic, environmental, and social impact of our forest products industry. This week is an excellent reminder that a strong American forest products industry and healthy forests go hand-in-hand: when we support our domestic wood products markets, we’re also keeping our forests strong and healthy.

What happened in Fort Hood on November 5, 2009, was horrific. Thirteen innocent lives were lost in an act of jihadist extremism by Nidal Hasan, a man seeking to become a martyr. His actions certainly demand the fullest weight of the justice system to be brought upon him, and I support him getting the death sentence he was given.

However, a public execution is not in the best interest of the United States or our justice system, which, for 250 years, has been marked by dignity and great respect around the world. Hasan’s goal was to become a martyr. The last thing we should be doing is offering him the public platform to become one and handing propaganda to the very authoritarian regimes we oppose.

I strongly urge President Trump to call an end to this decision that would undermine our system of justice and bolster Islamic extremism. We must always remember the principles our nation was built upon. Turning death, no matter how warranted, into public spectacle is not the answer.

Arkansas truck drivers keep our supply chain rolling. This week, we recognize the men and women who hit the road to deliver the goods that drive our nation’s economy!

🇺🇸25 years later. We will never forget.