At the end of last week, the State Department released its latest draft report on the environmental impact of the Keystone XL Pipeline. To the surprise of no one, it finds there would be no significant environmental impact along the proposed route to refineries in Texas. It also noted that other options to get oil from the Canadian tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast would be far more damaging for the environment.

The State Department was required to conduct a new environmental analysis after the project's route though Nebraska was modified in order to assuage Governor Dave Heineman’s concerns over the previously proposed route. The Governor supports the new route which checks off one more box on President Obama’s list of requirements.

The release of the draft report started a 45-day comment period, after which the State Department will issue a final environmental report. This is the final step before Secretary of State John Kerry will have to make a recommendation about whether the pipeline is in the national interest. The final report is merely a formality since study after study has shown that the project can be constructed and operated in an environmentally safe manner. I would be surprised to see the final report say anything to the contrary of that.

The Arkansas Congressional delegation is 100 percent behind the project. Keystone means jobs in the Natural State, so we have been working aggressively to speed the approval process. Most recently, Senator Pryor and I joined a bipartisan group of our colleagues to urge Secretary Kerry not to drag the decision out longer than it needs to be. It has already gone on too long. Let’s give our economy a boost by building the Keystone pipeline.

We live in a world that grows smaller every day. We know that what happens in a different part of the world does affect us here in the U.S. and we have a moral obligation to help those in need with the resources and skills we have. 

We embraced the vision of President Kennedy who challenged students to serve their country by volunteering in developing countries with the creation of the Peace Corps. Today we continue this mission around the globe as 8,000 Americans selflessly serve their nation in 76 countries, contributing their time, energy and skills to encourage and teach people in developing countries. 

This week marks the 52^nd anniversary of the Peace Corps. I want to offer my thanks and appreciation for all the men and women who are making a difference around the world through the Peace Corps. I am honored to represent numerous Peace Corps alumni and 22 current volunteers from Arkansas:  Erin Cox, Whitney Dean, Luiz Gustavo Dos Santos, James Forte, Luke Fries, Lydia Grate, Daniel Griffin, John Hart, Gigi Holder, Amber Kaufman, Erik King, Blake Matheny, Megan Mills, Nicolas Odekirk, Alicia Phillips, Allison Renfro, Jennifer Spradley, Terrance Stevenson, Benjamin Thomas, Zachary Wingate, and Kaitlyn Woods. 

These volunteers are our friends, family and neighbors. They are true humanitarians who are impacting the lives of people around the globe. We are proud of their commitment and their devotion to empowering people in developing countries through their efforts. I offer my sincere appreciation to all of the men and women who have served and are serving to make a difference in our world.

Across-the-board cuts, known as sequestration, are set to go into effect Friday. There are a number of reasons for how we got here, but one in particular defies logic: the Senate Majority hasn’t passed a budget in 1,400 days.

You know what happens when you go more than three and half years without a budget? You wake up to find you have added over $5 trillion to your already staggering amount of debt.

Year after year, we run trillion dollar deficits. Our national debt now sits at a jaw dropping 16.6 trillion dollars. Despite this, the Senate Majority still hasn’t put its spending plans on paper.

The average American family doesn’t have the luxury to spend in this type freewheeling manner. If you or I tried to run our household this way, the bank would cut us off.  However, there is no penalty when the Senate does it—until now.

Now, members of Congress will face consequences for failing to pass a budget. Included in the recent debt ceiling extension is a provision that withholds pay for members of Congress if a budget is not agreed upon. It’s a simple idea. If you don’t do your job, you don’t get paid.

With that law now on the books, the Senate Majority has a newfound appreciation for the budget process and promises to pass one this year. Given the way they have rejected the need for a budget over the past 1,400 days, we must remain committed to pushing them to follow through on that pledge. 

To keep the pressure on the Senate Majority, we have unveiled a new website that documents the importance of a budget and the costs to the country for failing to govern by one. Take a moment to visit the site’s “Action Center” in the bottom left hand corner to help spread the word. 

With Congress out of session in observance for the President’s Day district work period, I was excited to get to travel around Arkansas this week. My travels included stops at the Little Rock Air Force Base, AETN, Verizon’s regional headquarters in Little Rock and the University of Arkansas.  

• AETN “Arkansas Week” airs tonight:  Earlier this week, I sat down with Steve Barnes to tape an episode of "Arkansas Week." That episode airs tonight on AETN at 6:30 pm central. Please tune in to watch our discussion, much of which focuses on sequestration. 

• Sequestration: The automatic across-the-board cuts known as sequestration are set to begin on March 1^st if Washington does not act to stop them. While I believe cutting spending is essential to putting our country on the path to fiscal responsibility, indiscriminately cutting everything is not the best policy. We don’t need to take a meat cleaver to our entire budget. I am committed to holding the line on reducing government spending, but there is a more practical way to eliminate expenses that better utilize taxpayer dollars.
  
  The House has passed two bills to avoid sequestration, but the Senate Majority refused to bring them up for a vote. Majority Leader Reid recently put forward his caucus’s proposal to avoid the across-the-board cuts, but it is deeply flawed. 

• Some tips to make your Spring Break travel easier: If you are planning an international trip in March or April, U.S. Passport officials strongly recommend paying the extra fee to expedite your passport. A standard application is taking six weeks or longer to process. An expedited application is usually two weeks. Learn how we can help here.