Week of March 30, 2025

This is "Arkies in the Beltway" for the week of March 30, 2025! I'm Alex Thomas, Washington Correspondent for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, with your look at national politics and the Arkansans influencing the discussions.

Much of the recent talk around Capitol Hill has focused on how Trump administration officials discussed a recent military operation and one journalist's access to their messages.

The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg revealed he was part of a group chat on the Signal platform with top leaders, including Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The participants used the chat to discuss an attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen.

This group chat's existence dominated separate hearings last week held by the Senate and House of Representatives Intelligence committees.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., chair these panels. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., serves on the House Intelligence Committee.

STORY: Cotton highlights local FBI work amid intense U.S. Senate hearing

STORY: Crawford, Hill participate in intelligence hearing amid questions about group chat

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee spent time before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Huckabee faced questions last Tuesday as President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as ambassador to Israel.

Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israel, said his job — if confirmed — would be to "represent the president and his policies" rather than his own positions.

STORY: Former Gov. Huckabee looks to advance Trump administration’s vision in ambassadorship

The head of the National Transportation Safety Board told lawmakers in both chambers that her agency is continuing to review possible solutions to prevent close aircraft encounters around airports.

Jennifer Homendy's appearances on Capitol Hill occurred nearly two months after a fatal collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport between a commercial plane and a U.S. Army helicopter.

STORY: Womack asks NTSB chair about D.C. airport collision, failure to prevent incident

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