Week of Sept. 28, 2025

This is "Arkies in the Beltway" for the week of Sept. 28, 2025! I'm Alex Thomas, Washington Correspondent for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, with your weekly look at national politics and the Arkansans influencing the discussions.

If you recall the start of Donald Trump's second presidency, his first actions upon returning to office caused the closure of the nation's most significant agency for distributing international assistance.

The U.S. Agency for International Development had been providing foreign aid and development services for more than six decades, but the Trump administration opted to end most of its contracts and shift remaining programs to the State Department.

Thousands of people lost their jobs as a result of this change, including an Arkansan who shared her story with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Check Monday's edition of the Democrat-Gazette for the full story.

Thank you for listening to "Arkies in the Beltway!" You can stay up to date with all Arkansas news at ArkansasOnline.com, or follow me on Bluesky for more developments from the nation's capital!