Steve Womack
Bio |
Steve Womack graduated from Arkansas Tech University and enlisted in the Arkansas Army National Guard; he also served as executive officer of the army ROTC program at the University of Arkansas. He previously served as chair of the House Budget Committee and is the Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee. |
Status and Position |
Current US House of Representatives of Arkansas |
Political Party and Jurisdiction |
Republican, Arkansas |
Elections |
Election Jurisdiction |
Started Campaign |
Campaign Status |
Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
| 2020 House of Representatives Election AR-03 | AR-03 | Yes | Running | N/A |
Campaign Financing |
Womack's campaign funding consists of PAC contributions (about 50%), individual contributions (about 49%), and funds from other unspecified sources (about 1%). Source: https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00031857 |
Voting Rights |
Womack has not expressed his views on voting rights, however he did vote against the Voting Rights Advancement Act, an act proposed in honor of voting rights activist John Lewis, which aims to address voter discrimination and suppression. Source: https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2019654 |
Opinions on Issues
Issues |
Stance |
Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | Against | Womack has advocated against universal healthcare and for the repeal of Obamacare, arguing that universal healthcare is an overreach of government and drives up costs. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=27218 Womack opposes universal healthcare due to the loss of patients' valued private health insurance, its strengthening of government oversight and authority in matters relating to healthcare, and the expensive cost of care. Instead he advocates for the preservation of private insurance and the reduction of healthcare-related costs. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=27218 |
| Socialized Healthcare | Against | Womack opposes socialized healthcare policies such as Obamacare, arguing in favor of private insurance, decreased cost of care, and less government intervention in healthcare. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=27218 |
| Private Healthcare | For | Womack supports the private insurance system and believes that the government should focus on healthcare reforms such as insurance portability and decreasing the cost of care. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=27218 |
| LGBT Rights | Against | Womack's voting record indicates that he does not support the expansion of LGBT rights and sees such legislation as something that should not be decided at the federal level. Source: https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398671, https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2019/05/17/house-votes-to-expand-civil-rights-act-with-arkansas-republicans-in-opposition Womack has opposed Obama's transgender bathroom guidance, arguing that this is an example of federal overreach and a mis-prioritization of issues facing the country. He also voted against the expansion of the Civil Rights Act to include protections for LGBTQ+ individuals. Source: https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398671, https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2019/05/17/house-votes-to-expand-civil-rights-act-with-arkansas-republicans-in-opposition |
| Taxes | Against | Womack has expressed his support for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, viewing the decreased taxation of individuals and businesses as beneficial for economic growth and prosperity. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=26655, https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399511 Womack believes that lowering taxes for individuals and especially for businesses helps to stimulate economic growth by putting more money in the hands of taxpayers and allowing businesses to raise wages, improve conditions, expand employee benefits, and invest in their businesses. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=26655, https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399511 |
| Flat Tax Rate | Nuance | While Womack has voiced support for tax rates based on income, he has also adovcated for a simplified tax code with two brackets instead of six, and to lower corporate tax rates. Source: https://womack.house.gov/blog/default.aspx?postid=348144 Womack believes that lowering taxes for individuals and especially for businesses helps to stimulate economic growth by putting more money in the hands of taxpayers and allowing businesses to raise wages, improve conditions, expand employee benefits, and invest in their businesses. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=26655, https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399511 |
| Abortion | Against | Womack believes life begins at conception and that abortion is therefore the killing of an innocent life. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=35369 Womack's personal ethical stance surrounding abortion has led him to be a vocal opponent of legalized abortion and an advocate for the passage of H.R. 7, No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act, which seeks to bar taxpayer funds from being given to abortion providers. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=35369, https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398740 |
| Gun Control | Against | Womack is a strong advocate for gun rights and the protection of the Second Amendment, and sees gun restrictions as making the country more dangerous and defenseless, not safer. Source: https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/public-statements/71815/steve-womack/37/guns Womack has backed pro-gun legislation such as the Reciprocity for Concealed Carry and has condemned efforts to restrict the sale and use of guns under the Obama Administration, arguing that these laws criminalize law-abiding citizens seeking to exercise their Second Amendment right to bear arms. Womack has also been endorsed and financially supported by the NRA due to his pro-gun advocacy. Source: https://justfacts.votesmart.org/interest-group/1034/national-rifle-association |
| Assisted Suicide | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. Womack has backed pro-gun legislation such as the Reciprocity for Concealed Carry and has condemned efforts to restrict the sale and use of guns under the Obama Administration, arguing that these laws criminalize law-abiding citizens seeking to exercise their Second Amendment right to bear arms. Womack has also been endorsed and financially supported by the NRA due to his pro-gun advocacy. Source: https://justfacts.votesmart.org/interest-group/1034/national-rifle-association |
| Government Interference | Against | Womack has expressed his concern over government over-involvement in the areas of education, energy, healthcare, and economics, among other issues, and seeks to restore more power to state and local government as well as individuals and cut back on federal regulations. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=27219, https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=27020, https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=27218, https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398573 |
| Planned Parenthood | Against | Womack has voted for the defunding of Planned Parenthood, opposing the practice of abortion and seeking to address the allegations of unethical conduct by the organization. Source: https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398596 |
| Welfare | Nuance | While Womack has not opposed welfare itself, he has supported legislation which seeks to provide incentives for employment to welfare recipients and shift them from welfare to work. Source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/890, https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2832/cosponsors?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22welfare+reform%22%2C%22welfare+reform%22%5D%7D&r=5&s=1 Womack has voted in favor of both The Preserving the Welfare Work Requirement and TANF Extension Act, which seeks to provide a work requirement for welfare recipients, and The Welfare Reform and Upward Mobility Act, which seeks to increase incentives for employment and encourage welfare recipients to transition to financial independence. Source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/890, https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2832/cosponsors?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22welfare+reform%22%2C%22welfare+reform%22%5D%7D&r=5&s=1 |
| Welfare | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Death Penalty | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Military Spending | For | Womack supports military spending and has praised past defense appropriations bills for their generous allocation of funds. he sees investing in the military as necessary to strengthen national security and fully equip the armed services against security threats. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=26654, https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399556 |
| War on Terrorism | For | Womack seeks to address the threat of terrorism domestically and abroad through national security reforms such as the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which calls for legal action against states that act as accomplices in acts of terror, and the Terrorist Denaturalization and Passport Revocation Act, which he introduced, that seeks to revoke one's citizenship status if they are affiliated with terrorist organizations or acts of terror. Source: https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398707, https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398457 |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | For | Womack has advocated for the US defense of global democracies and provision of humanitarian aid, as well as the implementation of foreign policy that seeks to combat nations which are perceived as a threat to democracy. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=57334, https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399037 Womack supports the US lending of humanitarian aid and defense to foreign nations in order to strengthen global democracies and create allyships. He also supports legislation seeking to enforce sanctions against countries which are perceived as violating democratic conventions, such as Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=57334, https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399037 |
| United Nations power | Nuance | Although Womack has not issued any statement regarding his views on the UN, he did vote for the United Nations Transparency, Accountability, and Reform Act, which seeks to withhold funds from the UN and calls for more transparency as to how the UN"s funds are allocated due to perceived abuses of the organization. Source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/house-bill/2829 |
| Nationalism | Nuance | Womack supports nationalism in the sense of asserting United States' global leadership in diplomacy, energy, and innovation, however he opposes the actions and ideologies of those who identify themselves as "white nationalists", seeing these groups as antithetical to the ethics of the country. Source: https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399068, https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=27020, https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=57334 |
| Free Markets | For | Womack supports the free-market economy and capitalist system, advocating for less government regulation of businesses. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=35370, https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398573 Womack argues that government regulation of businesses hampers economic growth and burdens businesses with complying to these restrictions and guidelines, and therefore calls for the pulling back of business regulations so that the market can regulate itself and businesses can enjoy more freedom. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=35370, https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398573 |
| Brexit | Nuance | Womack has not expressed his personal opinion on the Brexit deal, however he has acknowledged the complications it poses to trade with the UK. he has advocated for a trade agreement between the US and UK to allow US chicken to be exported to the UK, now that it no longer has the poultry production standards once imposed on it by the EU. Source: https://womack.house.gov/uploadedfiles/farmers_demand_law_to_ensure_chlorinated_chicken_is_banned.pdf, https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/22741-chlorine-washed-chicken-issues-part-of-upcoming-usuk-trade-agreements |
| Affirmative Action | Nuance | While Womack has not made any statements in opposition to affirmative action, he does advocate for reform to the system undertaken by the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DoL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) to review employers' compliance with affirmative action and non-discrimination policies. Womack advocates for more cooperation between employers and the OFCCP in completing the review and assessing compliance, rather than giving employers no defense against allegations of discrimination. Source: https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=391387 |
| Government Spending | Nuance | Womack calls for aggressive cutbacks to government spending in order to balance the budget and address the national debt, however he does see national security and defense as an important sector that requires adequate funding and resources. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=57332, https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=26654 |
| Charter Schools | For | Although Womack has not released any statements on his views concerning charter schools, he has voted for legislation such as the SOAR Act, which allocates more funds to charter schools, and against legislation aimed at restricting funds and decreasing charter grants, which indicates his support. Source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/206 , https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2017/roll507.xml |
| Common Core | Against | Womack opposes Common Core, advocating instead for states to decide their educational standards and curricula. Source: https://womack.house.gov/blog/?postid=398582 Womack sees Common Core standards as an overreach of the federal government and believes the power to determine educational standards should be given to individual states. Source: https://womack.house.gov/blog/?postid=398582 |
| Clean Energy | Nuance | Womack believes that the key to economic success is to allow all energy sources, including renewables and fossil fuels, to compete on an equal playing field rather than regulate the fossil fuel industry. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=27020 Womack seeks US energy independence, which he believes includes a wide variety of energy sources. He supports the expansion of the renewable energy sector, but he also seeks to cut back on regulations to the fossil fuel industry, seeing these as harmful to economic growth, prosperity, and energy independence. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=27020 |
| Religious Freedom | For | Womack is a supporter of freedom of religion, as indicated by his support for the decision in the Hobby Lobby lawsuit in which the business filed a lawsuit against the mandate under Obamacare which requires employers to cover the cost of certain contraceptives for employees. Source: https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=386326 Womack supports Hobby Lobby's win of the lawsuit, arguing that no individual or business should be forced to comply with laws that violate their own religious beliefs and ethical standards. Source: https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=386326 |
| Separation of Church and State | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Slavery Reparations | Unknown | No clear stance on issue. |
| Border Control | For | Womack advocates for the strengthening of border control and national security policies, including specialized training for local law enforcement by ICE and the abolition of amnesty programs. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=35375 Womack has called for increased training of law enforcement to address national security issues and illegal immigration at the local level and an end to amnesty programs such as the establishment of sanctuary cities. He has empathy for DREAMers and pushes for reform to DACA that allows them pathways to lawful citizenship while still upholding immigration laws. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=35375, https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398636, https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399116 |
| Passenger Profiling | Nuance | Womack was accused of racial profiling after appointing two Immigration and Naturalization Services officers to the police department in order to crack down on illegal immigration, however he has dismissed this claim. In light of the death of George Floyd, Womack expressed his outrage and called for peaceful action in order to seek justice. Source: https://www.newsweek.com/towns-two-faces-153335, https://twitter.com/rep_stevewomack/status/1267494309823209473 |
| DACA | Nuance | While Womack strongly opposes illegal immigration and seeks to strengthen border control, he has expressed his empathy towards DREAMers and believes that DACA should be reformed so that DREAMers can be productive, contributing members of society while also upholding immigration law. Source: https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399116 |
| Sanctuary Cities | Against | Womack has strongly advocated against sanctuary cities, seeing them as encouraging disobedience of federal immigration law and creating hotbeds of crime. Source: https://womack.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=35375, https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398569 |
| Legalizing Marijuana | Nuance | Womack has a mixed voting record on the legalization of marijuana, having voted against the legalization of the substance yet for the ability of marijuana disitributors to utilize the banking system. Source: https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=404265, https://katv.com/news/local/us-reps-hill-womack-vote-for-bill-allowing-banks-to-serve-cannabis-industry |