LeadAR National Study Tour–Day 4

by Emily Stone, staff attorney, National Agricultural Law Center - September 30, 2025

Wednesday, September 17 was the fourth day of our LeadAR National Study Tour to Washington, D.C. By this day, every member of our class was tired and a little sore from walking so many miles in our nation’s capital. However, as we waited in a line that spanned two D.C. blocks to enter the Russell Senate Office Building and conduct our only congressional meeting on the Senate side, the energy was palpable. While both chambers of Congress are equally important, there is something uniquely special about the “Upper House.” To make matters even more special, since Arkansas’ own Sen. John Boozman is its committee chairman, this meeting was to be conducted inside the room where the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry holds all of its hearings.

The committee room is ornately decorated with portraits of committee chairs spanning the walls. All in all, it gives off an air of prestige and gravity that reminds the person sitting inside that they are, to quote the Broadway musical Hamilton, “in the room where it happens.” We were reminded of the important things that happen in that room when we had the honor of meeting with Sen. Boozman’s committee staffers. These important people are employed by the senator to work specifically on issues of policy under the committee’s jurisdiction. As a person who works in the agriculture industry, it is always special to hear directly from the staffers who work on the policies that shape our industry. We got to discuss the Nutrition title in the widely anticipated Farm Bill 2.0, the farm economy, what the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s reorganization means for farmers and ranchers, and much more. I left that meeting knowing that the concerns of America’s farmers are seen and recognized by our lawmakers.

Following that meeting, we crossed over to the House side for our scheduled meeting with Rep. French Hill’s staff. Because of the tighter quarters in his office, only the class members who live in Hill’s district attended that meeting. However, it was reported class-wide that the congressman’s staff was incredibly attentive, kind, and promised to follow up with class members about specific concerns. After a brief lunch in the Longworth House Office Building cafeteria, the class went to quickly meet and take a picture with Rep. Rick Crawford. The congressman was kind and personable and we were grateful he took the time to snap a picture with us. Last, we got to visit Rep. Steve Womack. He was gracious enough to sit with us for an extended amount of time to discuss leadership and tell us some of his own hard-fought battles throughout his political career. He was engaging and attentive to our questions, and it was special to hold that meeting in the room where the Appropriations Subcommittee he chairs meets.

After we were done with our Hill visits for the day, our class trekked down to the National Mall to visit the National Archives Museum. The Archives is one of the most important and sacred buildings in D.C. because it is the building that houses our nation’s most treasured documents – the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. It was especially monumental for us because we were visiting on Constitution Day. To commemorate the 238^th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, the Archives had opened a new exhibit that displayed each amendment to the Constitution in the Rotunda where the big three are always showcased. This is the first time ever that the entire Constitution of the United States is fully displayed at the National Archives. It was a moving experience to go down the line of amendments and see the documents that changed our nation’s history in such impactful ways. Particularly for me, it was moving to see the 19^th Amendment which granted women like me the right to vote.

After our visit to the Archives, we had our first true “free night” of the trip. Various groups of the class spent it in different ways – some enjoyed a seafood dinner at the Wharf, some attended a jazz show, and some visited friends who live in the city. Personally, I went with a group of classmates to Georgetown where we dined at Marvin’s Tavern, the oldest family-owned restaurant in D.C. and the site where President John F. Kennedy proposed to his wife, Jackie! We had a fabulous dinner, then topped it off with ice cream at Thomas Sweets.

Overall, our fourth day of the trip was impactful. By meeting with congressional staffers, we got briefed on issues that are both important to our industries and important to our state. Through walking through the tunnels of the House and Senate office buildings, we got to experience the hustle and bustle of daily life working on the Hill. By celebrating Constitution Day at the Archives, we got to be reminded of the miracle that is America and the resiliency of our country to continue to amend and ratify ourselves until we are a “more perfect union.”