"This week the President asked for $87 billion for Iraq. I was very disappointed that the Republican leadership refused to allow us to vote separately on funding for our troops and funding to rebuild Iraq. I voted for the bill because I believe it is important to support our soldiers, to keep them safe, complete their mission, and bring them back home to their families.

"Where I disagree with the President is on the rebuilding of Iraq -- we should have been allowed a separate vote on this. Why are we rebuilding Iraq when we have our own problems at home to deal with?  We are spending $5 billion on energy and water projects in Iraq, but we are only spending $4.2 billion here at home!  Our schools are crumbling, our roads are deteriorating, and at any given time nearly 70 million Americans lack access to affordable health care.  Yet the President is spending $20 billion to rebuild Iraq.

"I voted to give the President the money needed to support our troops, but we have no business rebuilding Iraq when we have such great needs right here at home. We need to be investing in America, not Iraq."

“Visiting with these wounded soldiers was a sobering experience,” said Ross. “In the face of injury they continue to show strong faith, spirit, patriotism and optimism, qualities that speak volumes about our men and women in uniform. They remain proud to serve our country.

Ross’s visit to Walter Reed followed a lunch he hosted Tuesday in his hometown of Prescott for members of the Prescott Army National Guard who are leaving for training in Fort Hood at the end of month. After the members of the unit complete training, they will go to Iraq.

Ross has been actively engaged in activities that support our troops. In April Ross traveled to Germany, where he visited soldiers wounded in Iraq at the Landstuhl Medical Center, the first stop where wounded soldiers are brought for care.

Photo:  Fourth District Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark) visits with Sgt. Lott and Leah Gill of Alabama at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Sgt. Lott was injured in Iraq.

“Today’s meeting was informative and encouraging.  It gave everyone a chance to come together, discuss their goals and offer ideas and proposals to each other,” Pryor said.  “There is a mutual agreement that restoring our bathhouses is an important priority for Arkansas and the nation, and I think this is a positive step toward securing additional resources for the renovation and preservation of the Hot Springs bathhouses.  I will continue to work with Senator Lincoln, Congressman Ross, the City of Hot Springs and the Park Service to build momentum and move this process forward.” 

"It’s important that we continue to provide funds to renovate and restore the Hot Springs bathhouses, as these beautiful structures are among our state’s most treasured historic sites," Lincoln said. "I’m pleased that Director Mainella recognizes the importance of future federal investment so we can continue the ongoing efforts to preserve bathhouse row for the benefit of families today and in the future."

"Restoring these bathhouses has been one of my top priorities since day one in office, and today's meeting with the Director of the National Park Service underscores the significant progress my colleagues and I have made toward full restoration of this project," said Ross.  "The National Park Service recognizes the historic value of these bathhouses. One of the most successful parts of today's meeting is that we are now all on the same page and agree on what the end goal should be.  I am hopeful that as a result of today's meeting, we will soon secure the funding necessary to fully-restore Bathhouse Row."

Last month Lincoln, Pryor, and Ross announced that a $3.8 million contract had been awarded to LARICH Inc. to stabilize the six vacant bathhouses. Work under the stabilization contract includes the installation of heating and cooling devices to prevent further deterioration, structural repairs to the buildings and foundations, and measures to make the buildings ADA accessible. 

The restoration effort is intended to make the Quapaw bathhouse suitable for leasing to a private developer as part of a long-term project to use public and private resources to rehabilitate and redevelop Bathhouse Row for future use. The House of Representatives Interior Appropriations bill currently appropriates stabilization funding for Bathhouse Row, and the Senate Appropriations bill has earmarked $2 million for the project. Both bills are currently in conference committee.