John Nichols Boozman (/ˈboʊz.mən/ BOHZ-mən; born December 10, 1950) is an American politician and former optometrist serving as the senior United States senator from Arkansas, a seat he has held since 2011.

Boozman was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, where his father was stationed with the U.S. Air Force, but the family eventually returned to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he was raised.

He won a special election in 2001 to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as assistant majority whip and sat on the Republican Policy Committee.

[2] Boozman's father, whose last address was in Rogers, Arkansas, was a Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force.

He established the low vision program at the Arkansas School for the Blind in Little Rock and worked as a volunteer optometrist at an area clinic that provides medical services to low-income families.

And hopefully that will continue, and they’ll be successful in having a form of democracy that is not a safe haven for terrorism in the future.”[9] Starting during the 108th Congress, Boozman served as an Assistant Whip, making him responsible for helping House Republican Whips Roy Blunt and Eric Cantor secure the votes for or against major legislation.

[13] The House also passed several other Boozman-authored bills, including one that creates grants to help disabled veterans adapt their homes and vehicles to meet their needs.

[16] According to the April 28, 2007, Washington Post, Boozman was told by officials in the White House about its intention to fire Bud Cummins, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and replace him with Tim Griffin, an aide to Karl Rove.

Boozman told the Post and the Associated Press that White House officials had promised him that Griffin would be subject to Senate confirmation.

Boozman and Tom Cotton initially objected to the certification of the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count.

Boozman said: "The events that transpired in Washington were not only shocking and unlawful, but represent a dark moment in our country's history that we must reckon with today and in the days to come.

[23] Boozman voted for legislation requiring the Food and Drug Administration to improve safety by regulating non-corrective colored contact lenses as medical devices.

[35] After Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in June 2022, he wrote: "The Supreme Court’s decision to affirm there is no constitutional right to indiscriminately sacrifice the lives of children in their mothers' wombs is the culmination of decades of work to correct the tragic, deadly lie that unborn babies are expendable and undeserving of protection.

[37] In addition to preserving the historical significance of the Butterfield Trail, Boozman supported an effort to secure the home[clarification needed] of the U.S.

[50] In April 2013, in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Boozman was one of 46 senators to vote against a bill that would have extended background checks to all firearm transfers.

[51] Boozman voted against the proposed Feinstein Amendment, in 2016, that sought to ban the sale of firearms to known and/or suspected terrorists,[52] claiming that it would deprive Americans of due process.

In November 2013, Boozman was one of 32 senators (all Republican) to vote against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a bill prohibiting discrimination in organizations of 15 or more employees based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

[53] In April 2014, Boozman voted against a cloture motion for the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that establishes additional penalties for violations of equal pay requirements in the Fair Labor Standards Act, including a prohibition on an employer from paying a wage rate to employees of a particular sex that is lower than the rate paid to employees of the opposite sex for equal work unless such payment is made due to certain factors including but not limited to "a bona fide factor other than sex".

[61] The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities sought to "promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity," but the convention only reached 61 of the 66 votes required for passage.

[65] In September 2012, Boozman voted to block advancement of the Veterans Job Corps Act of 2012, even though he partially authored the bill.

[67][68] In 2017, Boozman was one of 22 senators to sign a letter[69] to President Donald Trump urging him to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement.

[70] He claimed that EPA regulations are creating a dirtier climate abroad and providing no gain to the United States.

[71] Boozman wrote: "I commend President Trump for taking the appropriate steps to make a clean exit from it so we can continue to pursue an 'all-of-the-above' approach to meeting our energy needs free of the significant litigation risk created by the agreement."

He added: "It is important to stress that a clean exit from the Paris climate accord will not take away the United States' seat at the table in future discussions, nor will it detract from our efforts to pursue renewable energy solutions.

[73][74] In January 2019, Boozman was one of eleven Republican senators to vote to advance legislation intended to block Trump's intent to lift sanctions against three Russian companies.

He has raised Polled Hereford cattle that were competitive in the show ring, and in bull testing at Oklahoma State University.