{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/as-congress-winds-down-growler-military-sexual-assault-on-agenda", "As Congress winds down, Growler, military sexual assault on agenda", "2014-12-04", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "As Congress winds down, Growler, military sexual assault on agenda \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Thursday, December 4, 2014\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\u00a0\r\n                    Chuck Raasch\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            WASHINGTON \u2022\u00a0As Congress wraps up 2014, two defense-related issues of local interest were in the headlines here Thursday.\r\n\u2022\u00a0The House passed, 300-119, a $585 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that recommends that five EA-18 Growlers made in St. Louis be added to the Navy's fleet, but members of Missouri's congressional delegation say action in Congress next week could bump that number to 12.\r\nThe Boeing-made Navy planes, which are designed to jam enemy electronics ahead of invading ground and air troops, were on the Navy's chopping block, a victim of the sequestration budget limits instituted by Congress. The Navy said it needed 22 more, but couldn't fit them in its 2015 budget.\r\nBut the NDAA recommends five additional ones, at $450 million, be built. And the Appropriations Committee earlier this year said it found $975 million for 12. Depending on how negotiations on a short-term budget blueprint go before Congress adjourns next week, that could be the amount that survives. The Sen also has to pass the defense act.\r\n\"We will see what happens with the budget deals next week and what the Senate says,\" said Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. \"I am feeling fairly optimistic that we will get 12.\"\r\nShe said under the Appropriations spending, Boeing would make two Growlers a month and that it would extend the current construction program through 2017. Members of Missouri's delegation have promoted the plane as a big jobs bill for the St. Louis region as well as an important weapons system.\u00a0\r\nTe only member of the St. Louis-area delegation to vote against the bill was Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis.\r\nClay has championed the Growler but said in a statement that he opposed the bill because of spending in other defense categories.\r\n\u2022\u00a0Meanwhile, last-minute skirmishing over military sexual assault reforms flared up again this week, with some senators making a last-minute attempt to take military commanders more out of the chain of command in deciding whether to prosecute alleged sexual offenses\r\nSen. Claire McCaskill, who authored a series of sweeping reforms on military sexual assault that passed a year ago, hailed a Pentagon report released this week that showed that more service members are reporting sexual assaults, and that more feel comfortable with the reforms that give alleged victims more rights, more independent legal counsel, and toughen penalties against offenders.\u00a0\r\nMcCaskill said it was good news that one out of four service members who were assaulted were now reporting it, up from one out of 10 just two years ago, according to a Rand Corporation study, and that roughly three in four who did report say they would recommend others do the same. McCaskill called that \"a remarkable change\" in just two years. praising the new Pentagon report, but also saying that much work needed to be done to thwart retaliation in the ranks.\r\nSen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who clashed with McCaskill during the original passage of the reforms a year ago, said the Pentagon's report showing 62 percent of women in the military who reported being harassed or attacked a \"screaming red flag.\" She and allies are making last-minute attempts to take commanders more out of the loop. Proponents of that plan say commanders sometimes protect those serving under them.\r\nBut McCaskill and others say it's important to keep commanders in the chain of command. McCaskill said she also was concerned about the high number of service members when reported retaliation after reporting, but noted that a majority of the retaliation was \"peer to peer.\" The reforms she co-authored made it a crime under military justice to retaliate against someone who alleged assault. McCaskill said the Pentagon is expected to report in April the number of service members prosecuted for retaliation.\r\nMcCaskill said the Pentagon survey showed confidence in the rank-and-file on how the new reforms were working and that refuted the argument for taking commanders out of the process,.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/as-congress-winds-down-growler-military-sexual-assault-on-agenda"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7640739679336548, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}