Press releases
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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761 rows where party = "Democrat", state = "MO" and year = 2017 sorted by date descending
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| url | title | date ▲ | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
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| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/the-town-hall-senator-behind-the-scenes | The Town Hall Senator: Behind-the-Scenes | 2017-12-27 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-backed-legislation-supporting-missouri-firefighters-heads-to-president-trumps-desk | McCaskill-Backed Legislation Supporting Missouri Firefighters Heads to President Trump’s Desk | 2017-12-22 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill-Backed Legislation Supporting Missouri Firefighters Heads to President Trumps Desk Legislation will provide critical grants to dozens of fire departments across Missouri Friday, December 22, 2017 WASHINGTON Legislation backed by Claire McCaskill to extend funding for grant programs to local firefighters and emergency responders has passed the United States Senate and is now headed to President Trumps desk for signing. Helping Missouri firefighters is something we can and should come together on and exactly the type of issue where people just want us to work together, McCaskill said. These resources represent more firefighters and better equipment for departments across the state, and I plan to keep working in a bipartisan way to ensure our first-responders have what they need to save lives. The Fire Grants Reauthorization Act reauthorized the highly successful Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs through Fiscal Year 2024. AFG protects communities and firefighters from fire-related hazards by providing eligible fire departments the financial support to train, equip and properly resource Americas emergency personnel. The SAFER program provides funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter organizations to help increase and maintain the number of trained firefighters in local communities. Over the last two years, the Missouri Division of Fire Safetywhich is based in Jefferson Cityreceived nearly $500,000 in grants from these programs for equipment. Dozens of fire organizations across the state have received grant funding through these programs. McCaskillwho as a young Jackson County prosecutor was tasked with prosecuting arson cases in the cityis a longtime supporter of grant funding for state and local first responders and law enforcement, including through the Justice Departments Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, which allows state… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/kmov-details-for-senator-claire-mccaskills-50th-town-hall | KMOV: Details for Senator Claire McCaskill's 50th town hall | 2017-12-22 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/knpn-mccaskill-listens-to-comments-and-concerns-at-50th-town-hall | KNPN: McCaskill Listens to Comments and Concerns at 50th town hall | 2017-12-22 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/koam-us-senator-claire-mccaskill-in-kirkwood-hosting-50th-town-hall-of-2017 | KOAM: U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill in Kirkwood hosting 50th town hall of 2017 | 2017-12-22 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/after-insurance-company-tells-missourians-youll-be-responsible_for-er-costs-if-its-not-an-emergency-mccaskill-pushes-back | After Insurance Company Tells Missourians ‘you’ll be responsible for ER costs if it’s not an emergency’ McCaskill Pushes Back | 2017-12-21 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | After Insurance Company Tells Missourians youll be responsible for ER costs if its not an emergency McCaskill Pushes Back Patients, hospitals across state could be at financial risk after Anthem announced it would no longer cover emergency room costs if care deemed non-emergent Thursday, December 21, 2017 WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is pushing back on Anthem after the insurance company announced it would no longer cover emergency room costs for Missourians if the care is deemed non-emergent. The company sent notices to its customers informing patients that youll be responsible for ER costs when its NOT an emergency a change that could dramatically impact patients, who may no longer seek care in an emergency for fear it wont be covered, and hospitals, who are obligated to provide care no matter the cost or circumstances. Anthem has a strong presence in Missouri, and this decision significantly impacts health care costs for thousands of Missourians, wrote McCaskill. Patients are not physicians. I am concerned that Anthem is requiring its patients to act as medical professionals when they are experiencing urgent medical events. Missouri state law and federal law protects patients from having to make these types of medical decisions Anthems policies are discouraging individuals from receiving needed care and treatment out of fear they may personally be fully financially responsible for the cost of treatment, even though they have insurance. McCaskills letter continues: A direct result of this policy is a shifting of costs from the insurer to hospitals and patients. If patients are unable to pay the costs, hospitals will bear the full brunt of those costs. This fall, McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, sought answers from Envision Healthcare and its subsidiary EmCare Holdings, Inc. following reports of skyrocketing costs at emergency rooms run by EmCare. According to those reports, EmCare tr… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/goal-mccaskill-blunt-honor-university-of-central-missouri-champion-womens-soccer-team | Goal! McCaskill, Blunt Honor University of Central Missouri Champion Women’s Soccer Team | 2017-12-21 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Goal! McCaskill, Blunt Honor University of Central Missouri Champion Womens Soccer Team Missouri Senators introduce resolution congratulating team on record-setting season Thursday, December 21, 2017 WASHINGTON Missouri U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt introduced a resolution in the United States Senate honoring the University of Central Missouri womens soccer team on their NCAA Division II championship and undefeated season. The Jennies record-setting season and championship victory are accomplishments that make all of Missouri proud, McCaskill said. The kind of grit, skill, and determination it takes to not only win a national championship, but to do so with a perfect record to boot, is rare and remarkable. The Central Missouri Jennies kicked it into high gear this season, finishing the year with a perfect record and earning the NCAA Division II title, said Blunt. Missourians are very proud of the hard work the Jennies put in to accomplish their record-setting season, and we wish them the best as they get ready to defend their title next year. The University of Central Missouri womens soccer team completed an undefeated season with a 26-0 record, setting a new NCAA Division II womens soccer record for wins in a season, and tying the single-season record of 21 shut-outs. This is the first national championship in program history. Full text of the resolution HERE. ### Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-rubio-hassan-introduce-legislation-bolstering-dhs-counterterrorism-coordination-efforts | McCaskill, Rubio, Hassan Introduce Legislation Bolstering DHS Counterterrorism Coordination Efforts | 2017-12-21 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill, Rubio, Hassan Introduce Legislation Bolstering DHS Counterterrorism Coordination Efforts After recent terrorist incidents in U.S., Senators codify Department of Homeland Securitys Counterterrorism Advisory Board Thursday, December 21, 2017 WASHINGTON In the aftermath of recent terrorist incidents, U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) today introduced bipartisan legislation authorizing the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) Counterterrorism Advisory Board, whose mission is to bring together the intelligence, operational, and policy-making elements from acrossDHS to devise joint strategies to deter and disrupt potential terrorist attacks. This bill is about ensuring that everyone inside the Department of Homeland Security committed to preventing and responding to terrorist incidents are able to communicate and coordinate effectively with each other, said McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The men and women heroically contributing to our counterterrorism efforts are the best in the world and this bill will augment their efforts. "The Counterterrorism Advisory Board (CTAB) is an important component of the Department of Homeland Securitys work in preventing terrorist attacks by identifying and reducing security threats and vulnerabilities, said Senator Rubio. This bill will ensure that the CTAB facilitates a cohesive operational strategy so that DHS components and their partners are best enabled to detect, deter and disrupt terrorist operations. The Department of Homeland Security is tasked with preventing terrorist attacks on our homeland, and we must ensure that the full resources of the Department and the entire federal government are coordinated in focusing on this critical mission, saidSenator Hassan. I call on members of both parties to support this bipartisan bill that will help ensure coordination of the Departments cou… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-released-the-following-statement-regarding-the | Congressman Cleaver Released the Following Statement Regarding the Passage of the GOP Tax Bill | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Emanuel Cleaver | C001061 | cleaver.house.gov | legacy | (Washington, D.C.) Today, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II voted in opposition to the Conference Report on H.R. 1 the GOP Tax Bill. Today, Republicans in Congress voted to pass their tax bill which was written in secret and rushed through the House and Senate without any public hearings. This tax hike, wrapped in a bow and advertised as a gift for the American people, is a scam and middle class and poor families will pay the price. The bill will raise taxes on 86 million middle-class households and provide 83% of tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. In our state alone, Missouri will lose $500 million to $1 billion in state revenue. That impacts the quality of education our students receive, the amount of money we have to repair our roads and bridges, and on and on. In addition, because this tax bill repeals the individual mandate, it will increase health care costs for Missouri residents and cause 13 million people to lose health insurance. Im disappointed that Republicans first priority is tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations, rather than reauthorizing the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP), funding community health centers, passing the DREAM Act, and providing disaster relief funding. Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) Fifth District of Missouri Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouris Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lees Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and also a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. For more information, please contact Heather Frierson at 816-842-4545 or Heather.Frierson@mail.house.gov. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/following-congressman-cleaver-s-call-for-action-twitter-implements-new | Following Congressman Cleavers Call for Action, Twitter Implements New Policy Aimed At Reducing Hateful and Racist Content | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Emanuel Cleaver | C001061 | cleaver.house.gov | legacy | (Washington D.C.) Today, Congressman Cleaver, II (D-MO) released the following statement in response to Twitters enforcement of its new policy seeking to curtail the amount of racist, violent, and hateful content on its wide-ranging social media platform: I am encouraged that our calls for action have expedited Twitters efforts to finally reduce the hateful and violent racist rhetoric that has been plaguing the platform over the past few years. It is obvious, that Twitter is a powerful social networking platform with great potential for positivity and increasing social awareness, however, recently it has become a playground where racism and hatred have been allowed to flourish. Its good to know Twitters senior leadership heard our concerns, seem to understand the gravity of these flaws in the platform, and have taken a small first step in ensuring that it will not be a part of such degradation. Make no mistake about it, we cannot sit back and allow extremists to promote hatred and violence while hiding behind a username, said Congressman Cleaver. In October, Congressman Cleaver, along with Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), sent a letter to Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey, expressing concerns regarding the social media platforms role in propagating hate and undermining democracy and the companys stagnation in acknowledging and addressing the severity of this problem. The Members requested a clear framework of how the company planned to fix the increasing hostility of foreign and domestic actors, recognizing that if the company failed to do so, increased Congressional oversight and regulation would be necessary. Cleaver and Watson Coleman were also among members of the Congressional Black Caucus who met with, Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg to discuss allegations that Russian-backed agencies exploited the companies system to influence the outcome of the 2016 election through the spread of racial and discriminatory messaging. After the meeting, Facebook also announced major changes to its platform. Emanuel Cleaver… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://lacyclay.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/clay-says-trump-gop-taxscam-will-raise-taxes-over-320000-missouri | Clay Says Trump-GOP TaxScam Will Raise Taxes on over 320,000 Missouri Families, Strip Healthcare Coverage Away from 13 Million Americans, Explode the Debt | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | William Clay | C001049 | lacyclay.house.gov | legacy | -WASHINGTON, DC Note: The following, in its entirety, is all first-person from Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri in reaction to House passage of H.R. 1, the GOP Tax Scam. This monstrous Trump-GOP Tax Scam is one of the worst pieces of legislation that I have ever seen. It raises taxes on over 86 million middle-class families to provide a massive transfer of wealth from working people to the super-wealthy and to corporations. Families like President Trumps will be richly rewarded while over 320,000 middle-class families in Missouri will get a tax increase. In fact, 83% of the tax cuts in this deeply flawed and fiscally irresponsible bill will pad the pockets of the top 1%. This terrible and destructive bill will rob seniors by cutting over $25 billion from Medicare to help pay for tax cuts for billionaires. It will strip away healthcare coverage from 13 million Americans. And it will explode the debt by putting at least $1 trillion more on the national credit card which our children and grandchildren will pay for. This isnt tax reformits tax fraud. Under the Trump-GOP TaxScamthe haves will have more, and everyone else will pay for it. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/joy-to-sedalia-world-record-christmas-stocking-heralded-by-mccaskill | Joy to Sedalia! World Record Christmas Stocking Heralded by McCaskill | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Joy to Sedalia! World Record Christmas Stocking Heralded by McCaskill Senator: Its a Christmas miracle! Tuesday, December 19, 2017 WASHINGTON Ahead of the word-record-breaking Christmas stockings unveiling in Sedalia, Mo. today, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill issued the following statement: Its a Christmas miracle! Sedalias tight-knit community and its abundance of Christmas spirit has made Missouri quite proud of this massive holiday feat. According to local reports, the red-and-white stocking will be 170-feet-tall and 72-feet-long heel to toe, and was spearheaded by Charlie Thomas of Sedalia. If successful, the Guinness World Record for the Worlds Largest Christmas Stocking will be brought to the United States from Italy, where it currently resides. ### Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-blunt-push-fema-on-st-louis-sewer-district-appeal | McCaskill, Blunt Push FEMA on St. Louis Sewer District Appeal | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill, Blunt Push FEMA on St. Louis Sewer District Appeal Senators write to Federal Emergency Management Agency following damage sustained in 2015-2016 flooding Tuesday, December 19, 2017 WASHINGTON U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt are requesting full and fair consideration by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), following a second appeal by the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District related to damage to the areas sanitary sewer system following flooding in 2015-2016. After affected property owners filed millions of dollars in claims due to widespread sewer backups, the Sewer District requested resources from FEMA to reimburse residents for the damage. The Sewer Districts first appeal was rejected, and the Senators are contacting FEMA headquarters in conjunction with the Sewer Districts second appeal. The St. Louis Sewer District has made good faith efforts to respond to FEMA and help residents whose property was damaged as a result of flooding that occurred nearly two years ago, McCaskill said. I hope FEMA gives their appeal full consideration. Federal support is critical to ensuring the St. Louis area is able to fully recover from previous flooding, said Blunt. I urge FEMA to fully and carefully consider the St. Louis Sewer Districts appeal. The Senators have repeatedly worked together to advocate for Missouri resources. Last month they wrote a letter to FEMA in support of resources for Joplin as it continues to deal with the aftermath of the deadly tornado there in 2011. This month, they also requested full consideration of resources for Carter County Missouri after damage due to flooding earlier this month. the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District received more than $5 million in claims from affected property owners and has requested FEMA assistance for emergency protective measures, the Senators wrote to FEMA Assistant Administrator Alex Amparo. We understand the Sewer District has made good faith efforts to respond to all reque… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-demands-answers-after-rx-drug-price-goes-from-free-to-more-than-100000-per-year | McCaskill Demands Answers After Rx Drug Price Goes from Free to More Than $100,000 Per Year | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Demands Answers After Rx Drug Price Goes from Free to More Than $100,000 Per Year Senator continues years-long effort to curb sudden and dramatic increase in pharmaceutical prices Tuesday, December 19, 2017 WASHINGTON After a public report that a decades-old drugthat was provided free of charge as recently as 2016had suddenly seen its price soar to a cost of more than $15,000 per bottle, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is demanding answers from Strongbridge Biopharma, which acquired the drug and relaunched it earlier this year. Time and again weve seen pharmaceutical companies acquire decades old prescription drugs and gouge consumersand its time we explored every possible way to prevent this practice, McCaskill said. Im prepared to work with the FDA and Congress to see what we can do to prevent these types of sudden price spikes. In a letter to Strongbridge President and CEO Matthew Pauls, McCaskill requested additional information on the drug Keveyis, including a detailed description of the factors contributing to the companys pricing decision and total gross revenue from the companys sales of the drug. Patients suffering from periodic paralysis and all other Americans concerned about price spikes for rare-disease treatments do, in fact, deserve an explanation of recent company decisions, McCaskill wrote to Pauls. McCaskill has previously introduced the bipartisan Increasing Competition in Pharmaceuticals Act with Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) to improve the Food and Drug Administrations approval process for certain generic applications. By promoting competition in the generic drug marketplace, the bill would help lower costs and improve the accessibility of decades-old prescription drugs. The legislation stems from the only bipartisan investigation into the causes, impacts, and potential solutions to the egregious price spikes for certain drugs, which was led by McCaskill and Collins last Congress. From the beginning, the investigation strived to… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/kmbc-mccaskill-calls-on-postmaster-general-to-fix-one-of-the-dumbest-things-shes-come-across | KMBC: McCaskill calls on Postmaster General to fix 'one of the dumbest things' she's come across | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/kmbc-mccaskill-proposing-bipartisan-plan-to-save-pensions | KMBC: McCaskill proposing bipartisan plan to save pensions | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/kmov-mccaskill-holds-50th-town-hall-of-2017-speaks-volumes-of-her-commitment-to-missouri | KMOV: McCaskill holds 50th town hall of 2017, "speaks volumes of her commitment to Missouri" | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/kmov-mccaskill-presses-va-on-reports-of-whistleblower-retaliation | KMOV: McCaskill presses VA on reports of whistleblower retaliation | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/koam-claire-mccaskill-fights-to-expand-loan-assistance-program-to-help-volunteer-firefighters | KOAM: Claire McCaskill fights to expand loan assistance program to help volunteer firefighters | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/kode-mccaskill-greets-full-room-for-town-hall-at-southwest-missouri-center-in-webb-city | KODE: McCaskill greets full room for town hall at Southwest Missouri Center in Webb City | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/krcg-threats-facing-us-food-supply-leads-to-bipartisan-mccaskill-legislation | KRCG: Threats facing U.S. food supply leads to bipartisan McCaskill legislation | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/ktvi-missouri-senator-claire-mccaskill-calling-for-answers-from-va-over-whistleblower-retaliation | KTVI: Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill calling for answers from VA over whistleblower retaliation | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/ktvi-town-hall-meetings-are-the-only-way-missourians-voices-can-be-heard-mccaskill-says | KTVI: Town hall meetings are the only way Missourians' voices can be heard, McCaskill says | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/ktvo-a-battle-for-medical-benefits-from-the-us-government-is-coming-to-an-end-for-one-mo-family | KTVO: A battle for medical benefits from the U.S. government is coming to an end for one MO family | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/ktvo-claire-mccaskill-demanding-answers-from-us-postal-service-for-missouri-address-confusion | KTVO: Claire McCaskill demanding answers from U.S. Postal Service for Missouri address confusion | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/kytv-missouris-senator-claire-mccaskill-closing-in-on-50-public-town-hall-meetings | KYTV: Missouri's Senator Claire McCaskill closing in on 50 public town hall meetings | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/kytv-moms-dads-and-doctors-worried-about-kids-losing-healthcare-in-mo | KYTV: Moms, dads and doctors worried about kids losing healthcare in MO | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/kytv-senator-claire-mccaskill-talks-taxes-at-public-west-plains-town-hall | KYTV: Senator Claire McCaskill talks taxes at public West Plains town hall | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-calls-on-student-loan-companies-to-end-predatory | Congressman Cleaver Calls on Student Loan Companies to End Predatory Loan Practices | 2017-12-18 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Emanuel Cleaver | C001061 | cleaver.house.gov | legacy | (Washington, D.C.) Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) sent letters to the CEOs of the four largest student loan servicers - Navient, Nelnet, Great Lakes and FedLoan Servicing - urging them to address consumercomplaints about inadequate servicing, poor record-keeping, and steering borrowers into costly repayment plans. We write to you with deep concern over the rising rate of student loan defaults and continuous claims of fraudulent practices in lending, servicing, and collecting, the letter states. Student loan debt has grown to over $1.3 trillion in the United States with nearly 5 million Americans currently in default as mentioned in this Wall Street Journal report. Persis Yu is an attorney and the Director of National Consumer Law Centers Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project. "Servicers can play a critical role in helping student loan borrowers keep their loans manageable and affordable. Unfortunately, as we saw in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus lawsuit against Navient, bad servicing can be very costly for borrowers, and can even cause borrowers to default on their loans. We applaud Representative Cleavers efforts to ensure that servicers working for the federal taxpayer are operating in the best interest of student loan borrowers," said Director Yu. Cleaver and Jayapal are requesting that the student loan companies: Implement an aggressive campaign to retrain staff on repayment plans and other available plans Implement an escalated customer support pilot program to service high risk borrowers and borrowers who have rehabilitated loans Commit to working with an independent third party to review their student borrower accounts and identify those who are delinquent and at high risk for default. Work with these borrowe Implement call center business hours that can service borrowers coast to coast. Currently west coast borrowers are having issues reaching east coast servicers to receive timely support. Congressman Cleaver has been aggressively seekin… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/the-town-hall-senator-mccaskill-armed-with-missourians-input-from-50-public-town-halls-is-ready-as-ever-to-fight-for-the-state-i-love | The Town Hall Senator: McCaskill, Armed with Missourians’ Input from 50 Public Town Halls, is ‘ready as ever to fight for the state I love’ | 2017-12-18 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | The Town Hall Senator: McCaskill, Armed with Missourians Input from 50 Public Town Halls, is ready as ever to fight for the state I love Averaging nearly one town hall per week in 2017, McCaskill plans to keep raising Missourians voices in Washington Monday, December 18, 2017 MISSOURI The only way Missourians will know that their voices are being heard in Washington, is if Im showing up, hearing them, listening and learning, and using what I learn to fight for them in the Senate. That, says Senator Claire McCaskill, is the driving principle behind the historic number of public town halls she held throughout Missouri in 2017. Saturday marked McCaskills 50th public town hall this yearmore than the rest of Missouris Congressional delegation combinedmeaning she averaged nearly one town hall every week. All but two of the counties in which McCaskill hosted public town halls are traditionally conservative counties that delivered double-digit victories for President Donald Trump last year, an issue McCaskill specifically highlighted: Whether or not folks always agree with me isnt the pointI represent all Missourians, and I owe it to all Missourians to show up, show respect, hold myself accountable, and listen, said McCaskill, who was born in Rolla and raised in Houston and Lebanon, Missouri. The feedback McCaskill has collected through her town halls has already fueled several of the fights she is waging in the Senatefrom the urgent need to invest in rural broadband, and feedback on how to protect Missourians access to healthcare, to ideas on how to boost job opportunities, invest in critical infrastructure like roads and bridges, and confront a growing opioid drug crisis in Missouri communities. McCaskill has committed to using what she has heard to reinforce her efforts in the new year. What Missourians told metheir ideas, their concerns, their criticismsall of it makes me a better Senator, better equipped to achieve the results they expect. And Im ready as ever t… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/missouri-volunteer-firefighters-first-responders-could-benefit-from-mccaskill-student-loan-forgiveness-plan | Missouri Volunteer Firefighters, First Responders Could Benefit from McCaskill Student Loan Forgiveness Plan | 2017-12-15 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Missouri Volunteer Firefighters, First Responders Could Benefit from McCaskill Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Volunteer firefighters, first responders in more than 100 Missouri fire departments could be eligible for education benefits; Fire Fighters Association of Missouri head: Making volunteer firefighters eligible for federal student loan forgiveness would be a powerful recruitment and retention incentive Friday, December 15, 2017 WASHINGTON Continuing her longstanding support for Missouri firefighters and first responders, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is backing legislation to strengthen education benefits for volunteer firefighters and first responders at up to 100 or more fire departments in Missouri. McCaskills plan would expand eligibility to volunteer firefighters and first responders for the Department of Education's Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. There are more than 100 volunteer fire departments in Missouri. Any volunteer firefighter or first responder with student loans would be eligible for this program, which could pay off the entirety of their student loan debt. Id like to thank Senator McCaskill for her support for the Volunteer First Responder Loan Forgiveness Act, said Kenneth Hoover, President of the Fire Fighters Association of Missouri. Volunteer and combination fire departments across the state are struggling to recruit and retain the next generation of volunteers. Making volunteer firefighters eligible for federal student loan forgiveness would be a powerful recruitment and retention incentive and a just reward for the hard work and dedication of volunteer emergency responders across the state. Missouris first responders are on the front lines of protecting our families, homes, and businessesand weve got to do everything we can to ensure they can continue to recruit top-notch talent to serve our communities, said McCaskill, who prosecuted arson cases as a Jackson County prosecutor. That should include access to the same student l… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/50th-town-hall-of-2017-and-50-amazing-communities-to-thank | 50th Town Hall of 2017... and 50 amazing communities to thank | 2017-12-15 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/joplin-disaster-recovery-extension-granted-after-mccaskill-blunt-efforts | Joplin Disaster Recovery Extension Granted After McCaskill, Blunt Efforts | 2017-12-14 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Joplin Disaster Recovery Extension Granted After McCaskill, Blunt Efforts Senators asked that FEMA give full and fair consideration to citys extension request following 2011 tornado Thursday, December 14, 2017 WASHINGTON Following a request from U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has granted Joplins request for an extension to the deadline for completing four projects as part of recovery efforts from the 2011 tornado that devastated the region. Last month the Senators requested FEMA give full consideration to Joplins request for an extension. The projects will repair streets, sidewalks, catch basins, curbs and gutters. An extension allows Joplin to complete the projects as part of the citys broader disaster recovery efforts while continuing to receive reimbursements from FEMA. This extension gives Joplin more time to complete the critical infrastructure projects thatll continue to help the citys roads recover from the devastating tornado, McCaskill said. Its good news for the city, and for taxpayers giving Joplin the flexibility to sequence its projects in a way thatll reduce wasteful spending. The Joplin tornado had a devastating impact on much of the local infrastructure, and the federal government can help ensure the community continues to have the support it needs to rebuild, Blunt said. This extension will provide much-needed flexibility for recovery efforts that still need to be done. Ill continue working with local, state, and federal officials to ensure Joplin has the support and resources it needs. McCaskill and Blunt have continued to support recovery efforts in the Joplin area since the 2011 tornado. Earlier this year, the Senators wrote to the Department of Homeland Security supporting the Joplin Public School Systems second appeal for funding high school repairs. Read the Senators letter to FEMA HERE. ### Print Email … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-seeks-answers-on-tv-crime-drama-about-postal-inspectors-funded-by-the-postal-service-yes-this-is-a-real-thing | McCaskill Seeks Answers on TV Crime Drama About Postal Inspectors Funded by the Postal Service (Yes, This is a Real Thing) | 2017-12-14 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Seeks Answers on TV Crime Drama About Postal Inspectors Funded by the Postal Service (Yes, This is a Real Thing) Senator requests details from USPS about their sponsorship of the weekly Saturday morning TV show, The Inspectors Thursday, December 14, 2017 WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is demanding to know how and why the United States Postal Service (USPS) sponsors a weekly TV show on CBS. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver recently spotlighted the series, which airs on Saturday mornings and tells stories based off of mail fraud and scams that USPS inspectors targeted. I know postal inspectors do great and important workbut Im not sure they need to be sponsoring a scripted TV drama when the agency is having such massive financial problems and closing post offices in Missouri and across the country, McCaskill said. The Inspectors is sponsored by USPS Postal Inspection Service and went on air in 2015, running on CBS on Saturday mornings. McCaskill wrote the Postmaster General requesting answers on who within the Postal Service approved sponsoring the show, how it is funded, and what metrics have been used to review the shows effectiveness. Since her time as Missouri State Auditor, McCaskill has been a leading voice in Missouri and Washington for cutting wasteful government spending. She became the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee this past January. In McCaskills position leading the Committee, she has called for answers on questionable government contracts, such as one that left taxpayers on the hook for over $50 million in questionable costs, including seven luxury vehicles and $400,000 average salaries for significant others of corporate officers to serve as executive assistants. She recently demanded details from the Federal Communications Commission on efforts to follow through on almost $90 million in fines proposed against providers for the Lifeline progra… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/on-pensions-mccaskill-tells-missouri-retirees-i-wont-stop-fighting-for-you | On Pensions, McCaskill Tells Missouri Retirees: ‘I won’t stop fighting for you’ | 2017-12-14 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | On Pensions, McCaskill Tells Missouri Retirees: I wont stop fighting for you Senator met with retired Missouri truckers and their families who are facing potential cuts to their pensions Thursday, December 14, 2017 WASHINGTON Retired Missouri truck drivers and their families met with U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill to discuss her efforts to protect pension promises made to more than 32,000 Missourians and protecting them from the potential collapse of the Central States Pension Plan. Thousands of Missourians were promised that after decades of working hard, playing by the rules, and paying into their pension, they would be able to retire with dignity, McCaskill said. Now, through no fault of their own, theyre facing drastic cuts, breaking the promises made to them. Thats just wrong, and I wont stop fighting for these Missourians to get the pensions they earned. Cynthia McDaniel of Appleton City, Mo., Connie Marascuilo of Kansas City, Mo., and John Carey, of Kansas City, Mo. were among those meeting with McCaskill to discuss how cuts to their promised pensions would impact their lives. Mrs. McDaniel also attended a meeting with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin earlier this year, after McCaskill requested Secretary Mnuchin meet with affected Missourians. Mrs. McDaniels husband drove trucks for 40 years, the majority of which was with Consolidated Freightways in Kansas City. Mrs. Marascuilos husband has been a truck driver for more than 30 years and is counting on his pension in retirement. Mr. Carey is a retired truck driver. McCaskills legislation, the Butch Lewis Act, would create a new office within the Treasury Department that would allow pension plans to borrow the money they need to remain solvent and continue providing retirement security for retirees and workers for decades to come, and all without cuts to pensions. McCaskill was the only member of the Missouri Congressional delegation to vote against legislation that allowed for deep cuts to retiree benefit… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/saturday-50th-mccaskill-town-hall-of-the-year-in-kirkwood | SATURDAY: 50th McCaskill Town Hall of the Year in Kirkwood | 2017-12-14 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | SATURDAY: 50th McCaskill Town Hall of the Year in Kirkwood Senator—averaging nearly one town hall per week in 2017—will host public town hall at St. Louis Community College Thursday, December 14, 2017 KIRKWOOD – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is bringing her town hall tour of Missouri to the town where she lives, and will host her 50th public town hall of the year at St. Louis Community College, Meramec Campus in Kirkwood this Saturday, December 16. Saturday, December 16 at 10:00 a.m. CT at the St. Louis Community College, Meramec Campus Theatre in Kirkwood, McCaskill will hold a public town hall, with media availability to follow. “The only way Missourians will know that their voices are being heard in Washington, is if I’m showing up, listening, and using what I learn to fight for them,” said McCaskill, who has hosted more public town halls in her time as Senator than the rest of Missouri’s Congressional delegation combined. “Whether or not folks always agree with me isn’t the point—I represent all Missourians, and I owe it to all Missourians to show up, show respect, hold myself accountable, and listen. What Missourians tell me—their ideas, their concerns, their criticisms—all of it makes me a better Senator, better equipped to achieve the results they expect.” The feedback McCaskill has collected through her town halls has already fueled several of the fights she is waging in the Senate—from the urgent need to invest in rural broadband, and feedback on how to protect Missourians’ access to healthcare, to ideas on how to boost job opportunities, invest in critical infrastructure like roads and bridges, and confront a growing opioid drug crisis in Missouri communities. McCaskill has hosted forty-nine public town hall forums on previous tours across Missouri this year. In 2009 during debate over the Affordable Care Act—at a time of heightened demonstrations against the legislation—McCaskill held a series of highly publicized town halls, including in trad… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/breaking-us-senate-reports-reveal-internal-disagreements-over-technology-and-border-wall-funding-personnel-priorities-in-administrations-fy-2019-budget-proposal | BREAKING: U.S. Senate Reports Reveal Internal Disagreements over Technology and Border Wall Funding, Personnel Priorities in Administration’s FY 2019 Budget Proposal | 2017-12-13 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | BREAKING: U.S. Senate Reports Reveal Internal Disagreements over Technology and Border Wall Funding, Personnel Priorities in Administration’s FY 2019 Budget Proposal After receiving whistleblower document, Democratic staff of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee issue two additional reports on White House budget guidance that would cut Department of Homeland Security priorities, including critical technology funding, to pay for border wall and would deny pay raises for law enforcement Wednesday, December 13, 2017 WASHINGTON – The Democratic staff of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee today issued two reports detailing how the White House rejected Department of Homeland Security (DHS) priorities—including border security technology—in order to pay for a border wall and how the White House directed DHS to deny requested pay raises for DHS law enforcement officials in FY 2019. The reports are based on an FY 2019 budget document DHS received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which was provided to the Committee by a whistleblower. Yesterday, the Committee published details on the Administration’s proposed cuts to counterterrorism programs based on the same whistleblower document. Federal agencies develop their budgets for the upcoming fiscal year and submit a request to OMB, typically in the fall. OMB then reviews the proposed budget, ensuring it aligns with the President’s priorities, and communicates its funding decisions to the agency through a process referred to as “passback.” At times, OMB provides less money than requested; in other instances it provides more. In late November 2017, a whistleblower provided OMB’s nonpublic “passback” document to the Democratic staff of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The document is titled the Department of Homeland Security Fiscal Year 2019 Budget and Policy Guidance and details OMB guidance from the President to the Department of H… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/sen-mccaskill-highlights-local-impact-of-proposed-counterterrorism-program-cuts | Sen. McCaskill highlights local impact of proposed counterterrorism program cuts | 2017-12-12 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Sen. McCaskill highlights local impact of proposed counterterrorism program cuts Tuesday, December 12, 2017 By: Aaron Martin Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the FBI testified before a Senate panel on Friday about evolving international terrorist threats and the impact of $582.8 million in proposed cuts to counterterrorism programs. U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, voiced concerns about how the Trump Administration’s proposed cuts to counterterrorism programs would impact St. Louis and Kansas City during Friday’s hearing. “Preventing radicalization, as well as preventing and responding to attacks, demands training, support, and other resources for state and local governments, law enforcement, and first responders,” McCaskill said. “I am deeply concerned that many essential counterterrorism programs that provide that support were reduced or outright eliminated in the president’s fiscal year 2018 budget.” Counterterrorism that is operated by the DHS and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to help state and local governments mitigate terrorist threats would be cut under the administration’s proposed budget. Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams, which TSA administers to sweep and monitor transportation hubs, would be among the cuts. McCaskill also noted that DHS counterterrorism programs that provide funding to the Kansas City Transportation Authority and the St. Louis Lambert International Airport would also be affected by the proposed cuts. “In July, DHS announced awards through the Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks Grant Program; Kansas City and St. Louis we… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/senator-claire-mccaskill-to-fcc-deliver-on-our-nations-universal-service-promise-to-missourians | Senator Claire McCaskill to FCC: “Deliver on our nation’s universal service promise to Missourians.” | 2017-12-12 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Senator Claire McCaskill to FCC: “Deliver on our nation’s universal service promise to Missourians.” Tuesday, December 12, 2017 WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is urging the Federal Communications Commission ensures that broadband providers deliver on rural service for Missourians. In a press release from the senator Tuesday, it was announced that McCaskill asked the agency to implement strong upfront oversight safeguards against waste and abuse. The FCC is preparing to award $1.98 billion in rural broadband funding next year. McCaskill wrote in a letter to the leadership of the FCC that “…More than 112,000 locations in rural Missouri are preliminarily eligible for universal service funding through the auction. These unserved communities have been waiting years for broadband and the auction presents a unique opportunity to finally allow universal service funding to flow to these communities in Missouri.” McCaskill cited concerns that the commission would fail to ensure sufficient safeguards in the auction that would not only fail to connect rural Missouri with broadband, but also risk introducing waste and fraud into the program. She encouraged the commission to screen applicants in an effort to ensure that they were qualified and capable of serving households in the geographic areas in which they were bidding. In 2018, the FCC is expected to move forward with a first-of-its-kind reverse auction to award $1.98 million a year over the next 10 years in funding for broadband in rural and underserved areas. Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/senator-fears-bills-language-will-hinder-probes | Senator fears bill's language will hinder probes | 2017-12-12 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Senator fears bill's language will hinder probes Tuesday, December 12, 2017 By: Ken Newton President Trump signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act Tuesday, a measure funding the American military for the 2018 fiscal year. Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, voted in favor of the $700 billion spending bill, which includes some priorities for St. Joseph. But the Democratic lawmaker musters her state auditor roots when she fears the defense bill might hinder the work of the inspector general overseeing reconstruction in Afghanistan. Restrictive language in the bill, she said in a letter Monday, inhibits efforts to uncover misspent money. This inspector general’s office “has identified billions of dollars of government waste, fraud and abuse,” McCaskill said. “It has been an important partner in my efforts to protect taxpayer dollars, and I’m committed to ensuring nothing gets in the way of its critical work.” The war in Afghanistan predates McCaskill’s tenure in the Senate, but she became a leader in the chamber of contracting oversight in the rebuilding of that nation. Patterning it after a wartime profiteering probe initiated by then Sen. Harry Truman, she led the Financial & Contracting Oversight Committee for six years. Last year, she inserted into a law a prohibition on U.S. tax dollars being spent on work in Afghanistan if the project lacked access by oversight officials. This year, she called into question $400 million in American spending on Afghanistan projects on the verge of failure. She has stewarded legislation offering whistleblower protections as a means of discovering instances of governmental waste or fraud… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/breaking-us-senate-report-reveals-internal-disagreements-over-funding-counterterrorism-programs-in-administrations-fy-2019-budget-proposal | BREAKING: U.S. Senate Report Reveals Internal Disagreements over Funding Counterterrorism Programs in Administration’s FY 2019 Budget Proposal | 2017-12-12 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | BREAKING: U.S. Senate Report Reveals Internal Disagreements over Funding Counterterrorism Programs in Administration’s FY 2019 Budget Proposal After receiving whistleblower document, Democratic staff of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee issues report showing that the White House rejected key counterterrorism elements of the Department of Homeland Security’s budget request Tuesday, December 12, 2017 WASHINGTON – The Democratic staff of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee today issued a report detailing the Administration’s intended funding cuts to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) state, local, and national counterterrorism programs based on an FY 2019 budget document DHS received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which was provided to the Committee by a whistleblower. “I’m worried that the Office of Management and Budget is overriding what local, state, and national leaders have told me they most need to keep us safe,” McCaskill said. “With recent terrorist attacks in our country and throughout the globe, counterterrorism programs shouldn’t be on the chopping block.” Federal agencies develop their budgets for the upcoming fiscal year and submit a request to OMB, typically in the fall. OMB then reviews the proposed budget, ensuring it aligns with the President’s priorities, and communicates its funding decisions to the agency through a process referred to as “passback.” At times, OMB provides less money than requested; in other instances it provides more. In late November 2017, a whistleblower provided OMB’s nonpublic “passback” document to the Democratic staff of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The document is titled the Department of Homeland Security Fiscal Year 2019 Budget and Policy Guidance and details OMB guidance from the President to the Department of Homeland Security regarding its FY 2019 budget proposal. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Aff… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/on-rural-broadband-access-mccaskill-tells-communications-agency-to_deliver-on-our-nations-universal-service-promise-to-missourians | On Rural Broadband Access, McCaskill Tells Communications Agency to ‘deliver on our nation’s universal service promise to Missourians’ | 2017-12-12 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | On Rural Broadband Access, McCaskill Tells Communications Agency to ‘deliver on our nation’s universal service promise to Missourians’ Senator urges safeguards in broadband auction to protect integrity of service in rural areas; As FCC prepares to award $1.98 billion for rural broadband, asks agency to prescreen applicants and prioritize proven technologies Tuesday, December 12, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ensure broadband providers can deliver on rural service for Missourians, asking the agency to implement strong upfront oversight safeguards against waste and abuse as it prepares to award $1.98 billion in rural broadband funding next year. “… More than 112,000 locations in rural Missouri are preliminarily eligible for universal service funding through the [Connect America Fund Phase II] auction,” wrote McCaskill in a letter to the leadership of the FCC. “These unserved communities have been waiting years for broadband and the auction presents a unique opportunity to finally allow universal service funding to flow to these communities in Missouri.” The letter continues: “I am concerned, however, that the Commission may fail to adopt sufficient safeguards in the auction. Absent adequate safeguards, the auction could not only fail to connect rural Missouri with broadband, but also risks introducing waste and fraud into the program… To protect the integrity of the program, I urge the commission to screen applicants to ensure they are both qualified to participate and have the ability to serve all unserved households in geographic areas where they are bidding with the applicable speed and capacity… Adopting these common sense safeguards should help ensure a fair auction and help to finally deliver on our nation’s universal service promise to rural Missourians.” Next year, the FCC is expected to move forward with a first-of-its kind reverse auction to award $198 million a year over 10 years, or… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/missourians-deserve-real-bipartisan-tax-reform | Missourians Deserve Real, Bipartisan Tax Reform | 2017-12-12 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-backed-bill-to-increase-consumer-protections-grow-small-business-clears-key-committee-hurdle | McCaskill-Backed Bill to Increase Consumer Protections, Grow Small Business, Clears Key Committee Hurdle | 2017-12-11 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill-Backed Bill to Increase Consumer Protections, Grow Small Business, Clears Key Committee Hurdle Financial legislation includes Senator’s bipartisan bill to protect seniors from exploitation Senator: ‘This is exactly what Missourians expect us to be doing—working together, across party lines, to solve real problems facing Missouri families’ Monday, December 11, 2017 WASHINGTON – Bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, along with a group of 19 colleagues, to increase consumer protections, cut burdensome regulation, and support small businesses cleared a key hurdle when it was passed by the Senate Banking Committee and now heads to the Senate floor. “This is exactly what Missourians expect us to be doing—working together, across party lines, to solve real problems facing Missouri families, especially our most vulnerable seniors,” McCaskill said. “This plan is a win-win—helping protect seniors from financial exploitation and increasing consumer protections against identity theft, all while cutting unnecessarily regulations for community banks that help small businesses across Missouri grow and thrive.” Included in the bipartisan plan is McCaskill’s Senior$afe Act, which would encourage and allow the employees of financial institutions to report suspected exploitive or fraudulent activity to authorities when they suspect that a customer might be the victim of financial exploitation. The sweeping legislation includes provisions of McCaskill’s bipartisan bill—cosponsored by Republican Senator David Perdue of Georgia, and championed by Missouri Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer—to provide regulatory relief to small regional banks subject to unnecessarily overly-burdensome regulations put in place by the “Dodd-Frank” financial reform bill. Those rules that were never intended for banks that primarily engage in ordinary consumer banking practices. McCaskill has been a longtime advocate on behalf of Missouri’s consumers. Included in this bi… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-raises-concerns-over-potential-limits-on-oversight-of-us-spending-in-afghanistan- | McCaskill Raises Concerns Over Potential Limits on Oversight of U.S. Spending in Afghanistan | 2017-12-11 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Raises Concerns Over Potential Limits on Oversight of U.S. Spending in Afghanistan Defense bill could limit role of the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which identifies waste and fraud in U.S. government-funded projects in Afghanistan Monday, December 11, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is raising concerns over the possibility that this year’s annual defense bill could limit the oversight work of the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which has played a critical role in identifying waste and fraud in U.S. government-funded projects in Afghanistan. “This office has identified billions of dollars of government waste, fraud, or abuse,” McCaskill said. “It has been an important partner in my efforts to protect taxpayer dollars, and I’m committed to ensuring nothing gets in the way of its critical work.” This year’s annual defense bill requires the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction to use specific auditing guidelines for its work overseeing the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund, but much of the Office’s work includes non-audit products such as Quarterly Reports to Congress. McCaskill had filed an amendment to strike the provision, but it was not accepted. She encouraged Special Inspector General John Spoko to come forward if the new provision limits his efforts. “The work SIGAR does is vital to identifying waste, fraud and abuse to ensure taxpayer dollars are well spent and it is essential that SIGAR’s work continue unfettered,” McCaskill wrote. “If at any time your office feels that the integrity of its oversight is endangered due to the new requirements in the [annual defense bill], please alert me.” Information from the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has extensively informed McCaskill’s efforts to … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/at-senate-hearing-on-terrorist-threats-mccaskill-raises-concerns-over-proposed-cuts-to-counterterrorism-programs-used-by-kansas-city-st-louis | At Senate Hearing on Terrorist Threats, McCaskill Raises Concerns Over Proposed Cuts to Counterterrorism Programs Used by Kansas City, St. Louis | 2017-12-08 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | At Senate Hearing on Terrorist Threats, McCaskill Raises Concerns Over Proposed Cuts to Counterterrorism Programs Used by Kansas City, St. Louis Senator serves as top-ranking Democrat on Homeland Security Committee, has previously questioned government officials over proposed cuts to terrorism prevention and preparedness programs Friday, December 8, 2017 WASHINGTON – During a hearing on defending the country from international terrorist threats, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill raised concerns over the Administration’s proposed cuts to counterterrorism programs across the country, including programs utilized by St. Louis and Kansas City. Witnesses at the hearing, entitled Adapting to Defend the Homeland Against the Evolving International Terrorist Threat, included officials from the Department of Defense, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security. “Preventing radicalization, as well as preventing and responding to attacks, demands training, support, and other resources for state and local governments, law enforcement, and first responders,” said McCaskill, who serves as the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee. “I am deeply concerned that many essential counterterrorism programs that provide that support were reduced or outright eliminated in the President’s FY 2018 budget.” McCaskill discussed the importance of these programs in Missouri, stating, “In July, DHS announced awards through the Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks Grant Program; Kansas City and St. Louis were both awarded money. I am very familiar with how these resources are being used, and they are being used wisely and appropriately. Programs like this are essential to bolstering security in our cities. But the President’s budget proposed eliminating this grant program, as well.” A report issued by the Homeland Security Committee Democratic staff earlier this year highlighted the impact of the Administration’s proposed $582.8 million in cuts from critical counterterrorism programs t… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/citing-nearly-400-million-in-duplicative-defense-contracts-mccaskill-urges-department-of-defense-cut-down-on-waste | Citing Nearly $400 Million in Duplicative Defense Contracts, McCaskill Urges Department of Defense Cut Down on Waste | 2017-12-08 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Citing Nearly $400 Million in Duplicative Defense Contracts, McCaskill Urges Department of Defense Cut Down on Waste After a top watchdog report found millions spent on 2,000 contracts for hundreds of contractors in a year on same helicopter part, Senator questions Pentagon leadership; ‘This is the kind of stuff that just makes you want to tear your hair out as somebody who’s a former auditor’ Friday, December 8, 2017 WASHINGTON – Continuing her efforts to cut down on waste and inefficiency in government contracting, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, today raised concerns to top Pentagon leadership about nearly $400 million in duplicative defense contracts. “They identify in [the Pentagon Inspector General’s report on contracting challenges], that for the H-60 helicopter used by the services and [Southern Command], that [the Department of Defense] have purchased 2.9 million spare parts for the H-60,” McCaskill said. “Using 2,000 separate contracts, awarded to 590 different contractors over a 12 month period, for almost $400 million dollars. And often these parts were purchased for different prices—the same part. This is the kind of stuff that just makes you want to tear your hair out as somebody who’s a former auditor. What roadblocks can you identify, Secretary Lord, that would keep you from fixing something ridiculous like that?” McCaskill continued: “I just think when something comes on line you should begin the process of identifying a handful of contractors because you want the consistency and if somebody falls off you’ve got others, and to get the best deal and leverage the best deal for that helicopter. I mean I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said in this committee and pointed out inefficiencies between the services for things they’re all using.” McCaskill also discussed Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson’s visit to Whiteman Air Force Base at her invitation, and the personnel issues involved in hiring train… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/fund-our-rural-schoolsmccaskill-calls-on-congressional-leadership-to-renew-secure-rural-schools | ‘Fund our rural schools’—McCaskill Calls on Congressional Leadership to Renew Secure Rural Schools | 2017-12-08 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | ‘Fund our rural schools’—McCaskill Calls on Congressional Leadership to Renew Secure Rural Schools 29 Missouri counties saw more than $2 million decrease in Secure Rural Schools funding that hurt schools, infrastructure, public safety services Friday, December 8, 2017 WASHINGTON – Continuing her advocacy for Missouri’s rural schools and communities, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill has joined a bipartisan effort to restore Secure Rural Schools funding for communities surrounding Mark Twain National Forest—to provide resources to support local schools, transportation, and public safety services. “Public schools are the beating hearts of our small towns and rural communities in Missouri—and I’m not about to let up in my fight to see them get the resources they need,” McCaskill said. “There’s a whole lot of noise and whole lot of must-pass legislation in Washington as the year comes to a close, but I’m going to keep fighting to fund our rural schools and make sure our rural communities aren’t forgotten and left on the cutting room floor.” Funding for the Secure Rural Schools program expired in 2015, leaving more than 775 counties and 4,400 school districts nationwide with budget shortfalls, including 29 Missouri counties that are home to Mark Twain National Forest. As a result of the program’s expiration, Missouri counties saw a more than $2 million decrease in their most recent payment. In a bipartisan letter to Congressional leadership, McCaskill and 31 colleagues wrote: “In the interest of working together in a bipartisan way to support local rural communities, we ask that you include a reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools in any end-of-the-year legislation.” Secure Rural Schools was first enacted in 2000 as local governments faced steep reductions in timber revenue sharing. Current revenue sharing payments are no longer sufficient to support the services forest counties must provide. McCaskill has continually advocated for Missouri’s rural communities and calle… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-questions-uber-following-data-breach-affecting-57-million-users | McCaskill Questions Uber Following Data Breach Affecting 57 Million Users | 2017-12-08 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Questions Uber Following Data Breach Affecting 57 Million Users Senator requests details on compromised personal information, had previously called for answers from the company in 2014 about the company’s troubling data security practices Friday, December 8, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is calling for answers from Uber over a 2016 data breach affecting 57 million users that was only recently disclosed. McCaskill previously raised concerns with Uber’s data security in 2014. “Companies have a responsibility to their customers and employees in Missouri and throughout the country to protect their personal information. Not only did Uber fail to do so, it engaged in a cover-up to hide the breach from those affected,” McCaskill said. “Uber needs to come forward with full details on what happened and how they’re preventing problems like this in the future.” McCaskill joined Senator Bill Nelson of Florida to raise concerns over the 2016 breach in which 57 million users’ personal information was compromised. The company hid the breach until last month. Uber suffered another breach in 2014 and hid it until it was made public in early 2015. McCaskill and Nelson had written to Uber two months before the 2014 breach was made public, seeking information about the company’s troubling data security practices. In their most recent letter to Uber, the Senators called for additional answers on the company’s data security. “This [2016] breach shows a pattern and practice of Uber not properly securing data or notifying those affected by such a breach….This breach, the long delay in reporting it, and an apparent attempt to cover it up by paying a ransom illustrate problems that we raised back in December 2014 when we sent a letter noting troubling problems with Uber’s data security and privacy policies. After the 2014 breach, the Federal Trade Commission investigated the… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/citing-nearly-400m-in-duplicative-defense-contracts-mccaskill-urges-dod-cut-down-on-waste | Citing Nearly $400M in Duplicative Defense Contracts, McCaskill Urges DoD Cut Down on Waste | 2017-12-08 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 0 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | |||
| https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-releases-statement-on-impeachment-of-president-trump | Congressman Cleaver Releases Statement On Impeachment of President Trump | 2017-12-07 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Emanuel Cleaver | C001061 | cleaver.house.gov | legacy | (Washington, D.C.) - Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II released the following statement regarding his vote on the impeachment of President Donald Trump. "Yesterday, I voted to table a resolution containing the articles of impeachment of President Donald Trump. I believe that this President has sent tasteless tweets, made crude and cruel comments, and embraced those who espouse hatred and division while pushing policies like the Trump tax cuts which benefit him and his children. However, I will not violate who I am by refusing to wait until the special counsel has completed his investigation. On the subject of impeachment, I have decided to say nothing as often as I can. After all, in the United States we believe in due process, even if the President believes that a federal judge, because of his race, cannot be fair on the federal bench. I realize that Trump’s presidency generates anger. I will remind folk that there is only one letter of the alphabet that separates anger from danger. My vote to table was an issue of fairness." Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and also a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. For more information, please contact Heather Frierson at 816-842-4545 or Heather.Frierson@mail.house.gov. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/following-mccaskill-testimony-against-foreign-trade-practices-trade-commission_rules-unanimously-in-favor-of-missouri-soybean-biodiesel-producers | Following McCaskill Testimony Against Foreign Trade Practices, Trade Commission Rules Unanimously in Favor of Missouri Soybean, Biodiesel Producers | 2017-12-07 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Following McCaskill Testimony Against Foreign Trade Practices, Trade Commission Rules Unanimously in Favor of Missouri Soybean, Biodiesel Producers International Trade Commission voted 4-0 to impose double-digit duties on Argentinian, Indonesian biodiesel to level the playing field for Missouri businesses Senator: I’m glad we were able to get this done” Thursday, December 7, 2017 WASHINGTON – Following testimony by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill on behalf of Missouri’s soybean and biodiesel workers and producers—which support more than 17,000 jobs in Missouri—the government agency that decides whether American companies have been harmed voted unanimously on the side of the soybean industry, opening the door for the Department of Commerce to approve hefty double-digit duties on Argentinian and Indonesian biodiesel imports. Click HERE for more photos from McCaskill’s testimony before the International Trade Commission. “Soybean farmers and biodiesel producers are cornerstones of Missouri’s economy, and given a level playing field, I know they can compete and win in the global marketplace,” said McCaskill in response to the favorable ruling by the International Trade Commission. “I’m glad we were able to get this done to help protect Missouri jobs, and I’ll keep up my fight for all the Missouri farmers, workers, and producers that help our economy thrive.” The biodiesel market in Missouri supports more than 8,000 jobs. The soybean industry has created 3,000 direct jobs and 6,400 indirect jobs in Missouri, and adds $1.7 billion in economic benefits to the state. McCaskill testified last month that Missouri workers and businesses have been harmed by the hundreds of millions of gallons of Argentinian and Indonesian biodiesel that are unfairly being dumped into the U.S. markets. The state of Missouri is the third-largest producer of biodiesel and a major producer of soybeans. There are six active biodiesel plants in Missouri, with a combined capacity of 235 million gall… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/highlighting-concerns-of-nearly-450000-missourians-mccaskill-opposes-changes-to-net-neutrality-rules | Highlighting Concerns of Nearly 450,000 Missourians, McCaskill Opposes Changes to Net Neutrality Rules | 2017-12-07 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Highlighting Concerns of Nearly 450,000 Missourians, McCaskill Opposes Changes to Net Neutrality Rules Citing Missourians who have weighed in, Senator urges federal agency maintain consumer safeguards that protect a free and open internet Thursday, December 7, 2017 WASHINGTON – Highlighting the concerns of more than 443,000 Missourians who submitted public comments to the Federal Communications Commission and the thousands more who contacted her office directly, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is urging the agency to keep its current net neutrality rules in place and scrap efforts to eliminate them. “[The FCC’s order] would eliminate important consumer safeguards that protect a free and open internet,” McCaskill wrote to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “Particularly as we have seen increased consolidation among the nation’s largest broadband providers, enactment of network neutrality rules was an important step toward making sure that consumers are protected when they connect to the online content of their choice. This has been echoed by the thousands of Missourians who have contacted my office in the past two weeks, as well as the overwhelming majority of the more than 443,000 Missourians who submitted public comments to the FCC on the issue earlier this year. Any effort to repeal these rules without putting alternative net neutrality safeguards in place is unacceptable.” The letter continues: “Perhaps most troubling about the order is that it just furthers the unfortunate politicizing of this important policy issue. I have long said that Congress should settle the issue of net neutrality once and for all with legislation to provide certainty for consumers and providers alike. Until Congress can reach such an agreement, I urge you to abandon efforts to entirely eliminate net neutrality rules.” McCaskill’s letter also cites her bipartisan investigation with Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio into the customer service and billing practices of the nation’s largest cable an… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-meets-with-trump-trade-chief-to-urge-missouri-agriculture-protectionstatement | McCaskill Meets with Trump Trade Chief to Urge Missouri Agriculture Protection—Statement | 2017-12-07 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Meets with Trump Trade Chief to Urge Missouri Agriculture Protection—Statement Senator, Finance Committee members sit down with U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Lighthizer to warn of impact of North American Free Trade Agreement withdrawal on Missouri’s crop and livestock sectors Thursday, December 7, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, along with fellow members of the Senate Finance Committee, met this week with President Trump’s trade chief to discuss the importance of protecting Missouri’s agriculture economy in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and released the following statement: “Our trade deals need to be better, but I’m really worried about Missouri agriculture, which is the backbone of our economy. Nothing the Trade Ambassador said reassured me. I’m very concerned that Missouri agriculture is going to pay a big price for the trade policies of this Administration.” McCaskill, a longtime advocate for farmers and ranchers in Missouri, and recently joined her Republican colleagues in seeking protections for Missouri agriculture producers in NAFTA renegotiations, in a letter to Mr. Lighthizer. Last month she joined a bipartisan call along with fellow Missouri Senator Roy Blunt and led by Republican Senator John Boozman of Arkansas, urging the Trump Administration to conduct a robust economic analysis to evaluate how any changes to NAFTA would affect Missouri’s crop and livestock sectors. The Senators’ wrote in their letter to the Administration that, “U.S. is the world’s top exporter of food and agricultural products and is an important economic driver that stimulates prosperity and jobs throughout rural America. According to USDA, every $1 in agricultural exports generates an additional $1.27 in economic activity, and every $1 billion in farm exports supports 8,000 jobs.” Since NAFTA was enacted in 1993, Canada and Mexico have been Missouri’s top export destinations and two of the top five importers of … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-praises-fort-leonard-wood-community-on-army-award | McCaskill Praises Fort Leonard Wood Community on Army Award | 2017-12-06 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Praises Fort Leonard Wood Community on Army Award Fort Leonard Wood, Sustainable Ozarks Partnership recognized with Army Community Partnership award Wednesday, December 6, 2017 WASHINGTON – After Fort Leonard Wood and the Sustainable Ozarks Partnership received the Army Community Partnership Award from the U.S. Army, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the daughter of a World War II veteran, issued the following statement: "Missouri plays a critical role in our nation’s defense, and the community support for Fort Leonard Wood’s mission and the men and women who power it is something everyone should be proud of. The work done by the Sustainable Ozarks Partnership to support all those who live and train at Fort Leonard Wood is remarkable and worthy of this recognition.” The award’s citation recognizes Fort Leonard Wood and the Sustainable Ozarks Partnership for “success in strengthening emergency response through the interconnection of water resources between the installation and community. This partnership provides reciprocal backup water supplies during future emergency situations that both improve water resiliency and enhance installation readiness.” McCaskill is a longtime advocate for Fort Leonard Wood and the Sustainable Ozarks Partnership. Earlier this year at the Sustainable Ozarks Partnership annual meeting, McCaskill discussed her efforts to support the work of Fort Leonard Wood and the surrounding community, including her work to secure $250 million for Fort Leonard Wood’s General Leonard Wood Army Hospital. As part of her Security & Defense Tour across the state last year, McCaskill visited Fort Leonard Wood where she met with Soldiers and observed a skills contest described as the “Super Bowl” of Army competitions to recognize outstanding warriors. Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/defense to learn more about McCaskill’s fight to protect our national security. ### … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/senate-confirms-president-trumps-nominee-and-st-louis-native-to-lead-general-services-administration-with-mccaskills-support | Senate Confirms President Trump’s Nominee and St. Louis Native to Lead General Services Administration with McCaskill’s Support | 2017-12-06 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Senate Confirms President Trump’s Nominee and St. Louis Native to Lead General Services Administration with McCaskill’s Support McCaskill introduced, supported Emily Murphy at her confirmation hearing Wednesday, December 6, 2017 WASHINGTON – Senator Claire McCaskill voted to confirm St. Louis native Emily Murphy, President Trump’s nominee to lead the General Services Administration. The agency is responsible for the federal government’s real estate management, and assisting federal agencies with purchasing goods and services, including IT systems. “I was proud to support Ms. Murphy, a fellow Missourian who has a long and distinguished career in government oversight,” McCaskill said. “She understands the importance of using Missourians’ tax dollars wisely, and I look forward to working with her to cut wasteful spending.” McCaskill introduced Murphy at her Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee confirmation hearing. Prior to the hearing, McCaskill met with Murphy to discuss how she will save taxpayer dollars, especially as it relates to buying and selling federal property. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has oversight authority over the General Services Administration and other federal agencies, and protecting taxpayer dollars has been a top priority for McCaskill as a Committee leader. Earlier this year, McCaskill-backed bipartisan legislation to crack down on misuse of federal agency travel and purchase cards spending passed the Senate. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has unanimously approved two of her bills with Republican Senator Steve Daines of Montana to eliminate wasteful spending at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Recently, the Senate passed a McCaskill-backed bill making it illegal to spend taxpayer dollars on portraits of government officials. McCaskill led an investigation into the General Services Administration under the Obama Administration, helping topple its leaders at … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-statement-on-confirmation-of-kirstjen-nielsen-to-be-secretary-of-the-department-of-homeland-security_ | McCaskill Statement on Confirmation of Kirstjen Nielsen to be Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security | 2017-12-05 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Statement on Confirmation of Kirstjen Nielsen to be Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Tuesday, December 5, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, issued the following statement after the Senate confirmed Kirstjen Nielsen to become the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security: “The Department of Homeland Security plays a vital role in protecting our national security—I’m glad that this important post has been filled. I look forward to working with Ms. Nielsen to keep Missourians and all Americans safe.” McCaskill became the Ranking Member on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in January of this year and also serves as a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. ### Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-calls-for-answers-from-va-over-whistleblower-retaliation-claims | McCaskill Calls for Answers from VA Over Whistleblower Retaliation Claims | 2017-12-04 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Calls for Answers from VA Over Whistleblower Retaliation Claims Senator: ‘Whistleblower retaliation is never acceptable, but it’s especially concerning when it gets in the way of veterans’ care’ Monday, December 4, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is calling for answers from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on what it is doing to protect whistleblowers after recent reports of increased whistleblower retaliation at the agency. “Whistleblower retaliation is never acceptable, but it’s especially concerning when it gets in the way of veterans’ care,” McCaskill said. “Millions of veterans have put their lives on the line for our country, but then struggle to receive healthcare services at the VA once they come home. Whistleblowers play a key role in identifying problems at the VA—and it is imperative that they feel comfortable shining a light on misconduct and abuse.” A recent Washington Post story detailed the experiences of two VA doctors who came forward as whistleblowers and continue to face retaliation despite the creation of a new department at the agency responsible for handling whistleblower retaliation claims. President Trump established the VA Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection (OAWP) in April, and Congress made the office permanent in June. “I am troubled by recent reports that, despite being given more tools and guidance, VA is failing to treat claims of retaliation appropriately,” McCaskill wrote in a letter to the VA Secretary. She requested information from the VA on what the agency has done to address concerns over weak whistleblower protections, how the OAWP protects whistleblower confidentiality, and how the OAWP processes and investigates whistleblower claims. The daughter of a World War II veteran, McCaskill has long been an advocate for veterans in Missouri and nationwide. After a whistleblower exposed pr… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-releases-statement-regarding-michael-flynn-s | Congressman Cleaver Releases Statement Regarding Michael Flynns Admission of Guilt | 2017-12-01 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Emanuel Cleaver | C001061 | cleaver.house.gov | legacy | (Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II released the following statement regarding former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn’s, guilty plea. “The fact that General Michael Flynn admitted to lying to the FBI about his talks with Russian agents further proves that Americans cannot fully trust this administration. This ends the “no collusion” mantra that we have heard daily out of Washington. We’ve seen indictment after indictment among President Trump’s top aides and now two guilty pleas. Former Trump Campaign Aide, George Papadopoulos, admitted that he too lied to federal investigators about meetings with Russia. We do not know where this investigation will lead but it troubles me that the very person in charge of protecting our national security would lie to the FBI. This is beyond outrageous, and it begs the question, what else is the Trump administration hiding?” Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and also a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. For more information, please contact Heather Frierson at 816-842-4545 or Heather.Frierson@mail.house.gov. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-blunt-honor-whiteman-air-force-base-62nd-anniversary | McCaskill, Blunt Honor Whiteman Air Force Base 62nd Anniversary | 2017-12-01 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill, Blunt Honor Whiteman Air Force Base 62nd Anniversary Whiteman Air Force Base was designated in memory of Sedalia native Second Lieutenant George A. Whiteman, one of the first Airman killed in World War II Friday, December 1, 2017 WASHINGTON – Missouri U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt are honoring the 62nd anniversary of the dedication of Whiteman Air Force Base with their introduction of a U.S. Senate resolution commemorating the occasion, which coincides with the 70th anniversary of Missouri native President Harry S. Truman’s establishment of the Air Force. “Whiteman’s critical role in our nation’s defense has been cemented over generations,” said McCaskill, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the daughter of a World War II veteran. “The men and women who have and continue to serve at Whiteman represent the very best of our state—and I know I share the gratitude of all Missourians for their contributions to our national security, and to the rich history of this installation.” “For more than half a century, Whiteman has served an important role in defending our freedoms and supporting our nation’s heroes as they carry out their missions,” said Blunt. “We will always be grateful for the sacrifices the brave men and women stationed at Whiteman have made and continue to make on our behalf. I’ll keep working to help ensure this installation has the resources it needs to remain a pivotal component of our nation’s military for years to come.” Whiteman is named in honor of Sedalia native Second Lieutenant George A. Whiteman, one of the first Airmen killed in World War II. The resolution highlights the contribution of the base, from training pilots in World War II to the 509th and 131st Bomb Wings as operators of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. The 131st, a Missouri National Guard unit, is the only nuclear-capable bomb wing in the Air National Guard. Text of Senate Resolution HERE. ### Print … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-demands-answers-on-efforts-to-follow-through-on-almost-90-million-in-fines-proposed-against-lifeline-providers | McCaskill Demands Answers on Efforts to Follow through on Almost $90 Million in Fines Proposed against Lifeline Providers | 2017-12-01 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Demands Answers on Efforts to Follow through on Almost $90 Million in Fines Proposed against Lifeline Providers FCC announced plans to fine 12 Lifeline providers more than $94 million four years ago, almost $90 million still outstanding; 10 of 12 companies still receive Lifeline program funds Friday, December 1, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is demanding answers from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over what it’s doing to follow through on almost $90 million in fines it proposed against Lifeline carriers who profited by violating program rules, for example through collecting subsidies for duplicate or ineligible subscriber accounts. Ten of the 12 companies cited continue to receive more than $2.4 billion through the program between 2014 and 2016. “It’s outrageous that the government continues to pay billions of taxpayer dollars to companies when it has taken no action to collect the millions in penalties it proposed against those same companies,” McCaskill said. “I’m determined to tackle the rampant waste, fraud, and abuse in this program and I look forward to hearing from the government about its plans to recover taxpayer dollars that never should’ve gone to these companies in the first place.” Between September 2013 and February 2014, the FCC proposed more than $94 million in fines to 12 Lifeline providers for enrolling ineligible subscribers. Only one of the companies has publicly agreed to pay money back to the FCC, and 10 of the companies continue to receive Lifeline payments from the FCC. These 10 companies received more than $2.4 billion from the program between 2014 and 2016. “It is critical that you ensure that the FCC Enforcement Bureau acts swiftly and aggressively to hold companies accountable for violating Lifeline program rules,” McCaskill wrote to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “These rules serve to protect taxpayers and t… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-seeks-additional-answers-on-afghan-trainees-going-awol | McCaskill Seeks Additional Answers On Afghan Trainees Going AWOL | 2017-12-01 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Seeks Additional Answers On Afghan Trainees Going AWOL 152 Afghan trainees in the U.S. have gone AWOL since 2005, including 11 from Missouri’s Ft. Leonard Wood Friday, December 1, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is continuing to seek answers after a report showed that a significant number of Afghan military trainees went missing after coming to the United States for training, requesting details on what Immigration and Customs Enforcement is doing to locate Afghan trainees who went Absent Without Leave (AWOL). From 2005 to 2017, 2,537 individuals from Afghanistan came to the United States for training through various programs, including Counter Drug Training Support, International Military Education and Training, and multiple military leadership courses. Since 2005, 152 of the trainees have gone AWOL, including 11 from Missouri’s Ft. Leonard Wood. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is responsible for finding AWOL trainees. “It’s a national security risk when Afghan trainees go unaccounted for after training at military bases in Missouri and across the country,” McCaskill said. “We need answers on what the government is doing to locate AWOL trainees and prevent them from going AWOL in the first place.” McCaskill wrote the Department of Homeland Security, of which Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a part, asking for more details on challenges the agency faces in finding AWOL trainees and what the agency is doing to improve inter-agency coordination in order to do so more quickly. McCaskill also requested an update on the current status of AWOL trainees, including those who fled from Missouri’s Ft. Leonard Wood. “Afghan trainees going AWOL creates coordination challenges that heighten risks to our national security and public safety,” McCaskill wrote in her letter to DHS Acting Secretary Elaine Duke. McCaskill previously requested answers from the Defense Department over its role running the program and preventing trainees fr… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/photos/missouri-biodiesel-producers-meet-with-mccaskill-after-her-testimony-on-their-behalf-against-unfair-trade-practices | Missouri Biodiesel Producers Meet with McCaskill After Her Testimony on Their Behalf Against Unfair Trade Practices | 2017-12-01 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill met with Missouri biodiesel producers today to discuss the important role soybean farmers and biodiesel producers have on Missouri’s economy—which has created and supported more than 17,000 jobs in Missouri—and the importance of standing up against unfair trade practice that harm American companies. Earlier this month, McCaskill testified directly to the International Trade Commission—the legal body that decides whether American companies have been harmed—on behalf of Missouri’s biodiesel companies that Missouri workers and businesses have been harmed by the hundreds of millions of gallons of Argentinian and Indonesian biodiesel that are unfairly being dumped into the U.S. markets. “Agriculture is the cornerstone of Missouri’s economy, and we’ve got to keep it that way.” McCaskill said. “I’m going to fight like hell for Missouri farmers and producers to make sure foreign companies and governments aren’t undercutting the markets, because I know when Missourians compete on a level playing field, we are second to none.” Missouri is the third-largest producer of biodiesel and one of the major producers of soybeans in the United States. These two industries support more than 17,000 jobs in Missouri, with the soybean industry alone creating 3,000 direct jobs and 6,400 indirect jobs in Missouri, adding $1.7 billion in economic benefits to the state. Continuing her bipartisan advocacy for domestic renewable fuel production, McCaskill joined a bipartisan group of Senators in urging the Trump Administration to continue increasing the Renewable Volume Obligations for biomass-based diesel. The bipartisan effort focuses on encouraging continued development of the biodiesel industry, to increase jobs, spur economic growth and lead to more energy security. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/facebook-responds-to-congressman-cleaver-s-concerns-regarding-racial | Facebook Responds to Congressman Cleavers Concerns Regarding Racial Bias in Social Media | 2017-11-30 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Emanuel Cleaver | C001061 | cleaver.house.gov | legacy | (Washington D.C.) - Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) yesterday received a letter from Facebook Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl Sandberg, after a series of concerns were presented to Facebook and Twitter top executives. In the letter, Sandberg specifically stated she is responding to a series of recent letters from Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II, and other Members of the CBC. “I appreciate the CBC’s commitment to asking hard questions and holding us accountable for our progress,” the letter states. “We know that African Americans have been the victims of divisive and abusive content online and we appreciate the leadership the CBC has shown in speaking out in defense of democratic values and in favor of more diversity in technology,” the letter continues. Last month, Congressman Cleaver and Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) sent a letter to Sandberg and Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey, encouraging them to take immediate action to combat the spread of racially divisive communications and take seriously the threat of foreign entities’ use of the sites to undermine American democracy. Congressman Cleaver was also among those CBC members who met with Sandberg to discuss allegations that Russian-backed agencies exploited the company’s system to influence the outcome of the 2016 election through the spread of racial and discriminatory advertisements. Additionally, in a letter sent to Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg last year, Congressman Cleaver joined his colleagues in addressing reports of advertisers on Facebook using multicultural affinity groups to exclude certain racial and ethnic groups when placing housing ads online. In the response letter, Sandberg stated Facebook is committed to addressing these issues, adding; “Solving these problems will not happen overnight, but we are committed to addressing and making progress on the issues raised in our meeting and in these letters." Facebook stated the company would; • Strengthen policies prohibiting discrimination in advertising • Provide more education… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/following-reports-of-30-million-in-cancelled-fema-contracts-to-bronze-star-mccaskill-calls-for-answers | Following Reports of $30 Million in Cancelled FEMA Contracts to Bronze Star, McCaskill Calls for Answers | 2017-11-30 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Following Reports of $30 Million in Cancelled FEMA Contracts to Bronze Star, McCaskill Calls for Answers In request to FEMA, McCaskill also details concerns with a previously unreported contract and the backlog for installing temporary protective roofing Thursday, November 30, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today raised concerns with the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) over contracting decisions for hurricane recovery efforts after reports that FEMA awarded more than $30 million in contracts to Bronze Star, LLC, then cancelled the contracts after the company completely failed to deliver the required products. The company was created only two months before the contracts were awarded, and had never done work on a similar scale. McCaskill also raised new concerns today, calling for answers from FEMA about a $34 million contract to Global Computers and Networks, LLC—also for protective tarps in Puerto Rico—that, according to federal contract records, only has one employee and an annual revenue of $240,000. In addition, McCaskill detailed the significant backlog that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has for installing temporary roofing on tens of thousands of hurricane-damaged homes. “It’s unacceptable that families devastated by recent hurricanes are facing such delays in getting the services they need,” McCaskill said. “FEMA needs to be vigilant in how it awards and oversees contracts so that disaster relief funds actually reach the survivors who need it and taxpayer dollars aren’t wasted.” McCaskill is seeking details from FEMA about the Bronze Star contract and other hurricane relief contracts. “FEMA’s decision to award Bronze Star contracts to provide critical supplies raises further questions about FEMA’s contract award process,” McCaskill wrote to FEMA Administrator Brock Long. “In particular, I am concerned about how FEMA is ensuring… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/missouri-biodiesel-producers-meet-with-mccaskill-after-her-testimony-on-their-behalf-against-unfair-trade-practices | Missouri Biodiesel Producers Meet with McCaskill After Her Testimony on Their Behalf Against Unfair Trade Practices | 2017-11-30 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Missouri Biodiesel Producers Meet with McCaskill After Her Testimony on Their Behalf Against Unfair Trade Practices Senator and Missouri biodiesel producers discuss need to protect more than 17,000 Missouri jobs Thursday, November 30, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill met with Missouri biodiesel producers this week to discuss the important role soybean farmers and biodiesel producers have on Missouri’s economy—which has created and supported more than 17,000 jobs in Missouri—and the importance of standing up against unfair trade practice that harm American companies. Click HERE for more photos from McCaskill’s meeting. Earlier this month, McCaskill testified directly to the International Trade Commission—the legal body that decides whether American companies have been harmed—on behalf of Missouri’s biodiesel companies that Missouri workers and businesses have been harmed by the hundreds of millions of gallons of Argentinian and Indonesian biodiesel that are unfairly being dumped into the U.S. markets. “Agriculture is the cornerstone of Missouri’s economy, and we’ve got to keep it that way.” McCaskill said. “I’m going to fight like hell for Missouri farmers and producers to make sure foreign companies and governments aren’t undercutting the markets, because I know when Missourians compete on a level playing field, we are second to none.” Missouri is the third-largest producer of biodiesel and one of the major producers of soybeans in the United States. These two industries support more than 17,000 jobs in Missouri, with the soybean industry alone creating 3,000 direct jobs and 6,400 indirect jobs in Missouri, adding $1.7 billion in economic benefits to the state. Continuing her bipartisan advocacy for domestic renewable fuel production, McCaskill joined a bipartisan group of Senators in urging the Trump Administration to continue increasing the Renewable Volume Obligations for biomass-based diesel. The bipartisan effort focuses on encouraging contin… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://lacyclay.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/statement-congressman-wm-lacy-clay-d-mo-regarding-president-donald-j | STATEMENT BY CONGRESSMAN WM. LACY CLAY (D) MO REGARDING PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP’S VISIT TO MISSOURI | 2017-11-29 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | William Clay | C001049 | lacyclay.house.gov | legacy | -WASHINGTON, DC Note: The following, in its entirety, is all first-person from Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri. “Mr. President, welcome to Missouri. I understand that your visit will focus on your indefensible, reckless Republican tax scam that will raise taxes on millions of middle-class families; rob seniors; punish students; weaken higher education; strip healthcare coverage away from 13 million Americans and explode the debt by charging an additional $1.4 trillion on the national credit card. You and the Republican party like to talk about family values. And there is no doubt that extremely wealthy families like yours will reap millions from your GOP Tax Scam. But what about real Americans who will pay more and get less? Show-Me why you want to raise taxes on over 320,000 middle-class families in Missouri; Show-Me why you want to bury 255.920 Missouri students who hold student loans even deeper in debt by eliminating the deduction for student loan interest; Show-Me why you want to harm 165,001 seriously-ill Missouri taxpayers who will no longer be able to deduct Medical Expenses; Show-Me why when asked about the state level impact of the GOP Tax Scam, even the Republican Chairman of the Missouri House Budget Committee, State Representative Scott Fitzpatrick of Shell Knob told the St. Louis Post-DIspatch on November 9th: “We cannot have a billion dollar hole blown in the budget. We cannot afford that.” Show-Me why you want to impose double taxation on every Missouri taxpayer who will no longer be able to deduct state and local income taxes; Show-Me why you want to weaken Medicare by robbing it of over $25 billion over the next ten years to help pay for tax cuts for billionaires like you; And, Show-Me how you intend to ever look middle-class families in the face again when you promised to lower taxes for every American…and instead, you pushed this shameful GOP Tax Scam that will ensure that the haves will have more…and everyone else will pay for it.” -30- | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/after-new-york-city-ramming-attack-mccaskill-continues-push-to-prevent-cuts-to-counterterrorism-programs | After New York City Ramming Attack, McCaskill Continues Push to Prevent Cuts to Counterterrorism Programs | 2017-11-29 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | After New York City Ramming Attack, McCaskill Continues Push to Prevent Cuts to Counterterrorism Programs Senator asks Department of Homeland Security if any of the programs slated to be cut were used to respond to recent attack in New York City Wednesday, November 29, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today wrote the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seeking information on whether grant programs targeted for major cuts were used to respond to the recent terrorist attack in New York City in which a vehicle was used to ram into a crowded bicycle lane killing eight people. In a letter to Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke, McCaskill questions whether a risk analysis had been conducted prior to cuts to multiple counterterrorism programs proposed in the Administration’s 2018 budget, as well as how those programs had been brought to bear in preventing or responding to previous terrorist attacks inside the United States. “We’ve seen both at home and abroad that terrorists are turning to motor vehicles to target innocent people on the street—and we’ve got communities in Missouri and other states that need federal resources to keep their citizens safe,” McCaskill said. “Resources that were used in New York or across the country to prevent or respond to terrorist attacks shouldn’t be on the chopping block.” In her role leading the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, McCaskill has repeatedly raised concerns over proposed Administration cuts to these and other similar programs. A report issued by the Committee earlier this year highlighted the impact of the Administration’s proposed $582.8 million in cuts from critical counterterrorism programs that DHS administers. “Cuts of this magnitude hinder communities’ abilities to protect Americans from terrorist attacks and keep our country safe,” McCaskill wrote to Duke. “These program… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-on-tax-reform-if-they-decide-to-start-fresh-with-a-real-bipartisan-approach-i-believe-we-could-get-it-done | McCaskill on Tax Reform: ‘If they decide to start fresh with a real bipartisan approach… I believe we could get it done’ | 2017-11-29 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill on Tax Reform: ‘If they decide to start fresh with a real bipartisan approach… I believe we could get it done’ Senator reiterates willingness to support real tax reform focused on Missouri’s working families—publishes Medium post detailing what she supports, versus plan by Republican leaders in Congress Wednesday, November 29, 2017 WASHINGTON – As Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell moves a controversial, partisan tax plan to the floor of the U.S. Senate—a plan that would, according to independent analysts, “cut taxes of [the] wealthy and increase taxes on families earning less than $75,000 by 2027”—Senator Claire McCaskill today released the following statement: “What I said to President Trump when we sat down together is still true today—I’m eager to support real, bipartisan tax reform. I’d jump at the chance to support a plan to deliver relief to Missouri’s working families, simplify the tax code, close loopholes exploited by the rich, and lower the corporate tax rate. Unfortunately, this tax plan doesn’t live up the commitment I got from President Trump, when he told me he wouldn’t support tax reform that benefited the very rich at the expense of the little guy. The Republican-drafted tax plan would further complicate the tax code, keep open those loopholes, deepen the national debt, and give the vast majority of benefits to millionaires and billionaires, while working families get hurt. But if Republican leaders decide to start fresh, with a real bipartisan approach, I’m ready to get to work and I believe we could get it done.” Click HERE to read a blog post by McCaskill outlining what she would support in a tax reform plan. As reported yesterday, McCaskill joined other moderate Senate Democrats including Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, and Joe Donnelly of Indiana, among others, to express readiness to negotiate bipartisan tax reform “despite being frozen out of negotiations.” The current Republican-drafted tax … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/nearly-2-million-headed-to-wright-county-for-rural-water-systemmccaskill-announces | Nearly $2 Million Headed to Wright County for Rural Water System—McCaskill Announces | 2017-11-29 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Nearly $2 Million Headed to Wright County for Rural Water System—McCaskill Announces Senator: ‘Every Missourian should have access to clean water and basic infrastructure, no matter where you live’ Wednesday, November 29, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill announced $1.9 million in federal funding and loans has been awarded to the town of Mansfield, in Wright County, to improve the existing water treatment facility. “Every Missourian should have access to clean water and basic infrastructure, no matter where you live – whether it’s a community big or small,” McCaskill said. “This funding will go a long way to help folks in Mansfield shore up the infrastructure in place to ensure that basic promise to the community.” The $981,000 grant and $986,000 loan was awarded to the town of Mansfield through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Program to improve the existing water system that currently has a 60-70% water loss rate. McCaskill has been a longtime supporter of investing in Missouri’s infrastructure. She has led efforts to claw back previously earmarked funds to ensure the money is spent on critical infrastructure needs instead of politicians’ pet projects. Her efforts allowed the Missouri Department of Transportation to direct $72.6 million of previously unspent funds across Missouri to support local needs. These funds were originally earmarked by Congress for use 10 or more years ago, but because they were duplicates, or the project was scrapped, among other reasons—the funds were never used. Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/rural to learn more about McCaskill's fight to protect rural Missouri. ### Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/mccaskill-if-they-decide-to-start-fresh-w/-a-real-bipartisan-approach-i-believe-we-could-get | McCaskill: If they decide to start fresh w/ a real bipartisan approach, I believe we could get... | 2017-11-29 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | As Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell moves a controversial, partisan tax plan to the floor of the U.S. Senate—a plan that would, according to independent analysts, “cut taxes of [the] wealthy and increase taxes on families earning less than $75,000 by 2027”—Senator Claire McCaskill today released the following statement: “What I said to President Trump when we sat down together is still true today—I’m eager to support real, bipartisan tax reform. I’d jump at the chance to support a plan to deliver relief to Missouri’s working families, simplify the tax code, close loopholes exploited by the rich, and lower the corporate tax rate. Unfortunately, this tax plan doesn’t live up the commitment I got from President Trump, when he told me he wouldn’t support tax reform that benefited the very rich at the expense of the little guy. The Republican-drafted tax plan would further complicate the tax code, keep open those loopholes, deepen the national debt, and give the vast majority of benefits to millionaires and billionaires, while working families get hurt. But if Republican leaders decide to start fresh, with a real bipartisan approach, I’m ready to get to work and I believe we could get it done.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/continuing-push-to-pull-a-rabbit-out-of-a-hat-for-missouri-small-business-owners_mccaskill-urges-commonsense-exemption-for-animal-handlers | Continuing Push to Pull a Rabbit Out of a Hat for Missouri Small Business Owners, McCaskill Urges Commonsense Exemption for Animal Handlers | 2017-11-28 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Continuing Push to Pull a Rabbit Out of a Hat for Missouri Small Business Owners, McCaskill Urges Commonsense Exemption for Animal Handlers Senator asks for Department of Agriculture exemption to rule requiring small scale animal exhibitors—including magicians with rabbits—to have license from the federal government and government-approved disaster plan Tuesday, November 28, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is continuing to tell federal regulators to hop on a commonsense fix for Missouri small business owners facing unnecessary regulations from a requirement that animal handlers—including magicians with a small number of rabbits—must have a federal government license and a government-approved plan for those animals. Watch a short video on The Act of the Disappearing Regulation. “This is a prime example of burdensome federal regulation that lacks basic common sense,” McCaskill wrote to the Department of Agriculture’s undersecretary in charge of regulation. “…The idea that any magician who keeps a limited number of rabbits or other common animals at home needs federal government licenses to do so flies in the face of common sense and can serve only to alienate well-meaning citizens from the many important roles and functions of the federal government. Therefore I urge you to finalize a rule to clearly exempt these operations that have no business being regulated by the USDA.” Earlier this year, McCaskill also asked Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for a “commonsense” exemption to the rule, highlighting the absurdity of a government requirement that a magician must have a license and federally-approved emergency plan for a rabbit that is part of a magic show. McCaskill also urged the same action last year from former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. McCaskill’s letters have highlighted that the 2014 Farm Bill—which she helped pass into law after inaction from U.S. House Republicans—“[recognizes] the ridiculousness of the situation” by providing … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-continues-fight-to-restore-dea-enforcement-power-during-opioid-epidemic-at-senate-roundtable | McCaskill Continues Fight to Restore DEA Enforcement Power During Opioid Epidemic at Senate Roundtable | 2017-11-28 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Continues Fight to Restore DEA Enforcement Power During Opioid Epidemic at Senate Roundtable Senator invites panelists and colleagues to discuss 2016 bill that curbed opioid distributor enforcement; McCaskill introduced repeal bill earlier this year Tuesday, November 28, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today led a roundtable with her Senate colleagues in order to discuss the need to strengthen Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) enforcement against opioid distributors and her bill to repeal the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016. Public reports have indicated that the law, along with a revolving door between the DEA and drug distribution industry, had dramatically restrained the agency’s enforcement efforts. “This legislation was clearly not helpful in terms of removing a valuable tool that was a deterrent…a deterrent to some of the largest companies in America that there were serious and significant consequences if they didn’t do it by the book,” McCaskill said. “When you remove that deterrent, then things get even sloppier, and when things get sloppy in the area of opioids, people die. Innocent people die….So we will do our best to undo the damage that has been done.” The 2016 bill purported to “improve enforcement efforts related to prescription drug diversion and abuse” by altering DEA procedures for revoking or suspending registrations for opioid distributors under the Controlled Substances Act. However, the effect of these changes, according to reports, has been to significantly curtail the ability of DEA to bring enforcement actions against drug distributors. Participants at today’s roundtable included Joseph Rannazzisi, former head of the DEA Office of Diversion Control; Frank Younker, former DEA Diversion Group Supervisor, Cincinnati Resident Office; and Jonathan P. Novak, former DEA enforcement attorney. The DEA denied permission for its Chief Administrative Law Judge John J. Mulrooney II to p… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/joplin-disaster-recovery-is-focus-of-mccaskill-blunt-request | Joplin Disaster Recovery Is Focus of McCaskill, Blunt Request | 2017-11-27 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Joplin Disaster Recovery Is Focus of McCaskill, Blunt Request Senators ask that FEMA give full and fair consideration to city’s extension request following 2011 tornado Monday, November 27, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt are calling for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to give full consideration to Joplin’s request for an extension to the deadline for completing four projects as part of recovery efforts from the 2011 tornado that devastated the region. The projects will repair streets, sidewalks, catch basins, curbs and gutters. An extension allows Joplin to complete the projects as part of the city’s broader disaster recovery efforts while continuing to receive reimbursements from FEMA. “We respectfully request that you fully and fairly consider the city’s request…as Joplin continues to recover from the devastating EF-5 tornado that struck the city on May 22, 2011,” wrote the Senators in a letter to FEMA’s Acting Region VII Administrator. “We understand that these extensions would give Joplin flexibility in coordinating several infrastructure projects…Specifically, it would allow Joplin to better sequence the infrastructure projects in a way that may help reduce wasteful spending.” McCaskill and Blunt have continued to support recovery efforts in the Joplin area since the 2011 tornado. Earlier this year, the Senators wrote to the Department of Homeland Security supporting the Joplin Public School System’s second appeal for funding high school repairs. Read the Senators’ letter to FEMA HERE. ### Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-helps-shape-bipartisan-breakthrough-for-missouri-consumers | McCaskill Helps Shape Bipartisan Breakthrough for Missouri Consumers | 2017-11-27 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Helps Shape Bipartisan Breakthrough for Missouri Consumers Financial legislation includes Senator’s bipartisan bill to protect seniors from exploitation Monday, November 27, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, along with a bipartisan group of 19 colleagues, has introduced major bipartisan legislation to strengthen Missouri small businesses and families by increasing access to capital, cutting burdensome regulation, and protecting consumers. “With all the noise and gridlock in Congress right now, this bipartisan plan to help protect consumers from fraud and financial risk while encouraging investments in Missouri communities is a real breath of fresh air,” McCaskill said. “Small community banks on Main Street didn’t cause the financial crash and recession, and they shouldn’t have to bear the financial burdens as those that did—so this plan ensures Missouri families and small businesses can thrive, while keeping the large banking giants in check, and better protecting Missouri seniors.” Included in the bipartisan plan is McCaskill’s Senior$afe Act, which would encourage and allow the employees of financial institutions to report suspected exploitive or fraudulent activity to authorities when they suspect that a customer might be the victim of financial exploitation. McCaskill’s legislation recognizes that community banks, credit unions, and regional banks do not pose the same risk as Wall Street banks, and tailors regulation appropriately. The sweeping legislation includes provisions of McCaskill’s bipartisan bill—cosponsored by Republican Senator David Perdue of Georgia, and championed by Missouri Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer—to provide regulatory relief to small regional banks subject to unnecessarily overly-burdensome regulations put in place by the “Dodd-Frank” financial reform bill. Those rules that were never intended for banks that primarily engage in ordinary consumer banking practices. McCaskill has been a longtime and strong advo… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-questions-fema-involvement-in-draft-whitefish-contract | McCaskill Questions FEMA Involvement in Draft Whitefish Contract | 2017-11-27 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Questions FEMA Involvement in Draft Whitefish Contract Following new details on FEMA’s role in the Whitefish contract, Senator seeks additional information Monday, November 27, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is continuing to seek answers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) about Whitefish Energy Holdings’ contract to repair Puerto Rico’s electrical grid following conflicting information from FEMA about the agency’s role in the Whitefish contract. Originally, FEMA denied any involvement or funding of the Whitefish contract. However, after FEMA officials told Committee staff that “it is possible that FEMA funds will be used by Whitefish,” McCaskill wrote to FEMA for answers. Today McCaskill is expanding her request following discovery of a recent document indicating that FEMA reviewed a draft of the Whitefish contact. “FEMA needs to provide a thorough, clear explanation of what role they played in the Whitefish contract,” McCaskill said. “It’s important that taxpayer dollars aren’t wasted and are being effectively used for disaster recovery, but that’s difficult to determine if we continue getting conflicting information about this contract.” McCaskill’s latest request is for a briefing “to clarify the involvement of FEMA in reviewing the Whitefish draft contract” and answers to the questions she posed in an earlier request. McCaskill is seeking details on FEMA’s review of the draft Whitefish contract, if FEMA funding has been used to pay the Whitefish contract, and information on other contracts FEMA is involved with as part of disaster recovery efforts. Earlier this year, McCaskill joined Committee Chairman Ron Johnson of Wisconsin to call for an investigation from the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General into the Whitefish contract. She also wrote to the Army Corps of Engineers earlier this month about nearly $1 billion i… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-fights-to-fix-bizarre-quirk-leaving-some-missouri-residents-with-iowa-mailing-addresses- | McCaskill Fights to Fix Bizarre Quirk Leaving Some Missouri Residents with Iowa Mailing Addresses | 2017-11-24 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Fights to Fix Bizarre Quirk Leaving Some Missouri Residents with Iowa Mailing Addresses Senator pushes USPS to fix the issue that creates unnecessary problems for the affected Missourians Friday, November 24, 2017 WASHINGTON – After recently discovering that some Missouri residents along the Missouri-Iowa border have been assigned Iowa mailing addresses for decades, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is demanding answers from the Postal Service in an effort to fix the problem. According to research conducted by McCaskill’s office, some residents of Atchison, Clark, Mercer, Putnam, Schuyler, and Scotland counties have been impacted, though the exact number of affected residents is unknown. Clark County Commissioners and residents have already alerted the United States Postal Service of the issue and requested a change in the delivery routes, which is believed to be the reason for the bizarre situation. “The notion that Missouri residents have faced numerous hassles for decades because they have an Iowa mailing address is one of the dumbest things I’ve come across,” McCaskill said. “This needs to get fixed and I plan on doing everything I can to help.” The issue has created inconvenience and confusion for affected Missouri residents. “This address issue causes residents, businesses, and local governments of these six counties a wide variety of unnecessary burdens,” McCaskill wrote to Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan. “Residents state that it can take several months to obtain death certificates, and local police officers believe that their Missouri drivers licenses are fraudulent because they have Iowa addresses. A Clark County clerk expressed concern that the incorrect addresses have negatively impacted the integrity of Missouri’s voting system because Iowa addresses are not compatible with the State-wide voter information system.” McCaskill raised the issue when she met with Ms. Brennan on November 14, and the Postmaster General agreed to work w… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-seeks-details-on-preventing-fentanyl-and-illicit-opioid-shipments-to-the-us | McCaskill Seeks Details on Preventing Fentanyl and Illicit Opioid Shipments to the U.S. | 2017-11-22 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Seeks Details on Preventing Fentanyl and Illicit Opioid Shipments to the U.S. Senator requests documents from Departments of State and Homeland Security, USPS about intercepting opioid shipments from foreign countries Wednesday, November 22, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is seeking details from the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the United States Postal Service (USPS) about their efforts to stop illegal drugs from being mailed to the U.S. from China, Hong Kong and other foreign countries. McCaskill’s request focuses specifically on efforts to intercept shipments of fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, one of the most powerful types of opioids. Committee Chairman Ron Johnson is joining McCaskill in her request. “Fentanyl is now killing more Americans than heroin or any other opioid, and we should use every tool at our disposal to keep it from entering the United States,” McCaskill said. “I look forward to hearing more from the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and USPS about what we’re doing to stop deadly opioids from entering the country and what more can be done on this front.” Partnerships between the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and USPS, as well as partnerships between the United States and foreign countries, can help to reduce the flow of illegal drugs into the United States. Shipments of fentanyl and fentanyl analogs (which have very similar ingredients to fentanyl) are of particular concern, as fentanyl is one of the most powerful types of opioids. In the U.S., opioid overdose from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids almost doubled between 2015 and 2016 to nearly 20,000. The State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and USPS all play important roles in reducing the flow of illegal drugs into the country. “The opioid crisis in this country has reached epide… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/protecting-missouri-agriculture-in-trade-talks-is-aim-of-mccaskills-bipartisan-push | Protecting Missouri Agriculture in Trade Talks is Aim of McCaskill’s Bipartisan Push | 2017-11-22 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Protecting Missouri Agriculture in Trade Talks is Aim of McCaskill’s Bipartisan Push Senator asks Commerce Secretary to study economic effects of changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement on Missouri’s crop and livestock sectors Wednesday, November 22, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is joining a bipartisan call, led by Republican Senator John Boozman of Arkansas, urging the Trump Administration to conduct a robust economic analysis to evaluate how any changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would affect Missouri’s crop and livestock sectors. “As Senators representing states with significant agricultural economies, we write to you today to underscore the vital role that agriculture plays throughout our home states and across America,” McCaskill and colleagues, including fellow Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, wrote in the letter. “It is imperative that before any changes are made to NAFTA, or any other free trade agreement, that economic analysis that illustrates the impact on the full supply chain of the industries involved be shared. As such, we request an economic analysis that examines and evaluates the impacts to crop and livestock sectors as a result of any change to NAFTA.” The Senators’ letter continues: “The U.S. is the world’s top exporter of food and agricultural products and is an important economic driver that stimulates prosperity and jobs throughout rural America. According to USDA, every $1 in agricultural exports generates an additional $1.27 in economic activity, and every $1 billion in farm exports supports 8,000 jobs.” McCaskill, a longtime advocate for farmers and ranchers in Missouri, and recently joined her Republican colleagues in seeking protections for Missouri agriculture producers in NAFTA renegotiations. Since NAFTA was enacted in 1993, Canada and Mexico have been Missouri’s top export destinations and two of the top five importers of American agricultural products, including 28 percent of total… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-joins-house-and-senate-democrats-in-sponsoring-new | Congressman Cleaver Joins House and Senate Democrats in Sponsoring New Proposal for Retired Workers | 2017-11-21 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Emanuel Cleaver | C001061 | cleaver.house.gov | legacy | (Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II joined Democratic leaders from the House and Senate in sponsoring a new proposal to help pension retirees. The proposed legislation would ensure that retired workers keep the pensions they have earned. Specifically, the legislation would allow the Treasury Department to loan money through the sale of U.S. Treasury bonds to pension plans to ensure that retirees and their families are guaranteed their promised benefits. “It was time for Congress to act. Millions of pensions are at risk. I listened to thousands of retirees in my district, and across the Midwest, who were worried about their pensions being cut, some by as much as 60 percent. I believe this plan is a practical, common-sense solution that will ensure retirees continue to receive the pensions they have worked for,” said Congressman Cleaver. Pension plans – including the massive Teamsters’ Central States Pension Fund, the United Mine Workers Pension Plan, and over 200 more plans impacting workers in every state in the country – are on the brink of failure. If nothing is done, these 200 multiemployer plans are projected to fail, many within the next 10 years. The result would be economically devastating, as the retirement benefits of 1.5 million plan participants could be at risk. Congressman Cleaver has been working on behalf of retirees on this issue since 2015 when over 800 retirees began contacting his office. “In my district alone, there will be over 3,500 people affected. For the state of Missouri, an estimated 32,000 people are impacted with a total of $3 billion dollars’ worth of pensions,” said Congressman Cleaver. The proposal would: • Provide financing to put failing pension plans back on solid ground to ensure they can meet their commitments to retirees today and to workers for decades to come. • Prevent cuts to benefits retirees have already earned. • Put safeguards in place so pension plans remain strong for today's workers when they retire. In 2016, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver held a town… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-raises-concerns-over-border-patrol-uniform-contract | McCaskill Raises Concerns Over Border Patrol Uniform Contract | 2017-11-21 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Raises Concerns Over Border Patrol Uniform Contract Border Patrol agents are required to purchase uniforms from a company that marks up gear by up to 1035% Tuesday, November 21, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is calling for answers about the Department of Homeland Security’s contract with uniform supplier VF Imagewear after reports that Border Patrol and U.S. taxpayers could be on the hook for over a million dollars in wasteful spending. Currently, Border Patrol agents are required to purchase uniforms and gear from the company, even though price comparisons of similar products show that VF Imagewear items can cost up to 1000 percent more than commercially available alternatives. “It seems pretty simple to me – the government shouldn’t be forcing Border Patrol agents to purchase uniforms and gear that’s highly marked-up,” said McCaskill, a former Missouri State Auditor. “This potentially wastes more than a million taxpayer dollars, and I look forward to getting answers on why this contract was awarded in the first place.” “When Senator McCaskill became the Ranking Member on the Homeland Security Committee she asked me to bring her issues that impede the ability of the men and women of the US Border Patrol to secure our border or endanger Agent safety,” said Brandon Judd, National President of the National Border Patrol Council. “We have brought several issues to her attention and every time she has acted swiftly to hold DHS and CBP accountable. I want to thank Senator McCaskill for looking into this issue and providing oversight that CBP should have been doing for years.” In 2014, the Department of Homeland Secured awarded VF Imagewear an exclusive contract under which Border Patrol agents can only purchase uniforms and gear from the company with their $800 annual allotment for uniforms and equipment. In a comparison of VF Imagewear items to comp… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-and-congresswoman-watson-coleman-demand | Congressman Cleaver and Congresswoman Watson Coleman Demand Accountability from the Internet Association to Address the use of Artificial Intelligence Exacerbating On-line Racial and Gender Bias | 2017-11-20 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Emanuel Cleaver | C001061 | cleaver.house.gov | legacy | (Washington, D.C.) - Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) wrote a letter to the President and CEO of the Internet Association, Michael Beckerman, urging the organization to stop the spread of racial and gender bias through technology and adopt practices and policies to hold members accountable when it comes to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. The letter is here. “As AI technology continues to expand and touch all areas of our lives, from social media, medicine, traffic management, airport security, retail inventory, to online lending, and education, it is imperative that policy makers carefully attempt to balance policies and regulations that mitigate social and ethical risks while providing an environment that allows for and supports innovation in industries such as yours,” the letter states. Cleaver and Watson Coleman are asking that the Internet Association respond to the following questions: • Is there a process in your association to review, test, share, and manage member datasets, algorithms or products to ensure that there is not a gender, racial, or religious bias? • Has the Internet Association implemented any best practices to limit the proliferation of discriminatory biases and/or radical ideology? • Is there a process and/or platform that can educate the public and Internet Association members on how to spot, identify and notify the group of racial or gender bias content? “We are continuing to demand answers because this issue affects so much of our daily encounters. We are constantly seeing information on our phones, tablets, and computers. We want to make sure the technology we use is working to solve, rather than magnify, our most difficult social challenges.” said Congressman Cleaver. "With an ever-evolving and advancing digital landscape - users reap great benefit from the ease and speed in which we are able to reach across the globe with the click of a mouse or the touch of a button. But we must take seriously the fact that indi… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://lacyclay.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/clay-applauds-justice-department-decision-review-police-actions-against | Clay Applauds Justice Department Decision to Review Police Actions Against Stockley Verdict Protesters | 2017-11-20 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | William Clay | C001049 | lacyclay.house.gov | legacy | STATEMENT BY CONGRESSMAN WM. LACY CLAY (D) MISSOURI REGARDING JUSTICE DEPARTMENT DECISION TO HONOR HIS REQUEST FOR A CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION INTO LOCAL POLICE ACTIONS AGAINST PROTESTERS OF RECENT JASON STOCKLEY VERDICT -ST. LOUIS, MO Note: The following, in its entirety, is all first-person from Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri. "I am very gratified that U.S. Attorney Jensen and the Department of Justice have responded so quickly to my request for a civil rights investigation regarding the allegedly unconstitutional actions by police after the Stockley verdict. The 1st Amendment is vital, because like our local police, it defends everyone. Both are essential to our country and our community.” -30- | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-burr-aim-to-close-health-care-law-loophole-with-bipartisan-bill | McCaskill, Burr Aim to Close Health Care Law Loophole with Bipartisan Bill | 2017-11-20 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill, Burr Aim to Close Health Care Law Loophole with Bipartisan Bill Senators’ legislation would repeal provision that causes the majority of states to unfairly subsidize high wages at a handful of hospitals Monday, November 20, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Richard Burr of North Carolina are teaming up on the bipartisan Hospital Payment Fairness Act to fix a problematic provision in the Affordable Care Act that causes the majority of states, like Missouri and North Carolina, to unfairly subsidize high wages at a handful of hospitals through Medicare reimbursements. “I’m the first to admit our healthcare law isn’t perfect, and that it’s in need of changes that’ll make it more fair and affordable for Missourians,” McCaskill said. “This bipartisan bill does exactly that and tips the scales back in favor of fairness for Missouri’s hospitals and the Medicare payments that help make the care they provide possible.” “I’m pleased to work with my colleague from Missouri to repeal this problematic provision of Obamacare. Today, this policy benefits a handful of states at the expense of others, pulling millions of dollars away from North Carolina’s health care providers,” Burr said. “With this repeal, states would be required to take responsibility for their own costs. I hope to see this bill garner even more bipartisan support and bring relief to negatively impacted states across the country.” Medicare rules stipulate that a state’s urban hospitals must be reimbursed for wages paid to doctors and staff at least as much as rural hospitals in that state are reimbursed. A section of the Affordable Care Act required Medicare reimbursements for hospital wages be drawn from a national pool of money, instead of from each state’s allocation. As a result, any increase for one particular state means a decrease for other states. This provision has proved problematic for many states since Massachusetts has only one rural hospital—Nantucket Cot… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-urges-federal-agencies-to-evaluate-duplicative-programs | McCaskill Urges Federal Agencies to Evaluate Duplicative Programs | 2017-11-20 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Urges Federal Agencies to Evaluate Duplicative Programs Senator requests performance metrics from Small Business Administration and Department of Commerce Monday, November 20, 2017 WASHINGTON – After a top federal watchdog identified dozens of priority recommendations for federal agencies, including identifying potentially duplicative government programs, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is requesting information from two government agencies about how they are measuring if those programs really work. In a report from 2012, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified dozens of programs related to ‘entrepreneurial assistance’ that could be duplicative and lack formal measures to ensure taxpayer dollars are being well spent. GAO followed up in 2017 on numerous recommendations that have yet to be acted upon. In letters to the heads of the Small Business Administration and Department of Commerce, McCaskill is requesting information related to these potentially duplicative programs and asking those agencies why they have failed to implement GAO’s recommendations. “We can’t have dozens of potentially ineffective programs all working on the same thing,” McCaskill said. “Encouraging people to start businesses is a good goal, but if we’re spending Missourians’ hard-earned tax dollars on it, we’ve got to make sure money isn’t being wasted.” Protecting taxpayer dollars has been a top priority for McCaskill as a leader of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Recently, the Senate passed a McCaskill-backed bipartisan bill to reduce wasteful spending on government technology purchases. The Senate also passed a McCaskill-backed bill making it illegal to spend taxpayer dollars on portraits of government officials. Earlier this year, McCaskill-backed bipartisan legislation to crack down on misuse of federal agency travel and purchase cards spending passed the Senate. Read a copy of McCaskill’s letters to Small Business Administration Adm… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-releases-statement-on-house-tax-bill | Congressman Cleaver Releases Statement on House Tax Bill | 2017-11-17 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Emanuel Cleaver | C001061 | cleaver.house.gov | legacy | (Kansas City, MO) - Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II released the following statement after the passage of the tax bill. “It was truly disappointing to witness the passage of the hastily drafted House tax plan yesterday. Like many Missourians, I support efforts to simplify the federal tax code; however, I strongly oppose shifting the tax burden from corporations onto hard-working, middle-class families. This tax plan would eliminate deductions that so many families, small business owners, and seniors rely on, such as: child care deductions, student loan payments, teachers’ out-of-pocket expenses, and large medical bills due to cancer, Alzheimer’s and other illnesses. For these reasons, I voted, “No” on H.R. 1. With a 90 year-old mother-in-law and a 96 year-old father and tens of thousands of seniors in my Congressional District, I could not in good conscience vote for a tax plan that does so little for them and for working Americans. This tax bill will drive up our national debt, adding at least $1.5 trillion to the debt and triggering over $136 Billion in spending cuts, including $25 Billion from Medicare in 2018. Congress should find a bi-partisan solution that would provide tax breaks without leaving this kind of debt burden for future generations.” Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and also a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. For more information, please contact Heather Frierson at 816-842-4545 or Heather.Frierson@mail.house.gov. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://lacyclay.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/clay-grijalva-thank-missouri-dreamers-pledge-not-support-year-end | Clay, Grijalva Thank Missouri Dreamers, Pledge Not to Support Year-End Spending Bill Unless it Includes a Clean Dream Act | 2017-11-17 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | William Clay | C001049 | lacyclay.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, DC – On the heels of last week’s very successful DACA Summit at Saint Louis University, Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri and Congressman Raul Grijalva (D) Arizona, Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; today thanked Missouri Dreamers for their dedication to defending young Americans who are currently protected by DACA, and they restated their demand for an up or down vote on H.R. 3440, the Dream Act of 2017, which is cosponsored by Mr. Clay, Mr. Grijalva and 198 other Members of Congress from across the nation. Clay and Grijalva also restated their pledge to vote against any year-end spending bill that does not include the Clean Dream Act language to grant permanent legal status to over 800,000 young Americans who are at risk of deportation. In their letter to Missouri Dreamers, Mr. Clay and Mr. Grijalva said in-part: “We commend you for your leadership; it is much needed during these times of frustration and uncertainly for families across the country. We are proud cosponsors of H.R. 3440, the only bipartisan and bicameral legislation that would provide relief for Dreamers and a pathway to citizenship. If Congressional Republicans do not bring the Clean Dream Act as a stand-along bill to the House floor, we will not support any year-end spending legislation that does not include the Clean Dream Act.” Because of President Trump’s action to end former President Obama’s “Deferred Action for Child Arrivals,”(DACA) - over 800,000 young Americans, including at least 700 in the St. Louis area, are at risk of deportation beginning in March of 2018 if Congress fails to act. The complete text of the letter to Missouri Dreamers from Mr. Clay and Mr. Grijalva is attached. -30- | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/47-48-49-more-mccaskill-town-halls | 47, 48, 49… More McCaskill Town Halls | 2017-11-17 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | 47, 48, 49… More McCaskill Town Halls Senator, who has already held 46 town halls across Missouri this year, hosting more Friday, November 17, 2017 MISSOURI – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill—who has hosted more than 45 public, in-person town halls throughout Missouri just this year—will hold more town halls in the coming days with stops in Jasper County, Texas County, and Howell County. “The Missourians who show up to my town halls don’t always agree with me,” said McCaskill, who has hosted more public town halls in her time as Senator than the rest of Missouri’s Congressional delegation combined. “They may support some of my work, or they may think I should be focused on other areas. What’s important above all is that I show up, that I listen to them, and that what they tell me fuels the fights I wage for them in the Senate. I’m not scared of tough, candid conversations, because these town halls make me a better fighter for the state I love.” McCaskill has hosted forty-six public town hall forums on previous tours across Missouri this year. In 2009 during debate over the Affordable Care Act—at a time of heightened demonstrations against the legislation—McCaskill held a series of highly publicized town halls, including in traditionally conservative areas of Missouri, to hear directly from Missourians about their concerns and respond to criticisms. In 2014, McCaskill logged more than 1,000 miles around the state on her “McCaskill on Main Street” series of public town halls. McCaskill has also toured the state with town halls aimed at military veterans and seniors—and has hosted individual town halls, such as one she hosted last year with then-U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack focused on the opioid epidemic. ### Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-calls-for-additional-action-on-va-disability-appeals-backlog- | McCaskill Calls for Additional Action on VA Disability Appeals Backlog | 2017-11-17 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Calls for Additional Action on VA Disability Appeals Backlog VA had disability appeals backlog of 427,000 in FY 2015, veterans often wait more than three years before receiving a decision Friday, November 17, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is calling for action from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on what it will do to process veterans’ disability appeals faster. The agency has hundreds of thousands of pending appeals, and veterans often wait over three years before receiving a decision from the VA. “After all they've sacrificed for our country, many veterans in Missouri and across the country have to wait years before hearing back from the government,” McCaskill said. “Veterans can't afford to wait over three years for a decision from the VA while they struggle to make ends meet. Our veterans deserve better than this, and the VA needs to continue taking necessary steps to reduce their disability appeals backlog.” At the end of FY 2015, the VA had more than 427,000 pending appeals. Veterans can appeal claims to the Veterans Benefits Administration—where veterans wait an average of more than three years for a decision, and then to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals—where veterans wait an average of more than five years for a decision. “For many veterans applying for disability benefits, these delays can exacerbate existing challenges due to age and disability status,” wrote McCaskill in her letter to VA Secretary David J. Shulkin. The Government Accountability Office made a number of recommendations to the VA about how to reduce the backlog and process appeals faster, but the VA said that additional action is not necessary. McCaskill is calling for answers on why the VA dismissed the Government Accountability Office’s recommendations and what the agency is doing to improve the appeals process. The daughter of a World War II veteran, McCaskill… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/more-than-2-million-headed-to-cooper-county-for-rural-wastewater-treatmentmccaskill-announces | More Than $2 Million Headed to Cooper County for Rural Wastewater Treatment—McCaskill Announces | 2017-11-17 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | More Than $2 Million Headed to Cooper County for Rural Wastewater Treatment—McCaskill Announces Senator: ‘Every Missourian should have access to clean water and basic infrastructure, no matter where you live’ Friday, November 17, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill announced more than $2 million in federal funding and loans has been awarded to the town of Pilot Grove, in Cooper County, to improve the existing wastewater treatment facility. “Every Missourian should have access to clean water and basic infrastructure, no matter where you live – whether it’s a community big or small,” McCaskill said. “This funding will go a long way to help folks in Pilot Grove shore up the infrastructure in place to ensure that basic promise to the community.” The $342,000 grant and $1,855,000 loan was awarded to the town of Pilot Grove through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Program to improve the existing wastewater treatment facility for the community. McCaskill has been a longtime supporter of investing in Missouri’s infrastructure. She has led efforts to claw back previously earmarked funds to ensure the money is spent on critical infrastructure needs instead of politicians’ pet projects. Her efforts allowed the Missouri Department of Transportation to direct $72.6 million of previously unspent funds across Missouri to support local needs. These funds were originally earmarked by Congress for use 10 or more years ago, but because they were duplicates, or the project was scrapped, among other reasons—the funds were never used. Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/rural to learn more about McCaskill's fight to protect rural Missouri. ### Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/more-than-600000-headed-to-butler-county-for-rural-wastewater-treatmentmccaskill-announces | More Than $600,000 Headed to Butler County for Rural Wastewater Treatment—McCaskill Announces | 2017-11-17 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | More Than $600,000 Headed to Butler County for Rural Wastewater Treatment—McCaskill Announces Senator: ‘Every Missourian should have access to clean water and basic infrastructure, no matter where you live’ Friday, November 17, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill announced more than $600,000 in federal funding and loans has been awarded to the town of Neelyville, in Butler County, to improve the existing wastewater treatment facility. “Every Missourian should have access to clean water and basic infrastructure, no matter where you live – whether it’s a community big or small,” McCaskill said. “This funding will go a long way to help folks in Neelyville shore up the infrastructure in place to ensure that basic promise to the community.” The $235,000 grant and $371,000 loan was awarded to the town of Neelyville through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Program to improve the existing wastewater treatment facility for the community. McCaskill has been a longtime supporter of investing in Missouri’s infrastructure. She has led efforts to claw back previously earmarked funds to ensure the money is spent on critical infrastructure needs instead of politicians’ pet projects. Her efforts allowed the Missouri Department of Transportation to direct $72.6 million of previously unspent funds across Missouri to support local needs. These funds were originally earmarked by Congress for use 10 or more years ago, but because they were duplicates, or the project was scrapped, among other reasons—the funds were never used. Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/rural to learn more about McCaskill's fight to protect rural Missouri. ### Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://lacyclay.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/clay-blasts-republican-tax-scam | Clay Blasts Republican Tax Scam | 2017-11-16 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | William Clay | C001049 | lacyclay.house.gov | legacy | STATEMENT BY CONGRESSMAN WM. LACY CLAY (D) MISSOURI IN RESPONSE TO PASSAGE OF H.R.1 The following, in its entirety, is a first-person statement by Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri WASHINGTON, DC – "The Republican tax scam passed today in the U.S. House betrays working families, explodes the debt, and punishes students, seniors, and homeowners. It will raise taxes on 36 million middle-class families. It will bury student loan holders even deeper in debt by eliminating the deduction for student loan interest. It penalizes hard work by eliminating the deduction for state and local taxes. And our seniors, who depend on Medicare, will suffer a $25 billion cut from that vital program over the next ten years. House Republicans not only raised taxes on millions of Americans today, they voted to add $1.5 trillion to the national debt, which our children and grandchildren will have to pay for. Under the GOP tax scam, the haves will have more…and everyone else will be asked to pay for it." -30- | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-demands-answers-on-laurie-mo-postal-facility-closure | McCaskill Demands Answers on Laurie, MO Postal Facility Closure | 2017-11-16 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Demands Answers on Laurie, MO Postal Facility Closure USPS gave conflicting information to McCaskill’s office and Laurie residents after their postal facility was abruptly closed in January Thursday, November 16, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is demanding answers from the United States Postal Service (USPS) about the status of the Laurie, Missouri postal facility that was abruptly closed in January under USPS’ “emergency suspension” process, which is supposed to be temporary. USPS told Laurie officials that a decision on reopening the postal facility would be made by September, but that has not yet occurred. USPS also gave conflicting information to Laurie officials and McCaskill’s office about why a decision has not been made. “Laurie residents deserve answers now on what’s going on with their postal facility—and USPS certainly shouldn’t be giving me different information than what it’s giving to my constituents,” McCaskill said. “I’m committed to getting to the bottom of this issue and working to ensure that situations like this don’t happen to more Missouri postal facilities.” USPS can make an “emergency suspension” decision to temporarily close a postal facility with little notice, but they frequently remained closed for years, if they are ever reopened at all. The Laurie, MO postal facility was closed under “emergency suspension” in January, and Laurie officials have yet to hear from USPS about if and when the postal facility will be reopened. The Mayor of Laurie said that USPS told Laurie officials that it could not make a decision yet because of a moratorium on opening certain types of postal facilities, but USPS told McCaskill that reopening these postal facilities can be done on a case-by-case basis. “When communities lose their long established retail postal facility, even temporarily, those communities deserve accurate, ongoing updates from the Postal Service stating when service may resume or whether any postal retail ser… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-i-wanted-to-support-real-tax-reform-this-isnt-itthis-is-a-bad-deal-for-missouri-families | McCaskill: ‘I wanted to support real tax reform. This isn’t it—this is a bad deal for Missouri families. | 2017-11-16 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill: ‘I wanted to support real tax reform. This isn’t it—this is a bad deal for Missouri families. Nonpartisan analysis: Tax plan cuts ‘taxes of wealthy and hikes taxes on families earning under $75,000’ – Proposal would deepen the national debt, & former Defense Secretaries say plan jeopardizes military funding Thursday, November 16, 2017 WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate Finance Committee has advanced a partisan tax plan that, according to independent analysts, “cuts taxes of [the] wealthy and hikes taxes on families earning under $75,000 over a decade”—a proposal that U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill calls “a bad deal for Missouri families.” The proposed tax plan, advanced by Republican leaders in Congress, would restrict promised tax relief for working families, undermine the current healthcare law (leading to higher premiums and fewer insured Americans), and, according to former U.S. Defense Secretaries, jeopardize U.S. military funding—all while dramatically deepening the national debt with a costly tax giveaway to the richest Americans. McCaskill released the following statement after voting against the proposal: “I wanted to support real tax reform. This isn’t it—this is a bad deal for Missouri families. Working people in Missouri deserve better than to get scraps, while corporations and wealthy business owners make out like bandits in a plan that explodes our deficit and compromises our military. But I’m still going to keep fighting for my state—and if Congressional leaders decide to toss out this proposal and start fresh with a genuinely bipartisan approach that delivers real tax relief to working people, cleans out the loopholes exploited by the rich and corporations, and lowers the corporate tax rate, I’ll be the first to sign up.” The proposed tax plan would make tax cuts to large corporations permanent, while making the relatively smaller tax breaks for individuals and families temporary. McCaskill offered several amendments to the proposed tax … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-pushes-bipartisan-fix-to-better-fund-opioid-treatment | McCaskill Pushes Bipartisan Fix to Better Fund Opioid Treatment | 2017-11-16 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Pushes Bipartisan Fix to Better Fund Opioid Treatment Legislation would adjust funding formula to better assist hardest-hit states Thursday, November 16, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is joining a bipartisan plan to prioritize federal opioid funding for states that have been hardest hit by the opioid epidemic. The legislation would charge the federal agencies tasked with combating the opioid epidemic to take into account mortality rates and lack of access to treatment and services when allocating funding, rather than the current method which unfairly benefits states with higher populations. “We need to make sure that our hardest-hit communities and those lacking important treatment resources are getting the help they need to combat this epidemic,” McCaskill said. “Opioids have been tearing apart communities across Missouri, and we need to make sure not only do we have an all hands on deck effort to curb this epidemic but that we’re doing so in a way that is most effective.” McCaskill has been an outspoken advocate in combating the opioid epidemic. Following her successful work to ensure county and municipal level prescription drug monitoring programs would be eligible for federal funds and her support for the grant application, McCaskill announced that St. Louis County was awarded $1 million to support the network of county and city level prescription drug monitoring programs in Missouri. McCaskill launched the most comprehensive Congressional investigation into the opioid crisis to date earlier this year, requesting documents from opioid manufacturers in March, and adding additional manufacturers in July as well as expanding her investigation to include distributors’ role in fueling the epidemic. In September, McCaskill announced the first round of findings, detailing systemic manipulation of the prior authorization process by Insys Therapeutics Additionally, McCaskill recently introduced a bill repealing the law that dramatically res… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-pushes-for-transparency-in-online-political-ads | McCaskill Pushes for Transparency in Online Political Ads | 2017-11-16 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Pushes for Transparency in Online Political Ads Senator urges Federal Election Commission to update rules so Americans know who pays for political ads online Thursday, November 16, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is helping lead a group of 17 Senators pushing top federal election officials for a rules change to allow Americans to know who pays for online political ads just as is required for political ads on radio and television. Following the comments from McCaskill and her colleagues, the Federal Election Commission voted today to begin a rule making process on online ads, but details and scope have yet to be determined. In a letter to the Federal Election Commission, McCaskill urged immediate action to improve transparency for political advertisements online. The Senators submitted their public comments to the Commission as part of the agency’s month-long comment period on whether it should update rules that currently exempt many online ads from the requirements applied to political ads that air on television and radio. “More and more, folks are getting their news from their timelines and newsfeeds—so the same basic rules for transparency that apply to TV and radio ads ought to apply online as well,” said McCaskill, a former Missouri State Auditor. “Missourians deserve to know who is behind the ads they see online—whether they’re paid for by a local business, an advocacy group, or a national political party—adding transparency to online ads is a simple, commonsense change we can and should make immediately.” In the Senators’ official comment to the Federal Election Commission they wrote: “Television and radio ads continue to play an impactful role in our elections, however, the explosive growth of internet advertisements, or digital ads, cannot be ignored. In the 2016 election, spending on digital advertising reached $1.4 billion, a 789 percent increase from the $159 million spent in 2012. All signs indicate that the shift to digital … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-slams-the-dea-for-refusing-to-allow-chief-administrative-law-judge-to-testify-at-opioid-enforcement-roundtable | McCaskill Slams the DEA for Refusing to Allow Chief Administrative Law Judge to Testify at Opioid Enforcement Roundtable | 2017-11-16 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Slams the DEA for Refusing to Allow Chief Administrative Law Judge to Testify at Opioid Enforcement Roundtable Senator announces additional participants in the Nov. 28 roundtable on strengthening opioid distributor enforcement will include former DEA officials Thursday, November 16, 2017 WASHINGTON – After announcing earlier this week that she would be leading a roundtable discussion on November 28 to discuss the need to strengthen Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) enforcement against opioid distributors and her bill to repeal the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today slammed the DEA’s decision to refuse permission for its Chief Administrative Law Judge John J. Mulrooney II to participate. In a forthcoming article, Judge Mulrooney sharply criticizes the law McCaskill is working to repeal. The roundtable will be held on Tuesday, November 28 at 2:30 PM ET in Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 562. Participants will include Joseph Rannazzisi, former head of the DEA Office of Diversion Control; Frank Younker, former DEA Diversion Group Supervisor, Cincinnati Resident Office; and Jonathan P. Novak, former DEA enforcement attorney. In addition to the DEA denying permission for Judge Mulrooney to participate, the DEA declined McCaskill’s request for the agency to send a representative to the roundtable. The Healthcare Distribution Alliance—a major trade association for drug distributors—also declined to participate. “[DEA’s] decision to muzzle a critic of this law is unacceptable while the U.S. opioid epidemic rages out of control,” McCaskill wrote in a letter to the DEA Acting Administrator. “[The opioid crisis and enforcement] failures demand immediate action by Congress. As part of this effort, members of the Senate must have direct access to individuals—like Judge Mulrooney—with valuable knowledge of the [law] and its impact.” After media reports indicated that the Ensuring Patient… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-statement-on-allegations-against-senator-franken | McCaskill Statement on Allegations Against Senator Franken | 2017-11-16 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | McCaskill Statement on Allegations Against Senator Franken Thursday, November 16, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today released the following statement on allegations against Senator Al Franken of Minnesota: “I’m shocked and concerned. The behavior described is completely unacceptable. Comedy is no excuse for inappropriate conduct, and I believe there should be an ethics investigation.” ### Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-calls-on-federal-investment-firms-to-hire-more | Congressman Cleaver Calls on Federal Investment Firms to Hire More Minority- and Women-Owned Firms | 2017-11-15 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Emanuel Cleaver | C001061 | cleaver.house.gov | legacy | (Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO), in support of fairness and inclusion, sent letters to several heads of major U.S. Federal Government Retirement boards urging them to interview at least one minority- or woman-owned firm when contracting for asset management opportunities. The letters can be found here. “There’s a problem here. The government is missing out on lucrative investment opportunities simply by overlooking these particular groups,” said Congressman Cleaver. A 2017 study, by the Knight Foundation, discovered that only 1.1% of the $71 trillion asset management industry are managed by women and minority owned firms. Congressman Cleaver urged federally administered retirement plans to adopt a mandate similar to the “Rooney Rule” which requires that at least one minority candidate be interviewed when screening for potential hires. The rule was developed by the National Football League in 2003 and is still in effect. Numerous corporations and organizations have since adopted this plan. “Some public plan funds that take money from women and minority employees are sending funds to firms owned exclusively by white males. A federal- level Rooney Rule would direct federal investment firms to at least consider woman-and minority-owned firms, which they have been limited in doing in the past,” said Congressman Cleaver. While a federal-level Rooney Rule would not dictate which firms will ultimately be hired, it will provide opportunities from a diverse pool and it will also help to reduce assumptions that minority- and women-owned firms are low-return investments. Studies show that diverse firms perform at or above industry norms. “Whenever federal investment managers and appointed boards are looking for asset management, I want them to look at the minority owned firms that are just as qualified and capable of handling billion dollar assets,” said Congressman Cleaver. Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Inde… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://lacyclay.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/clay-requests-federal-investigation-law-enforcement-response-st-louis | Clay Requests Federal Investigation into Law Enforcement Response to St. Louis Protests | 2017-11-15 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | MO | William Clay | C001049 | lacyclay.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri has made a formal request to new United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri Jeffery B. Jenson to launch a federal investigation into alleged unconstitutional practices by St. Louis area local law enforcement agencies in response to protests following the acquittal of former St. Louis Police Officer Jason Stockley in the death of Anthony Lamar Smith. The request from Mr. Clay comes on the heels of a ruling in U.S. 8th District Federal Court in St. Louis earlier today by Judge Catherine Perry that criticized aggressive police crowd control methods and restricted the indiscriminate use of chemical agents against protestors and innocent bystanders. In his letter to U.S. Attorney Jenson, the Congressman said in-part, “I am deeply troubled by the numerous reports and documented allegations of civil rights violations by law enforcement. An investigation into alleged unlawful police actions could be a powerful example of how the federal government ensures justice is administered without bias and an acknowledgment that all rights must be respected. St. Louis is the poster child for the need of federal intervention to address decades of bad police relations that reinforce the decline and erode the trust of police-community relations.” In her order, Judge Perry ruled that, “Police can’t declare an unlawful assembly and enforce it against those engaged in expressive activity unless persons are acting in concert to pose an imminent threat to use force or violence or to violate a criminal law with force or violence.” Judge Perry also prohibited the use of chemical agents such as mace and pepper spray against, "Expressive, non-violent activity without probable cause to make an arrest and without providing clear and unambiguous warnings and an opportunity to heed those warnings.” Read the full text of Congressman Clay’s letter to U.S. Attorney Jensen. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |
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