press: releases: 2,018 rows where state = "MO" and year = 2015 sorted by date descending

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2,018 rows where state = "MO" and year = 2015 sorted by date descending

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http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398665	Looking Ahead to 2016	2015-12-31	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Blaine Luetkemeyer	L000569	luetkemeyer.house.gov			legacy	With 2015 officially in the books, we can now look ahead to 2016 and build on what the House was able to accomplish last year. share: f t With 2015 officially in the books, we can now look ahead to 2016 and build on what the House was able to accomplish last year. I am ready to get the ball rolling early. In the coming weeks, the House is expected to vote on my legislation, the Providing Accountability through Transparency Act. This legislation would require each government agency, in providing notice of a rule making, to include a link to a 100-word plain language summary of the proposed rule. Government agencies create long-winded rules each and every day and this bill requires a short summary and ensures the agency will provide a web link at regulations.gov to make the proposed rule accessible to all Americans. Of course, Ill keep fighting against the onerous new rules and regulations being issued by the Obama Administration, but it is very important that the American people have the opportunity to read, in plain language, what is being proposed. Also this year, I will continue oversight of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, maintain a leading role in the debate over Missouri River management, and support legislation that helps our nations veterans. In addition, it is my hope the House will start working on tax reform in 2016. Families and small businesses deserve a tax code that is simple and fair and it is long overdue for the House to start the process of overhauling the more than four million words that are in todays tax code. In 2015, the House passed major bills addressing education, transportation, tax relief, and lifting the ban on crude oil. The House will continue to build on its plan to keep our nation secure and a plan to create jobs, end economic uncertainty, and make America more competitive. As we enter 2016, please remember that my offices located in Jefferson City, Wentzville, Washington, Mo., and Washington,…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-jason-smith-organizes-open-town-hall-meeting-at-clara	Congressman Jason Smith organizes open Town Hall Meeting at Clara Drinkwater Library to discuss Mississippi River Levels and surrounding Levees	2015-12-30	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Jason Smith	S001195	jasonsmith.house.gov			legacy	Cape Girardeau, MO On Thursday, December 31, 2015 at 4pm, Congressman Jason Smith invites residents and media to speak directly with the Army Corps on the recent record rainfall and current levels on the Mississippi River. The meeting will provide an opportunity for the Army Corps and others to give a status update on current river levels, projected levels, and what the plan is for each levee. After the update, residents and the media will have a chance to ask questions. WHO: U.S. Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) Major General Wehr, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division Colonel Anderson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division Sam E. Angel, Mississippi River Valley Commission The Honorable Norma Jean Mattei, Mississippi River Valley Commission WHAT:Status update and discussion on recent record rainfall and Levee integrity WHERE:Clara Drinkwater Library, 105 E Marshall St, Charleston, MO WHEN: Thursday, December 31, 4pm *Members of the media are invited to the meeting*	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398666	Luetkemeyer Ranked Among Most Effective Lawmakers in House of Representatives	2015-12-30	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Blaine Luetkemeyer	L000569	luetkemeyer.house.gov			legacy	Luetkemeyer Ranked Among Most Effective Lawmakers in House of Representatives f t # e Washington, December 30, 2015 In a recent study performed by the Legislative Effectiveness Project (LEP), U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) was ranked Missouris most effective lawmaker. share: f t In a recent study performed by the Legislative Effectiveness Project (LEP), U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) was ranked Missouris most effective lawmaker. The Legislative Effectiveness Project is run by professors at the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University and measures how successful a given representative is at getting things done. The average Legislative Effectiveness Score for any given member in the 113th Congress was 1.0. Luetkemeyer received a 2.344. In addition, Luetkemeyer was ranked 45th out of the 240 Republicans in the House of Representatives. The list can be found here. As a Member of Congress, one of the most important parts of the job is to listen to your constituents and take what they have told you back to Washington to put their concerns and ideas into action. Thats what the legislation that I introduce each year is all about. I am very pleased to be recognized as an effective lawmaker but it does not happen alone. It takes collaboration with and support from my colleagues, along with assistance from my staff, for bills to pass through committees, the House, the Senate, and be enacted into law. f t # e	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398664	Luetkemeyer Offers Resources for Mo. Residents Due to Widespread Flooding	2015-12-29	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Blaine Luetkemeyer	L000569	luetkemeyer.house.gov			legacy	U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following release in response to the high level of rainfall that has occurred over the last few days in areas of the 3rd District. share: f t U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following release in response to the high level of rainfall that has occurred over the last few days in areas of the 3rd District. With Missouri under a state of emergency due to the heavy rain and flooding throughout much of the state, I wanted to ensure that individuals have the access to information they may need. I have listed website links to various agencies or departments so individuals can find any necessary information they are looking for in dealing with the aftermath of the heavy rainfall. There are now clearer days in the forecast but roads are still flooded over so please stay safe on the roads over the next few days. Resources General Flood Readiness Information: http://www.ready.gov/floods Road Closures from MoDot: http://traveler.modot.org/map/ Missouri State Emergency Management: http://sema.dps.mo.gov/plan_and_prepare/flooding.php St. Louis Corps of Army Engineers (Mississippi River): http://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/ National Weather Service (Missouri Basin River Forecast Center): http://www.weather.gov/mbrfc/	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/most-have-a-positive-outlook-on-st-josephs-business-climate	Most have a positive outlook on St. Joseph's business climate	2015-12-29	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Most have a positive outlook on St. Joseph's business climate Tuesday, December 29, 2015 By: Alan Van Zandt As the year 2015 comes to an end, it's time to look back at the last 12 months at some of the stories that affected us most. The KQ2 news staff have compiled a list of the five biggest stories of the year. Here's Number 4 on our list: An Optimistic Local Business Economic Outlook It's a scene repeated dozens of times this past year: a ribbon cutting sponsored by the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce as another business puts its support behind the local economy. "We're really looking forward to this opportunity. It seems to be a really good fit for Daily's Premium Meats," said David Eaheart earlier this year, as his company began groundbreaking on its new facility in south St. Joseph. In 2015, St. Joseph was named as the 4th strongest farming and agribusiness region in the country. That level was reached in part thanks to companies like Boeringer-Ingleheim, which in the past year announced a major facility upgrade and expansion in the city. That drew the attention of Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, who recently toured the site. "They have chosen St. Joe area for this major facility and expansion. I'm here to learn about the challenges they face in the global economy," she said. With a stronger climate for business, it also helped out retail. The long dormant Tuscany Village project got back off the ground with the promise of more shops for the area. "I couldn't believe it when they brought up that it was 2005 when Tuscuny Village first approached the city," said City Council Member Donna Jean Boyer after a city council meeting where project developers got the go-ahead to re-start their project. East Hills …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-statement-on-missouri-flooding-december-2015	McCaskill Statement on Missouri Flooding	2015-12-29	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	McCaskill Statement on Missouri Flooding Tuesday, December 29, 2015 WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today released the following statement on the historic flooding affecting Missouri: I'm praying for the safety of all Missourians, and those in affected communities should please pay close attention to guidance from local officials and first responders. I stand ready to assist with any request for federal disaster resources to help get our families and businesses quickly back on their feet. ### Print Email Tweet	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/this-parent-trap-involves-71-billion-of-federal-education-debt	This parent trap involves $71 billion of federal education debt	2015-12-28	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	The U.S. government is sitting on a growing pile of debt backed by little more than parental love. That's because parents can borrow tens of thousands of dollars a year for their kids' college education without showing they can pay it back. About 3 million parents have $71 billion in loans, contributing to more than $1.2 trillion in federal education debt. As of May 2014, half of the balance was in deferment, racking up interest at annual rates as high as 7.9 percent. "It's deeply problematic that the federal government is making relatively high-interest loans without thinking about, much less checking, whether the people they're lending to will be crippled by this debt," said Toby Merrill, a Harvard Law School lecturer who has counseled defaulted parents through the school's Project on Predatory Student Lending. "We're impoverishing the less-privileged population who are aging. That's a terrible policy." The U.S. Education Department, which administers the parent PLUS loan program, doesn't regularly provide performance data, even though taxpayers will have to foot the bill for any unpaid debt. The last time the agency released default rates for parent loans, in 2014 for the group that deferred payment until their kids left school and began repaying in 2010, the rate was 5.1 percent, up from 1.8 percent four years earlier. It has projected that loans originated in 2014 will default over their lifetime at a rate of 10.2 percent. In August and October, the department deniedFreedom of Information Actrequests by Bloomberg News seeking parent default and deferment numbers by college, saying it "has yet to complete its analysis" by institution. The agency provides default data annually, broken out by school, for most student borrowers. Those rates help determine which schools can continue to access the loan program. "We can't fix problems in the student-loan programs if researchers, policymakers and consumers don't have access to the information they need," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=cf8021b5-1538-40ea-ba15-80bae616757a	Senator Blunt Comments on Passing of Missouri Senator Emory Melton	2015-12-26	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.)released the following statement today on the passing of former Missouri State Senator Emory Melton. Senator Melton was a lifelong resident of Barry County, Missouri and served in the Missouri Senate from 1972 until 1996. "Senator Melton faithfully served Missouri in the statehouse for over 20 years and he is someone most everyone admired, including me. Emory's advice was valued, his friendship could be counted on, and his example was always good."	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/river-letter-just-the-facts-	River letter: Just the facts	2015-12-26	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	River letter: Just the facts Saturday, December 26, 2015 Someone in the federal bureaucracy may take offense, but our regional congressional delegation simply spoke the truth in a letter delivered in recent days to an assistant secretary of the U.S. Army. Twenty lawmakers including Northwest Missouri Rep. Sam Graves and Missouri Sens. Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill took the occasion to remind Assistant Secretary Jo-Ellen Darcy that her oversight of civil works must extend to protecting all Missouri River stakeholders, not just two species of birds. The officials were restrained in their language but direct in stating the threat they see from a new initiative of the Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designed to restore the habitats of the least tern and the piping plover. It has come to our attention that the Corps and FWS have presented a list of proposed alternative recovery actions (that) call for significant changes to the operation of the mainstem reservoir system (of the Missouri River) including alterations to the spring pulse, addition of a fall pulse, and addition of a low summer flow. These actions could threaten water supply for municipal use and agricultural irrigation, create difficulties for controlling flood risks, eliminate the navigation season, and reduce recreational opportunities. In short, revising the Master Manual (which governs management of the river) to adhere exclusively to a single purpose would be to the detriment of the other authorized purposes. The representatives and senators speak with a voice of reason when they note the interest to explore alternatives to current strategies for boosting populations of the two bird species. But they add that such an agenda should be guided by the best available science, should seek to minimize risk to stakeh…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/weekly-capitol-report/capitol-report-protecting-farm-family	Capitol Report: Protecting Farm & Family	2015-12-24	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Jason Smith	S001195	jasonsmith.house.gov			legacy	Congressman Jason Smith Capitol Report:Protecting Farm & Family This past week Congress completed its legislative work for the calendar year. While much of what was jammed through Congress in the 11thhour represented more of the same in Washington; there was one piece of legislation which will provide large scale tax relief to American families, farmers and business owners, which I was proud to support, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act. As a Member of the Ways & Means Committee, the Committee with jurisdiction over all federal taxation issues, I helped author one provision in particular making permanentsection 179 expensing levels. Section 179 of the U.S. Tax Code allows small businesses, farmers, and small manufacturers to immediately expense the purchase of certain equipment. Had we not taken action, come January 1st, the tax rate on that equipment would have increased by almost 2000%! Since 2003, section 179 expensing levels have been extended on a temporary, uncertain, ad-hoc basis on ten different occasions usually for one or two years at best. That type of tax code policy does nothing to allow farmers and business owners to plan for the future. Without certainty on what their tax rates, folks cant manage their farm or business properly nor know how much they will have to expand, invest and grow their operation. The more certainty congress can provide about long term tax rates, the more farmers and businesses can help our economy and create new jobs. This is a major step to give farmers more peace of mind for the long term while also providing for a major reduction in taxes. Without this action, taxes would have gone up on the very farmers that keep our rural economy moving. Making this provision permanent finally ends the charade of temporary extensions and patches of U.S. tax code policy. Working on and advancing major wins like this for the farmers of Missouri was the exact reason I fought to get on the Ways & Means Committee. We are finally allowing farmers, manufactures and smal…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398663	Blaine's Bulletin: Looking Back on 2015	2015-12-24	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Blaine Luetkemeyer	L000569	luetkemeyer.house.gov			legacy	Looking back on 2015, I am reminded what an honor it is to serve as your voice in Congress. This year has proved to be another year of battles between Congress and the Administration but it has also been one in which several issues facing the 3rd District were tackled and I am proud of what has been accomplished. share: f t Looking back on 2015, I am reminded what an honor it is to serve as your voice in Congress. This year has proved to be another year of battles between Congress and the Administration but it has also been one in which several issues facing the 3rd District were tackled and I am proud of what has been accomplished. This year, Congress passed and the president signed into law, the first long-term transportation legislation in a decade. This fully-funded legislation will help sustain and improve our nations highways, bridges, and railroads. In addition, Congress passed and the president signed into law, legislation that repeals No Child Left Behind. What this means is that Common Core will be kept out of schools, it will reduce the federal role in K-12 education, and it will restore local control and empower parents. The Wall Street Journal wrote this legislation is a bipartisan compromise from the House and Senate represents the largest devolution of federal control to the states in a quarter century. On a more personal note, I was honored to assist in the naming of the Cedar Hill Post Office after one of our 3rd Districts very own heroes. In June, the president signed into law legislation to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service in Cedar Hill as the Sergeant First Class William B. Woods, Jr. Post Office. It was very moving at the dedication ceremony to be alongside Sergeant Woods friends and family. Another humbling moment for me was having the honor to go to the White House with former Labadie resident, Elsie Shemin Roth, to receive the Medal of Honor on behalf of her father. The official awards ceremony was a …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-urges-fcc-chair-to-help-close-rural-digital-divide	Congressman Cleaver Urges FCC Chair to Help Close Rural Digital Divide and Prioritize Broadband Access for Rural Residents	2015-12-21	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Emanuel Cleaver	C001061	cleaver.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Congressman Cleaver sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, urging him to structure the upcoming Connect America Fund Phase II reverse auction for broadband access so that funding is made available on a priority basis for fiber to the home networks.Approximately $400 million infunding for broadband in the State of Missouri will be awarded to broadband providers in a reverse auction that is expected to take place in 2016. There is a rural digital divide in our country and the gap should not be narrowed with satellite or unlicensed fixed-wireless networks, said Congressman Cleaver. This is a once in a decade opportunity for Missouri to bring ultra-fast fiber to rural residents, especially in areas where large private companies have declined their right of first refusal to accept model-based support. Satellite or fixed-wireless access will not meet the needs of our rural residents, either now or in the future. Broadband services that are available in rural areas are not reasonably comparable to those offered in urban areas. Roughly 10% of the rural population in the country has wireline upload speeds of 10 Mbps or greater, as compared with 53% in the urban areas. Many of Missouris Electric Cooperatives are ready to fill this digital divide with future-proof fiber optic networks that will increase rural download speeds so businesses can thrive and compete. Five Missouri Electric Cooperatives are actively deploying fiber to the home (FTTH) networks today, proving this is possible in rural areas. More cooperatives are expressing interest in deploying broadband, and accessing the CAF auction funds. Missouri Electric Cooperatives together own over 15,000 miles of fiber optic networks and have the technical and financial qualifications to bring broadband to all rural areas in Missouri. Giving Missouri a chance to lead the country with FTTH networks will ensure the viability of communities through education, access to government services, job opportunities,…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-secures-225-million-for-body-cameras-in-omnibus	Congressman Cleaver Secures $22.5 Million for Body Cameras in Omnibus	2015-12-18	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Emanuel Cleaver	C001061	cleaver.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Cleaver is pleased to announce that the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, more commonly referred to as the omnibus spending bill, includes $22.5 million for police body cameras. In January, Congressman Cleaver wrote a letter to President Obama urging him to promote funding for body cameras as a result of the continual unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, and alleged police misconduct across the country. Full text of that letter is available here. This inclusion of funding comes on the heels of H. Res. 295, passed by the House in June, of which Congressman Cleaver was an original cosponsor. H. Res. 295 expresses the sense of Congress in support of local law enforcement agencies and their continued work to serve our communities, specifically supporting their use of body worn cameras. These body cameras serve to promote transparency to protect both citizens and officers. From the death of Michael Brown last year in Ferguson, to the tragic murder of Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina, and the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore this spring, now more than ever, the public has called for reform and accountability, said Congressman Cleaver. Body cameras will serve to increase transparency. Both the police and the public benefit when the police have the best tools and training to fulfill their mission. Body cameras are one part of a much broader solution in police reform. Congressman Cleaver has made policing reform a core goal in the 114th Congress, and he is pleased that bipartisan leaders have realized the importance of encouraging police officers to utilize body cameras as they work to keep our communities safe and promote accountability. ### Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouris 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 …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://hartzler.house.gov/press-release/hartzler-votes-fund-government-turns-gaze-2016	Hartzler Votes to Fund the Government, Turns Gaze to 2016	2015-12-18	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Vicky Hartzler	H001053	hartzler.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTONCongresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) today voted to pass H.R. 2029, a bill to fund government activities through the end of the 2016 fiscal year. Missourians and Americans across the country want to focus on the holidays and spending time with their families, Hartzler started. They do not need to worry that the government isnt going to be available when they need it. This package provides the certainty Americans need that their social security checks will go out on time, the Department of Homeland Security will have the resources it needs to keep them safe as they travel to see loved ones, and Congress will be able to focus on other American priorities as it goes forward. I am pleased we were able to provide increased funding for our national defensea priority I fought hard for since the beginning of the year as we were writing the budget. As a result of this bill, Missourians will be building seven E/A-18G Growlers and five F-18 E/F Super Hornets that the Navy truly needs, the administration will not be allowed to transfer detainees at Guantanamo to our shores, and our troops will get the resources and equipment they need to combat the threats of the world. Additionally, we fully repeal the financially dangerous country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law which would hurt American industry with billions of dollars in export tariffs if not repealed and we repeal the ban on exporting American crude oil which will create an estimated 1 million jobs here at home and add $170 billion annually to our GDP. There are many good things in this bill for all Americans. But this bill is not perfect, Hartzler stated, there are some aspects we like and some we dont. I am pleased we made some progress in reining in the IRS and the EPA, but more needs to be done. I am disappointed we didnt make more progress on issues I have fought for such as overturning the Waters of the U.S. rule, which is nothing more than an executive land grab; stopping the Department of Labors fiduciary rule, which prevents the most vulnerable in our …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398661	Blaine's Bulletin: The Spirit of the Season	2015-12-18	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Blaine Luetkemeyer	L000569	luetkemeyer.house.gov			legacy	The spirit of the holiday season is truly magical. Twinkling lights are hung on houses throughout the neighborhood and trees are decorated with ornaments, joy fills the air as children anxiously await Christmas morning and friends and neighbors help the less fortunate in the spirit of charity. share: f t The spirit of the holiday season is truly magical. Twinkling lights are hung on houses throughout the neighborhood and trees are decorated with ornaments, joy fills the air as children anxiously await Christmas morning and friends and neighbors help the less fortunate in the spirit of charity. No other time of the year is quite as special as the month of December. Growing up in a tight-knit community provided many wonderful memories that are especially powerful as families gather to celebrate the holiday season. Families would take the opportunity to reflect on our blessings and exchange cookies and warm wishes. Friends and neighbors will wish each other a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and children will surely toss snowballs and build snowmen this year if we get any snow. Now that my children have children of their own, it is a remarkable experience each year to spend Christmas with my grandchildren. How their eyes light up in wonder when we read The Night Before Christmas together and how they shock me with their own acts of kindness especially to one another or their sibling! We all have so much to be thankful for and I think it is especially important during this time of the year, with its presents and parties, to remember that Christmas is foremost the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is important to remember the teachings of the man born in Bethlehem that emphasize love, charity, and hope. While we might be more giving during this time of the year, that does not mean we shouldnt throughout the entire year. Random acts of kindness to one another are small blessings to some. Let us all remember the message of peace and goodwil…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398662	Luetkemeyer Statement on the Passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act	2015-12-18	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Blaine Luetkemeyer	L000569	luetkemeyer.house.gov			legacy	U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after the House passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016: share: f t U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after the House passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016: Todays passage of the legislation that will fund the government for the next fiscal year represents a bipartisan compromise that includes a number of priorities that are important to Americans. National security is arguably the biggest concern right now and this legislation fully funds our military and tightens security requirements for those entering our country under the nations Visa Waiver Program. It includes no new funding for Obamacare, and in fact, undermines Obamacares funding; reduces EPAs budget to its lowest level since 2008 and cuts its employees to the lowest number since 1989; blocks the anti-gun UN Arms Trade Treaty; repeals mandatory Country of Origin Labeling, which is hurting Americas farmers and ranchers; prohibits taxpayer funding for abortions and cuts the UNs Population Fund. This legislation will also repeal the decades old oil export ban which will help grow jobs and promote greater exploration of natural resources in our country. While this bill is not perfect, it ultimately is a step in the right direction. It is my hope the House of Representatives will get back to regular order and pass appropriations bills one-by-one so Congress can avoid governing by crisis. Additional highlights of the legislation: Fully funds defense, pays our troops, and provides the resources and equipment our military needs. No new funding for Obamacare. Includes 2nd Amendment rights protections. Limits the EPA to the lowest funding levels since 2008 and prevents funds for new or expanded EPA regulatory programs. Freezes IRS funding $1.7 billion below the presidents request. Provides a two-year delay of the Obamacare excise tax on high cost health plans (C…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=515a65a1-2e19-4ba2-a35d-80a3dba9051e	Senate Passes Blunt Tax Provisions Critical to Boosting Economic Growth and Strengthening Communities in Missouri and Across the Nation	2015-12-18	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement today after voting in favor of a tax relief package that will help families, spur private-sector investment, boost small business growth, and support charitable giving in Missouri, and across the country. Several measures sponsored by Blunt were included in the package passed by the Senate today, and are now headed to the presidents desk. Missouris small business owners cannot plan for the future with all of the uncertainty they face in the tax code, Blunt said. This measure extends and makes permanent several tax provisions, like the R&D tax credit and Section 179 small business expensing, that will give job creators the peace of mind they need to access capital, expand their businesses, and put more Missourians to work. The bill also includes two measures I sponsored, including extending the New Markets Tax Credit and changing the Empowerment Zone hiring definition and extending the program, which will help steer private-sector investment to the areas that need it most. Im also glad we support working families by making the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit permanent, and strengthen communities by extending tax deductions for many types of charitable donations. While I continue to support a broader, more permanent overhaul of our tax code, this is an important step in the right direction. Following are Several of the Key Tax Provisions Included in the Package: Child Tax Credit The bill makes permanent the child tax credit that has benefited thousands of Missouri households. Earned Income Tax Credit The bill makes permanent the EITC tax credit, a refundable tax credit for low to moderate income working individuals and couples, particularly with children. A total of 519,000 Missourians benefited from the EITC tax credit last year, receiving an average of $2,377. American Opportunity Tax Credit The bill makes permanent the AOTC tax credit for education expenses paid for the first four years of…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=703ec8f6-c1b8-445e-96fa-1372f24df377	Senate Passes Two Blunt-Backed Measures to Enhance Cybersecurity & Strengthen Visa Waiver Program	2015-12-18	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, released the following statement today after voting in favor of the omnibus bill that includes provisions from two measures he supported to enhance our cyber defense capabilities and strengthen the Visa Waiver Program: The federal governments most sacred responsibility is to keep Americans safe, and Im glad the Senate passed two more measures today that will help us do so. The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, which I was proud to help usher through the Intelligence Committee, allows the public and private sectors to voluntarily share information about emerging cyber threats without running the risk of costly liability suits. If enacted, the measure will enhance our cybersecurity, while ensuring that we protect the privacy rights of individuals. The bill also includes provisions from a measure I co-sponsored, the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act, to support and strengthen the Visa Waiver Program and help prevent terrorists from entering the country and carrying out attacks within our borders. Today, we are facing more threats, coming from more places, than ever before. I will continue working to advance legislation that puts our national security and the safety of the American people first. To that end, I also urge the president to do his part, as Commander-in-Chief, to lay out a clear, comprehensive, and effective strategy to not just contain the terrorist threat, but to defeat it.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=ad698630-e307-474d-885f-6dd67f697f32	Blunt Votes to Fund Key Missouri Priorities, Cut Dozens of Ineffective Government Programs	2015-12-18	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement today after voting in favor of the FY2016 omnibus appropriations bill funding the government for the coming year. The bill prioritizes key investments that will help grow our economy, strengthen national security, and meet the needs of local communities in Missouri and across the nation. The measure also rescinds more than $5.5 billion in spending, does not fund more than 95 new programs or initiatives proposed by the president, and consolidates and terminates dozens of programs throughout the budget. In a tight fiscal environment, it is imperative that every taxpayer dollar we spend reflects the priorities of the American people, and the bill we passed today does so in several ways, Blunt said. First, it includes a $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health, which I fought for as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and increases investments in mental health services. It provides funding for Missouri military installations and national defense priorities that will help keep America safe and fulfill our commitment to our service members and veterans. It funds programs that address challenges facing local communities, including support for areas facing civil unrest, and increased funding for substance abuse treatment and prevention. And, it includes measures I backed that will enhance our cybersecurity and help keep terrorists out of the United States. Just as important as what this bill does is what it does not do. It does not fund nearly 100 new or unauthorized programs proposed by the president. It does not allow the administration to use taxpayer funds to bailout health insurance companies, and it defunds ObamaCares Independent Payment Advisory Board. And, it eliminates dozens of duplicative or ineffective programs, including 18 programs in the Labor/HHS budget alone. That said, this bill is far from perfect. I was disappointed that Senate Democrats blocked the majo…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://lacyclay.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/clay-backs-omnibus-spending-bill-keep-federal-government-open-thru	Clay Backs Omnibus Spending Bill to Keep Federal Government Open Thru September 2016,	2015-12-18	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	William Clay	C001049	lacyclay.house.gov			legacy	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 18, 2015 MEDIA CONTACT: STEVEN ENGELHARDT (314) 504-4029 Clay Backs Bipartisan Omnibus Spending Bill to Keep Federal Government Open Thru September 2016 Funding Package Sustains Boeing Fighter Programs, Extends Earned Income Tax Credit for Lower-income Families, Increases NIH Funding for Lifesaving Research, Invests in Public Safety WASHINGTON, DC Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri issued this first-person statement today after the U.S. House voted to approve a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending and tax credits bill, averting another Republican government shutdown and making key federal investments in jobs, healthcare, education, public safety, renewable energy and helping lower-income families. === This compromise bill advances many of my key priorities, including federal support for skilled manufacturing; lifesaving medical research; hiring more police officers and transforming how they protect our communities; advancing renewable energy and extending the earned income tax credit which helps lift 24 million lower-income working families out of poverty. The funding package also includes $1 billion to build seven EA-18G Growlers and five F-18E/F Super Hornets preserving 2,000 skilled manufacturing jobs at Boeing's St. Louis County facility. I'm also pleased that the bill increases funding for the National Institutes of Health which annually provides hundreds of millions of dollars to support life-saving research at Washington University Medical Center and Saint Louis University Medical Center. That research not only creates hundreds of jobs, it is critical to advancing the fight against cancer, HIV/AIDs, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's and other serious illnesses. The package also includes grant funding via the Justice Department that could help the City of St. Louis and other local law enforcement agencies hire additional police officers and invest in body cameras which have been proven to reduce crime, curb the use of excessive force and reduce complaints against local …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-votes-against-package-of-spending-bills-and-tax-giveaways	McCaskill Votes Against Package of Spending Bills & Tax Giveaways	2015-12-18	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	McCaskill Votes Against Package of Spending Bills & Tax Giveaways Senator: Nearly $2 trillion package is a fiscally irresponsible step too far Friday, December 18, 2015 WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, a former Missouri State Auditor, today voted against a nearly $2 trillion package of spending bills and tax giveaways, citing its extension of giveaways for the wealthy and special interests, and the fact that it is not fully paid formeaning it will add significantly to the national debt. McCaskill released the following statement: This package is one fiscally irresponsible step too far. It includes important provisions for programs I support, like a boost to the E/A-18 Growler and F/A-18 Super Hornets production lines in St. Louis. But the bulk of this package is just a series of huge, expensive tax giveaways to the wealthy and special interestsnot paid forthat will add significantly to our national debt and hamper our ability to achieve my goal of a simpler, fairer tax code. One year ago this week, McCaskill voted against a $1 trillion omnibus spending bill, after secretive, last-minute additions to the bill changed election rules to allow for huge financial donations from wealthy contributors to political parties and committees. Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/accountability to learn more about McCaskill's fight to strengthen accountability. ### Print Email Tweet	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/this-week-mccaskill-shines-missourispotlight-on-lees-summit	This Week, McCaskill Shines #MissouriSpotlight on Lee’s Summit	2015-12-18	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	This Week, McCaskill Shines #MissouriSpotlight on Lees Summit Senator highlights Missouri town as part of her weekly Twitter series Friday, December 18, 2015 WASHINGTON This week, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is shining the #MissouriSpotlight on the city of Lees Summit as part of her weekly effort on Twitter to bring awareness to the many vibrant & eclectic towns and cities the Show Me State has to offer. Using her @McCaskillOffice account and the hashtag #MissouriSpotlight, McCaskill sent out a series of tweets today highlighting the citys history, tourism and unique facts. The #MissouriSpotlight tweets included: Todays #MissouriSpotlight is headed to another town known for holiday celebrations - @CityofLS (photo: LS Facebook) A suburb of Kansas City, @CityofLS is home to over 93k ppl, making it #MOs 6th largest city. http://www.lstourism.com/ #MissouriSpotlight Originally named Town of Strother, @CityofLS changed its name to honor Dr. Pleasant Lea, misspelling Lea w/ two es. #MissouriSpotlight .@CityofLS has a vast railroad history & summit comes from LS being the highest point on the railroad b/w KC & STL. #MissouriSpotlight Founded in the 1840s, the @CityofLS honors its rich history w/ an award-winning @downtownls. http://downtownls.org/ #MissouriSpotlight W/ 40 shops & restaurants, @downtownls is full of holiday spirit - even Santa will stop there tomorrow (12/19) at 3pm! #MissouriSpotlight Near @downtownls, visit Christmas in the Park an enchanting drive-thru winter wonderland. http://www.jacksongov.org/parkscalendar/ #MissouriSpotlight 300,000 lights & 175 animated figures, Christmas in the Park is a gift from Jackson County thru Dec. 31 #MissouriSpotlight #VisitMO 20 mi east of @CityofLS on highway 50, @PowellGardens has a host of holiday activities: http://www.powellgardens.org/holidays#.VnQ8T_krKUk #MissouriSpotlight #VisitMO And b/c the fun doesnt stop there in @CityofLS, take a trip back in time to Missouri Town 185…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://hartzler.house.gov/press-release/hartzler-votes-make-tax-cuts-permanent	Hartzler Votes to Make Tax Cuts Permanent	2015-12-17	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Vicky Hartzler	H001053	hartzler.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTONCongresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) today voted for the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act to make permanent or extend a number of tax cuts that allow Americans to keep more of their own money and grow the economy. In addition, the legislation includes a number of tax policy changes and reforms to how the IRS treats taxpayers. Americans everywhere need to know what to expect from their governmenteven more so when it comes to taxes, Hartzler said. Having the certainty from this bill that certain tax provisions are now permanent allows American families and job creators plan for the future and use their hard-earned dollars to invest in our economy and workforce. In addition to protecting millions of Americans from a significant immediate tax hike, this package lays the ground work for much needed broader tax reform in the future. Instead of spending valuable time extending these provisions each year, Congress can focus on advancing a bold tax reform agenda in 2016 to bring more certainty, simplicity, and growth for all. Fifty-five separate provisions of the Internal Revenue Code expired on December 31, 2014, and this legislation prevents tax increases on millions of families and businesses as the tax year 2015 filing season begins early next year. The legislation makes permanent several important tax provisions and extends additional policies for five years, and extends for two years a number of other tax relief provisions that expired at the end of calendar year 2014. Some highlights of the bill include: Individual Tax Provisions: o American Opportunity Tax Credit (qualified education expenses paid for an eligible student for the first four years of higher education) is made permanent o Child Tax Credit Expansions (expanding refundability for low-wage workers) are made permanent Letting businesses and the economy grow: o Immediate code 179 expensing helps cyclical businesses, especially farms, to invest in new property and equipment o The Work Opportun…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-jason-smith-s-initiative-for-students-passes-house	Congressman Jason Smiths Initiative for Students Passes House	2015-12-17	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Jason Smith	S001195	jasonsmith.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C.Today Congressman Smith voted to keep a $622 billion tax increase from hitting American families. One of the provisions in the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act is Congressman Smiths initiative, H.R. 3409 the Tax Relief for Working Students Act, to make college more affordable for students. The language authored and introduced by Smith treats income as a scholarship rather than as a wage if it is earned at a comprehensive student work-learning-service program at a certified Work College. It only makes sense that we encourage the hard work of responsible students, said Smith, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which handles all federal tax issues. Work Colleges, including College of the Ozarks in southern Missouri, start students on the right track. I am glad that my language was included to reduce the tax burden students are facing and makes it easier for them to earn the scholarships they need to pay for college. Currently, compensation students earn at Work Colleges is taxed as income, rather than a tax-free scholarship. Smiths provision clarifies the tax treatment of these scholarships and restores the specific tax protection that was erroneously eliminated by Congress in 1986. Americas seven Work Colleges are unique, four-year liberal arts institutions. In addition to graduating with little or no student loan debt, Work College students finish school with four years of work experience. Typical entry level jobs in the program include landscaping and administration, and students average about eight to 15 hours of work per week in addition to their education and service requirements. Congressman Smith has been leading the fight to make college more affordable for students, said Jerry C. Davis, President of College of the Ozarks. This is a big win for the students who see Work Colleges as a way to get a college education without student loan debt. The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act also included language making permanent the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) which …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-smith-protects-farmers-from-tax-increase	Congressman Smith Protects Farmers from Tax Increase	2015-12-17	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Jason Smith	S001195	jasonsmith.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C.Today Congressman Smith voted to keep a $622 billion tax increase from hitting American families. One of the most important provisions for farmers and small business owners in the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act is providing tax relief for equipment and property purchases through Section 179 of the tax code. The PATH Act would make permanent Section 179 expensing, allowing for an immediate deduction on equipment purchases for farmers and small business owners. Without action today the tax rate on that equipment would have increased by roughly 2000% at the end of the year. As a Member of the House Ways & Means Committee with jurisdiction over all federal taxation issues, Rep. Smith worked to help author and finally make permanent this important provision for those in equipment heavy businesses like farming. This is a major step to give farmers more certainty and peace of mind, said Congressman Smith. Without this action, taxes would have gone up on the very farmers that keep our rural economy moving. Making this provision permanent finally ends the charade of temporary extensions and patches of U.S. tax code policy. Working on and advancing major wins like this for the farmers of Missouri was the exact reason I fought to get on the Ways & Means Committee. We are finally allowing farmers, manufactures and small business owners to plan financially for the long term so that they can help grow their farm or business here in America. The issues of Section 179 and bonus depreciation are important for soybean farmers because they give us the certainty as we grow through investments in new equipment and infrastructure, said Missouri Soybean Association President Tom Raffety. The bill is also good news for farmers who often dont know their tax burden until the end of the year due to constant tax code changes. Additionally, permanently extending section 179 helps provide the framework and path forward for large scale U.S. tax code overhaul in 2016 and 2017. As a Member of the House Way…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://long.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=49&itemid=746	Long votes to make major tax cuts permanent, hold IRS accountable	2015-12-17	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Billy Long	L000576	long.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Billy Long (MO-07) voted today for the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act, which prevents tax increases on Missouri families and small businesses. By stopping tax increases from implementation and extending other tax cuts, the bill allows for more certainty and income to bolster the economy. Overall, the bill provides $629 billion of tax relief. This bill prevents a significant immediate tax increase on millions of Americans and makes dozens of temporary tax cuts permanent, including the research and development tax credit to incentivize innovation and provisions to provide small business tax relief, said Rep. Long. Small businesses will now be able to plan and adjust their budgets and new investments accordingly due to finally having the certainty that these tax extensions will now be in place for several years to come. The PATH Act also continues to rein in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by allowing for the firing of employees that make politically motivated actions similar to ones taken under former IRS Director Lois Lerner. It is simply unthinkable that workers in a government agency would use their positions to impact the outcome of elections,said Rep. Long. It is crucial that the IRS regain public trust, and this bill includes important measures to hold its employees accountable for wrongdoings. -30-	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398660	Luetkemeyer Supports Legislation That Provides Tax Relief for Missouri Families and Businesses	2015-12-17	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Blaine Luetkemeyer	L000569	luetkemeyer.house.gov			legacy	U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after voting to support the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act: share: f t U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after voting to support the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act: Todays passage of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act will not only help our economy grow but it will also help American taxpayers keep more of their hard-earned dollars. This legislation provides certainty to our nations small businesses by making a number of temporary provisions - such as the Research & Development credit and the section 179 expensing credit permanent. Now, businesses can plan appropriately for more than one year at a time, hire new workers, and invest in their communities. In addition, there are a number of reforms designed to better protect taxpayers from abuse by the Internal Revenue Service. With the passage of this legislation, it sets the stage for comprehensive tax reform to finally happen. Americans deserve a simpler and fairer tax code that is built for growth and this bill will help to make that possible. More highlights of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act: R&D credit (permanent) Code section 179 expensing (permanent) State and local sales tax deduction (permanent) Charitable Tax Policies (permanent) Bonus depreciation (five year extension) Reduces the marriage penalty for certain credits (permanent) Provisions to crack down on fraud and abuse IRS employees prohibited from using personal email accounts for business IRS must inform taxpayers on status of investigations related to unauthorized use of private tax information Right to appeal adverse ruling of tax-exempt status IRS employees terminated taking official actions for political purposes	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=3177e136-9bc8-44cc-a4fe-f5820972b57d	KFVS: Senator Roy Blunt Secures Funding for Missouri Military	2015-12-17	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	Don Frazier MISSOURI (KFVS) - Missouri is one of 29 states selected to take on additional cyber units. U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, a member of the Senate Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations, made the announcement onWednesday, December 16, 2015,that this is one of the several defense prioritiesincluded in the recently passed appropriations bill. The provisionincludes $7.5 million to support Army National Guard Cyber Protection Teams. In Missouri, the money will be used to take on additional cyber units tasked to identify and reduce emerging cyber threats to the United States. The National Guard Bureau has recognized the Missouri Cyber Team as an exceptionally experienced and knowledgeable team. The Missouri Cyber Team also serves as a resource to the National Guard Bureau in planning its annual national Cyber Shield exercise. Click here to read more.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/collins-mccaskill-statement-on-arrest-of-martin-shkreli-on-securities-fraud-charges	Collins, McCaskill Statement on Arrest of Martin Shkreli on Securities Fraud Charges	2015-12-17	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Collins, McCaskill Statement on Arrest of Martin Shkreli on Securities Fraud Charges Thursday, December 17, 2015 WASHINGTON U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) today issued the following statement after the arrest of Martin Shkreli this morning by federal agents on securities fraud charges. Todays development with Martin Shkreli will not affect the Senate Aging Committees bipartisan investigation into the sudden, aggressive price spikes of some decades-old drugs, which is not limited to one person or one company. As we have said from the beginning, these price spikes have raised questions that are critically important to the American publicand we will continue our investigation until weve found answers to those questions. Last month, Senators Collins and McCaskill announced a bipartisan Senate investigation into pharmaceutical drug pricing requesting documents and information from four pharmaceutical companies, including Shkrelis Turing Pharmaceuticals. We are proceeding with our investigation into the practices of the four pharmaceutical companies: Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Turing Pharmaceuticals, Retrophin Inc, and Rodelis Therapeutics. That announcement was followed last week by the first in a series of hearing on this issue. That hearing provided insight into the causes of these sudden, aggressive price hikes on decades old drugs and the effect these egregious price increases have on patients access to medication. The Special Committee on Aging, led by Chairman Collins and Ranking Member McCaskill, promotes discussions and conducts investigations on areas of special interest to older Americans. ### Print Email Tweet	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-calls-on-dol-and-fda-to-investigate-reports-of	Congressman Cleaver Calls on DOL and FDA to Investigate Reports of Retailers Selling Shrimp Peeled by Slaves in Thailand	2015-12-16	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Emanuel Cleaver	C001061	cleaver.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Congressman Cleaver (MO-05) sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs Dr. Stephen Ostroff, calling on them to investigate slave-peeled shrimp in Thailand, which is entering the United States food supply. Recent reports from the United Nations, the European Union, the US State Department, and international labor organizations have all detailed the repugnant use of slave labor in the Thai shrimp processing industry. A detailed report released by the Associated Press this week revealed particularly illustrative and gruesome testimony of former slave workers: human trafficking, forced labor, debt bondages, filthy sub-human working conditions, child endangerment, unlivable wages, and even death. I am deeply concerned for the welfare of adult and children shrimp peelers in Thailand, who are forced to work in one of the most abhorrent slavery schemes of the 21st century, said Congressman Cleaver, The list of human rights violations is both extensive and foul. While human trafficking and forced labor are not unique to Thailand, the reports concerning the shrimp peeling industry in Thailand are impossible to ignore. And what is perhaps most troubling is the alleged involvement of United States corporations in the operation. United States Customs records show that Thai shrimp imported from slavery tainted supply lines has made its way into United States restaurants, universities, hospitals, pet stores, and some of the United States largest retailers. While some American companies such as Nestle have cut ties with Thai processors associated with slavery, others have admitted to a lack of awareness. Although international actors have begun to take steps to address the injustices, Congressman Cleaver believes that there is much more that the United States can do. I respectfully request that the FDA and DOL launch full investigations into US companies doing business with Thai shrimp processors known to be associated with slavery, continued Congress…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://hartzler.house.gov/event/telephone-town-hall	Telephone Town Hall	2015-12-16	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Vicky Hartzler	H001053	hartzler.house.gov			legacy	Join Congresswoman Hartzler Wednesday, December 16th, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. CT for a live, interactive telephone town hall meeting. Vicky will be taking questions from constituents about the latest updates and news from Washington and Missouri. If you would like to pre-register for this event, you can do so by clicking here. If you would prefer to simply listen in on the call, it will be livestreamed here.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/jason-smith-introduces-bill-to-protect-taxpayers-stop-epa-propaganda	Congressman Smith Introduces Bill to Protect Taxpayers, Stop EPA Propaganda Machine	2015-12-16	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Jason Smith	S001195	jasonsmith.house.gov			legacy	Washington, DC Today, Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) introduced the End EPA Advertising Act, a bill to stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from using taxpayer money to hire public relations contractors. Between 2000 and 2014, the EPA spent $26 million on outside public relations contracts. These are contractors hired with taxpayer dollars used to create media campaigns aimed at selling the latest EPA rule or regulation to the American public. These are rules and regulations which often have an adverse impact on economic growth and job creation in this country. According to a 2012 study, regulations from the EPA cost the economy roughly $350 billion a year or half of the total economic cost of complying with all federal regulations. Its unbelievable the EPA would think it is appropriate to use taxpayer dollars to hire public relations teams to sell their economically disastrous proposals, said Congressman Smith. Millions of dollars spent on the best public affairs firms cant fool the American people into believing that the EPA should be regulating their farm, small business, wood stoves, ponds, or backyard barbeques. The federal government has spent $4.34 billion on public relations firms since 2007. Outside public relations consulting expenses has increased by 47 percent under the Obama administration, including more than $2 billion in outside contracts with firms performing polling, public relations, and marketing consulting. Public relations contractors do not provide any essential function for the EPA. They are used to advertise poorly crafted rules and regulations to the American people. On Monday, it came to light that the EPA broke federal law promoting its Waters of the United States rule (WOTUS) on social media. The news came in the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report spurred by Congressman Smiths letter to the Inspector General of the EPA demanding an investigation into these violations earlier this year. Weve seen the lengths the EPA will go to in order to push their agenda. Maybe…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-wagner-statement-on-dol-fiduciary-rule	Rep. Wagner Statement on DOL Fiduciary Rule	2015-12-16	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Ann Wagner	W000812	wagner.house.gov			legacy	Congresswoman Ann Wagner released the following statement on absence of a DOL-Fiduciary legislative rider in the Omnibus Spending bill: I am disappointed that the White House chose politics over protecting low and middle-income investors during this time of economic uncertainty. The President continues to ignore over 100 Democrats in Congress who have expressed concerns with the Department of Labors proposed rule. Instead, this President has decided to stand with big government liberals like Sen. Elizabeth Warren. As a result, the ability of low and middle-income Americans to receive affordable financial advice for their retirement is now in jeopardy. The House has already passed the Retail Investor Protection Act twice, in bi-partisan fashion. It is now more important than ever that the Senate act immediately and take up this important piece of legislation. I will continue this fight until the rule is delayed, dismantled and defeated. # # #	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-wagner-statement-on-omnibus-bill	Rep. Wagner Statement on Omnibus Bill	2015-12-16	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Ann Wagner	W000812	wagner.house.gov			legacy	Congresswoman Ann Wagner released the following statement on the inclusion of 7 EA-18G Growlers and 5 F-18E/F Super Hornets in the Omnibus Spending bill: This is a big win for St. Louis, national security, and most importantly, our warfighters. By securing 7 EA-18G Growlers and 5 F-18E/F Super Hornets, we are helping to fill an acute Navy shortfall and a crucial national security need. These planes are a workhorse of naval combat operations and play a critical role in the fight against the Islamic State. By keeping this important production line operating, we are protecting thousands of St. Louis jobs and putting our local stamp on national defense. # # # Background on Rep. Wagner support of Growler and Super Hornet: Fiscal Year 2014 Worked with House Armed Services Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense to obtain advanced procurement funding for future additional Super Hornets Fought to protect full funding allocations for Growlers amid sequestration cuts to defense spending Fiscal Year 2015 15 Growlers included in spending bill Led Congressional letter to appropriations and armed services committee signed by over 100 Members of Congress Testified before House Armed Services and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense on importance of Growlers to the warfighter Fiscal Year 2016 7 Growlers and 5 Super Hornets included in spending bill Led Missouri and Illinois delegation letter to appropriations and armed services committee requesting more fighter jets Testified before House Armed Services and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense on importance of Growlers and Super Hornets in the fight against the Islamic State	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=1598ccde-765f-4e25-8cb9-dc8c8043bfa6	Senators Blunt & Brown Announce Breast Cancer Awareness & Education Bill Included in Omnibus	2015-12-16	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio) today announced that the Breast Cancer Patient Education Act they introduced earlier this year has been included in the omnibus appropriations bill. The measure, which is co-sponsored by Senators Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Deb Fischer (Neb.), and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), will help ensure breast cancer patients have access to information about their post-operative care options. Women who face a breast cancer diagnosis are too often left with more questions than answers about their recovery options, Blunt said. This year alone, an estimated 4,600 women in Missouri and 235,000 nationwide will be diagnosed with the disease. This bill will help them chart a course that best fits their needs after surgery. I am proud to see this measure advance, and will continue working to increase breast cancer awareness and education, and accelerate research efforts to find a cure for this disease. We should do all we can to ensure that women battling breast cancer have the opportunity and information to make the best decision before they begin treatment, said Brown. An overwhelming majority of women especially women of racial and ethnic minority groups are not informed of their breast cancer reconstructive options prior to surgery, even though by law any insurance plan that covers breast cancer treatment must also cover reconstruction or prosthetic care. This lack of information is preventing some women from accessing the care plan that is best for their individual needs. Including our bill in the omnibus spending package will help improve education around the availability and coverage of different options so that all women battling breast cancer have access to information about all of their care options including reconstruction prior to breast cancer surgery. The omnibus appropriations bill also includes more than $5.2 billion in funding for the National Cancer Institute, a five per…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=21d23696-8df8-4893-a909-4938fdb57892	Senator Blunt Secures Funding for Missouri Military Installations & National Defense Priorities	2015-12-16	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), a member of the Senate Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations, today announced that several defense priorities he championed have been included in the omnibus appropriations bill. The federal governments first responsibility is to protect the nation, Blunt said. To that end, this legislation funds key defense priorities at Whiteman, Rosecrans, Fort Leonard Wood, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and Missouri National Guard installations across the state. These investments will ensure that we maintain the most well-trained, well-equipped fighting force in the world. It is incumbent upon the president, however, to outline a clear, comprehensive strategy that will enable our military and intelligence personnel to take on the terrorist threat we face, and to keep America safe. Blunt Provisions Included in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill: Super Hornets The bill provides an additional $1 billion for seven EA-18G Growlers and five F-18E/F Super Hornets manufactured in St. Louis, Mo. After hearing testimony from Admiral Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations, during an annual defense appropriations hearing, Blunt made the case that the additional aircraft will meet the US Navys tactical aviation shortfalls and larger joint requirements for additional airborne electronic attack capability. Consolidated Stealth and Nuclear Alert Facility The bill includes $29.5 million for the construction of a 79,000 square-foot Consolidated Stealth and Nuclear Alert Facility at Whiteman Air Force Base.Sponsored by Blunt, these funds will enhance the Air Forces strategic stealth bomber capability and preserve our deterrence capability at home and abroad. C-130 Aircraft Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in St. Joseph, Mo. is the nations premier Air Guard training center for Advanced Airlift Tactical Training. The bill provides an additional $128.2 million for C-130 aircraft upgrades that meet Air National Guard intra-theater airlift mobility requirements. Tomah…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=3c5c3d12-df24-41ae-a45f-e5041e803dfa	Omnibus Bill Includes Blunts $2 Billion Increase for NIH, Eliminates 18 Ineffective Programs in Labor/HHS	2015-12-16	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, DC Today, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies, announced that the National Institutes of Health has received $32 billion in the omnibus appropriations bill. This represents a $2 billion increase over last years funding level, which Blunt successfully fought for in the Senate committee-passed appropriations bill earlier this year. This is the largest increase NIH has received in the Labor/HHS bill in more than a decade. In a tight fiscal environment, we have to ensure that every dollar we spend reflects the priorities of the American people, Blunt said. In my view, there is no greater priority than to help every American live a longer, healthier life. This bill does that by increasing funding for NIH, and prioritizing funding for key investments while eliminating more than a dozen ineffective or duplicative programs throughout the bill. Over the past decade, NIHs purchasing power has decreased by more than 20 percent, slowing research efforts and advances toward treatments for more than 6,000 incurable diseases. I have been proud to lead efforts to increase funding for NIH, and am glad that the omnibus maintains the $2 billion increase we passed in the committee earlier this year. I will continue working to ensure NIH has the resources necessary to address our nations health challenges, spur medical innovation, increase U.S. competitiveness, and lower healthcare costs, while ensuring that every taxpayer dollar we spend goes toward advancing these priorities. In addition to the NIH increase, the Labor/HHS bill focused on increasing the efficiency and cost effectiveness of government.The Labor/HHS bill eliminates 18 programs and reduces waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars, including preventing the administration from using discretionary funds to bail out the ObamaCare Risk Corridor program as well as defunding the unaccountable ObamaCare Independent Payment Advisory Board.…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=85c14242-220f-4ac2-9a07-f15942f0b830	VIDEO: Senator Blunt Touts NIH Priorities in Omnibus Appropriations Bill	2015-12-16	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies, spoke on the Senate floor today to highlight several National Institutes of Health priorities he championed that have been included in the omnibus appropriations bill. Blunt announced that NIH has received a $2 billion increase over last years funding level, which is the largest increase NIH has received in the Labor/HHS bill in more than a decade. Blunt also noted that the Labor/HHS bill eliminates 18 ineffective or duplicative programs, defunds ObamaCares unaccountable Independent Payment Advisory Board, and protects taxpayers from bailing out ObamaCares risk corridor program.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/videos?ContentRecord_id=b9661bf0-01ad-45e8-b776-1744dac17e3f	VIDEO: Senator Blunt Touts NIH Priorities in Omnibus Appropriations Bill	2015-12-16	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies, spoke on the Senate floor today to highlight several National Institutes of Health priorities he championed that have been included in the omnibus appropriations bill. Blunt announced that NIH has received a $2 billion increase over last years funding level, which is the largest increase NIH has received in the Labor/HHS bill in more than a decade. Blunt also noted that the Labor/HHS bill eliminates 18 ineffective or duplicative programs, defunds ObamaCares unaccountable Independent Payment Advisory Board, and protects taxpayers from bailing out ObamaCares risk corridor program.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-wagner-statement-dol-fiduciary-rule	Rep. Wagner Statement on DOL Fiduciary Rule	2015-12-16	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Ann Wagner	W000812	wagner.house.gov	wagner	https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases	scraper	Congresswoman Ann Wagner released the following statement on absence of a DOL-Fiduciary legislative rider in the Omnibus Spending bill: "I am disappointed that the White House chose politics over protecting low and middle-income investors during this time of economic uncertainty. The President continues to ignore over 100 Democrats in Congress who have expressed concerns with the Department of Labor's proposed rule. Instead, this President has decided to stand with big government liberals like Sen. Elizabeth Warren. As a result, the ability of low and middle-income Americans to receive affordable financial advice for their retirement is now in jeopardy. The House has already passed the Retail Investor Protection Act twice, in bi-partisan fashion. It is now more important than ever that the Senate act immediately and take up this important piece of legislation. I will continue this fight until the rule is delayed, dismantled and defeated." # # #	1	2026-03-30T01:40:41Z	2026-04-08T20:33:33Z
https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-wagner-statement-omnibus-bill	Rep. Wagner Statement on Omnibus Bill	2015-12-16	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Ann Wagner	W000812	wagner.house.gov	wagner	https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases	scraper	Congresswoman Ann Wagner released the following statement on the inclusion of 7 EA-18G Growlers and 5 F-18E/F Super Hornets in the Omnibus Spending bill: "This is a big win for St. Louis, national security, and most importantly, our warfighters. By securing 7 EA-18G Growlers and 5 F-18E/F Super Hornets, we are helping to fill an acute Navy shortfall and a crucial national security need. These planes are a workhorse of naval combat operations and play a critical role in the fight against the Islamic State. By keeping this important production line operating, we are protecting thousands of St. Louis jobs and putting our local stamp on national defense." # # # Background on Rep. Wagner support of Growler and Super Hornet: Fiscal Year 2014 Worked with House Armed Services Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense to obtain advanced procurement funding for future additional Super Hornets Fought to protect full funding allocations for Growlers amid sequestration cuts to defense spending Fiscal Year 2015 15 Growlers included in spending bill Led Congressional letter to appropriations and armed services committee signed by over 100 Members of Congress Testified before House Armed Services and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense on importance of Growlers to the warfighter Fiscal Year 2016	1	2026-03-30T01:40:41Z	2026-04-08T20:33:33Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/fast-designed-to-speed-permit-process-for-businesses	FAST designed to speed permit process for businesses	2015-12-15	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	FAST designed to speed permit process for businesses Tuesday, December 15, 2015 By: Jack Miles Washington Sen.Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, worked in bipartisan accord with Sen.Rob Portman, R-Ohio, to pass a law that cuts red tape responsible for stifling major developments in Missouri and nationally, state and national leaders said. The new Federal Permitting Improvement Act fixes a broken permitting process,Bruce Josten, U.S. Chamber of Commerce executive vice president for government affairs, said. The new streamlining law (will) speed up the review and the approval of permitting for significant infrastructure, and manufacturing products, across the country, Josten said. All of which has the potential for investment, development and growth for our economy. There really is no excuse for a bureaucratic nightmare when we are trying to invest in infrastructure in this country, and it has gotten to the point that it was impossible for large projects to move in a timely basis, which means they cost more money, and we all pay for that ultimately that price tag is passed along, McCaskill said. Bill Kovacs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce senior vice president for environment, technology and regulatory affairs, explained the value of passing FAST, the first major amendment of the 1969 environmental review process. Its literally brilliant in its simplicity putting time frames in a management structure around an extraordinarily complex environmental review process, he said. This is the first time its applied to both public and private infrastructure projects costing over $200 million. Projects include energy pipelines, aviation, manufacturing and broadband. This is literally across the entire econ…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://hartzler.house.gov/blog/taliban-5-transfer-%E2%80%93-administration-broke-law	The Taliban 5 Transfer the Administration Broke the Law	2015-12-14	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Vicky Hartzler	H001053	hartzler.house.gov			legacy	You may recall the May, 2014, White House press conference when President Obama celebrated the secret release of five senior Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay to Qatar in exchange for the release of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. That deal was immediately met with criticism from Americans fearful of the repercussions of releasing dangerous terrorists. As Chairwoman of the House Armed Services Committees (HASC) Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, I headed the probe into the details of this transfer, joining HASC Chairman Mac Thornberry in releasing a report that concludes the Obama Administration violated the law. The law requires the Secretary of Defense to notify Congress not later than 30 days before the transfer or release of detainees from Guantanamo. This was not done, despite the fact we now know that prisoner swap negotiations between the United States and the Taliban had begun 102 days before the transfer. Congress and Pentagon officials best positioned to assess the national security risks were left out of the process, increasing the chances of dangerous consequences. What is even more disturbing are the decisions and plans to deliberately mislead Congress and the American people. After assuring Congress in late February of 2014 that press reports about a Taliban 5 detainee swap were not accurate, and despite promises to keep Congress informed, Department of Defense officials traveled to Doha to meet with Qatari officials about a swap, sought Department of Justice assistance to avoid legally-required Congressional notification, and prepared legal paperwork to facilitate the transfer. This ploy put our country at risk. The simple truth is that a review of the detainees at Guantanamo, ordered by President Obama, concluded the Taliban 5 were among a group of 48 detainees considered too dangerous to transfer. Despite what should have been a red flag, the transfer went forward. This report, while it involved extensive research, does not provide all the answers. There is still muc…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://hartzler.house.gov/event/audrain-county-listening-post-3	Audrain County Listening Post	2015-12-14	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Vicky Hartzler	H001053	hartzler.house.gov			legacy	Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-4) announces a 4th Congressional District Staff Listening Post has been scheduled for Audrain County in Mexico. Each Listening Post held throughout the 4th District is hosted by a member of Congresswoman Hartzlers staff and is intended to provide citizens the opportunity to discuss matters of importance to them. Hartzler staff member Austin Kramer will meet with constituents and report back to the Congresswoman. All citizens are invited to attend. What: Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler Staff Listening Post Where: Audrain County Courthouse Community Room, 101 N. Jefferson St., Mexico, MO 65265 When: Thursday, December 17, 2015 from 10:00 am 11:00 am For further information contact Congresswoman Hartzlers Columbia office at (573) 442-9311. ###	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://hartzler.house.gov/event/columbia-office-open-house-1	Columbia Office Open House	2015-12-14	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Vicky Hartzler	H001053	hartzler.house.gov			legacy	Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-4) announces a 4th Congressional District Open House has been scheduled in Columbia. Each Open House is hosted by members of Congresswoman Hartzlers staff and is intended to provide citizens the opportunity to discuss matters of importance to them. Hartzler staff members will meet with constituents and report back to the Congresswoman. All citizens are invited to attend. What: Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler Open House Where: Columbia District Office, 2415 Carter Ln., Ste. 4, Columbia, MO 65201 When: Monday, December 21, 2015 from 9:00 am 10:30 am For further information, contact Congresswoman Hartzlers Columbia office at (573) 442-9311. ###	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398659	Luetkemeyer Calls U.N. Climate Agreement a Bad Deal for Americans	2015-12-14	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Blaine Luetkemeyer	L000569	luetkemeyer.house.gov			legacy	Luetkemeyer Calls U.N. Climate Agreement a Bad Deal for Americans f t # e Washington, December 14, 2015 U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement following the release of the global climate agreement in Paris: share: f t U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement following the release of the global climate agreement in Paris: After reviewing the details of the climate agreement that was reached over the weekend in Paris, it is clear that the Administration decided to put posturing and wishful thinking ahead of our nations economy. Not only will this climate agreement raise energy prices on American families, it is based on the presidents climate plan that doesnt even have the support of the American people and will likely be proven illegal in court. This agreement is just one more example of how out of touch the Administration is with the priorities of the country. I will continue to push my legislation in Congress which would prevent taxpayers dollars from being used to fund the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change, Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Green Climate Fund so that American taxpayers are not footing the bill for an unelected organization that is tasked with advancing the UNs global warming agenda. f t # e	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-secures-bronze-star-medal-for-st-louis-world-war-ii-veteran	McCaskill Secures Bronze Star Medal for St. Louis World War II Veteran	2015-12-14	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	McCaskill Secures Bronze Star Medal for St. Louis World War II Veteran Senator advocated for veteran to receive award 60 years after combat Monday, December 14, 2015 ST. LOUIS U.S. Senator Claire McCaskills office today hosted a Bronze Star Medal ceremony honoring World War II veteran Vernon C. Crecelius, who was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his military service. Our veterans past and present have done the critical work of safeguarding our nations freedoms, said McCaskill, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the daughter of a World War II veteran. Each and every veteran deserves proper recognition for their brave and honorable service. One of the best parts of my job is to ensure we recognize and spotlighthowever long it takes the contributions of brave individuals like Mr. Crecelius. Vernon C. Crecelius, a veteran of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, served in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) in Normandy and Northern France. For his service in World War II, he was authorized a Bronze Star Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster signifying an additional Bronze Star Medal before his honorable discharge in 1945. Unfortunately, Mr. Crecelius never received the additional award of the Oak Leaf Cluster device. After McCaskills office submitted the necessary documentation, the U.S. Army confirmed Mr. Crecelius entitlement to the long-delayed award. The medal was presented by Brigadier General Gregory Champagne, Assistant Adjutant General for Air, Missouri National Guard. Senator McCaskill has previously helped Missouri veterans and their families secure overdue combat awards, including Vietnam veteranPatrick Howe, Korean war veteranDencil Francis, Vietnam veteranWalter Sitzwohl, and Korean war veteran Reverend Leo Hardin. Visitwww.mccaskill.senate.gov/veteransto learn more about McCaskills fight for military veterans. ### Print …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/editorial-women-in-the-military-break-the-penultimate-barrier	Editorial: Women in the military break the penultimate barrier	2015-12-13	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Editorial: Women in the military break the penultimate barrier Sunday, December 13, 2015 By: Editorial Board The U.S. militaryis now an equal opportunity employer. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced thatall military jobswill be open to women, even dangerous combat roles from which they were previously blocked. Theyll be allowed to drive tanks, fire mortars and lead infantry soldiers into combat, Mr. Carter said at a Pentagon news conference announcing the decision Dec. 2. Theyll be able to serve as Army Rangers and Green Berets, Navy SEALs, Marine Corps infantry, Air Force parajumpers and everything else that was previously open only to men. This change which comes nearly 70 years after the U.S. military racially integrated is long overdue. For too long, women have been kept from many combat roles and other duties simply because they were women, not because they couldnt do the job. The limitations never kept women out of harms way, of course. More than 160 women have died and more than 1,000 have been injured serving in the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the policy did hold women back when it came to climbing the ranks. Combat experience is an important factor in career advancement in the military. The policyheld the military back, as well, as Mr. Carter made clear. To succeed in our mission of national defense, we cannot afford to cut ourselves off from half the countrys talents and skills, he said. We have to take full advantage of every individual who can meet our standards. The emphasis on meeting standards by Mr. Carter was intentional. President Barack Obama also stressed military standards. As commander-in-chief, I know that this change, like others before it, will make our military even …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://hartzler.house.gov/survey/poll-week-december-7-2015-results	Poll of the Week, December 7, 2015 RESULTS	2015-12-11	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Vicky Hartzler	H001053	hartzler.house.gov			legacy	After the tragic events of Paris, and most recently San Bernardino, California, many have questioned whether or not the current strategy to defeat ISIS is working, and whether or not President Obama has set forth a clear strategy to defeat ISIS. Last Sunday, the President addressed the Nation from the Oval Office, only his third time ever doing so. In his address, he repeated the current strategy, saying it is designed and supported by our military commanders and counterterrorism experts, together with 65 countries that have joined an American-led coalition. At a recent G-20 summit in Antalya, Turkey, hedefended the current U.S. strategy against ISISat a press conference, saying, "There will be an intensification of the strategy that we've put forward but the strategy that we are putting forward is the strategy that ultimately is going to work," It's going to take time." The response to the Presidents handling of the situation would show that many are still not convinced this strategy is working. A recent CNN/ORC poll, taken before the attack in San Bernardino, but after the attacks in Paris shows a majority of Americans (53%) say the U.S. should send ground troops to Iraq or Syria to fight ISIS. At the same time, 6-in-10 disapproves of the President's handling of terrorism and 68% say America's military response to the terrorist group thus far has not been aggressive enough. Congress, in an overwhelming bipartisan fashion, recently sent a national defense bill to the Presidents desk, which he signed into law, mandating the Commander-in-Chief issue a concerted strategy to financially and militarily destroy the Islamic State. Question of the Week: Is the President Obamas current strategy on terrorism strong enough to fully defeat ISIS? ( ) Yes ( ) No ( ) I am unsure	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/jason-smith-named-to-powerful-house-leadership-group	Jason Smith named to powerful House leadership group	2015-12-11	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Jason Smith	S001195	jasonsmith.house.gov			legacy	U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, has been chosen to serve on a powerful leadership committee in the House, the first Missourian appointed since U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., was a House representative years ago. Republican colleagues Thursday elected the 8th District congressman to serve on the Republican Steering Committee, a group of House leaders tasked with choosing committee chairmen and who will serve on the various legislative committees. The 35-year-old Smith is the second-youngest lawmaker to serve on the committee. Smith is dramatically younger than most House members. The average age of all 246 GOP House members is 57, he noted. The steering committee has 30 members, including the six chosen Thursday. Key House leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, serve on the committee. Smith said he was among 11 GOP lawmakers seeking election to the committee. Under new rules implemented by Ryan, committee chairmen were removed from the group to add six at-large members. Smith said many of his colleagues encouraged him to run for the committee post. "It's humbling to have your colleagues cast a ballot with your name," Smith said after the secret-ballot election. "Since taking the oath of office, I have continuously focused on opportunities to better serve Missouri by developing relationships with conservative leaders," he said. "The trust they have placed in me today to help pick our next generation of committee leaders is a true honor." Smith insisted it's beneficial for lawmakers to serve on the committee. "It helps empower your district," he said. "It used to be referred to as the committee of all committees." Smith said no Missouri lawmaker serves on the Appropriations Committee, making it even more important for him to serve on the committee that will determine the members of that committee. That could pay dividends in securing needed funding for projects in Southeast Missouri, such as dredging of ports, he explained. He added committee chairmen play key roles in moving bills through the legislative process…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-smith-stands-up-for-local-manufacturers-fights-unfair-trade	Congressman Smith Stands Up for Local Manufacturers, Fights Unfair Trade Practices in ENFORCE Act	2015-12-11	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Jason Smith	S001195	jasonsmith.house.gov			legacy	Washington, D.C. With todays bipartisan passage of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, Congressman Jason Smith stood up for local manufacturers. The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act fosters economic growth to allow businesses to thrive in the 21st Century global economy by stepping up enforcement of trade agreements, reducing barriers to legitimate trade, making American exports more competitive, and facilitating small business competition in the global marketplace. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Kevin Brady explained, "It gives Customs and Border Protection new tools and holds it accountable to effectively act against evasion of antidumping and countervailing duties, including by targeting risky imports and establishing a new investigation process with strict deadlines and judicial review. He noted, "Representatives Boustany and Jason Smith deserve credit for working together to make sure these provisions were included. Rep. Smith worked tirelessly to have a provision known as the ENFORCE Act Included in this bill. Recently, a Missouri manufacturer found itself unfairly competing against an illegal product originating from China, but using a fake address in another country. The ENFORCE Act allows this company in Missouri to take real and meaningful action against these type of foreign perpetrators. As a member of the Ways & Means Committee with jurisdiction over all international trade laws, Rep. Smith has been working for over a year to include the ENFORCE Act in this final legislation. American workers and American products can compete with anybody in the world. But when countries cheat, our manufacturers are significantly harmed, said Smith. This bill with the inclusion of the ENFORCE Act helps end those unfair practices. The ENFORCE Act included in the final conference report of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act would strengthen Americas ability to identify and go after those who break international trade law which is a serious problem for Missouri …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://long.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=49&itemid=745	House passes trade legislation, Long's 'ENFORCE' provisions	2015-12-11	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Billy Long	L000576	long.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Billy Long (MO-07) supported the Houses passage of H.R. 644, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act Conference Report. This legislation streamlines trade facilitation procedures, modernizes Custom and Border Protections (CBP) automated systems, and fights currency manipulation. Additionally, this bill includes language from Rep. Longs Enforcing Orders and Reducing Customs Evasion (ENFORCE) Act, which he has championed since first coming to Washington. This bill protects U.S. manufacturers from negative impacts from rampant evasion of antidumping and tariffs by improving CBP mechanisms that ensure the proper duties are applied to products subject to corporate evasion techniques. This bill is critical to making sure products coming into our borders abide by our tariff laws,said Rep. Long. Duty evasion has a very real impact that harms American workers, including hundreds right here in Missouris 7th Congressional District. We must ensure that our border trade law enforcement officials have the modern tools to combat the threat of deliberately misclassified and fraudulently documented imported goods. -30-	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398656	Blaine's Bulletin: Keeping America Secure	2015-12-11	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Blaine Luetkemeyer	L000569	luetkemeyer.house.gov			legacy	Providing for the common defense of our nation is one of the explicit duties given to the federal government by the United States Constitution. Now more than ever, as terrorists fueled by Islamic extremism attack America and her allies at home and abroad, it is critical that our government exercise this constitutional duty to keep America safe and secure. While the administration has not proposed a clear strategy to defeat our enemies yet, Congress has passed important measures to keep the American people and our homeland safe in recent weeks. share: f t Providing for the common defense of our nation is one of the explicit duties given to the federal government by the United States Constitution. Now more than ever, as terrorists fueled by Islamic extremism attack America and her allies at home and abroad, it is critical that our government exercise this constitutional duty to keep America safe and secure. While the administration has not proposed a clear strategy to defeat our enemies yet, Congress has passed important measures to keep the American people and our homeland safe in recent weeks. Following the tragic terrorist attacks in Paris, the House of Representatives acted quickly to pass legislation that I co-sponsored to require homeland security and law enforcement officials, including the FBI Director, to certify that refugees entering our country from Syria or Iraq do not pose a threat to the United States. In the absence of the ability to make such a certification, the legislation would halt the admission of refugees from Syria and Iraq. Despite a primetime speech, the president has yet to signify any concrete efforts the White House will take to ease the concerns of Americans and protect our security on this issue. Following the speech, the Wall Street Journal wrote, Mr. Obama didnt announce an overhaul of his counterterrorism strategy or any sweeping changes in the U.S.-led military campaign in Iraq and Syria against Islamic State. Instead, …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/mccaskill-donates-10k-for-sexual-harassment-resources	McCaskill donates $10K for sexual harassment resources	2015-12-11	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	McCaskill donates $10K for sexual harassment resources Friday, December 11, 2015 By: Summer Ballentine Missouris U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill said Thursday that she donated $10,000 to an advocacy group to help interns facing sexual harassment, an issue that drew national attention to the state Legislature after the resignations this year of two lawmakers accused of inappropriate behavior with interns. The donation provides seed money for a panel of Missouri college and university representatives collaborating on how to best assist interns, said Matthew Huffman, program development specialist with the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. He said the panel will consider interns at the Capitol and in other roles. Former state Sen. Paul LeVota, D-Independence, stepped down in August following allegations that he sexually harassed interns, which he deniedOne interns claims launched a Senate investigation and led another to come forward with similar claims. McCaskill and other top state Democrats such as Gov. Jay Nixon publicly questioned LeVotas ability to serve in response. Former Republican House Speaker John Diehl also left the chamber in disarray on the last day of session in May after admitting to exchanging sexually charged text messages with a Capitol intern. McCaskill, who said she dealt with sexual harassment when she interned at the state Legislature, applauded lawmakers recent efforts to address the culture in Jefferson City. Changes include newly mandated annual sexual harassment training for House members and staff. But McCaskill for months also has called for ways for interns to find help outside the Capitol, such as a hotline. The biggest issue facing someone who is being har…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/missouri-and-us-chambers-of-commerce-join-mccaskill-to-tout-her-bipartisan-plan-recently-signed-into-law-to-boost-job-opportunities-streamline-permitting	Missouri and U.S. Chambers of Commerce Join McCaskill to Tout Her Bipartisan Plan Recently Signed Into Law to Boost Job Opportunities, Streamline Permitting	2015-12-11	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Missouri and U.S. Chambers of Commerce Join McCaskill to Tout Her Bipartisan Plan Recently Signed Into Law to Boost Job Opportunities, Streamline Permitting Senators bipartisan plan to reform federal permitting was included in long-term Highway bill Friday, December 11, 2015 WASHINGTON Representatives from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today joined U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill to discuss bipartisan legislation by McCaskillrecently signed into lawthat will boost job and business opportunities by reforming federal permitting. Senator McCaskill, thanks so much for your leadership on this issueit means a real breath of fresh air for infrastructure around the country, said Daniel Mehan, President and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on a media conference call. Missouri is keen on infrastructure with our location in the center of the countryweve got a cross-section of pipelines, roads, railswith the second, third largest rail hubs in the country and sixth largest highway system. But this means that infrastructure development will be simplified, itll be expedited, and with the focused management itll help in a great way employ a lot of Missourians congratulations on a unique display of bipartisanship in the federal government. Its important for us to recognize and appreciate the efforts led by Senator McCaskill and Senator Portman, and for the audience on the phone to know that Senator McCaskills effort and her personal leadership to shepherd this through in a bipartisan way made it all possible, to be blunt, said Bruce Josten, Executive Vice President for Government Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Senator McCaskill in fact worked tirelessly to keep this legislation on point and moving forward, through committees, and eventually as part of the highway bill which was just signed into law by the President the new streamlining law passed last week will coordinate and speed up the review and approval of permi…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/mccaskill-facts-underlying-this-hearing-are-so-egregious-its-hard-not-to-get-emotional-about-it	McCaskill: ‘Facts Underlying This Hearing Are So Egregious, It’s Hard Not to Get Emotional About It’	2015-12-11	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today helped lead the first in a series of hearings on dramatic drug price increasesoften on older, off-patent drugsafter the acquisition or merger of pharmaceutical companies. The hearing, entitled Sudden Price Spikes in Off-Patent Drugs: Perspectives from the Front Lines explored the causes of these sudden, aggressive price hikes on off-patent drugs and the effect these egregious price increases have on patients access to medication.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://hartzler.house.gov/press-release/thornberryhartzler-release-taliban-5-report	Thornberry/Hartzler On Release Of Taliban 5 Report	2015-12-10	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Vicky Hartzler	H001053	hartzler.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON Today, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, released the Committees report on the illegal transfer of 5 Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay (GTMO). The entire report can be readhere. The Chairman made the following remarks upon its release: "In May 2014, President Obama transferred five senior Taliban terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar. Since this transfer, the House Armed Services Committee has been conducting an investigation into the actions of Secretary Hagel and senior DOD officials involved in the transfer, including the legality of their conduct. Our report finds that the Administration clearly broke the law in not notifying Congress of the transfer. Leading up to the transfer, DOD officials misled Congress as to the status of negotiations. Pentagon officials best positioned to assess the national security risks were left out of the process, which increases the chances of dangerous consequences from the transfer. It is irresponsible to put these terrorists that much closer to the battlefield to settle a campaign promise and unconscionable to mislead Congress in the process. Chairwoman Hartzler said the following: The findings of this report should give each of us pause. Most disturbing to me are the calculated decisions and plans to mislead Congress and the American people as to the details and necessity of this transfer. After a review of the detainees at Guantanamo, ordered by President Obama, the Taliban 5 were included in a group of 48 detainees deemed too dangerous to transfer. Despite this, they were transferred. Getting all the facts and all the information necessary to complete this report was no simple task, but it is our responsibility to get the facts and present them to the public. After rigorous investigation, there are still some unknowns. We still do not know if we negotiated for less than five detainees. We do not know how five was determi…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/blunt-a-no-on-education-reform-mccaskill-gets-chamber-praise-for-construction-bill	Blunt a 'no' on education reform; McCaskill gets Chamber praise for construction bill	2015-12-10	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Blunt a 'no' on education reform; McCaskill gets Chamber praise for construction bill Thursday, December 10, 2015 By: Chuck Raasch WASHINGTON Sen. Roy Blunt was one of 12 Senate Republicans to oppose an overhaul of federal elementary and secondary education programs that President Barack Obama signed into law Thursday. Obama hailed it as a necessary repeal of the No Child Left Behind act that gives states more flexibility in testing and boosts efforts in crucial areas, such as pre-school. But Blunt, R-Mo., said he opposed the bill because it still left "too much Washington-down impact on elementary and secondary education." The vote continued a trendin which Blunt has voted with a minority of Republicans against Obama-supported measures. The senator told the Post-Dispatch it was in keeping with his conservative philosophy, but his votes in 2015 have thrust him from the middle of the GOP pack to one of the most likely Republican senators to oppose Obama. The passage of the education bill was part of a year-end flurry of action involving St. Louis-area or Missouri members of Congress. Congress still must approve a budget which, among other things, will determine future construction of EA-18 aircraft at a Boeing facility in St. Louis, one of the most-watched federal spending items for the region. St. Louis-area members' staffs are confident that the budget will continue funding for the aircraft. Other items of note as Congress prepares for a holiday recess: On Thursday, Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, chair of the House Armed Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, and Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, chair of the overall committee, released areport alleging that there were political considerationsbehind…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/mccaskill-backs-missouri-sex-harassment-initiative	McCaskill backs Missouri sex harassment initiative	2015-12-10	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	McCaskill backs Missouri sex harassment initiative Thursday, December 10, 2015 By: Deirdre Shesgreen WASHINGTON Sen. Claire McCaskill said Thursday she has donated $10,000 to the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence to fund a new initiativefor interns who have been sexually harassed in their jobs. McCaskill made the contribution after two interns working at the State Capitol this year reported unwanted advances from legislators allegations that McCaskill said reminded her of her own run-ins when she was an intern in Jefferson City.McCaskill, D-Mo., said she hopes the Missouri coalition will set up ahotline and other resources for young peoplein Missouri who face such situations. The biggest issue facing someone who is being harassed in a situation where someone has a lot more power than you have is figuring out where to turn, McCaskill said. The hotline would allow any intern anywhere in the state to call and get good information about what options they have (and) what the laws are. Matthew Huffman, a program development specialist at the Missouri coalition, said few universities have procedures for helping students who face sexual harassment while serving in college-related internships. Its a gap that no one had thought to cover yet, he said. The coalition is using the McCaskill donation to figure out how to fill that gap. Huffmansaid they are consideringcreating a hotline or a web portal, which would have information about students' rights and links to crisis counseling and other support services. "We'relooking at a comprehensive way to develop a resource that students can access easily," he said. McCaskill said she made the contribution last week from her personal funds. She had promised to …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/mccaskill-business-leaders-laud-permit-streamlining	McCaskill, business leaders laud permit streamlining	2015-12-10	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	McCaskill, business leaders laud permit streamlining Thursday, December 10, 2015 By: Ken Newton Big infrastructure projects can suffer big delays in the federal permitting process, and bigger costs follow. Higher-ups of some of the nations top business groups joined a Missouri senator on Thursday to celebrate a cutting of red tape for getting permits on major construction work. Provisions of the Federal Permitting Improvement Act got included in the long-term Highway Bill signed into law last week. U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, and Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, worked for years to move the measure to passage. McCaskill and the business leaders agreed that the permitting environment for projects larger than $200 million work involving pipelines, aviation, energy and broadband Internet, among others had become too unwieldy and time-consuming. There is no excuse for a bureaucratic nightmare when we are trying to invest in infrastructure in this country, the senator said during a conference call. It had gotten to the point that it was impossible for large projects to move in a timely basis, which means it costs more money. We all pay for that, even the private projects. Bill Kovacs, a senior vice president for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, called the measure the first major reform to the environmental review process since it was created in 1969. In addition, he said, Its a really simple solution to an extraordinarily complex problem. Kovacs said the law puts somebody in charge of projects, creates an inventory of the work and sets a schedule for review completion. The lead agency in permitting coordinates with other agencies, and a requirement calls for concurrent …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/mccaskill-donates-10000-to-set-up-legislative-intern-hotline	McCaskill donates $10,000 to set up legislative intern hotline	2015-12-10	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	McCaskill donates $10,000 to set up legislative intern hotline Thursday, December 10, 2015 By: Chuck Raasch WASHINGTON Sen. Claire McCaskill said Thursday she has donated $10,000 of her own money to establish a hotline for Missouri legislative interns who may have been harassed. McCaskill said she made the donation last week to the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. Former House Speaker John Diehl, R-Town and Country, resigned in May when sexually charged text messages he exchanged with a 19-year-old intern from Missouri Southern State University became public. Sen. Paul LeVota, D-Independence, later resigned after a sexual harassment claim by a University of Central Missouri intern was partly substantiated in a university investigation. LeVota denied the allegations. In response, Missouri House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, proposed an intern policy putting outside counsel in charge of investigating sexual harassment claims and require House members to participate in ethics and conduct training. McCaskill said the hotline "would allow any intern anywhere in the state to get good information about what options they have and what the laws are. "Really, it would be just an additional resource. I applaud the actions the general assembly is taking to address the problems they have there. But I do think (after) speaking to the young women that bravely came forward this past year, and drawing from my own experience when I was an intern many, many years ago, is that the biggest issue facing someone who is being harassed in a situation where someone has a lot more power than you have is, 'where can I go to find out what I should do?' That is what this hotline would be for." …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/mccaskill-donates-10000-to-start-missouri-capitol-intern-hotline	McCaskill donates $10,000 to start Missouri capitol intern hotline	2015-12-10	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	McCaskill donates $10,000 to start Missouri capitol intern hotline Thursday, December 10, 2015 By: Alisa Nelson Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) has made a personal donation of $10,000 to help set up a hotline for state capitol interns to report harassment and misconduct issues. McCaskill said she made the donation last week to the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. The hotline would allow any intern anywhere in the state to call and get good information about what options they have, what the laws are, said McCaskill. McCaskill speaks openly about being sexually harassed while interning at the capitol in the 1970s. The biggest issue facing someone who is being harassed in a situation where someone has a lot more power than you have is, where can I go to find out what I should do? That is what this hotline would be for, said McCaskill. A group of Missouri lawmakers began work in May to form recommendations for an intern policy and an updated sexual harassment policy amid scandals involving interns. McCaskill reviewed the proposals, saying a hotline for capitol interns to call for help should be added. The House of Representatives adopted in November the policies which include making more people in the House mandated reporters people who have to report any instance of harassment or violations of the policy they know of. The protocol also involves training of staff, interns, and lawmakers regarding sexual harassment and inappropriate relationships. Former House Speaker John Diehl, Jr. (R-Town and Country) admitted to swapping sexually suggestive texts with a college intern and resigned in May. Former Senator Paul LeVota (D-Independence) resigned this year after he was accused of sexual hara…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/mccaskill-teams-up-with-business-to-ease-regulatory-hurdles	McCaskill teams up with business to ease regulatory hurdles	2015-12-10	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	McCaskill teams up with business to ease regulatory hurdles Thursday, December 10, 2015 By: Deirdre Shesgreen WASHINGTON Sen. Claire McCaskill has been working hand-in-glove with lobbyists at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on legislation to streamline the federal permitting system. Its an unusual alliance on a sleepy issue. But McCaskill and chamber officials said Thursday the measure now signed into law will pave the way for major new infrastructure investments in Missouri and across the country. It means a real breath of fresh air for infrastructure around the country, Daniel Mehan, president of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said during a conference call Thursday with McCaskill and U.S. chamber officials in Washington. And Missouri is keen on infrastructure, with our location in the center of the country weve got a cross-section of pipelines, roads, rails. Under the current system, private businesses and local governments undertaking major capital projects whether erecting a wind farm, building broadband networks or installing a pipeline often face a gauntlet of bureaucratic hurdles in Washington to securing the necessary permits. Multiple federal agencies will conduct duplicative reviews, requiring reams of paperwork and allowing for myriad objections. The process can often drag on as long as 10 years, with the outcome uncertain until the very end. Its gotten to the point that it was impossible for large projects to move on a timely basis, which costs money and we all pay for that, McCaskill said. There really is no excuse for a bureaucratic nightmare when we are trying to invest in infrastructure in this country. Astudy commissioned bythe U.S. Chamber of Commerce identified 351 energy-rela…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/the-senate-just-got-closer-to-figuring-out-how-to-stop-people-like-martin-shkreli-aka-mr-wu-tang-from-hiking-drug-prices	The Senate just got closer to figuring out how to stop people like Martin Shkreli, aka 'Mr. Wu-Tang,' from hiking drug prices	2015-12-10	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	The Senate just got closer to figuring out how to stop people like Martin Shkreli, aka 'Mr. Wu-Tang,' from hiking drug prices Thursday, December 10, 2015 By: Lydia Ramsey The drug-pricing debate has officially kicked off in the Senate's hearing rooms. On Wednesday, members of the Special Committee on Aging heard health experts speak out sharply against price gouging in which companies acquire older drugs with no generic competition and suddenly raise their price. Notably missing from the panel of witnesses which focused mainly on actions by Valeant and Turing Pharmaceuticals were the companies that have done so. Martin Shkreli, the CEO of Turing, said in atweet Wednesdaythat while he had not been called on, he "would have loved to insult Congress." Even without his presence, inside jokes weren't hard to come by. For her part, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) referred to Shkreli as "Mr. Wu-Tang"; other senators referred to CEOs who've price gouged as "hedge fund folks." Hearing from those affected by Shkreli's price hikes At the hearing, Dr. David Kimberlin, who specializes in pediatric infectious disease at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, spoke of a situation in September, around the time Daraprim's price went up after Turing bought the rights to the drug, in which he found barriers to getting the drug because the monthly cost for four tablets suddenly spiked to $3,000 from $54. Because babies infected with toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can be deadly in infants and in adults with weakened immune systems, have to take Daraprim for a full year, increasing dosage along the way, that cost was suddenly prohibitive for some of his patients. Kimberlin also told the committee that he had heard o…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-backed-plan-to-address-va-workforce-shortages-clears-key-committee	McCaskill-backed Plan to Address VA Workforce Shortages Clears Key Committee	2015-12-10	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	McCaskill-backed Plan to Address VA Workforce Shortages Clears Key Committee Provision follows bipartisan efforts to have permanent director installed at St. Louis VA Thursday, December 10, 2015 WASHINGTON A provision backed by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill to address personnel challenges in the Veterans Administrationissues that have particularly plagued the St. Louis region where the VA has struggled to install a permanent medical directorthis week cleared a key hurdle as it advanced through the Veterans Affairs Committee. The VA has to do a better job of attracting and retaining well-qualified leaders to serve as medical center directors, said McCaskill, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee and the daughter of a World War II veteran This commonsense legislation will help us do that in St. Louis and across the country, and Im glad this proposal thatll better address the VAs personnel challenges continues to advance. The provision was originally part of the bipartisan Delivering Opportunities for Care and Services for Veterans Act, which builds on the reforms enacted into law last year through the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, and would address some of the critical personnel issues and workforce shortages at the VA by building a pipeline of qualified medical professionals into the VA health system, eliminating red tape that hinders reform and impacts care, and creating initiatives to better leverage the VA workforce. The bill garnered the support of groups including: the American Legion, American Mental Health Counselors Association, AMVETS, Blinded Veterans Association, Disabled American Veterans, Military Officers Association of America, National Guard Association of the United States, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Veterans Affairs Physician Assistant Association, among others. McCaskill, along with fellow Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, earlier this year wrote to VA Secretary Robert McDonald, urging the installation of a per…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/rep-smith-tries-to-end-epa-rules-on-wood-stoves	Rep. Smith tries to end EPA rules on wood stoves	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Jason Smith	S001195	jasonsmith.house.gov			legacy	POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- There's nothing quite like the warmth generated by a cozy old wood stove during winter. But Environmental Protection Agency regulations issued in January to snuff the crackling fire in the potbelly -- in the name of air quality and better breathing -- now are the law of the land and causing some headaches for self-sufficient families and stove dealers in the Show-Me State. A local congressman is taking aim against those regulations. The EPA's rule tightened the amount of particulate matter new wood stoves can emit, effectively making 80 percent of the nation's stoves obsolete. Those new rules have cost Poplar Bluff wood-stove dealer the Stove Shop a lot of business this year, said general manager John Kassing. "We are allowed to sell the stoves that are already in stock that were grandfathered over, but any new addition has to meet those specifications. It has affected our stove sales greatly," he said. Poplar Bluff do-it-yourselfers and other industrious folks have told Kassing they might just make their own stoves. It is unclear what, if any, federal penalties a homeowner faces for unlawful manufacture or possession of illegal wood-burning paraphernalia. Kassing said the new stoves are worthwhile, however. "The new stoves are more efficient. They are better," he said. "We are getting in to the catalyst world where it is burning the tar pellets and smoke, and it is an absolute clean flame, a clean exhaust after you get it burning correctly." U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, last week filed to repeal the new regulations in the form of a rider tacked on to a wide-sweeping energy bill. "People I talk with are sick of this administration's war on rural America. Rules like these disproportionately hurt rural areas, which use much more wood heat than urban or suburban areas," Smith said. "Times are already tough enough. Folks should not be punished for their self-reliance and their forethought to take advantage of an abundant, eco-friendly fuel like wood." But the EPA regulations have not gone up i…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398658	House Financial Services Committee Passes Luetkemeyer Legislation to Reform Federal Housing Programs	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Blaine Luetkemeyer	L000569	luetkemeyer.house.gov			legacy	U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after the House Financial Services Committee passed H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act with a vote of 44-10. share: f t U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after the House Financial Services Committee passed H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act with a vote of 44-10. My legislation lays the groundwork, for the first time in years, to institute reforms to the programs and processes at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agricultures Rural Housing Service. As I have said before, this legislation represents the first step in housing policy modernization by making many targeted reforms to streamline regulatory burdens and overhaul inefficient policies and regulations. We make these changes while saving taxpayer dollars. Todays successful vote can be attributed to the broad collaboration of Members of the Financial Services Committee from both sides of the aisle. After months of negotiations, the Committee has passed legislation that takes into account many viewpoints that will foster positive change for housing in our country. Specifically, H.R. 3700 modernizes outdated rules and regulations to give state and local housing agencies and private owners enhanced flexibility in meeting key program objectives. In addition, the legislation provides a limitation on public housing tenancy for over-income families, and pays special attention to homeless veterans and children aging out of foster care.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=e311f9a6-fca9-4ca2-8a1e-8aa1188e293f	Kansas City Star (Opinion): Daisy Duarte: Alzheimers stole my moms memories and mine are next	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	Daisy Duarte Last year, I tested positive for the early-onset familial Alzheimers gene that my mother and so many others in my family have. I sat quietly as a genetic counselor explained that the results meant that I would get Alzheimers disease by my 65th birthday. Like many in the Latino community, I didnt know much about Alzheimers before my mother was diagnosed with the progressive brain disease two years ago at the age of 57. Now I live with the knowledge that my memories have a limited shelf life, set to expire in 25 years. Ive decided to use this time to fight for a cure as an advocate, a caregiver and as one of the few Latina participants in an Alzheimers clinical trial at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Five million Americans live with Alzheimers disease, a number that is expected to triple by 2050. My mother is one of the 100,000 Missourians living with the disease. And the number of Latinos is expected grow 600 percent to 1.5 million by 2050. But these numbers dont adequately capture the diseases impact on my family, the Latino community or the nation. Financially, its devastating. The direct and indirect cost of Alzheimers disease is more than $225 billion annually. If we continue on our current course, the total cost of the disease is likely to exceed $1 trillion by 2050 more than cancer and heart disease. Personally, I was forced to close a successful business to provide the fulltime care my mom needs. Now any money I make as an hourly worker, along with her meager pension, go to Alzheimers related costs. Its certainly not something we planned for financially or emotionally. I know that significant federal research investments in HIV, stroke and heart disease have saved lives and reduced overall health care costs. But a similar investment has not been made in Alzheimers and were paying for it in the lives of our loved ones. This fact is made clear in published studies from the National Center for Health Statistics, which reports that from 2000 to 2…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=04bc9b7a-efd2-45ac-bf7f-2dea3700f809	VIDEO: Senator Blunt Urges Expansion of Excellence In Mental Health Act	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) spoke on the Senate floor today to urge support for expanding the Excellence In Mental Health Act. The legislation, which was signed into law last year, creates an eight-state pilot program to improve the amount and quality of mental health services available to those suffering from mental illness. Senator Blunt called for expanding the program to include all 24 states currently receiving planning grants under the law.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=bcf5a0db-9f59-4bc5-9bc1-ac7fbf939b49	Senator Blunt: Education Decisions Are Best Left to State & Local Agencies, Not Federal Bureaucrats	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, DC Today, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) voted against legislation to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. If enacted, the measure would leave policies in place that have vastly expanded the role of the federal government at the expense of state and local education departments. Decisions affecting our childrens education are best left to state and local agencies that have the ability to tailor policies and programs to meet the needs of students, Blunt said. A one-size-fits all approach handed down by Washington has proven ineffective. Unfortunately, the bill passed by the Senate today does not go far enough to reform or eliminate programs that are not working, roll back flawed testing mandates, and restore local control. Weighing in at more than 1,000 pages, the bill also allows for the rapid growth of K-12 spending, and authorizes new spending on additional programs. Going forward, I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will work together to advance policies that better address the shortcomings in our education system and give all students the opportunity to succeed.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/videos?ContentRecord_id=d7efb7fd-6785-460f-a7c3-cb5f2f561364	VIDEO: Senator Blunt Urges Expansion of Excellence In Mental Health Act	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) spoke on the Senate floor today to urge support for expanding the Excellence In Mental Health Act. The legislation, which was signed into law last year, creates an eight-state pilot program to improve the amount and quality of mental health services available to those suffering from mental illness. Senator Blunt called for expanding the program to include all 24 states currently receiving planning grants under the law.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/claire-mccaskill-blasts-mr-wu-tang-martin-shkreli-over-drug-pricing	Claire McCaskill Blasts 'Mr. Wu-Tang' Martin Shkreli Over Drug Pricing	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Claire McCaskill Blasts 'Mr. Wu-Tang' Martin Shkreli Over Drug Pricing Wednesday, December 9, 2015 By: Zachary Tracer During a Wednesday Senate hearing on drug prices, Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill took aimat Turing Pharmaceuticals AG founder Martin Shkreli's spending habits. I noticed in the morning paper, this is the same guy who thought it was a great idea to pay millions of dollars for the only existing album of the Wu-Tang Clan, McCaskill said at the hearing. Shkreli earlier this yearpaid $2 millionto buy the sole copy of an album by the legendary rap group, Bloomberg Businessweek reported Wednesday. McCaskill, who referred to Shkreli as Mr. Wu-Tang, made her comments at a hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. While Shkreli wasn't in attendance, McCaskill and panel witnesses criticized both him and Turing Pharmaceuticals AG. In August, Turing acquired the rights to a decades-old medicine that's used to treat infections that can happen in HIV and cancer patients, and babies with vulnerable immune systems. The company immediately raised the price to$750 a pill, from $13.50, prompting outrage. Print Email Tweet	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/congress-may-take-on-high-drug-prices-next-year	Congress may take on high drug prices next year	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Congress may take on high drug prices next year Wednesday, December 9, 2015 By: Robert King A high-profile Republican senator wants to include potential Food and Drug Administration reforms intended to lower drug prices within a larger legislative package next year. "There is clearly a greater role for the FDA here," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, which held the first bipartisan Senate hearing on high generic drug prices Wednesday. But which FDA reform package is another question, as Collins didn't say it would be part of the Senate's efforts to draft its own version of the 21stCentury Cures Act. That bill passed the House earlier this year and contains new money for medical research and reforms to get drugs to market much faster. "We are looking at the House-passed bill, but we are also looking more broadly than that," she said. She said any reforms targeting prices hopefully would be part of a larger package next year, which means it probably would not be included in efforts in 2017 to reauthorize user fees for medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Collins sits on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which is drafting the Senate version of the cures act. Collins and several senators at the hearing said they liked a potential solution: a new pathway that would allow the FDA to approve certain generic drugs within six months, much faster than the current time frame of more than a year. The pathway would be used selectively and to directly combat a spate of high-profile cases of drug prices that have skyrocketed. Normally, generic drugs are low-cost alternatives that hit the market after the patent for a brand name drug expires, but seve…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/doctors-hospitals-condemn-out-of-control-drug-prices-as-senate-investigation-begins	Doctors, hospitals condemn out-of-control drug prices as Senate investigation begins	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Doctors, hospitals condemn out-of-control drug prices as Senate investigation begins Wednesday, December 9, 2015 By: Carolyn Johnson A Senate investigation of drug-price spikes at four companies kicked off Wednesdaywith specialists from all corners of the health-care system testifying that they're powerless to manage the out-of-control prescription costs. The hearing launches the Special Committee on Aging's investigation into the soaring prices of old drugs, including the recentovernight price hike of Daraprimfrom $18 to $750. Doctors and policy experts offereda slew of proposed policy solutions, such as expediting applications for generic drugs to increasecompetition and requiring companies to revealhow much drugs really cost. But the testimony to the committee in advance of the hearing underlined a stark fact about the current system, too: Doctors, companies that manage prescription drug benefits, hospitals, and health care policy experts alike feel fairly powerless to control high drug prices -- because theyare allowed. For instance, a pediatrician from the University of Alabama at Birmingham testified that an infant needed a treatment that had increased from $54 a month to $3,000 a month, causing the pharmacist to scramble for a solution. A kidney transplant patient in Baltimore began experiencing hallucinations asher medical team triedto obtain a drug once easily available. "This is a life-threatening infection, your company has restricted access to the drug, and youre not open on the weekend? Are you kidding me? Were paying so much for this drug. Why cant you stay open on the weekend?" said Annie Antar, a clinical fellow in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins Hospital on the team that treated the Baltimore wo…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/overnight-defense-pentagon-chief-argues-against-ground-force-in-isis-fight	Overnight Defense: Pentagon chief argues against ground force in ISIS fight	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Overnight Defense: Pentagon chief argues against ground force in ISIS fight Wednesday, December 9, 2015 By: Rebecca Kheel PENTAGON WARNS AGAINST 'APOCALYPTIC WAR':Also at the Senate committee hearing, Pentagon leaderscriticized proposalsto fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) that they say would fuel the terrorist group's recruitment abilities. "It's clear from ISIL's strategy that their objective is to cause us to engage in what they believe is an apocalyptic war with the west," said Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, using an alternate acronym for ISIS. "And anything that we do to feed that particular frame of thinking counters our national security, and we have to be very careful about how we prosecute a campaign that appears to be an indiscriminate attempt to attack ISIL and the population that surrounds it." Selva was responding to Sen. Claire McCaskill's (D-Mo.) criticism during the hearing of presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) call to "carpet bomb" ISIS. "We will carpet bomb them into oblivion," Cruz said last weekend in Iowa. "I don't know if sand can glow in the dark, but we're going to find out." McCaskill slammed Cruz's comments, saying that carpet bombing Iraq or Syria would kill numerous innocent women and children, prompting some to side with ISIS. "If we did an indiscriminate carpet bombing of a major area and killed thousands of women and children, would you assume that would have some impact on their ability to recruit misguided barbarians like this couple that took out more than a dozen innocent people last week?" she said, referring to the couple suspected of carrying out last week's shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. "I would have to assume it w…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/price-hiking-drug-companies-put-lives-in-the-balance-us-lawmakers-hear	Price-hiking drug companies put 'lives in the balance', US lawmakers hear	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Price-hiking drug companies put 'lives in the balance', US lawmakers hear Wednesday, December 9, 2015 By: Joanna Walters Specialty pharmaceutical companies that acquire certain drugs then spike the prices egregiously were compared to loan sharks and warned they were putting patients lives in the balance at a congressional hearing on Wednesday. Drug companies such as Turing and Valeant, which have beenunder firefor months because of the soaring prices of lifesaving medications they made, were accused of being driven simply by greed, by congressional leaders in Washington on Wednesday afternoon. Turings founder and chief executive, Martin Shkreli, was singled out by name for his cocky public defiance over recent price hikes and briefly mocked after it emerged earlier in the day that he hadpaid a reported $2mto buy a one-off Wu-Tang Clan rap album. Republican senator Susan Collins, of Maine, told the hearing that the new breed of drug entrepreneurs who focus on acquisitions and profits at the expense of research and healthy marketplace competition looked more like hedge funds than pharmaceutical businesses. These companies are to ethical pharmaceutical companies as a loan shark is to a bank, Collins said. The bipartisan Senate special committee on ageing, led by Collins and Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, of Missouri, listed four companies as deserving of criticism and scrutiny Turing, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Rodelis Therapeutics and Retrophin, the company Shkreli ran before he founded Turing. Collins said the hearing was called to investigate the sudden and dramatic price increases that occur after companies buy the rights to certain older, niche drugs that are no longer protected by patents but…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/senate-panel-focuses-on-toll-of-valeant-turing-drug-price-spikes	Senate panel focuses on toll of Valeant, Turing drug price spikes	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Senate panel focuses on toll of Valeant, Turing drug price spikes Wednesday, December 9, 2015 By: Sarah N. Lynch and Bill Berkrot A pediatric doctor in Alabama had to scramble to find a less expensive supply of a lifesaving drug to treat an infant who was suffering from a parasitic infection. In Utah, a hospital has been forced to change the way it stocks a drug critical to treating heart patients after the cost skyrocketed from $440 to $2,700 a vial. These are two of the stories a U.S. Senate panel heard on Wednesday at a hearing to explore why certain off-patent prescription medicines sold by companies like Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Turing Pharmaceuticals have shot up after they acquired the rights to the drugs. The committee also mentioned dramatic price hikes by Rodelis Therapeutics and Retrophin Inc. The Senate's Special Committee on Aging announced last month it was launching an investigation into drug pricing and the role mergers and acquisitions may be playing in price hikes. The committee is reviewing price increases for two Valeant heart drugs, Isuprel and Nitropress, and Turing's price increase on Daraprim, used to treat toxoplasmosis, a serious disease that affects AIDS patients and pregnant women and their babies. Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, the panel's ranking Democrat, said there is a difference between rewarding innovation and price gouging, noting that the older drugs in question were not developed by the companies selling them. "If this is just greed, we have a duty to figure out how to protect patients who need these medicines," she said. Drug pricing has come under wider scrutiny in the last few months, not only from U.S. lawmakers, but also from U.S. prosecutors and Democratic pre…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/senators-condemn-big-price-increases-for-drugs	Senators Condemn Big Price Increases for Drugs	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Senators Condemn Big Price Increases for Drugs Wednesday, December 9, 2015 By: Andrew Pollack Senators from both parties on Wednesday denounced huge overnight price increases for decades-old drugs that have been made by some pharmaceutical companies lately, calling them unconscionable and detrimental to patients. These companies are to ethical pharmaceutical companies as a loan shark is to a bank, said Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, quoting an unnamed industry specialist with whom she had spoken. She discussed the matter at a hearing of the Senates Special Committee on Aging, which she leads. The hearing focused on two companies in particular, Turing Pharmaceuticals, which acquired an old drug for a parasitic infection and raised the price to $750 a pill from $13.50, andValeant Pharmaceuticals International, which has sharply increased the prices of various drugs it has acquired, including two used by hospitals to treat serious heart conditions. The chief executives of these companies were not at the hearing, but that did not stop them from being criticized. Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, the ranking Democrat on the committee, mockedMartin Shkreli, the chief executive of Turing, by calling him Mr. Wu-Tang. That was a reference to the news that Mr. Shkreli, 32, a former hedge fund manager, was revealed asthe mystery buyerof the only known copy of a new album by Wu-Tang Clan. Most of the hearing, which was described as the first in a series, was devoted to looking at the impact of the sudden price increases on doctors, patients and hospitals. Erin R. Fox, director of the drug information service at University of Utah Health Care, said that the price of Isuprel, a heart drug acquired by Valeant earl…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/senators-slam-pharma-ceo-for-drug-pricing-wu-tang-clan-album-buy	Senators slam pharma CEO for drug pricing, Wu Tang Clan album buy	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Senators slam pharma CEO for drug pricing, Wu Tang Clan album buy Wednesday, December 9, 2015 By: Sarah Ferris A pair of top senators lashed out Wednesday against several now-infamous drug company CEOs, including Martin Shkreli, who have been accused of price-gouging on potentially life-saving treatments. My biggest challenge today is to not lose my temper, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said. The facts underlying this hearing are so egregious but its hard not to get emotional about it. McCaskill, who co-led the Senates first hearing on drug pricing this year, directed most of her attacks against Shkreli, the 32-year-old hedge fund manager-turned-CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals. This is the same guy who thought it was a great idea to pay millions of dollars for the only existing album of the Wu Tang Clan, she said, to sneers throughout the room, referring to areport on Wednesdaythat Shkreli shelled out $2 million for the only copy of "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin," the most expensive album ever sold. Shkreli, repeatedly dubbed the most hated man in America, has been under fire from congressional committees as well as presidential candidates from both parties. Donald Trump recently trashed him as a spoiled brat, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) redirected the CEOs campaign contribution to charity. Shkreli, meanwhile, has basked in the attention further inflaming his critics on Twitter after deciding to live-stream his every move for 24 straight hours. McCaskill said she has been repeatedly shunted in her investigation of Turing, which came under fire after reports that it raised the costs of a decades-old anti-parasitic drug from $13.50 to $750 per bill. Valeant refused to answer my questions and instead downplayed my …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/steep-drug-price-hikes-harm-patients-experts-testify	Steep drug price hikes harm patients, experts testify	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Steep drug price hikes harm patients, experts testify Wednesday, December 9, 2015 By: Kevin McCoy Steep price hikes forsome off-patent drugs harmpatients by restricting access to potentiallife-saving medications, health care and health insuranceexperts testifiedat a congressionalhearing Wednesday. Responding to outrage from doctors and patients, theSenate Special Committee on Agingspotlighted supply problems that occur when government-authorizedpatents on medicationsexpire and the drug rights are sold to new pharmaceutical companiesthat raise prices by as much as 6000%. Committee members raised the prospect of addingnew pricing rules to the federal government's existing drug oversight system. "That balance we have struck never anticipated companies acquiring off-patent drugs and then jacking up their prices to enormous heights, and do so, as one executive essentially put it, 'because I can,'" said committee chairwoman Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. "But that is exactly what we have seen in recent months." Spiraling costsfor two heart drugs owned by drugmaker Valeant Pharmacueticals International increased the Cleveland Clinic's total drug budget by $8.6 million, hearing testimony showed. North Carolina doctors treating a babyfor toxoplasmosiswere unable to get the Daraprim medication that targets the parasitic disease because Turing Pharmaceuticals had raised the price 40 times beyondits original cost. The doctors instead had to usean alternative medication. Erin Fox, director of the drug information service atthe University ofUtah Health System, testified that a price hike from $440 to $2,700forced her to keep a Valeant heartdrug locked up afterremoving it from medicationcarts where it previously had been avail…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/this-is-what-happens-when-cheap-drugs-get-wildly-expensive	This Is What Happens When Cheap Drugs Get Wildly Expensive	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	This Is What Happens When Cheap Drugs Get Wildly Expensive Wednesday, December 9, 2015 By: Laura Lorenzetti Drug prices for some older, off-patent medications have skyrocketed this year. Valeant PharmaceuticalssVRX2.96%heart drugs Isuprel and Nitropresssaw their prices increase by 525% and 212%, respectively. The price for Turing PharmaceuticalsDaraprim jumped over 5,000%, and Rodelis briefly raised the price of a newly acquired off-patent tuberculosis drug by more than 2,000% before returning the drug to its original non-profit owner. Drugs that once cost dollars per dose now cost hundreds or even thousands per pill, and the effect on hospitals, doctors, and patients has been acute. Health care leaders on the front-lines, including a doctor and hospital pharmacy director,addressed a U.S. Senate committeeWednesday, recounting how these unexpected price increases have led to shortages for those treatments and worse outcomes for patients. Erin Fox, the director of the Drug Information Service at University of Utah Health Care, said that doctors at her hospital have reduced access to Isuprel, a drug used on cardiac arrest patients. Utah Health Care went from paying $440 a pill for Ispurel last year to nearly $2,700 today. At that increase and at current consumption rates for the hospital, Isuprel would have inflated the health systems drug budget by over $1.6 million. That was unsustainable, leading Utah Health Care to seek ways to reduce the impact on its bottom line. We removed Isuprel from about 100 crash carts, where essential medications are available during an emergency, said Fox. Physicians reported that this isnt the first medicine they use, but it could be critical when heart rate is extremely low. The medicin…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/combo-of-mccaskill-provisions-included-in-largest-education-overhaul-since-2001	Combo of McCaskill Provisions Included in Largest Education Overhaul Since 2001	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	Combo of McCaskill Provisions Included in Largest Education Overhaul Since 2001 Senator successfully includes proposals supporting military families by allowing teachers to transfer credentials across state linesimprove health education with a focus on safe relationships, consent Wednesday, December 9, 2015 WASHINGTON This weeks advancement of the nations largest education overhaul since 2001 includes a combo of provisions by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill including legislation to support military spouses by letting teachers transfer credentials across state lines, and a plan to improve health education with a focus on safe relationships and consent. This legislation is a truly bipartisan victory thatll have a real and lasting benefit for Missouris students, educators, and local communities, said McCaskill, a graduate of Hickman High School in Columbia, Mo. Today weve made real strides to enhance and improve our kids education by lightening the load of licensing requirements that make it difficult for teachersespecially military spousesto continue in their field when they move across state lines, and by improving student health education with a focus on consent and safety to prevent domestic and sexual assault. The Every Student Succeeds Act gives communities the flexibility to develop their own plans to improve the quality of their schools. The rewrite of the previously dubbed No Child Left Behind Actenjoys wide bipartisan support and passed the House of Representatives by a 359-64 vote and the Senate by a 85-12 vote. It is also supported by a wide variety of stakeholders including the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, and National Schools Boards Association. The measures successfully included by McCaskill and included in the Every Student Succeeds Act include: Improving Teacher Mobility: This provision supports military spouses, among others, by improving teacher licensing mobility, equipping educators with methods to tr…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-challenges-extreme-rhetoric-from-armed-services-members-on-us-strategy-to-defeat-islamic-state	McCaskill Challenges Extreme Rhetoric from Armed Services Members on U.S. Strategy to Defeat Islamic State	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	McCaskill Challenges Extreme Rhetoric from Armed Services Members on U.S. Strategy to Defeat Islamic State At Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator questions top Pentagon leaders on U.S. strategy to degrade and destroy the Islamic States forces, resources Wednesday, December 9, 2015 WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today challenged the extreme rhetoric of a Republican member of the Armed Services Committee at a hearing on U.S. efforts to destroy the self-declared Islamic State by questioning the effectiveness of carpet-bombingwith the potential to aid enemy recruitment effortsrather than strategic, surgical strikes to take out the groups top leaders and resources. Senator Cruz has said, We will utterly destroy ISIS. We will carpet-bomb them into oblivion. I dont know if sand can glow in the dark, but were going to find out, said McCaskill, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee. How many women and children would be involved if we carpet-bombed the areas where ISIS is currently a stronghold? What are we talking about in terms of lives lost of women and children in those areas? Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter responded, That is of course not our approach, and we are very effective from the air. Were able to be effective while minimizing collateral damage. McCaskill continued, If we did an indiscriminate carpet-bombing of a major area and killed thousands of women and children, would you assume that would have some impact on their ability to recruit misguided barbarians like this couple that took out more than a dozen innocent people last week? I would have to assume it would put their recruiting on steroids And isnt the biggest danger to the homeland the ability of this extreme jihad viewpoint being transferred to Americans who then become radicalized and do what these people did in San Bernardino? Isnt that the biggest threat to our homeland? Gen. Paul Selva, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded: Its clear from ISILs strat…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-the-facts-underlying-this-hearing-are-so-egregious-its-hard-not-to-get-emotional-about-it	McCaskill: ‘The Facts Underlying This Hearing Are So Egregious, It’s Hard Not to Get Emotional About It’	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	McCaskill: The Facts Underlying This Hearing Are So Egregious, Its Hard Not to Get Emotional About It Senator tackles price spikes in Rx drugs in first bipartisan Senate hearing on the issue in years Wednesday, December 9, 2015 Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today helped lead the first in a series of hearings on dramatic drug price increasesoften on older, off-patent drugsafter the acquisition or merger of pharmaceutical companies. The hearing, entitled Sudden Price Spikes in Off-Patent Drugs: Perspectives from the Front Lines explored the causes of these sudden, aggressive price hikes on off-patent drugs and the effect these egregious price increases have on patients access to medication. My biggest challenge today is to not lose my temperthe facts underlying this hearing are so egregious its hard not to get emotional about it, McCaskill said. Its imperative that we find out if our system is being taken advantage of by companies or individuals that seek deep profits while contributing little or nothing to advances in medical treatment. In recent years, prescription drug prices in the U.S. have steadily increased, making drugs unaffordable to many Americans, particularly those on a fixed income as many seniors are. In 2014 alone, drug spending increased by 13.1%, the largest annual increase since 2003. Witnesses for the hearing included: Dr. Gerard Anderson, Professor, Health Policy and Management, Medicine, and International Health, Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Erin Fox, Director, Drug Information Service, University of Utah Health Care and Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Utah College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmacotherapy; Dr. David Kimberlin, Professor and Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational Research; Co-Director, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham; and Mr. Mark Merritt, President & Chief Executive Officer, Pharmaceutical Care Management Association. As…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/mccaskill-challenges-extreme-rhetoric-from-armed-services-members-on-us-strategy-to-defeat-isis	McCaskill Challenges Extreme Rhetoric from Armed Services Members on U.S. Strategy to Defeat ISIS	2015-12-09	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Claire McCaskill	M001170	www.mccaskill.senate.gov			legacy	U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today challenged the extreme rhetoric of a Republican member of the Armed Services Committee at a hearing on U.S. efforts to destroy the self-declared Islamic State by questioning the effectiveness of carpet-bombingwith the potential to aid enemy recruitment effortsrather than strategic, surgical strikes to take out the groups top leaders and resources.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-demands-a-vote-on-legislation-to-prevent-suspected	Congressman Cleaver Demands a Vote on Legislation to Prevent Suspected Terrorists From Purchasing Guns and Explosives	2015-12-08	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Emanuel Cleaver	C001061	cleaver.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Congressman Cleaver took action to force a vote on commonsense, life-saving legislation to keep guns and explosives out of the hands of terrorists. After House Republicans voted three times last week to block the House from debating H.R. 1076, Republican Congressman Peter Kings Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act, Congressman Cleaver signed a discharge petition that would bring this critical legislation immediately up for a vote.The bill would close the dangerous loophole that allows suspected terrorists on the FBIs Terrorist Watchlist to legally buy deadly weapons. The refusal to close the loophole that lets suspected terrorists legally buy guns is unconscionable and indefensible, said Congressman Cleaver. As Members of Congress, our first responsibility is to protect and defend the American people and that is why we must take urgent and commonsense action to keep deadly firearms and explosives out of the hands of terrorists. According to a report by the Government Accountability Office, since 2004, more than 2,000 suspects on the FBIs Terrorist Watchlist have successfully purchased weapons in the United States. More than 90 percent of all suspected terrorists who attempted to purchase guns in the last 11 years walked away with the weapon they wanted, with just 190 rejected despite their ominous histories. In the aftermath of the horrific attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, we must continue to strengthen our efforts to protect the American people, continued Congressman Cleaver. Our first priority should be to close the exceedingly dangerous terrorist gun loophole and ensure that no suspected terrorist can walk into a gun store and legally purchase a deadly weapon. Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouris 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 …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://hartzler.house.gov/press-release/hartzler-votes-give-visa-waiver-program-boost-security	Hartzler Votes to Give Visa Waiver Program Boost in Security	2015-12-08	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Vicky Hartzler	H001053	hartzler.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTONCongresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) today voted to strengthen the United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP) in order to close critical security gaps in the program and address the heightened terror threat environment. Today the House passed the Visa Waiver Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 407-19. In the aftermath of the Paris attacks, perpetrated partially by radicalized citizens from visa waiver countries, it is clear that more must be done to ensure Americans safety, Hartzler said. The current Visa Waiver Program contains a number of security gaps we address with this legislation. The threat of an extremist traveling from a visa waiver country to the United States is a real concern and must be addressed. This act works to boost security measures in those participating countries to ensure we have more complete information and verifiable documents on those traveling to our shores. It also terminates the program in those countries failing to do so, Hartzler continued. Under this legislation, the U.S. Visa Waiver Program would go further to deny visa waiver status to individuals who have traveled to terrorist hotspots, such as Iraq and Syria, since 2011. The federal government has a fundamental obligation to protect Americans, and this is a constructive step towards doing that. Background: The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) was created in 1986 and allows nationals from participating countries to travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days for business or tourism without obtaining a U.S. visa, by presenting a valid passport, and by meeting certain other requirements. Currently, there are 38 countries that participate in the VWP. For a complete list of participating countries, click here. To be designated as a VWP country, the country must participate in security reviews every other year and meet several key conditions, such as offering reciprocal visa-free travel for U.S. citizens and meeting a host of information-sharing and sec…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/us-house-passes-protection-for-wood-stove-users	U.S. House passes protection for wood stove users	2015-12-08	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Jason Smith	S001195	jasonsmith.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment Thursday eliminating new EPA regulations on wood stoves. The amendment, introduced by Congressman Jason Smith, R-8th District, passed with a bipartisan vote of 247-177 and was added to H.R. 8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act. The EPA has decided that 12 million wood-burning stoves in 2.4 million households across America need to be regulated because of Washington-driven bureaucrat emissions standards," he said. "People I talk with are sick of this administrations war on rural America. Rules like these disproportionately hurt rural areas, which use much more wood heat than urban or suburban areas. Times are already tough enough. Folks should not be punished for their self-reliance and their forethought to take advantage of an abundant, eco-friendly fuel like wood. A given home in the district is five times more likely to be heated with wood than the national average. Fifty-seven percent of households who primarily use wood for heat are in rural areas, 40 percent are in the suburbs and only 3 percent in urban areas. According to Smith, about 30,000 households in the 8th District use wood heat to warm their homes. He also said that census data shows households heating with wood grew 34 percent between 2000 and 2010, and that low and middle-income households are more likely to use wood as a primary heating fuel.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://long.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=49&itemid=744	Long votes to strengthen Visa Waiver Program	2015-12-08	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Billy Long	L000576	long.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Billy Long (MO-07) voted for H.R. 158, the Visa Waiver Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015, which addresses the vulnerabilities of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). This legislation requires VWP participant countries to provide counterterrorism information and other critical intelligence, while allowing the suspension of high risk countries and denying VWP status for those who have traveled to terrorist hotspots, like Iraq and Syria, since 2011. We must ensure that the Visa Waiver Program doesnt turn into an easy entrance fast-track for foreign nationals who wish to harm us,said Rep. Long. Given the legitimate threat that terrorists could come to the United States through participant countries, this bill takes commonsense steps to protect national security and the safety of our citizens.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398657	House Passes Legislation to Strengthen the Nation's Visa Waiver Program	2015-12-08	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Blaine Luetkemeyer	L000569	luetkemeyer.house.gov			legacy	U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 158, the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act. share: f t U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 158, the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act. Todays critical legislation will ensure that our country is identifying and stopping foreign fighters with Western passports from entering the United States. The recent terrorist attacks, and the fact that nearly 5,000 individuals from countries included in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program have traveled to Syria and Iraq pledging allegiance to ISIS, have brought our current Visa Waiver Program under scrutiny. As the program stands now, nationals from the 38 countries included in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program do not have to go through the U.S. consulate to obtain a visa; rather, these individuals are only required to provide background information, which does not include finger prints, to be screened by U.S. security databases. Thus, these individuals receive an expedited approval or denial. It will improve American security by making sure that all 38 countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program have an e-passport, which would contain fraud-resistant certifications of an individuals biographic and biometric information. In order to prevent acts of terrorism from occurring on U.S. soil, this legislation would prevent aliens who are nationals of, or those who have traveled in the last five years to, a country designated by the Secretary of State as a state sponsor of terror, from access to visa-free travel to the U.S. through the Visa Waiver Program. These individuals would be required to go through the more stringent and prolonged process of obtaining a visa for entry. Under current Visa Waiver Program rules, individuals can enter the United States for up to 90 days with very little scrutiny that is no longer acceptable. Todays bipartisan legislation is just …	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=4a7982a3-137b-4a4a-89c5-05af96a92573	Senator Blunt Backs Key Reforms to Strengthen Visa Waiver Program, Protect Americans	2015-12-08	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, today co-sponsored the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act, legislation to enhance the security of the Visa Waiver Program. The federal governments number one responsibility is to keep Americans safe. To do that, we must strengthen the Visa Waiver Program to ensure terrorists cannot exploit Americas ties with our friends and allies to enter the country and carry out attacks within our borders. The Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act takes several important steps to enhance the security of the program, without inflicting undue harm on our economy and the millions of Americans who depend on the travel and tourism industry. The measure has strong, bipartisan support in both houses of Congress, and should be passed and signed into law without delay. Following are several key reforms included in the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act: Denies VWP status to individuals who are from Iraq, Syria, and other countries with significant terrorist activity, or who have visited those countries in the past five years; Requires the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to terminate a country from the VWP if the country does not share intelligence or law enforcement information; Requires all VWP countries to check travelers against INTERPOL databases to determine whether the traveler is wanted by law enforcement agencies based on ties to terrorism or criminal activity; Requires all VWP countries to issue their citizens fraud-resistant e-passports containing biometric information, and requires countries to be able to confirm that such documents are legitimate when they are scanned; Requires top U.S. security agencies to conduct more frequent intelligence and threat assessments of VWP countries to determine whether they pose a high risk to the national security of the United States; and Requires DHS to take steps to better d…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://graves.house.gov/media-center/e-newsletters/a-welcomed-end-to-no-child-left-behind	A Welcomed End to No Child Left Behind	2015-12-08	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Sam Graves	G000546	graves.house.gov			legacy	Last week, when the House passed reauthorization of theElementary and Secondary Schools Act (ESEA),the Wall Street Journal wrote that it was thelargest devolution of federal control in 25 years. The bill - which the Senate should passtomorrow- replacesNo Child Left Behind,gives authority back to local school districts, and prevents the White House from forcing states to adopt Common Core standards. It is expected to be signed into law by the President as early as this week. Federal overreach and excessive testing requirements have made it impossible for teachers to fulfill their single most important responsibility - preparing children to lead productive and fulfilling lives. This bill will return decision making capabilities to administrators, school districts and local governments, while limiting the influence of bureaucrats in Washington. The House and Senate passed separate versions of ESEA reauthorization earlier this year. This bill was a bipartisan compromise developed by both chambers, and is a critical final step before reauthorization can become law. ReplacingNo Child Left Behindrepresents a shift back to the way things should be run.I am proud that Congress passed a bipartisan bill that will let local governments make their own decisions on education. Sincerely, Sam Graves	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-urges-missourians-to-remain-vigilant-against-so	Congressman Cleaver Urges Missourians to Remain Vigilant Against So-Called Government Grant Scams	2015-12-07	2015	2015-12	Democrat	House	MO	Emanuel Cleaver	C001061	cleaver.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II announced his intention to bring awareness to criminal government grant scams that prey on vulnerable Americans. Government grant scams have been around for years and continue to exist partly because many people lack experience with grant systems and procedures. In a common government grant scam a caller will 1) claim to be from a legitimate sounding organization that often does not exist such as the Federal Grant Association 2) tell their potential victims that they qualify for government grant money and 3) will request either a bank account number, or that the potential victim sends a payment in order to process the grant. A criminal may also publish an advertisement in local papers, or magazines in order to solicit additional victims. Make no mistake, these free money grant schemes are undeniably scams. Congressman Cleaver urges the public to protect sensitive personal information at all times, especially around the holiday season when scam activity appears to increase. If you believe you may be the victim of a government grant scam, or any other related scam, please report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission at 1-866-653-4261 or toll-free at 1-877-FTC-HELP. The Federal Trade Commission is aware of government grant scams and has urged the public to not pay any money to receive free government grants. Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouris 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.A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is availablehere. For more information please contact John Jones john.h.jones@mail.house.gov or(202) 225-4535…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://hartzler.house.gov/blog/visa-waiver-program-improvement-act-america-needs-it-now	The Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act - America Needs It Now!	2015-12-07	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Vicky Hartzler	H001053	hartzler.house.gov			legacy	Acts of terrorism in the United States and around the world are a clear signal that this country must take additional steps to protect itself from these horrendous acts of violence. One of the measures that will help address this situation is a bill currently being discussed by Members of Congress the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act of 2015. It amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include terrorism as a risk factor that should be considered under the electronic system for travel authorization in determining the eligibility of an alien to travel to our country. Under the current Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which was established in 1986, citizens of 38 countries can travel to the United States without visas or in person consular interviews by undergoing background security checks. In return, U.S. citizens get to travel to those countries visa-free. In 2007, the Department of Homeland Security implemented an electronic security screening system to reflect newer security threats. But there are security gaps that must be reviewed and addressed. The fact is that around 5,000 Europeans, many of them from VWP countries, are estimated to have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join terrorist groups. It is, therefore, easier for these individuals to enter the United States. We must act to address this frightening fact. The Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act closes the security gaps and adds protection in several ways: It will deny VWP status to those who have visited Syria, Iraq, or other terrorist hotspots in the last five years, requiring visas of these travelers to enter this country; the legislation enhances the screening of all travelers in VWP countries before they attempt to enter the United States by requiring background checks against INTERPOL databases; it takes measures to ensure VWP travelers do not falsify their background information by preventing the use of fraudulent or stolen passports and other documents by creating a database of lost and stolen documents; and it requires the Secretar…	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://hartzler.house.gov/event/howard-county-listening-post-1	Howard County Listening Post	2015-12-07	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Vicky Hartzler	H001053	hartzler.house.gov			legacy	Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-4) announces a 4th Congressional District Staff Listening Post has been scheduled for Howard County in Glasgow. Each Listening Post held throughout the 4th District is hosted by a member of Congresswoman Hartzlers staff and is intended to provide citizens the opportunity to discuss matters of importance to them. Hartzler staff member Austin Kramer will meet with constituents and report back to the Congresswoman. All citizens are invited to attend. What: Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler Staff Listening Post Where: Lewis & Clark Community Center, 102 Market Street, Glasgow, Missouri 65254 When: Tuesday, December 15, 2015 from 9:00 am 10:00 am	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://hartzler.house.gov/press-release/hartzler-responds-president%E2%80%99s-address-nation	Hartzler Responds to Presidents Address to the Nation	2015-12-07	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Vicky Hartzler	H001053	hartzler.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTONCongresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) released the following statement in response to President Obamas address last night to the Nation: President Obama gave us nothing new in his address to the nation. As ISIL continues its wave of terror around the globe, and now apparently inspiring attacks here at home, the Commander in Chief needs to get serious about this threat and present a solid, workable strategy to defeat this menace. Doubling down on the current failing strategy is irresponsible and lets the Islamic State continue to expand its influence. Now is the time for American leadership. Congresswoman Hartzler serves on the House Armed Services, Agriculture, and Budget Committees. She represents Missouris Fourth Congressional District.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-wagner-statement-on-president-obamas-sunday-address	Rep. Wagner Statement on President Obama's Sunday Address	2015-12-07	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Ann Wagner	W000812	wagner.house.gov			legacy	Congresswoman Ann Wagner released the following statement in response to President Obamas Sunday evening address concerning the San Bernardino shooting, ISIS and gun control: Last night, President Obama spoke to the nation about the threat posed by terrorism. Instead of charting a new course for victory over ISIS, the President chose to double-down on years of failed counterterrorism policy in the Middle East.President Obama's address amounted to a reassertion of the same counterterrorism strategy that has seen ISIS seize control of large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria and use that territory as a base from which to inspire and direct attacks like the ones we have seen in Paris and San Bernardino. Our number one responsibility in Congress is to keep the American people safe. It is time for the President to end the equivocation and half-measures and instead put forward a comprehensive and aggressive strategy to destroy ISIS. If we do not act decisively to impede the threat of Islamic extremism to our homeland, then the acts of terror will continue against the United States and our allies. The enemy is adapting its plots to defeat our security measures, and the President has failed to present a flexible strategy to counter the terrorists increasingly dangerous tactics. As Americans, we have a responsibility to stand up to our enemies and work as a force for good in the international community. We must not downplay the real and present danger posed by ISIS and the President has a responsibility to the American people to defeat them. # # #	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=cab5ffba-b97d-48af-9baf-c9b6c95a9d2f	Missouri Times: Blunt visits Cole County to talk about infrastructure	2015-12-07	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	RUSSELLVILLE, Mo. U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, visited with local officials in southern Cole County near Russellville, Missouri to speak about roads, bridges and other pieces of infrastructure in Missouri. Blunt touted a recent and rare compromise in Congress to move a newfive-year highway billwhich will allot around $300 billion federal dollars for state infrastructure projects. Blunt says having a longer guaranteed plan will ensure a more effective use of that money Its been 17 years since we had a five-year bill, Blunt said. Since 2009, there have been 37 short-term extensions of the highway bill. The longest of those 37 extensions was two years, and frankly, you just cant have a highway plan that does much good if youre working within a two-year window. He specifically pointed out provisions he helped put into the legislation that would help reopen and maintain bridges owned by counties and municipalities, not just state governments. It would also allow emergency vehicles come into the state with less bureaucratic oversight. State Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, also attended and spoke about the positives this federal legislation would bring to the state. A highway department needs certainty because as everybody knows MODOT plans their highway plans in the STIP (Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan) which is a five-year dedicated plan, Kehoe said. When youre working off reauthorization to previous highway bills for four months or six months, the department never really has that certainty. And for policymakers here in the state, its good to know what our foundation is going to be and this new bill gives us that foundation. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill, despite criticisms from some Democrats that the legislation will not include health care funds for 9/11 First Responders. Click here to read more.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=4c103d48-f317-40d4-8b41-c63aa547e08c	Senator Blunt Statement on the Presidents Oval Office Address	2015-12-07	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Roy Blunt	B000575	www.blunt.senate.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement in response to President Obamas Oval Office address on the terrorist threat: What the American people needed to hear from the president last night was a comprehensive strategy to defeat the terrorist threat and keep our country safe. Instead, what they heard was a reiteration of the same failed policies that have allowed ISIS to continue consolidating gains in the Middle East and Africa, and spreading their insidious ideology abroad. The attack in San Bernardino last week demonstrates that ISIS is far from contained, and underscores the urgent need for the president to re-evaluate his strategy and change course. Congress stands ready to work with the administration to provide the tools and resources necessary to enhance our intelligence capabilities, reinforce the coalitions fight against ISIS, and prevent terrorists from entering the United States. The president has no more sacred a responsibility than to keep Americans safe, and I urge him to re-focus his efforts on defending the nation rather than doubling down on policies that clearly havent worked.	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://graves.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/sam-graves-responds-to-president-obamas-national-address-on-isis	Sam Graves Responds to President Obama's National Address on ISIS	2015-12-07	2015	2015-12	Republican	House	MO	Sam Graves	G000546	graves.house.gov			legacy	WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Representative Sam Graves spoke today in response to President Obamas National Address on combating ISIS. Graves is a member of the House Committee on Armed Services. ISIS has not been contained, Rep. Graves said. In the absence of Americas leadership, ISIS has been able to extend its influence across the globe, as weve seen play out tragically in San Bernardino, Paris, and elsewhere. Last night, the President gave us more of the same tired talking points. What we need is a new strategy to destroy ISIS that will keep America and our allies safe. My colleagues and I on the Armed Services committee recently offered suggestions to increase protections against the threat of foreign fighter travel and to combat homegrown extremism, Graves continued. I will push to see the White House adopt these and other important policies in our fight to defeat radical Islamic terrorism. Failure is simply not an option. ###	1	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z	2026-03-30T12:14:52Z

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Press releases

2,018 rows where state = "MO" and year = 2015 sorted by date descending

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