McCaskill: Ensure Resources for Rural Broadband Get to Rural Communities

With the Senate opening debate on the Farm Bill this week, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is aiming to amend the legislation to ensure resources set aside to expand broadband access in rural communities do not get diverted to projects in large metropolitan areas that already enjoy access to such services.

“Expanding broadband access in rural Missouri is necessary for growing local jobs and business, delivering health care services, and strengthening educational opportunities for our kids,” said McCaskill, who was born in Rolla, Mo. “But resources that are supposed to be used in our rural communities winding up in some of the nation’s largest metro areas makes no sense. Shining a little sunlight on how these investments are awarded will help ensure small towns in Missouri gets the job-supporting resources they’re supposed to.”

The Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Inspector General have identified continual problems with the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) broadband program awarding funds to projects close to big cities and in areas that already have broadband access.

Current law requires the USDA to focus broadband resources on areas where broadband is not currently offered, and to avoid supporting projects in areas with extensive broadband offerings.  McCaskill’s amendment would require the USDA to post information publicly online on each broadband application to allow broadband providers the opportunity to submit information about their service areas that may overlap with proposed projects. The amendment would also require the USDA to consult the Commerce Department’s National Broadband Map to gather information on current broadband services.   

The Farm Bill being debated in the Senate would reduce the national deficit by $23 billion by streamlining and consolidating programs and ending unnecessary farm subsidies, while strengthening the crop insurance program—critical to the livelihoods of Missouri’s farmers and ranchers.

A copy of McCaskill’s amendment is available on her website, HERE.

McCaskill: Employer Enforcement Must Be an Immigration Priority

At a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing yesterday focused on the progress that has been made toward securing the U.S. Southwestern and Northern Borders, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill questioned former immigration and current Government Accountability Office (GAO) officials about budget cuts that will affect border security and pushed for increases in enforcement against employers who knowingly hired illegal immigrants. Last year, McCaskill co-sponsored deficit-neutral legislation to provide $600 million to increase law enforcement personnel and provide unmanned surveillance technology on the Southwest Border of the United States. At the hearing, McCaskill expressed her disappointment that the House’s proposed budget cuts would take away a vital portion of that measure, by cutting funding for 870 federal agents at the Southwest Border.

“I was proud to cosponsor with Senator McCain a bill that was fully paid for last year, that added $600 million to border security including drones for real time surveillance. I’m assuming that there’s no one on the panel that disagrees that this kind of technology in terms of real time surveillance unmanned could be extremely effective along the border as it relates to criminal activity? Imagine my surprise when that is part of what was cut in the [continuing budget resolution] that was passed by the House of Representatives. I’m willing to bet that most of the folks who were excited about passing that CR said ‘we need to secure the border’ a few times during this past campaign,” McCaskill said in yesterday’s hearing.

In addition to addressing the need to provide adequate technology and manpower to secure the border, McCaskill also advocated for increases in criminal and civil penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. McCaskill said that although some progress has been made lately, any approach to addressing the problems of illegal immigration must include stronger enforcement programs.

“The fact is there have been very few instances where employers have been held accountable for knowingly and repeatedly violating the law when it comes to illegal immigration,” McCaskill said.

Over the past four years, McCaskill has repeatedly challenged both the Bush and Obama administrations to strengthen employer enforcement programs. She believes jobs are the magnet bringing people into this country and enforcing penalties for knowingly breaking the law as it relates to hiring illegal immigrants will provide a strong deterrent.

“These folks aren’t coming across the border for vacation. They’re coming for a job,” she said.

Yesterday’s hearing was the first in a series to follow focused on immigration policy and border security issues.

Senator Roy Blunt Issues Statement On Short-Term Budget Extension

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) issued the following statement today regarding the two-week budget extension compromise, which Democrat Senate Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) has agreed to move for a vote this week:

“This short-term solution represents a reasonable approach and a good start, but the fact remains that Washington is simply spending more than the federal government is taking in.

“Washington is the only place where we measure how much we care about a program by how much we spend on it, rather than the results we get. The government must start operating under the same rules that families across America face every day when balancing their budgets.

“Everything must be on the table, and as today’s non-partisan GAO report highlights, there’s an enormous amount of waste and duplication that should be eliminated in order to streamline government’s operations.

“Looking forward, Congress needs to come together to identify long-term solutions to ensure the federal government is meeting its key functions while living within its means.”