Opinion -- Senator Roy Blunt Opposed Challenge to Biden Certification

by Senator Roy Blunt

President Trump won the votes of millions of Americans. I supported President Trump and served as co-chair of his campaign in Missouri. 

I defended the president’s right to pursue all legal options available to his campaign to ensure every legal vote was counted and every illegal vote was not.  

His lawyers presented the evidence they had to more than 90 judges – many of them Republican-appointed, including several nominated by President Trump – in more than 60 different cases. That process ended with each state certifying its election results in accordance with the Constitution and state law. 

There are two reasons Congress can object to any state’s electors: that the vote was not regularly given or that the elector was not lawfully certified according to state law. None of Wednesday’s statements contained new information that has not already been presented to, and reviewed by, a state or federal court. My view is that there is not sufficient evidence to sustain the objections. The states and the voters in each state elect the president. As such, Congress has a constitutional obligation to accept the election results.

Wednesday’s outrageous attack on the Capitol was a sad day for America. But we will move forward and we will continue living up to the example of democracy we have long set for the world.

MCA Backs Blunt's Quest for Agriculture Disaster Relief

Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee of Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, along with Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) introduced legislation that would extend agriculture disaster assistance programs.

"Agriculture supports 16 million jobs across America, and Missouri has the second highest number of farms nationwide. This drought has taken a devastating toll on farm families in Missouri and nationwide, and I won't stop fighting for this critical disaster relief until we get farmers and ranchers back on their feet again," said Blunt

This program expired at the end of the 2011 Fiscal Year and were not part of the nine month Farm Bill extension. The bill would backfill the programs for 2012 and extend them through 2013 while Congress works to pass a long-term Farm Bill. Without an extension many ranchers and farmers will be left with no support to recover from severe fires and drought that swept the country last year.

The Missouri Cattlemen's Association (MCA) and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association worked close with Sen. Blunt to stress the need for this legislation. Additionally, MCA and several statewide agricultural organizations sent a letter to Missouri's congressional delegation on Jan. 8, 2013, to request that the members of Congress and their colleagues look for opportunities to provide relief to farm and ranch families in Missouri and throughout the country.

McCaskill Continues Fight for Missouri’s Farmers and Ranchers Against Burdensome Regulations

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill continued her fight on behalf of rural communities, telling a Senate Committee that farmers and ranchers should be able to use their farm vehicles to transport their products and crops on public roads, without being subject to the same regulations as long-haul trucks or freight carriers.

McCaskill, along with Senator Roy Blunt, championed a bipartisan amendment to a highway jobs bill earlier this year that would exempt farmers transporting crops, livestock and equipment within 150 miles of their farm from regulations aimed at non-farm commercial vehicles. McCaskill’s amendment would also give individual states the freedom to establish safety rules for agricultural vehicles.

In a letter to the head of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee, McCaskill joined with other farm-state Senators to urge that those protections be included in any final version of the highway jobs bill.

“It’s nonsense that a rule meant to apply to an 18-wheeler flying down the highway at 70 miles per hour should also apply to a family famer trying to move grain from his field to a silo in the same small town,” McCaskill said about the proposed regulation. “Transportation of farming equipment needs to be done safely, but we’ve got to make sure federal regulations are only encompassing what they’re intended to, and not applying to a host of other activities.”  

“This provision will reduce the regulatory burden for farmers and ranchers and allow them to efficiently sell their products,” the letter reads.  

McCaskill has been an outspoken advocate for preventing overregulation of family farms and ranches:

·         McCaskill delivered a victory for rural communities, successfully forcing the U.S. Labor Department to withdraw proposed rules that would affect the ability of young adults to work on family farms and ranches

·         McCaskill helped lead a bipartisan group of Senators in pushing for an exemption to allow the transportation of all farm supplies from any distribution point to a local farm retailer or to the consumer during planning and harvest seasons

·         McCaskill confronted the Environmental Protection Agency in opposition to proposed rules over farm dust

Opinion: McCaskill, Blunt Take Stand on Ethanol

The Missouri Corn Growers Association (MCGA) today applauds the strong support of Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) for votingin unison against an amendment submitted by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) to immediatelyrepeal the federal ethanol tax credit. In addition to defeating the anti-ethanolamendment, Missouri's senators have signed on as co-sponsors of the Ethanol Reformand Deficit Reduction Act introduced yesterday by Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)."We want to thank Missouri's senators for their strong leadership in stopping Sen.Coburn's anti-ethanol antics and moving new domestic energy policies forward," says MCGA CEO Gary Marshall. "Not only is ethanol adding to the federal budget througheconomic development and tax revenue, we are fighting to keep American jobs and dollars here at home instead of sending them overseas. If Sen. Coburn was serious about lowering the federal budget, he would stop his political posturing and propose eliminating the billions of dollars in oil subsidies."The Ethanol Reform and Deficit Reduction Act, supported by Sens. McCaskill and Blunt, would end the current ethanol tax incentive given to petroleum marketers on July 1 and replace it with a variable tax credit tied to the price of oil. It would also extend the small producer ethanol credit through 2014. The legislation is projected to generate a savings of $2.5 billion with $1 billion dedicated to deficitreduction and $1.5 billion to ethanol infrastructure. "This is proactive domestic energy policy aimed at reducing our nation's deficit while revitalizing energy infrastructure," says MCGA President Kenny McNamar, a corn and cattle farmer from Gorin, Mo. "The Ethanol Reform and Deficit Reduction Act is a solid compromise for moving the ethanol industry forward in a crumbling budget environment and establishing a new pathway for the continued production of Missouri-made fuel. "This proposal comes after months of discussions within the corn and ethanol industries to reform the existing Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) included in the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004. The Thune-Klobuchar bill introduced yesterday establishes a variable tax credit that is triggered when oil prices drop below $90 dollars per barrel, providing no credit when oil prices are high and a limited credit when oil prices are low."Missouri corn growers can be proud that our senators understand, fully support and are committed to reducing our country's addiction to foreign oil through the continued use of renewable fuels such as corn-based ethanol," McNamar said.Missouri is home to six majority farmer-owned ethanol plants with production capacity exceeding 280 million gallons annually. To learn more about Missouri's growing corn and ethanol industries, visit www.mocorn.org.

Opinion: U.S. Senate Keeps Money Flowing to Planned Parenthood

by the Missouri Family Policy Council

The United States Senate has voted to continue allocating federal taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood. The Senate voted down a resolution previously approved by the U.S. House of Representatives which would have terminated funding for the nation's leading abortion provider. Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill voted to continue the flow of federal dollars to Planned Parenthood, while Missouri Senator Roy Blunt voted to terminate future federal subsidies to Planned Parenthood.

"This vote made clear which senators care more about the interests of the politically influential abortion lobby than the lives and safety of American women and families," says Charmaine Yoest, President of Americans United for Life. Planned Parenthood clinics performed more than 332,000 abortions during 2009. Yoest points out that Planned Parenthood has announced plans to expand its abortion operations, mandating that every affilite must have at least one abortion clinic within the next two years. Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, says the Senate vote is an affront to taxpayers at a time of trillion-dollar budget deficits. "Taxpayers send Planned Parenthood more than $360 million each year, more than one-third of their $1 billion income. At a time when the federal deficit is growing to suffocating proportions, taxpayers should not be subsidizing a scandal-plagued abortion giant."

The victory for Planned Parenthood comes in the wake of extremely damaging recent information concerning Planned Parenthood's business practices. Undercover videos showed numerous Planned Parenthood clinics willing to collaborate with individuals engaged in human trafficking. Previous repulsive practices uncovered included a willingness to cover up cases of statutory rape, and a willingness to accept donations for the purpose of aborting black preborn children. The U.S. House had previously voted 241-185 to zero out federal funding of Planned Parenthood. Missouri Congressmen Todd Akin, Sam Graves, Billy Long, and Blaine Luetkemeyer, and Congresswomen Jo Ann Emerson and Vicky Hartzler voted to halt federal appropriations to Planned Parenthood. Congressmen William "Lacy" Clay, Emmanuel Cleaver, and Russ Carnahan voted to support funding for the nation's leading agent of death for children in the womb.

Worth County Declared Federal Disaster Area for February Snowstorms

Today, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill announced that President Barack Obama has approved the majority of Governor Jay Nixon’s request for federal disaster relief following winter storms that hit the state in early February 2011. Earlier this month, McCaskill and Senator Roy Blunt sent a letter of support urging the president to grant Nixon’s request to declare 64 counties in Missouri a federal disaster area. Today the president announced a major disaster declaration for the State of Missouri and released federal funds to help cover emergency work and the repair and replacement of disaster-damaged facilities for 59 counties in Missouri. Additionally, the entire state of Missouri is eligible for hazard mitigation assistance grant funds.

In their letter, the senators stressed that federal assistance is essential to help Missouri communities recover from the severe winter storms. Although Nixon’s entire request was not granted, today’s announcement will mean significant federal help for Missouri communities struggling to recover from the damage caused by the most recent round of winter storms. Specifically, the Governor had requested public assistance (including snow removal) for 62 affected counties, public assistance (not including snow removal) for two counties, and hazard mitigation grant assistance for the entire state.

Counties included in today’s announcement are Adair, Andrew, Audrain, Barton, Bates, Benton, Boone, Caldwell, Callaway, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Chariton, Clark, Clinton, Cole, Cooper, Dade, Dallas, DeKalb, Grundy, Henry, Hickory, Howard, Johnson, Knox, Laclede, Lafayette, Lewis, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Madison, Maries, Marion, McDonald, Miller, Moniteau, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Osage, Pettis, Platte, Polk, Pulaski, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Ray, St. Clair, Saline, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, Sullivan, Vernon and Worth. Nodaway and Gentry counties were not included in the declaration.

Senator Roy Blunt: President Breaks Promises on Stimulus

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) issued the following statement today marking the second anniversary of the passage of President Barack Obama’s $816 billion stimulus:

“As we mark the second anniversary of the passage of President Obama's so-called stimulus plan, it's clear the President’s pledges about this taxpayer-funded spending were not pledges that could be kept.

"Instead, our children and grandchildren are now saddled with over $800 billion in new debt thanks to this massive spending bill, which failed to reduce skyrocketing unemployment and failed to focus on much-needed private sector job creation nationwide.

“There must be a better way. Moving forward, we must focus on creating real sustainable jobs, spending less money, and letting the private sector grow."

Senator Roy Blunt: Where are the jobs, Mr. President?

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) issued the following statement today in response to President Barack Obama’s budget proposal:

“Simply put, the President’s budget does not do nearly enough, quickly enough.

“According to the White House’s own estimates, the long-term savings in this budget over the next decade are still less than this year’s deficit. In addition, using this budget plan, the President will have doubled the national debt from the time he took office through the end of 2012.

“Our nation is spending $3.8 trillion while only taking in $2.2 trillion, which is why the President’s proposal to freeze current spending levels simply does not go far enough. Everything must be on the table if we’re going to ensure our federal government is operating as efficiently and effectively as possible.

“Americans rightfully want to know: where are the private sector jobs, and why is the government spending a bigger percentage of the economy than ever before? We can no longer continue spending more than we’re taking in – the federal government must start living within our means, just like every family and job creator nationwide.”

Senator Roy Blunt's speech calling for repeal of Health Care Bill

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) delivered his first U.S. Senate floor speech tonight regarding repealing and replacing ObamaCare in order to lower costs, spur private sector job development, and improve health care coverage for Missourians and all Americans.

Key Excerpts from Senator Blunt’s Remarks:

“Today I have the opportunity to speak on the floor of the Senate for the first time as part of the work of the Senate. I’m pleased to be here on a day that the Senate is addressing the topic of health care, because clearly it was a major topic on the mind of Missourians and all Americans last year. I support the amendment that the gentleman from Kentucky has offered that would repeal the health care bill and make us start again looking at how to make the health care system work better…

“The biggest single deterrent to job creation is uncertainty, and we’ve done great things in the last few years to create a sense of uncertainty. If you don’t know what your tax liability is going to look like, if you don’t know what your utility bill will be, if you don’t know what your health care expenses are going to be – you’re less likely to take that risk that anybody takes when they create a private sector job…

“Real, sustainable, private sector job creation doesn’t happen in an environment of uncertainty. We need to be focused on jobs that are family supporting and economic growth that includes letting American families keep more of what they earn and includes economic incentives for small businesses and employers, and encourages the government to get out of the way so that employers of all sizes can create self-sustainable private sector jobs.

“We need a government that meets the requirements of the constitution and rarely, Mr. President, do we have a chance to revisit a misguided decision… The American people are the victims of having to rush forward with a bill that wasn’t ready to become law… When employers are telling us they’re not hiring because of uncertainty created by this new law, when courts are ruling the law unconstitutional, when voters are overwhelmingly rejecting it – we need to understand why.

“Americans deserve a country where the people are bigger than the government, and this health care bill opens the door to a future where the government is bigger than the people, Mr. President. I think we should reject the law, repeal it now, and move forward with more competition, more transparency, and better health care.

“Better health at a lower cost is achievable if we do the right things. I believe that this bill does the wrong things, and the more the American people look at it, the more they’re convinced that it leads us to a future that is not the health care future that they want.

“Mr. President, I’m pleased to be able to speak on the Senate floor, I’m pleased to be able to represent Missourians here, and I yield back.”

Opinion:: Blunt Believes Women Should Have Less Pay for Equal Work

By the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee

With today being Equal Pay Day, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee would like to remind Congressman Roy Blunt of his vote last year to deny equal pay for equal work for Missourians regardless of gender. Last January, Blunt joined with many of his Republican colleagues in voting against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which makes it easier for Missourians to get the pay they deserve, regardless of their gender, race, or age. Despite Blunt’s attempts to derail this bill, the bill passed, and was signed into law. On Equal Pay Day, does Blunt stand by his vote to deny equal pay for equal work for Missourians, or would he vote differently today?

“On the day that Americans recognize the importance of equal pay for equal work, Missourians should remember that Roy Blunt voted against this commonsense legislation just last year,” said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee National Press Secretary Deirdre Murphy. “By opposing equal pay for women, Blunt gave Missourians more evidence that he is out of touch with the economic realities of his own state.”

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 passed both chambers of Congress on a bipartisan basis and was signed into law by President Obama on January 29, 2009. The bill restored the ability of workers to effectively seek legal redress for pay discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, age, or disability. The legislation amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to say that the 6 month statute of limitations on filing lawsuits for pay discrimination reset with each discriminatory paycheck. Based on the court case filed by Lilly Ledbetter against Goodyear, this legislation was critical, as in some circumstances, like Ms. Ledbetter’s, awareness of the pay disparity did not come to light until the previous statute of limitations had expired.

Opinion: Blunt Supports Insurance Companies Denying People for Preexisting Conditions.

By the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee

A day after Congressman Blunt’s spokesman tried to walk back video footage of the DC insider telling an audience of health care professionals in Springfield that he’s AGAINST stopping insurance companies from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions, Congressman Blunt is doubling down on his support for barring Missourians with preexisting conditions from getting health care. Congressman Blunt’s spokesman told the Kansas City Star yesterday that the DC insider “has always supported coverage of adults with preexisting conditions,” despite the video footage which proves otherwise. This morning however, Congressman Blunt went on Allman in the Morning and responded to the flap by saying “actually I thought that clip was right on target, to tell you the truth.”

“By doubling down on his support for barring Missourians with preexisting conditions from gaining access to health care, Congressman Roy Blunt showed once and for all he represents the very worst of Washington,” said Deirdre Murphy, National Press Secretary for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “Whether it is his all too constant DC Doubletalk, his never-ending support for insurance companies, or his long standing record of sticking it to the middle class, Congressman Roy Blunt is simply wrong for Missouri families.”

Washington insider Congressman Blunt has a record of sticking it to the middle class. Blunt rubberstamped the disastrous policies put into place by former President George W. Bush that protected Wall Street and exploded the federal deficit. And now he continues to stand in the way of commonsense efforts to jumpstart job creation. The people of Missouri can thank Blunt for thousands of lost jobs, tax credits for corporations that move their jobs overseas, and a huge trade imbalance. Congressman Blunt's record is so disastrous that even Republicans remain unimpressed with Congressman Blunt, who has failed to crack 50% against his main primary challenger, Chuck Purgason, who has steadily been gaining ground with Republican voters.

Congressman Blunt on KFTK with Jamie Allman April 14, 2010

Allman: Congressman Roy Blunt, how are you buddy?

Blunt: Hey Jamie, it’s good to be with you this morning, and actually I thought that clip was right on target to tell you the truth. If you look at RoyBlunt.com, you’ll see the dozen bills that I sponsored for real healthcare reform that treat people fairly, that look to competition, that make insurance companies work harder to get your business, but that discussion is exactly what it is. People will figure out quickly how to game this system, and it's not very complicated, and people are really smart, and they're going to figure out that this is just one of many weaknesses in this bill. Remember Nancy Pelosi famously said, “we’ll know what’s in the bill after we pass it.” And the more people look at this bill, the more they look at the unbelievable cost, and the ways that it will actually raise the cost of insurance for everybody. And I think we’ll wind up with more people uninsured most of the time. They’re going to decide they like it even less than they think they like it now.

Allman: Ya.

Blunt: And so, we’ve had a lot of discussions, a lot of roundtables. Every business person who provides insurance, frankly, I haven't been in a discussion everybody didn't quickly understand that if the penalty is less than the cost of monthly insurance, and you can get insurance whenever you want to at the price everybody else pays, a lot of people decide that it's smarter for them and their family if they just pay the penalty until somebody, until they need to go to the hospital. In fact, one hospital in Missouri has suggested to me only half way in jest, that they might have to put the insurance forms in the ambulance, so you can just sign up for insurance on your way to the hospital, and by the way, when you do that under this bill, you get insurance for the same price that everybody else has been paying who's had insurance all along."

Allman: Ya Congressman Blunt, though, you know, as I pointed out earlier, and right after Obamacare passed, I said the spider web that has been created by Obamacare is this, you guys wander into it because all that repealing is going to be now is taking gifts away, that are perceived gifts to the American public, one of them this preexisting conditions deal. And from your standpoint as a practical standpoint, yes, it’s wrong on down the line because of it’s impact on, well, people who are already insured, and but as a principle matter, as a matter of principle, the government has no business dictating who a company covers and who they don’t cover. I mean bottom line is that. Somebody called in earlier and said, “well, we shouldn’t really pursue that because it’s not a big deal and it’s going to make us look bad,” and I go, “well, you’re either going to pursue it wholly or you’re not going to pursue it at all. You’re either going to stand up for liberty, or you’re not going to stand up for liberty.”

Blunt: Well, I think that’s right, Jamie, and of course that’s one of the jobs of Allman in the Morning to point out to people the, what really happens here as opposed to what the President and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are saying is going to happen. I mean when the President’s been saying day after day now as he’s been out talking about this healthcare bill, “this is only the first step”. Well, what do you think is the blank that he’s hoping his supporters fill in that blank with, and (it’s) “this is only the first step, to government-run healthcare” because it’s going to make the system work so inefficiently and so ineffectively that the system will collapse, and it will start with people not buying insurance until their doctors told them they have to have it and they have to have it immediately. This has happened, this happens in Massachusetts now. It’s the big problem with the Massachusetts system. They have a must-insure policy, and I think they have a minimum of like 3 months, is the minimum amount of time you can buy insurance, and lots of people only buy insurance for the 3 months that they’re, that they know they’re going to be in the hospital, they know they’re going to have a procedure, or they know they’re going to have some expense. And obviously, that drives up the cost of insurance for everyone. But you know, I’ve been an advocate of letting more people into the risk pools, certainly of portability, of everything you need to do to treat people fairly, but this bill will not do that, and it certainly won’t treat people fairly who continue to buy their insurance all the time in case they need it because other people will be just paying the penalty until they need it, and this is not exactly rocket-science and people are smart, and they will quickly figure this out.

Allman: Well, stay with it Congressman, even though you’re going to be criticized and picked on for this, and treated like you’re some kind of scrooge, but reality is reality, and when you mention Massachusetts by the way, you’re absolutely right. More people are covered in Massachusetts, but premiums in Massachusetts for most people have gone up 30-40% which is unbelievable. So.

Blunt: Right.

Allman: RoyBlunt.com. We appreciate you sticking to it. And we’ll talk to you again whenever you feel like it, Congressman Blunt.

Blunt: I will stick to it and thank you for all you’re doing every day my friend. I’ll see you soon.

Allman: Alright, you take care now.