Blue Springs Archives

Congresswoman Hartzler wants President Trump to sign defense bill, citing importance to Missouri (AUDIO)

December 16, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri congresswoman who serves on the Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill is hopeful that President Trump will sign the $731-billion defense authorization bill, saying it includes another $40 million for the key hospital replacement project at Fort Leonard Wood.

This is an artist’s projection of the new 235,000 square foot Fort Leonard Wood hospital in southern Missouri. A groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 22, 2020. The project is expected to be done in 2024 (photo courtesy of Fort Leonard Wood’s public affairs office)

U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, was re-elected to her sixth term in November. Her sprawling district includes the fort.

“Fort Leonard Wood had the oldest hospital in the Army system, and it was long overdue for upgrading,” Hartzler says. “So we’re very excited about that.”

Hartzler attended the June groundbreaking ceremony for the new Fort Leonard Wood community hospital, which will replace the aging one there. Construction of the new 235,000 square foot hospital is expected to be done in the fall of 2024.

“It’s going to be state-of-the-art, and it is going to provide first class medical treatment for both our soldiers and their families in that area,” says Hartzler.

U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley and Congresswoman Hartzler helped to secure $50 million for the project earlier this year.

Fort Leonard Wood’s hospital serves both the base and the surrounding southern Missouri community. The massive new hospital project also will include a 193,000 square foot clinic, a five-bay ambulance garage, a helipad, central utility plant and emergency back-up generators.

Fort Leonard Wood trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.

President Trump has until December 23 to sign or veto the defense authorization bill, according to “Roll Call.” The outlet reports the president has threatened to veto the measure because it doesn’t repeal legal protections for social media companies, and because it would require the Pentagon to rename military bases named after Confederate soldiers.

The defense authorization bill also includes $696-million for U.S. Army ammunition plants, including the 3,900 acre Lake City plant in western Missouri. Hartzler pushed for Lake City funding.

“Lake City ammunition plant there just outside of Blue Springs Missouri is the Army’s only small-caliber ammunition plant. It produces all of the bullets, the small-caliber range,” Hartzler says.

The Army’s Lake City plant also operates the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) test center.

Hartzler says the defense bill also includes $5 million to update T-38 ejection seats at Whiteman Air Force Base near Knob Noster. She says the current ejection seats are old and have problems.

Whiteman Air Base is also located in Hartzler’s district.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, which was recorded on December 15, 2020:

Parson and Cleaver to meet to discuss Missouri flooding and infrastructure issues

July 29, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor is reiterating his call for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to manage the Missouri River differently. Governor Mike Parson briefed Capitol reporters last week at the Statehouse in Jefferson City.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson talks with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (left) and others in flooded Orrick in April 2019 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Cleaver’s office)

“And if it means more money through some of the states, we’ve met with other governors,” Parson says. “The governor of Nebraska, the governors of Iowa and Kansas and talked about that very same thing.”

Parson notes more than 80 Missouri levees have overtopped or breached in 2019.

“How can we maybe pool some resources together to try to help this management of the Missouri River on the Missouri side of it, similar to what we do on the Mississippi (River) side,” says Parson.

Meantime, Governor Parson (R) will be meeting with U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, and western Missouri farmers on Tuesday to discuss flooding and other agricultural issues.

Parson will travel to the state Department of Conservation’s Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs to meet with Congressman Cleaver and the Fifth District Agriculture Advisory Committee. Blue Springs is a Kansas City suburb.

The governor has signed an executive order creating a flood recovery advisory working group. Parson says Missouri “has been plagued by record-level flooding this year.” Parson says the group will provide input on Missouri’s flood recovery priorities and will also give feedback on Missouri’s current levee system.

While tomorrow’s 10 a.m. meeting is closed, Governor Parson and Congressman Cleaver will brief reporters after the Blue Springs meeting.

During an interview at the 2018 Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Cleaver praised Parson’s emphasis on infrastructure.

“And then when he (Governor Parson) told me that he was going to put a list together of things that he wanted to do, and infrastructure was one of them, I said governor you and I are going to have a partnership. You can expect all the support you need from me,” Cleaver told Missourinet at the fair.

Cleaver’s district includes Kansas City and three rural western Missouri counties: Lafayette, Ray and Saline.