U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley Archives

Missouri’s governor warns against potential natural gas price gouging

February 18, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor said Thursday that numerous constituents have contacted his office about huge price increases in natural gas. Much of the state has been impacted by multiple snowstorms and below freezing temperatures for about ten days.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on February 4, 2021 (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

During a Statehouse news conference, Governor Mike Parson said the demand for heating fuel has increased significantly, with extremely cold temperatures. The governor tells Capitol reporters that he knows there have been some supply issues.

“However, we will not tolerate any effort to price gouge or take advantage of customers at a time when there is no other choice or alternative options,” Parson says.

The governor encourages Missouri residents who believe there has been price gouging to contact Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s consumer protection hotline at 1-800-392-8222. Parson says his administration will use all resources that are possible to stop any kind of gouging.

Meantime, a bipartisan group of Missouri’s congressional delegation is asking federal officials to review the natural gas supply, in light of extreme winter weather.

Republican U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley and seven of the state’s eight U.S. House members say there’s been a surge in energy demand across Missouri and that residents have been experiencing electricity outages and rolling blackouts.

“In light of these challenges, we need to ensure there is an adequate supply of affordable energy and natural gas for families, farmers and businesses in Missouri and the Midwest,” the letter from the lawmakers reads, in part.

The letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Blunt and Hawley and by U.S. Reps. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, Jason Smith, R-Salem, Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, Billy Long, R-Springfield, and Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin.

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:

MVC: 12 more COVID deaths at veterans home in northern Missouri’s Cameron

November 3, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

12 more veterans have died from COVID at the state veterans home in northwest Missouri’s Cameron.

Missouri Capitol

The Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC) says 12 more veterans have died at the Cameron home in the past ten days, bringing the total number of COVID deaths there to 22, since September 1.

MVC spokesman Jamie Melchert tells Missourinet that a total of 87 veterans living in state veterans homes have died from COVID since September 1. Cape Girardeau has the highest number of deaths, with 29. Cameron is second with 22. There have been 19 deaths at the St. James facility, nine at Mount Vernon, seven in Warrensburg and one in Mexico.

Melchert says all of MVC’s veterans homes are following best practices for fighting COVID, as prescribed by the CDC and the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). He says that includes daily testing, using PCR and antigen testing. It also includes proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning and disinfecting and enhanced training in those areas.

Melchert says infection control inspections and additional infection control training procedures are in place at all facilities.

He also says Armstrong Teasdale’s external review is continuing, noting they’re conducting interviews at all seven homes and at the commission’s Jefferson City headquarters.

MVC says it’s also utilizing staffing from the Missouri Disaster Medical Assistance Team, which is deployed to provide Missourians the medical care they need immediately.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill, has emphasized to Missourinet that it’s important to get to the bottom of this. He has said that if changes need to be made, they should be made as quickly as possible.

Hawley disturbed by COVID-19 deaths at Missouri veterans homes; MO DMAT-1 team now deployed (AUDIO/VIDEO)

October 26, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri senator who serves on the Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill is closely tracking the increasing number of COVID-19 deaths at state veterans homes.

Missouri Senator Josh Hawley (2020 file photo courtesy of Senator Hawley’s office)

The Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC) says four more veterans died last week, bringing the total number of deaths at the homes to 71, since September 1. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R) tells Missourinet that to lose anyone to COVID is a tragedy, and to lose 71 veterans in veterans homes is disturbing.

“It’s very, very concerning and I’m glad that the governor has taken this action to order a review, an investigation, and I look forward to the results of that,” Hawley says.

The MVC says three of the new deaths happened at the home in northwest Missouri’s Cameron, where 34 veterans currently have COVID. MVC says ten Cameron staff members are in isolation in their homes, and another 20 staff members there have recovered.

MVC confirms it’s now utilizing medical staffing from the Missouri Disaster Medical Assistance Team (MO DMAT-1), which is deployed to provide Missourians the medical care they need immediately.

As for Senator Hawley, he emphasizes it’s important to get to the bottom of this.

“I look forward to action being taken to make sure that the standards of care are at the highest possible level. We owe that to our veterans,” says Hawley.

He also says that if changes need to be made, they should be made as quickly as possible.

MVC says there are now 12 veterans with active cases at the veterans homes in southern Missouri’s Mount Vernon and St. James. At Mount Vernon, six staff members are in isolation in their homes, and 21 staff members have recovered. At the St. James facility, four staff members are in isolation at home, and 18 staff members have recovered.

The veterans home in southeast Missouri’s Cape Girardeau has had the largest number of deaths since September 1, with 29. MVC says 44 Cape Girardeau staff members have recovered.

MVC spokesman Jamie Melchert says the MVC’s veterans homes are following best practices for battling COVID, including using daily testing using PCR and antigen testing. He says MVC is also focusing on enhanced personal protective equipment (PPE) training, as well as cleaning and disinfecting. Central office leadership from Jefferson City is also providing some additional supervision.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson tells Missourinet that he acted immediately when he learned about the spike in deaths at veterans homes, ordering an external review. The governor has said that the box-in strategy is being used, which involves testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine.

Mr. Melchert notes MVC commissioners selected St. Louis-based Armstrong Teasdale as the outside firm undertaking the external review of the Veterans Commission. He says Armstrong Teasdale is conducting staff interviews at the homes, and that no findings have been made available, at this time.

Missouri’s Hawley is ready to go to Senate floor to seek unanimous consent on duck boat bill (AUDIO/VIDEO)

October 2, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri senator who serves on the Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill is frustrated that his duck boat legislation remains stuck in the Commerce Committee.

Missouri State Highway Patrol crews assist the U.S. Coast Guard during the duck boat recovery efforts on July 23, 2018 (file photo courtesy of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Twitter page)

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R) says the bill is bottled up in committee. The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation is chaired by U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi.

“I think the time has probably come to try and force it out of committee and for me to go to the (U.S. Senate) floor and to try and pass it myself,” Hawley says.

His legislation, called the Duck Boat Safety Enhancement Act, would require the U.S. Coast Guard to implement recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), including requiring duck boats to remove canopies. 17 people were killed in the July 2018 duck boat tragedy on southwest Missouri’s Table Rock Lake.

During a Thursday interview with Missourinet, Senator Hawley says he’s trying to prevent a repeat of the deadly 2018 tragedy. He also indicates his patience is wearing thin, saying he’s ready to go to the floor.

“And if there’s not movement in coming days on the bill, that’s exactly what I will do. I will go to the floor of the United States Senate and I will seek unanimous consent to have this bill passed, and then we’ll have to see who objects to it,” says Hawley.

Hawley’s legislation would also require amphibious passenger vessels to be equipped to stay afloat, in the event of flooding. It would also impose new security requirements on every single duck boat, in Missouri and nationally. It would also require new reporting efforts.

The bill was one of the first filed by Senator Hawley, after he was sworn-in. It’s very similar to legislation filed by Hawley’s predecessor, former U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D). Her bill also was stuck in committee.

17 of the 31 people aboard the boat called Stretch Duck 7 died, after a storm with 70 mile-per-hour winds came through. The NTSB says the Coast Guard’s failure to require sufficient design of amphibious vessels contributed to the boat’s sinking.

Missouri’s Hawley: increases in social isolation from pandemic may be contributing to surges in drug addiction

September 18, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s junior senator is urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to address the mental health needs of Americans impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R) speaks to Missourinet during an interview on March 25, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Senator Hawley’s office)

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R) has written a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, calling on the agency to deploy more of the $425 million that Congress appropriated to the agency to boost mental health and substance abuse treatment services during the pandemic.

“I’d like to see more money come to our state and local health care providers,” Hawley tells Missourinet. “I’d like to see HHS set up a system to get that money out the door.”

Senator Hawley, who serves on the U.S. Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, says the agency has distributed $14 million in CARES Act funding to Missouri certified community behavioral health clinics. He also says the agency has established an emergency grant program, targeted at suicide prevention.

But Hawley says more should be done to increase access to services. He says that for older Americans, loneliness due to social isolation and distancing has skyrocketed.

Senator Hawley also says increases in social isolation and anxiety because of the COVID pandemic may be contributing to surges in drug addiction. He says he’s seeing reports from across Missouri about significant increases in Narcan doses deployed by EMS personnel to combat drug overdoses.

“This time has been extraordinarily hard on people from all walks of life, but especially those who struggle with substance abuse, some who’ve begun to struggle during this time with substance abuse,” says Hawley.

He also says treatment facilities for drug addiction are under severe strain because of pandemic-related interruptions.

A University of Missouri professor who serves as the director of the Missouri Center for Addiction Research and Engagement says increased isolation and more daily life stressors are some of the challenges people are facing during the pandemic.

Mizzou professor Denis McCarthy says some residents have also experienced job losses and business closures, during the pandemic. Professor McCarthy says each type of stress is associated with an increased risk of alcohol and drug use.

Missouri’s Hawley rules out U.S. Supreme Court appointment (AUDIO)

September 11, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s junior senator says he has no interest in a U.S. Supreme Court appointment. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R) says while he appreciates President Donald Trump naming him to a list of potential nominees, he will stay in the Senate.

Missouri Senator Josh Hawley (2020 photo courtesy of Senator Hawley’s office)

“As I said to the president, it’s not an honor I will take him up on,” Hawley says. “There’s a lot of great folks who would be wonderful on the Supreme Court, and my role in this process is going to be to fight to confirm pro-constitution justices to that court and judges to every other federal court.”

Hawley, who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, says Missourians elected him to fight for them in Washington. During a Thursday interview with Missourinet, Hawley also says the president is trying to reform the process for Supreme Court nominees. He says President Trump inherited a process from previous GOP presidents “that frankly didn’t work very well.”

“And you can just look at the results of what we’ve seen from this court (U.S. Supreme Court) to see that, I mean over the years Republicans have appointed justice after justice who have not adhered to the Constitution and who have not frankly upheld the rule of law,” says Hawley.

Hawley unseated U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) in 2018.

The “Washington Post” reported this week that President Trump is challenging Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to release his own list of prospective nominees. The newspaper quotes President Trump as saying the next president could nominate “one, two, three and even four Supreme Court justices.”

One other Missourian made the president’s list this week: U.S. District Judge Sarah Pitlyk, who serves Missouri’s Eastern District. She also served as a law clerk to then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Listen to interview:

Missouri’s Hawley says U.S. Senate has not acted on his duck boat legislation

July 31, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s junior senator is calling on his U.S. Senate colleagues on Capitol Hill to approve his legislation aimed at preventing a repeat of the deadly 2018 duck boat tragedy on southwest Missouri’s Table Rock Lake.

Missouri State Highway Patrol crews assist the U.S. Coast Guard during the duck boat recovery efforts on July 23, 2018 (file photo courtesy of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Twitter page)

17 people were killed in the incident, including nine from one family. The victims drowned when the vessel sank quickly, during a storm. The second anniversary of the tragedy was last week.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R) tells Missourinet that the Senate has not acted on his bill.

“It is more vital today than ever. It would help prevent exactly the kind of tragedy that we saw on Table Rock Lake,” Hawley says.

Hawley’s legislation would require amphibious passenger vessels to be equipped to stay afloat, in the event of flooding. The legislation would also require duck boats to remove canopies, and would require additional life preservers.

Hawley describes the legislation as tough and important.

“It would impose new security requirements on every single duck boat in our state and nationally. It would require new inspections, it would require new reporting efforts and standards, and put those in place,” says Hawley.

He says the tragedy never should have happened, because the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made several recommendations to the U.S. Coast Guard after a similar 1999 tragedy in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) has introduced the same bill as Hawley. During last week’s second anniversary, he called for the bill’s passage.

“Today we remember the 17 victims who lost their lives in the duck boat tragedy at Table Rock Lake, and the loved ones who are missing them every day. We owe it to these families to do everything we can to make sure a tragedy like this one never happens again,” Senator Blunt’s statement reads, in part.

Missouri’s Sen. Hawley, Rep. Smith introduce “Military Right to Carry Act”

July 23, 2020 By Ashley Byrd

Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley Congressman Jason Smith introduced twin legislation in the Senate and House of Representatives to allow active-duty military servicemembers to renew their concealed carry permits by mail when they are stationed outside of their home state.

The proposed law would also punish a state that does not participate by reducing its federal grant funding.

“This would cut through all of that red tape and allow active-duty service members to renew their concealed carry permit by mail,” Hawley told Missourinet. “They would be able to do that expeditiously. It protects their Second Amendment rights.”

Smith said he learned of the issue from a service member from southern Missouri who was stationed at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. After he tried renew a concealed carry permit, he was told by county officials he had to visit the office in person and be physically living in the state of Missouri to complete his renewal. Military members are often unable to travel back to their home state to take care of these types of personal matters.

Fort Leonard Wood breaks ground for new community hospital (AUDIO)

June 23, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A groundbreaking ceremony took place Monday afternoon at southern Missouri’s Fort Leonard Wood for a new army community hospital that will replace the aging one there.

U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt (R) and Josh Hawley (R) helped to secure about $50 million in funding for the new hospital. Hawley also helped secure $5.9 million to modernize U.S. Air Force aircraft stationed at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base at northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph.

“These are big wins for the state of Missouri, big wins for Rosecrans, big wins for Leonard Wood, there’s wins for Whiteman (Air Force Base in Knob Noster) in there (a defense appropriations bill) and all of our military installations and military service members across the state,” Hawley says.

Construction of the new 235,000 square foot Fort Leonard Wood hospital is expected to be done in the fall of 2024, and the existing hospital will be demolished at that time.

The fort will build a 193,000 square-foot clinic, along with a five-bay ambulance garage, a helipad, a central utility plant, and emergency back-up generators.

The $295 million design-build contract has been awarded to Kansas City-based JE Dunn Construction.

Meantime, Senators Hawley and Blunt have also secured several million dollars in federal funding to support traumatic brain injury research at Fort Leonard Wood. Hawley, who serves on the Armed Services Committee, says that’s crucial.

“The medical facility at Fort Leonard Wood is critical because it serves not only the base but the surrounding community,” says Hawley. “There are doing tremendous work there, a new facility, it’s important that that get fully operational.”

Senator Blunt, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, released a statement via video, congratulating Fort Leonard Wood.

“We’re celebrating the care at the General Fort Leonard Wood Army Hospital, understanding it’s a community hospital as well. It’s among the best in the country. Despite the challenges of a totally outdated structure, the hospital has been ranked #1 in outpatient efficiency by the U.S. Army Medical Command,” Blunt says, in the video.

U.S. Defense Secretary Dr. Mark Esper traveled to Fort Leonard Wood on Thursday, where he met with leaders there and also conducted a re-enlistment ceremony where 53 soldiers recommitted their obligation to defend the U.S. Constitution.

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

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R), who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The interview was recorded on June 17, 2020: