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Blunt defends president after evangelical magazine says Trump has ‘dumbed down morality’

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U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, is sticking up for President Donald Trump, who was the target of an editorial in a prominent evangelical magazine. Last week’s Christianity Today opinion column calls for Trump’s removal from office. It says none of the president’s positives can balance the “moral and political danger we face under the leader of such grossly immoral character.”

From left: Sen. Mitch McConnell, President Donald Trump, Sen. Roy Blunt

The editorial goes on to say Trump has “dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration” and points to his hirings and firings of people who are now convicted criminals, immoral business actions and relationship with women. It also rips Trump’s Twitter feed having a “habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slanders.”

During CNN’s State of the Union program yesterday, Blunt defended the president.

“Well, I think that person looking at the president versus what the president’s done as president has got to be an outlier in everything I hear from the Christian community,” said Blunt. “The faith-based community generally is very supportive of this president because he’s been very supportive of them. What the president has done to allow faith-based institutions to get back as one of the potential options in adoption, something I care a lot about, what the president has done to try to assert religious freedom all over the world, really important.”

When asked if Blunt wrestles with the points made in the opinion piece, he goes a different direction.

“If you look at the president’s actions, if Roy Blunt looks at the president’s actions, no president in my lifetime has been as aggressive in trying to achieve the goals that faith-based voters have set out than this one has,” said Blunt.

Trump, who was impeached last week by the U.S. House, is expected to escape removal from office after his trial wraps up in the U.S. Senate.

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Blunt: People will want to know why did the House take all this time on impeachment (AUDIO)

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The Senate may have a trial of the president right after the first of the year, according to Missouri’s Roy Blunt. But he does not expect it to result in the removal of President Donald Trump.

Missourinet spoke with Sen. Blunt Friday after the House Judiciary Committee voted to approve impeachment articles against the president.

Blunt has said that he will be an impartial juror if the Senate has put Trump on trial. We asked him if that holds true now that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News he has made up his mind: “I’m coordinating with the White House counsel. There will be no difference between the president’s position and our position as to how to handle this to the extent that we can.”

Blunt said, “I do think we’re closer and closer to the point where the Senate can reach conclusions. The House is done. There are two articles of impeachment that are about as boiled down as they can possibly be to not very much. The bribery thing they talked about appeared to go away, the obstruction charge is something we’ll deal with.”

Missourinet: “Like McConnell, have you made up your mind?”

Blunt: “The likelihood that 20 Republicans would join every Democrat is pretty slim, and we’ll see. As I predicted for some time, a partisan determination to impeach by the House will almost certainly lead to a largely partisan vote in the Senate which means you would not have the votes you need to get this done.”

LISTEN TO INTERVIEW (3:15)

Blunt says the Senate, in the next few days, will decide on a trial date for after the first of the year.

 

Rehder is hopeful 2020 will be the year PDMP passes in Missouri (AUDIO)

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A southeast Missouri lawmaker is optimistic her prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation will finally pass in 2020. State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, traveled to the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on Wednesday to file House bill 1693.

State Reps. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette, (left) and Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, brief Capitol reporters on December 11, 2019 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

During a Statehouse press conference about opioid issues and HIV legislation, Rehder told Missourinet there’s a renewed interest from Senate leadership in getting it off the table early in the 2020 session. She references Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, and Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia.

“They really want to get it through the Senate early,” Rehder says. “And so, however that process is, I fully trust them that that’s going to be on the (Senate) floor early this year.”

Missouri is the only state in the nation without a PDMP, which is an electronic database that collects data on controlled substance prescriptions within a state.

The Missouri House approved Rehder’s bill this year by a 103-53 vote, but the bill died in the Senate. It died primarily because of opposition from the Senate Conservative Caucus, which has six GOP members. State Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, and others in the caucus have privacy concerns with PDMP.

During an interview with Missourinet after Wednesday’s press conference, Rehder dismissed the privacy issues. She also cites the toll the opioid epidemic is taking on Missouri families.

“It just gives our physicians and medical professionals easier access,” says Rehder. “And so I think some of the fear has gone away that it’s some big brother looking at your medications. It’s not, it’s covered by HIPAA.”

HIPAA stands for the federal Health Portability and Accountability Act.

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse says nearly three people a day died of opioid overdoses in St. Louis in 2018. Rehder says the opioid epidemic is impacting the entire state.

Meantime, firefighters in the St. Louis suburb of Maryland Heights have told U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) that they are ten times as likely to respond to a drug overdose as a fire. State Rep. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette, tells Missourinet it’s critical for state lawmakers to approve the bipartisan PDMP bill.

“I think we need to do everything we can to make sure there are tool box in the tool chests for first responders. And this PDMP, I consider medical professionals first responders as well, and we need to get PDMP across the finish line,” McCreery says.

Rehder’s PDMP bill has had strong support from Democrats in both the Missouri House and Senate. It’s also supported by Senator Blunt and by U.S. Rep. Billy Long, R-Springfield.

Congressman Long visited Springfield’s Cox Medical Center South in June, describing the opioid epidemic as a “scourge.” He also noted that the opioid crisis is killing about 130 people a day nationwide.

Rehder will be serving her eighth and final year in the Missouri House in 2020, due to term limits.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and State Reps. Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, and Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette, which was recorded at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on December 11, 2019:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Missouri lawmaker says surprise billing legislation is critical (AUDIO)

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A Missouri lawmaker who serves on the House health committee is calling on the U.S. Senate to approve bipartisan “surprise billing” legislation.

State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, speaks on the Missouri House floor on May 17, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, says he had to visit the emergency room this spring when he cut his eye, and received bills months later because the emergency room used some out-of-network providers.

He tells Missourinet that insured patients shouldn’t have to worry about unexpected bills after receiving care.

“Surprise billing occurs when you go receive treatment of any kind and you believe that you’re in-network facility using in-network providers, but as you find out after the fact, whether it was a physician, a lab, a technician, one of those were outside of your insurer’s network,” Schroer says.

Schroer, a member of the Missouri House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee, says it’s a nationwide issue.

“I guarantee you there are thousands upon thousands of not only Missourians but Americans out there that are seeing this occur,” says Schroer.

He’s calling on U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) of Missouri to support legislation called the “STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act.”

The bill has at least three Democratic and three GOP co-sponsors, and has support from more than 20 U.S. senators in both parties.

U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, says four in ten Americans receive medical bills that they didn’t plan for. He says the surprise bills can run more than $100,000, adding that “no American should have to file bankruptcy or face financial difficulty” for a serious ailment or an emergency room visit.

The “STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act” also includes dispute resolution, requiring providers and insurers to come to the negotiating table when there is a difference of opinion over pricing. U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, another co-sponsor, says patients deserve to know how much they’re paying for health care services at the point of care.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, which was recorded on November 14, 2019:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

NCAA’s sanctions against Mizzou athletics are blasted by Missouri lawmakers in both parties

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A Missouri lawmaker is working to draft a House resolution that will criticize the NCAA for its sanctions against Mizzou athletics.

State Rep. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, speaks on the Missouri House floor on April 11, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, a Mizzou graduate, is the ranking Democrat on the House Higher Education Committee. He tells Missourinet he’s working on the resolution’s language now.

Representative Razer is upset with the NCAA for upholding the sanctions against Mizzou’s football, baseball and softball teams, including a one-year postseason ban for the programs.

Razer spoke to our Kansas City television partner KMBC, the day the sanctions were upheld this week.

“What the NCAA is telling institutions with today’s ruling is cheat, and then when you get caught, lie about it and hide it,” Razer told KMBC on Tuesday.

Missouri lawmakers return to Jefferson City on January 8 for the 2020 legislative session. The resolution would put the House on record as opposing the NCAA’s decision. It would also provide Razer and lawmakers in both parties with an opportunity to address the issue on the House floor.

Missouri Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, also criticizes the NCAA, describing the organization as a “fraud.”

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) also blasts the NCAA, saying the sanctions are unfair and unwarranted. He says Mizzou “did the right thing by self-reporting the actions of the tutor and a small number of players.”

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

USDA’s Kansas City decision praised by top Missouri Republicans and Democrats

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Members of Missouri’s congressional delegation in both parties are praising the decision by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to select Kansas City, Missouri as the site for two major USDA facilities.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City (September 2018 file photo courtesy of Congressman Cleaver’s office)

USDA announced its decision to relocate the facilities to the “greater Kansas City area” in June, but it wasn’t formally announced until Thursday that the office site would be on Pennsylvania Avenue in Kansas City. USDA is relocating its Economic Research Service (ERS) and its National Institute of Food and Agriculture Policy (NIFA) agencies.

USDA chose Kansas City over potential sites in North Carolina and Indiana.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, told Missourinet in June that the decision would bring about 550 jobs to the Kansas City region, with average wages between $80,000 and $100,000.

Pennsylvania Avenue is located in Congressman Cleaver’s district.

“I am pleased to welcome the U.S. Department of Agriculture offices of Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture to Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District. Together these institutions and their employees will bolster the agricultural research sector in the Greater Kansas City region to the benefit of the entire nation. A move like this is never easy on employees or their families; however, as the Congressional Representative from Kansas City, I can assure you that Kansas Citians stand ready to make your transition as seamless as possible. We are ecstatic to have you here, and we look forward to your commendable research continuing in the Show-Me State,” Cleaver said in a statement.

Governor Mike Parson and U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, both Republicans, also praise USDA’s decision, saying it puts the agencies closer to constituencies.

“I’ve been proud to advocate for the USDA move and finalizing the site selection marks a huge step forward,” Senator Blunt said in a statement. “Bringing these two important ag research agencies closer to the people they serve and the leading research institutions that support their mission is the right move.”

Blunt also praised the USDA decision, during an August interview with Missourinet at the State Fair in Sedalia.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas (D) is also happy, and praises the bipartisan regional efforts to land the jobs. Mayor Lucas notes Kansas City is an essential part of the animal health corridor.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Rehder to prefile Missouri PDMP legislation in December

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A southeast Missouri state lawmaker who has championed prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation for years hopes to pass it in her final year in the Missouri House.

State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, speaks on the Missouri House floor on May 13, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Missouri is the only state in the nation without a PDMP, which is an electronic database that collects data on controlled substance prescriptions within a state.

State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, tells Missourinet she’ll prefile her PDMP bill in December. Rehder, who chairs the House Rules Committee, will be in her eighth and final year in the House in January, because of term limits.

Rehder has sponsored the legislation for years, citing the toll the opioid epidemic is taking on Missouri families.

The House approved her bipartisan bill in February by a 103-53 vote but the bill died in the Senate, primarily because of opposition from the Senate Conservative Caucus. Caucus members like State Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, have privacy and other concerns with PDMP.

Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, tells Missourinet he’s backing Rehder’s effort, again. Schatz has voted for PDMP every year.

“I will be supporting it as I always have and trying to work with senators to finally put this issue behind us,” Schatz says.

During a Statehouse interview in May during the final day of the 2019 session, Schatz expressed disappointment the bill failed this year.

“But I will tell you that we will come back next year and I have three more years in this chamber (Missouri Senate). And I will work every year until we get that thing accomplished,” Schatz said that day.

Rehder’s PDMP legislation has had consistent support from both House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, and House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield.

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) has also called on the Legislature to pass PDMP, saying drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in Missouri and the nation.

Blunt addressed the Missouri House in April, noting that firefighters in the St. Louis suburb of Maryland Heights have told him they’re ten times as likely to respond to a drug overdose as a fire.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

(VIDEO) “A project of national significance”: Rocheport one of 250 bridges to be replaced

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Governor Mike Parson, surrounded by local, state and national legislators, announced the success of his plan to replace 250 bridges around Missouri– including the $238 million 1-70 Rocheport Bridge.

On a bluff overlooking the bridge and the Missouri River, Sen. Roy Blunt joined the governor in explaining the work it took to get the money needed.

More than 2,300 applicants aim for 250 positions at rural Missouri steel plant (AUDIO)

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SEDALIA, Mo.- About 500 construction workers are building a massive $400 million steel plant in west-central Missouri’s Sedalia. The plant, which is being built near Highway 65, will be the anchor tenant of Sedalia’s new rail industrial park.

About 500 construction workers are building the $400 million Nucor steel plant in Sedalia (August 2019 photo courtesy of Charlotte-based Nucor)

State Department of Economic Development (DED) Director Rob Dixon says the Nucor plant is expected to open in November.

“If you’re coming into Sedalia from the north (on Highway 65), you’ll see it coming out of the ground. There’s cranes up, there’s construction underway, there’s people being hired,” Dixon says.

The steel rebar manufacturing plant is one of the largest projects Missouri has landed in the past decade.

Sedalia-Pettis County economic development executive director Jessica Craig tells Missourinet about 2,300 people have applied for 250 jobs, primarily steelworker positions. She says 153 employees have already been hired.

The average salary for a Nucor steelworker is about $65,000.

State Department of Economic Development (DED) Director Rob Dixon tells Missourinet training is underway.

“We’re working with State Fair Community College, the state Department of Economic Development and Nucor to try to get some folks trained and ready to go on day one,” says Dixon.

Charlotte-based Nucor has been training the new Sedalia steelworkers at their plants in Alabama, Mississippi and Texas.

Dixon emphasizes that Nucor is still hiring. He says applicants can visit nucor.com or the DED website.

Jessica Craig says some of the steelworkers who’ve been hired in Sedalia are driving from as far away as Columbia and Kansas City. She also tells Missourinet about 50 of the new employees are Nucor transfers from other plants, moving to the Sedalia area.

She says Nucor’s decision is a game changer for Sedalia, which has about 70 other manufacturers. Craig says the project will be “transformative” for Sedalia.

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, announced in February that the U.S. Department of Transportation had awarded Sedalia a $10 million grant to extend its existing railroad tracks to the new Sedalia rail industrial park.

Senator Blunt says the facility is on track to become the largest, exclusive rail-served industrial park in the Midwest.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri Department of Economic Development Director Rob Dixon, which was recorded on August 15, 2019 at the State Fair in Sedalia:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Blunt pleased with USDA’s Kansas City relocation decision (AUDIO)

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SEDALIA, Mo.- The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) decision to relocate two major facilities to the greater Kansas City area is being praised by Missouri’s senior senator.

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) flips steaks at the Missouri Beef House at the State Fair in Sedalia on August 15, 2019 (photo courtesy of Missouri Cattlemen’s Association Twitter page)

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) spoke to Missourinet at the governor’s ham breakfast Thursday in west-central Missouri’s Sedalia.

“I think that’s one of the great things about the USDA deciding to move those ag research jobs from Washington D.C. to the Kansas City area with access to all our great land grant institutions in the middle of the country,” Blunt says.

USDA plans to relocate its Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agricultural Policy. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, says the decision will draw more than 550 jobs to the Kansas City region, with average wages between $80,000 and $100,000.

Meantime, Senator Blunt is hopeful that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will manage the Missouri River differently.

“Since the 2004 (Corps) management plan, we’ve had moderate to high flooding every year but two, with the same rainfall we had in many years before that that didn’t produce that flooding,” says Blunt.

Blunt, Governor Parson and members of the state’s congressional delegation held a press conference on the flooding issue at Thursday’s fair. They were joined by Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst.

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

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full four-minute interview with U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R), which was recorded at the State Fair in Sedalia on August 15, 2019:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet