Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement after President Trump signed the Arla Harrell Act, which Blunt cosponsored, into law.

“The VA has inexcusably denied benefits to Arla Harrell and countless other WWII veterans who suffered lifelong illness due to the unconscionable experiments they were forced to endure," Blunt said. "These veterans put their lives on the line for our country, only to face a broken bureaucracy that refuses to acknowledge the wrong that was done to them and provide the care they need as a result. I’m pleased this measure is now law, and heroes like Arla will finally receive the acknowledgement, assistance, and care they deserve.”

According to an NPR report, mustard gas experiments were conducted on an estimated 60,000 World War II veterans by the Army and Navy at more than a dozen locations. Due to the decades of secrecy surrounding the experiments, the vast majority of these veterans have had their claims denied by the VA. The Arla Harrell Act requires the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense to revise their policies for processing claims for mustard gas exposure, and to reconsider all previously denied claims. The bill requires the VA to presume that a veteran experienced full-body exposure to mustard gas or lewisite unless proven otherwise.

Dexter, Missouri -  U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill—who has hosted more public town halls throughout Missouri in her time as Senator than the rest of Missouri’s Congressional delegation combined—will hold a public town hall at the Stoddard County Ambulance District in Dexter on Saturday, August 19.

 

Saturday, August 19 at 2:30 p.m. CT at the Stoddard County Ambulance District in Dexter, McCaskill will hold a public town hall, with media availability to follow.

 

“The best way for Missourians to know that their voices are heard in Washington is for me to show up, and hear them in person,” said McCaskill, who was raised in rural Missouri. “Whether they agree with me or not, every Missourian is my boss, which is why I consider it a must, to go to every corner of the state I love, to hear those ideas and concerns directly, and hold myself accountable to Missourians.”

 

On previous tours this year, McCaskill has already hosted eighteen public town halls throughout Missouri. During debate over the Affordable Care Act—at a time of heightened demonstrations against the legislation—McCaskill held a series of highly publicized town halls, including in traditionally conservative areas of Missouri, to hear directly from Missourians about their concerns and respond to criticisms. In 2014, McCaskill logged more than 1,000 miles around the state on her “McCaskill on Main Street” series of public town halls. McCaskill has also toured the state with town halls aimed at military veterans and seniors—and has hosted individual town halls, such as one she hosted last year with then-U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack focused on the opioid epidemic.

 

When I spend time with folks across southeast and south central Missouri, whether it’s at my public roundtables, multiple small business stops or frequent listening posts, I consistently hear from families whose healthcare premiums and copayments have doubled, individuals who only have one, or in some cases no health insurance choices, and business owners who are spending more and more of their hard-earned resources trying to comply with costly Obamacare regulations than actually using those resources to provide benefits and coverage for their employees.

 

As I take the month of August to focus on farms, I have heard so many Missouri farmers tell me the number one thing they are concerned about is their health insurance costs and access. One family I spoke with is paying $20,000 a year for their Obamacare health insurance, and that is WITH the help of cost sharing subsidies. Another farmer I spoke with has sacrificed health insurance for himself because he can only afford it for his wife and daughter. 

 

During my many trips back to Missouri between votes and committee hearings, my conversations with farmers and small business owners often come back to the same question, “my costs to provide healthcare for my family and employees is through the roof, how do we get them down?” At one of my healthcare roundtables in Cape Girardeau, I heard from a packed house where nearly everyone, including doctors, said we needed more price transparency in healthcare. I couldn't agree more. At another one of my healthcare roundtables in Rolla, we had more than 40 folks in the room, nearly all of whom were concerned about the dwindling number of providers in the area. Unfortunately, under Obamacare, 26 of 30 counties in Missouri’s 8th Congressional District only have one insurer to choose from. There is no choice, and there is no competition, which means higher prices.

 

Our country is better than this. We cannot allow hardworking Americans to suffer under Obama’s failing healthcare law. The House of Representatives has made progress on bills that will allow insurance to be sold across state lines and give people who own small businesses or run farms the opportunity to ban together, buy insurance as a larger group and lower their overall costs. We have passed bills to end the anti-trust exemption for insurance providers to bring back competition. We have worked hard to give Americans relief from the burden of Obamacare, and it’s time for the U.S. Senate to do the same. In order to finish what we’ve started, Senators are going to have to stop letting politics get in the way, do what’s right for the American people and take action on legislation that will make a difference.

 

We have a president who is ready to sign a repeal bill for one of the most intrusive pieces of legislation in my lifetime, and the House of Representatives has voted to repeal and replace Obamacare multiple times. Now the Senate has a choice. Do they want to finish the work to relieve Missourians and folks all across the country of the burden that is Obamacare or continue with the status quo? People have shouldered this burden long enough, and the time to act is now.

Congressman Smith Capitol Report

A Focus on Farms

August 4, 2017

 

For the fifth year in a row, I am dedicating the month of August to focus on farms in southeast and south central Missouri, stopping in all 30 counties of our district. Meeting the people who run these operations gives me a real understanding of the challenges they are facing and how I can help them. 

 

The best way for me to represent southeast and south central Missouri is to be in southeast and south central Missouri to meet directly with the families, farmers and small business owners who are often the hardest hit by out of touch government policies. These firsthand conversations allow me to carry the message of southern Missourians back to Washington and fight for our way of life.

 

Most weekdays, I am stuck in Washington casting votes on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives or attending committee hearings. I relish the weekend when I am able to take the first flight out and get back to Missouri to spend time with friends, family, neighbors and all of the down to earth folks I am fortunate enough to represent. Not to mention, getting a break from sleeping on the floor of my office in D.C. is nice. August is a great opportunity to spend more than just Saturday and Sunday getting to know the small business owners, families and especially farmers in our area. That is why I will continue to dedicate my August to visiting the thousands of farms which call southeast and south central Missouri home.

 

The state of Missouri has over 96 thousand farm operations and more than 28 million acres of farmland. We are also the 11th largest agricultural export state in the country, shipping nearly four billion dollars’ worth of products grown in Missouri across the country and around the world. In fact, in our district alone, we have four of the top soybean producing counties in the state. We are also one of the most diverse agriculture districts in the country, producing everything from cotton and cattle to rice and wine. 

 

It is only the first week of our month-long focus on farms, and I’ve already heard about the need for less regulations and a simpler, fairer and flatter tax code. When I stopped in Iron County, Josh Campbell, who runs Campbell Farm, told me, “tell the feds to stop interfering with farmers and just let farmers, farm.” I could not agree more.

 

One of the regulations I heard most about during last year’s focus on farms was the Waters of the United States rule, which was trying to federally regulate every drop of water on Missouri farmer’s land.  Fortunately, over the last year, I have been able to work with the Trump Administration to successfully repeal this harmful rule.

 

Agriculture has a major impact on our economy and our rural way of life in southeast and south central Missouri. This is why it is so important for me to spend time with the folks who run Missouri’s farm operations. It is a huge portion of our economy, providing jobs in our area and putting food on the table for folks in Missouri and across America.  After I finish our fifth annual focus on farms at the end of August, I look forward to taking the concerns I hear to D.C. and making a difference on the issues that matter most to the people who work daily to feed and supply America.

For the fifth year in a row, Congressman Jason Smith is dedicating the month of August to focus on farms in southeast and south central Missouri.

Congressman Smith visits Missouri’s agricultural operations to hear directly from farmers, ranchers and agriculture industry professionals to get a better understanding of what challenges they are facing and how he can help as they work to feed and supply America.

One of the biggest concerns Smith heard about during last August’s farm tour was the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) regulation, which sought to regulate every drop of water on Missouri farmers’ land. In the last year, Smith worked directly with the Trump Administration to stop this rule and relieve Missouri farmers from the burden of WOTUS. 

 

Congressman Smith plans to stop at farms in each of the 30 counties in Missouri's Eighth Congressional District as he has done every August since he was elected. This year’s focus on farms will highlight the people in our area who run these operations and the tremendous impact that agriculture has on the economy and rural way of life in southeast and south central Missouri.