Press Releases
Hawley, Gillibrand to Introduce Landmark Bill Banning Stock Trading and Ownership by Congress, Executive Branch Officials and Their Families
U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) will introduce the bipartisan Ban Stock Trading for Government Officials Act. The legislation would create stringent stock trading bans and disclosure requirements for Congress, senior executive branch officials, and their spouses and dependents. The bill bans stock trading, stock ownership, and blind trusts; imposes heavy penalties for executive branch stock trading; requires reporting of federal benefits; creates additional transparency in financial disclosure reports; and increases transaction report penalties under the original STOCK Act. "Politicians and civil servants shouldn’t spend their time day-trading and trying to make a profit at the expense of the American...
Hawley Urges Action on Law Requiring ‘Duck Boat’ Safety Regulations
Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Linda Fagan calling for the law requiring new safety standards for DUKW amphibious vehicles, also known as “duck boats,” to be properly implemented. New standards are intended to help prevent future tragedies following the 2018 accident on Table Rock Lake that claimed the lives of 17 people. "When I joined the Senate, one of the first bills I introduced was the Duck Boat Safety Enhancement Act of 2020. This legislation aimed to prevent similar accidents in the future by requiring amphibious vehicles meet minimum buoyancy requirements, weather preparedness standards, and new canopy regulations," wrote Senator Hawley. "It is critically important that we ensure the safety of...
NEW: Senator Hawley Demands USACE, DOE, and EPA Answer for St. Louis Contamination
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent separate letters to United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Lieutenant General Scott Spellmon, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan demanding answers on nuclear contamination in the St. Louis region. Senator Hawley's letters followed a disturbing new report of a decades-long effort to downplay and conceal the risks of radioactive contamination in St. Louis, Missouri. The report verified that the federal government and companies responsible for Manhattan Project nuclear testing in the St. Louis area, "were aware of health risks, spills, improperly stored contaminants and other problems but often ignored them." On...
Hawley Visits St. Louis Area Impacted by Radioactive Waste, Vows Justice for Community
Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) traveled to the St. Louis region where he visited the Jana Elementary School and Coldwater Creek, areas both affected by decades-old nuclear waste. During a rally with advocates from the community, Senator Hawley called on the federal government to authorize a fund for St. Louis residents who fell victim to radioactive contamination due to bureaucratic negligence and vowed to do everything in his power to bring the community justice. “Now we have got to put in place this fund to make whole every person who has been ill and who has suffered any kind of negative consequence from this," said Senator Hawley. [...] "The federal government has done this before for other victims of their nuclear programs." “Your government asked...
Hawley Statement on New Reporting about Radioactive Waste in St. Louis
After new reporting about ongoing radioactive waste problems in St. Louis, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) released the following statement: Years of stonewalling, half truths and downright lies to the people of St. Louis from their government. This is why I jammed through the Senate a new law to clean up Jana Elementary - or rebuild it. No more excuses https://t.co/l1nrJxxYKe — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 12, 2023 Background In April, Senator Hawley’s legislation passed the Senate, mandating the clean up of Jana Elementary School and radioactive waste testing to be performed at the surrounding buildings in the Hazelwood School District. Biden Energy Secretary Granholm pledged to support the bill. In March, Senator Hawley...
Senators Hawley and Vance Introduce Legislation to Prevent Further Accounting Errors at the DoD
Today U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and JD Vance (R-Ohio) introduced legislation to require the Department of Defense (DoD) to use accounting methods that capture the true cost of sending weapons from U.S. stockpiles abroad. This legislation will help prevent further accounting issues at the Department, including the $6.2 billion “valuation error” of certain military equipment provided to Ukraine. “The so-called 'valuation errors' around U.S. aid to Ukraine is a transparent attempt to bypass Congress for additional funds, while continuing to prioritize Ukraine over more vital U.S. interests, including deterring China in the Pacific,” said Senator Hawley. “We must force the DoD to appropriately account for any future aid, not only for...
Hawley Announces New Legislation to Compensate Victims of Nuclear Waste in St. Louis Area
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced new legislation to create a fund for the victims of radioactive contamination in the St. Louis region. His announcement followed a disturbing new report that details how the federal government and companies responsible for Manhattan Project waste in the region “were aware of health risks, spills, improperly stored contaminants and other problems but often ignored them.” “The people of St. Louis have borne the burden of [the Manhattan Project] — and now it’s time for their government to make it right. What needs to happen is this: The federal government needs to pay the medical bills for any St. Louis resident who has contracted cancer or an autoimmune virus or a genetic disorder because of exposure to radioactive...
Hawley, Colleagues Demand Answers from Biden DoD on Ukraine Aid Accounting Error
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), joined by Senators JD Vance (R-Ohio), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin demanding an explanation from the Department of Defense (DoD) for the reported $6.2 billion accounting error in U.S. security assistance to Ukraine. As President Biden arrives in Lithuania for a critical NATO summit, the Senators called for limits on military aid to Ukraine and questioned the DoD’s accounting procedures. "On June 20, 2023, a DoD spokesperson asserted that DoD had been 'overestimating the value' of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine by a combined $6.2 billion over fiscal years 2022 and 2023," the Senators wrote. "These so-called...
Hawley, Graves, and Missouri Members Urge the USDA to Assist with Drought Impacting Farmers and Ranchers
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) joined Representative Sam Graves (MO-06), Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), and Representatives Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03), Jason Smith (MO-08), Mark Alford (MO-04), and Eric Burlison (MO-07) in sending a letter to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack urging the USDA to open Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands for emergency haying in order to provide immediate relief for Missouri's farmers and ranchers. "Over 80 percent of Missouri is currently experiencing at least a moderate drought, with more than half the state in a severe drought, and 20 percent suffering under extreme drought conditions. These conditions have left Missouri farmers and ranchers with few remaining options to feed their livestock through the winter...
Hawley Urges EPA to Report on Coldwater Creek Chemical Spill
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan, requesting a briefing from the EPA on the chemical spill near St. Louis Lambert Airport and Coldwater Creek. The EPA initially responded to contaminated industrial wastewater last week, and reports suggest the public was not immediately notified of the spill. "Last week, your agency responded to a chemical spill near St. Louis Lambert Airport and Coldwater Creek. While the EPA originally stated that approximately 1,000 gallons of wastewater, contaminated with trivalent chromium, may have made its way into the creek area on June 27, subsequent reports have provided additional information," wrote Senator Hawley. "These new reports...