Press Releases
Dept. of Interior Approves Hawley, Blunt Request to Reinstate Police Escorts for Honor Flights
Following a letter sent last week from U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the National Park Service has announced they will reinstate police escorts for American veterans traveling to Washington, D.C., as part of the Honor Flight Network. In their letter to Secretary Haaland, the Senators noted that Missouri-based Honor Flights were denied vehicular escort services this year and urged the Secretary to reverse course. Senator Hawley said, "This is the right decision – these police escorts should have always remained in place. Our veterans are American heroes and they deserve the very best when visiting our nation’s capital." Senator Blunt said, "The Honor Flight program has touched the lives of hundreds of...
Hawley to Introduce Bill to End Disney’s Special Copyright Protections
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced he will introduce a bill this week to end the special copyright protections Disney receives from the federal government.
Hawley Statement on Dobbs v. Jackson Leaked Opinion
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) issued the following statement regarding the reported draft opinion from the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
Hawley Demands Answers from ATF on Anti-Gun Regulations
Today Senator Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Acting Director Gary M. Restaino demanding answers on the agency's new rules that would unduly burden law-abiding gun owners and dealers. Senator Hawley previously sent a letter to ATF on this matter in June 2021. Senator Hawley asked, "What steps does ATF intend to take to ensure that any new information that may be retained by FFL dealers pursuant to Final Rule 2021R–05F is not subsequently used for the targeting of lawful gun owners by federal authorities or other politically-motivated purposes?” ATF's Proposed Rule 2021R–05, which has recently been finalized by ATF, would require gun dealers to maintain gun owner and transaction information forever, a...
Hawley Slams Biden Administration’s ‘Disinformation Governance Board,’ Demands It Be Dissolved
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas expressing deep concern about the agency's new Disinformation Governance Board and demanding it be dissolved. Senator Hawley cited as a particular concern DHS’s appointment of Nina Jankowicz, an anti-free speech activist with a long history of partisan attacks, to lead the board. "I confess, I at first thought this announcement was satire. Surely no American Administration would ever use the power of Government to sit in judgment on the First Amendment speech of its own citizens. Sadly, I was mistaken. Rather than protecting our border or the American homeland, you have chosen to make policing Americans’ speech your priority," wrote Senator Hawley. He continued,...
Hawley, Blunt Urge Dept. of Interior to Reinstate Police Escorts for Honor Flights
Today U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland urging the Department to reinstate police escorts for American veterans traveling to Washington, DC, as part of the Honor Flight Network. Senator Hawley and Senator Blunt wrote, "To say that the Honor Flight Network is performing a national service is an understatement. For thousands of American veterans, these trips are a once in a lifetime opportunity for honor, reflection, and remembrance that simply cannot be replaced. The Department of the Interior has historically played an important role in making these trips possible by providing U.S. Park Police escorts for buses carrying Honor Flight veterans to the National Mall." The Senators...
Hawley Calls for Public Audit of Past Twitter Censorship
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Twitter's new owner, Elon Musk, calling for a comprehensive public audit of Twitter's past censorship practices. Senator Hawley writes, "In recent years, Twitter has intervened in American discourse with an increasingly heavy hand, attempting to shape the information environment for overtly partisan reasons. Algorithms didn’t make those calls; employees did. And at this point, the American people deserve to know the truth about what went on at Twitter for years behind closed doors." He continues, “A public audit like this will prove essential, as you start to rebuild a culture of free speech and open discourse at Twitter, to determining where exactly things went wrong on the platform and who is principally...
Hawley Slams Gmail’s Bias Against Republican Candidates, Demands Answers From Google
Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, demanding explanations for a recent academic study finding filtering that Gmail's spam filtering algorithm was significantly more likely to mark Republican fundraising emails as spam than Democrat fundraising emails. The letter comes amid ongoing debates over free speech around the sale of tech giant Twitter and censorship issues that have persisted in the tech industry for years. In his letter to Google, Senator Hawley wrote, “While 90% of emails from Democratic politicians reached their intended recipients, the number for Republican candidates was only 23% at worst. Even worse, Google’s bias against Republican candidates becomes more pronounced as an election gets closer. […] The study...
Hawley, Blunt to Introduce Resolution Honoring the Lives of Fallen Missouri Police Officers
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) will introduce a resolution in honor of three Missouri Police Officers who were killed in the line of duty in March. Corporal Benjamin Lee Cooper of the Joplin Police Department, Police Officer Jake Alexander Reed of the Joplin Police Department, and Patrolman Lane Anthony Burns of the Bonne Terre Police Department lost their lives in service to their communities. "The loss of Corporal Cooper, Officer Reed, and Patrolman Burns is a tragedy and their heroic actions will not be forgotten” said Senator Hawley. “I thank the brave men and women who wear blue across our state. They selflessly risk their lives every day for our safety.“ “Every time a law enforcement officer reports for their shift, neither they nor their...
Hawley Introduces the Taiwan Weapons Exports Act
Today Senator Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Taiwan Weapons Exports Act, which would fast-track delivery of critical weapons to Taiwan by expediting Congressional approval and eliminating administrative roadblocks. The threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is growing rapidly. Critical to deterring such an invasion is ensuring Taiwan has the weapons it needs to defend itself, including naval mines, anti-tank missiles, man-portable air defense systems, and other asymmetric defense capabilities. This legislation would help the United States get these weapons to Taiwan as quickly as possible. "The Biden administration waited for Russia to invade before surging lethal aid to Ukraine,” Senator Hawley said. “We can’t afford to the make same mistake in the Indo-Pacific....