Building on a background as a public servant, university president, and teacher, United States Senator Roy Blunt was elected to the United States Senate in 2010.
Senator Blunt serves as the Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee and as the top Republican of the Senate Rules Committee. He also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee; the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He is also the top Republican of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.
The United States has long been at the forefront of innovation. As we compete in a global economy, Senator Blunt is a strong advocate for policies that boost economic opportunity to help American workers and families. That includes growth in manufacturing, telecommunications, and technology.
Missouri is home to world-class research institutions, universities, suppliers, manufacturers, and corporations which are ideally situated to propel us forward in manufacturing. Aerospace and transportation equipment are the two largest manufacturing sectors in Missouri.
In December 2014, the Senate passed the bipartisan and bicameral Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act, which Senator Blunt helped introduce as part of the appropriations omnibus bill. The passage of this common-sense, bipartisan jobs bill marked a big step for families and workers in Missouri and nationwide – not only to boost manufacturing and create jobs, but also to support innovation and manufacturing as we compete around the world.
The rapid expansion in the telecommunications field has also been a continuous driver of economic growth nationwide. The ingenuity of businesses, inventors, and entrepreneurs in this marketplace, coupled with a light regulatory touch enacted by Congress in 1996, have allowed this sector of our economy to prosper even as other industries struggle to recover from the recent recession.
As Americans continue to adopt newer and more advanced technology, Senator Blunt strongly supports streamlining regulatory burdens and allowing innovators to continue to grow this dynamic marketplace. He has co-sponsored a number of bills to update or eliminate duplicative and unnecessary regulations. And he supports legislation that would decrease the deficit by providing for the sale of much-needed wireless spectrum to commercial telecommunications firms while protecting vital emergency broadcasting services.
Today, 95 percent of American households have access to wired broadband, and 99 percent have access to wireless broadband. Competition in this field is robust, and Senator Blunt believes that in order to maintain this level of competitiveness, the federal government needs to stay out of the way of private industry and allow it space to innovate without the fear of burdensome regulations.
Senator Blunt understands that our modern economy is built on our ability to fairly trade and compete with other nations. As the global marketplace has expanded, Senator Blunt has remained a strong advocate for increasing economic opportunities for American enterprise all over the world. That’s why Senator Blunt has been a long-time champion of expanding trade opportunities between the United States and other countries, and he has remained focused on the benefits of breaking down trade barriers and streamlining trade policy for American businesses and our workforce.
Senator Blunt played a key role in ensuring Senate passage of trade deals with Panama, Colombia, and South Korea in 2011, which had been languishing in Congress for many years. These agreements will improve and streamline the United States’ trade practices with these three countries and zero out or eliminate a number of other tariffs on U.S. goods.