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.
As a father of four and grandfather of six, Senator Blunt strongly shares Missourians’ family values. He believes everyone should have the opportunity to succeed, is a strong supporter of the right to life, and supports pro-growth economic, energy, and regulatory policies that will encourage the creation of more good-paying, full-time jobs for workers today and future generations of Missourians tomorrow.
Many Missourians today face the constant pressure of balancing the demands of work and family; whether they’re caring for young children or aging parents. Senator Blunt co-sponsored the Working Families Flexibility Act, which was introduced by U.S. Senator Mike Lee (Utah) to help parents balance those demands by allowing private-sector employers to give workers a choice between monetary compensation and comp time when they work extra hours.
As a former university president, Senator Blunt also supports U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (Fla.) Higher Education and Skills Obtainment Act, which would consolidate our nation’s higher education tax incentives and increase economic opportunities by encouraging Americans to pursue advanced degrees.
Senator Blunt has been recognized for his continued work to protect our nation’s children. In 2014, he worked with U.S. Senator Chris Coons (Del.) to successfully pass the reauthorization of the Victims of Child Abuse Act (VOCAA) to help child victims of violent crimes and ensure law enforcement officials can hold perpetrators accountable. He also supports U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch’s (Utah) bill to protect children who are the victims of child pornography.
To improve care for the nation’s sick children, Senator Blunt co-sponsored the Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act, which would help pediatric patients and their families coordinate care and improve health outcomes when facing medically complex conditions on Medicaid. He also co-sponsored the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Support Reauthorization Act, which was signed into law in 2014 and has helped increase the number of pediatric providers and addressed critical shortages in pediatric specialty care.
Senator Blunt continues to be one of the most vocal champions in the U.S. Senate for adoption. In 2015, he and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) reintroduced the Supporting Adoptive Families Act to help provide families and children with pre- and post-adoption support services. He co-sponsored the Uninterrupted Scholars Act, which was signed into law in 2013 to make school transitions smoother for children in foster care.
Senator Blunt helped introduce the Accuracy for Adoptees Act, a law that enables families adopting abroad to correct errors on their children’s birth certificates. He has been a vocal opponent of international bans on U.S. adoptions, and he successfully worked with his colleagues to pass bipartisan resolutions expressing concern regarding adoption suspensions in Russia and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 112th and 113th Congresses.