In 2021 U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) continued fighting for Missouri by standing in opposition to the Biden-Harris-Schumer-Pelosi agenda, working across the aisle to advance key legislative priorities, and serving the needs of constituents all across the state.
2021 Quick Stats
- 3 bills passed into law
- 30 bills introduced
- 4 resolutions introduced
- 34 amendments filed
- More than 100 bills cosponsored
- More than 270 one-on-one interviews with Missouri reporters
- Casework increased by nearly 40%
Major Legislative Priorities
Protecting Parents and Kids:
- Parents’ Bill of Rights Act, to provide new protections for parents against woke school board bureaucrats.
- Love America Act, to promote patriotism by ensuring schools teach our country’s foundational texts to students.
Supporting Law Enforcement:
- Legislation to hire 100,000 new police officers across the country.
- Legislation to increase penalties for violence against law enforcement and to protect federal judges.
- Increasing family support and stress reduction programs for police officers.
Taking on Big Tech:
- Bust Up Big Tech Act, to restore accountability and competition to Big Tech by breaking up companies seeking to dominate multiple industries simultaneously.
- Trust-Busting for the Twenty-First Century Act, to crack down on mergers and acquisitions by mega-corporations and strengthening antitrust enforcement.
- Federal Big Tech Tort Act, to hold Big Tech companies accountable for mental health of children or bodily injury caused by the use of social media platforms.
Empowering American Workers:
- Parent Tax Credit Act, to provide a pro-work and pro-marriage tax credit for working families to help them raise their children how they see fit.
- Blue Collar Bonus Act, to provide all hourly workers with a raise through a refundable tax credit delivered four times a year as the economy recovers from the pandemic.
- Make in America to Sell in America Act, to boost production of critical goods in America and create jobs.
- Legislation to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour for workers at billion-dollar corporations.
Confronting China and Furthering Our National Security:
- Arm Taiwan Act of 2021, to strengthen Taiwan’s defenses against a Chinese invasion.
- Taiwan Defense Act of 2021, to focus the Department of Defense on deterring a Chinese invasion against Taiwan.
- No TikTok on Government Devices Act, to prohibit the use of Chinese-owned TikTok on federal technology (passed the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs unanimously).
- Global Force Management Oversight Act, to prioritize the China threat and strengthen transparency for Department of Defense Global Force Management (passed in the NDAA).
- Protecting Critical Boards and Electronics Through Transparency and Enduring Reinvestment (PCBETTER) Act and Strengthening Protections Against Chinese Printed Circuit Boards Act, to keep Chinese hardware out of American weapon systems and strengthen our critical supply chains (Strengthening Protections Against Chinese Printed Circuit Boards Act passed in the NDAA).
- Successfully led the fight to remove the female draft provision in the National Defense Authorization Act.
- Fought for accountability following the Biden Administration’s disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal that resulted in the loss of 13 American service members and hundreds of Americans stranded in Afghanistan behind enemy lines. Senator Hawley:
- Announced he would force the Senate to vote on nominees to the State Department or Department of Defense until there was accountability for the Afghanistan withdrawal.
- Introduced a resolution honoring Marine Corps Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz of Wentzville, Mo. and each of the 56 Missourians who made the ultimate sacrifice in the war in Afghanistan. It passed the Senate.
- Questioned the Biden Administration on their alleged failure to properly vet hundreds of thousands of Afghan evacuees.
- Introduced legislation to establish a Select Committee to investigate President Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
- Announced he would force the Senate to vote on nominees to the State Department or Department of Defense until there was accountability for the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Fighting for COVID-19 Relief & Answers:
- COVID-19 Origin Act of 2021, to require the Biden administration to declassify intelligence related to any potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origins of the Covid pandemic. (passed the Senate unanimously).
- Urged FEMA to open a mass vaccination site in Kansas City to ensure that everyone who wanted a vaccine could receive one.
- Demanded an explanation of the constitutional basis for President Biden’s vaccine mandate and urged the Biden Administration to rescind vaccine mandate guidance showing contempt for religious liberty.
- Inquired about the potential misuse of CARES Act funds by airlines.
- Challenged President Biden’s unconstitutional vaccine mandate.
Defending Life:
- Led an amicus brief in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, urging the Court to overrule its decisions in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey.
- Urged President Biden to reconsider rescinding the Mexico City Policy, a rule that prevented U.S. aid money from being allocated to foreign nonprofit organizations (NGOs) who perform or actively support abortions.
- Demanded answers from Google about pro-life censorship.
- Asked the Small Business Administration to explain Planned Parenthood receiving Paycheck Protection Program loans.
- Introduced an amendment to transfer federal funds from Planned Parenthood to adoption and maternal health programs.
Working Across the Aisle
In 2021, Senator Hawley worked across the aisle on a variety of important bipartisan initiatives. He joined 10 Democrat-led resolutions, 10 Democrat-led bills, and introduced 5 bills with Democrats, including:
- Professionalizing the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator Act of 2021 – Introduced by Senator Hawley and cosponsored by Senators Gillibrand, Cramer, Cardin, and Ernst (passed in the NDAA). Senator Hawley also cosponsored Senator Gillibrand’s Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act of 2021.
- Postal Reform Act – Introduced by Senator Peters Peters and cosponsored by Senators Hawley, Portman, Carper, Burr, Hassan, Tillis, Sinema, Capito, Rosen, Daines, Padilla, Collins, Wyden, Sullivan, Manchin, Schatz, Blunt, Rounds, and Smith.
- Federal Secure Cloud Improvement and Jobs Act of 2021 – Introduced by Senator Peters and cosponsored by Senators Hawley, Hassan, and Daines.
- American Innovation and Choice Online Act – Introduced by Senator Klobuchar and cosponsored by Senators Hawley, Grassley, Durbin, Graham, Blumenthal, Kennedy, Booker, Lummis, Hirono, Warner, and Daines.
- SMART Leasing Act – Introduced by Senator Peters and cosponsored by Senators Hawley, Lankford, and Sinema.
- An amendment introduced by Senator Hawley and cosponsored by Senator Ossoff to the United States Innovation and Competition Act that would require certain businesses to monitor and disclose the use of forced labor in their supply chains.
Casework Highlights
Senator Hawley’s office remains committed to working with Missourians on important issues they’re dealing with every day:
- The top five casework issue areas were: Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Passports, Veteran Administration Issues, Department of State, and Small Business Administration.
- IRS cases remained the most numerous, increasing 33% from last year.
- Passport cases increased 292% from last year.
- Sent letters to the Biden Administration detailing problems caused by their refusal to send federal agencies back to the office, most notably with the IRS and U.S. Embassies, hindering their responsiveness to constituents.
- Sent letters to the Small Business Administration concerning their failure to timely distribute EIDL and other funds to small businesses.
- Led the effort to help reopen the Post Office in Vichy, Missouri after it had been closed for three years.
- Nominated David Dorn for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s Citizen Honors Award, which he posthumously received on May 25, 2021.
- Successfully supported grant funding for agricultural research and first responders.
Notable Speeches & Opinion Pieces
- Keynote speech at the National Conservatism Conference: The Future of the American Man
- Speech at CPAC: America Now, America First, America Forever
- New York Times: The Only Way to Solve Our Supply Chain Crisis Is to Rethink Trade
- Wall Street Journal: How to Fix Social Media
- National Review: It’s Time to Reinvest in American Men
- The Federalist: As China’s Shadow Lengthens, The United States Must Help Taiwan Prepare To Defend Itself
- New York Post: Sen. Hawley: It’s time to stand up against the muzzling of America
- New York Post: Sen. Hawley: Public schools must shape kids who love America and our founding
- Columbia Daily Tribune: Sen. Josh Hawley: Why I objected to the electoral vote
- Fox Business: Sen. Josh Hawley: Let’s reward parenthood, marriage and work – my ‘parent tax credit’ plan is a start
- Fox News: Sen. Josh Hawley: America under Joe Biden is a land of scarcity and want
- Fox News: Parents’ Bill of Rights is needed to combat Left’s indoctrination of students