National Security

Accomplishments

Working to secure American planes at foreign repair stations

In a post-9/11 world, Claire knows that we cannot take the issue of aviation security seriously enough. That’s why she authored legislation to protect American planes while they’re positioned overseas. Her bill was designed to:

• Close a dangerous loophole in aviation security regulations that allowed a member of al Qaeda to perform maintenance work on an American plane while it was being serviced at a foreign repair station;
• Force certified foreign repair stations to comply with all TSA security regulations; and,
• Important parts of Claire's bill were included in the 2012 FAA Reauthorization bill, which was signed into law in February 2012.

Fighting for firefighters and first responders

Throughout her time in the U.S. Senate, Claire has fought for better funding, training, and support for our nation’s first responders. Claire:

• Became an outspoken supporter of a 2010 bill that provides health monitoring and compensation for 9/11 first responders who became sick;
• Voted to increase funding for a grant program that helps local fire departments to hire and train more firefighters; and,
• Supported funding for fire station construction 

Improving preparedness for terrorist attacks and natural disasters

Since taking office, Claire has helped the State of Missouri and our local communities better prepare in the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster. She:

• Voted in favor of legislation that provided $3.3 billion in grants to improve interoperable communications between local, regional, state, and federal agencies; and,
• Introduced a bipartisan bill that created a framework for government agencies to deal with biological and other attacks from Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Strengthening security at laboratories working with WMD materials

Creating weapons is a dangerous business, and the labs entrusted with such responsibility must be safe. In 2009, an amendment Claire wrote:

• Increased security at laboratories that work with biological or chemical agents that could be used to produce weapons of mass destruction; and,
• Kept these potentially dangerous materials out of the hands of terrorists.