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Claire Playing Both Sides on WOTUS

Yesterday, the EPA announced that they are withdrawing the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. This rule went entirely too far, giving the federal government regulatory authority over virtually all waters. It was especially harmful for Missouri’s farmers and ranchers, because it allowed the federal government to regulate almost any body of water on farmland, no matter how small or unrelated to a federal interest. Governor Greitens and Attorney General Josh Hawley pushed back on behalf of rural Missouri, and their efforts paid off. Yesterday, the Trump administration moved to begin rolling back this harmful Obama-era rule. This is a huge victory for hard-working Missourians in the fight against federal overreach and certainly deserves applause.

In fact, even Claire McCaskill applauded this development. Yet, while we celebrate this big victory, we are struck by how this is yet another example of Claire talking out of both sides of her mouth. We couldn’t overlook the fact that while she is now praising the WOTUS rollback, she actually voted against efforts to overturn it on at least three occasions.

See below for full details.
Begin forwarded message:
From: “Michael McAdams”
Subject: Playing both sides
Date: June 27, 2017 at 5:22:28 PM CDT
To: MOGOP Communications
Reply-To: NRSC

Hey there—

The EPA announced today they are withdrawing the devastating waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. The move is a big win for Missourians, and delivers on President Trump’s promise to provide hardworking Americans relief from burdensome government regulations.

Even die-hard liberal Claire McCaskill applauded the effort saying, it was a welcome repeal of a regulation that “went too far for our farmers, ranchers, and landowners.”

That’s an odd statement given McCaskill voted numerous times to keep the harmful rule in place. Her actions forced Missouri farmers and property owners to deal with a rule that subjected 99.7% of Missouri land to increased federal regulations. That’s right. When Claire was given the opportunity to eliminate the WOTUS rule once and for all, she decided to push aside what was best for Missouri and vote with Democrat leadership.

“This is just the latest example of Claire McCaskill taking Missourians for granted and trying to play both sides,” said NRSC Spokesman Michael McAdams. “McCaskill’s record has made it clear she would rather support national Democrats and her liberal donors than the hardworking folks she was elected to represent.”

BACKGROUND:

In November 2015, McCaskill Voted Against The Motion To Proceed To A Joint Resolution That Would Provide Congressional Disapproval For The EPA’s Decision To Redefine “Waters Of The United States.” (S.J.Res.22, Roll Call Vote #296: 11/3/15)

In November 2015, McCaskill Voted Against Passing A Joint Resolution That Would Provide Congressional Disapproval For The EPA’s Decision To Redefine “Waters Of The United States.” (S.J.Res.22, Roll Call Vote #297: 11/4/15)

On January 21, 2016, McCaskill Voted Against Cloture On The Veto Message On The Joint Resolution That Would “Disapprove And Nullify” The Waters Of The United States Rule. (Veto Message To Accompany S.J. Res. 22, Roll Call Vote #5: 1/21/16)

With The Waters Of The United States Rule, 99.7% Of Missouri Land Would Be Subject To Regulation By The EPA. (Geosyntec, “’Waters of the U.S.’ in Missouri Farmland, American Farm Bureau Federation, Accessed: 5/23/2017)

Michael McAdams
NRSC Regional Press Secretary
@M_McAdams