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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today released the following statement after President Obama's televised address on combating the threat from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS): I'm glad to hear President Obama is assembling a strong, international coalition against ISIS and the very real threat these extremists pose. ISIS is a barbaric, inhumane terrorist group with the ability to communicate and travel globally, and our partners and allies around the world must be united in in combating an organization with such reach. But it's critical that we aim before we shoot, and so I was pleased tonight to hear the President's strategy to confront the threat of ISIS today and in the future.

Veteran requested assistance from Senator in receiving award 45 years after combat ST. PETERS – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill attended a Purple Heart ceremony today at St. Peters City Hall honoring Vietnam veteran Patrick Howe, who was awarded a long-delayed Purple Heart with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters. “This is one of the most important jobs I have,” said McCaskill, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and daughter of a World War II veteran. “Whether we keep our promises to veterans reflects on the character of our nation.” Mr. Howe served in the Vietnam War where he was wounded in action in 1969. As a result, he was awarded a Purple Heart with a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today released the following statement on the Department of Justice's announcement that it will open a civil rights investigation into police practices in Ferguson, Mo.: "This investigation is a step in the right direction to help ensure we're taking a hard look at police practices and civil rights enforcement in Ferguson, and I'm pleased the St. Louis County Police Department is voluntarily working with the Justice Department on its community policing practices. As the Justice Department begins this inquiry, I'm continuing to work with federal officials and local authorities to ensure their respective investigations into Michael Brown's death are fair and transparent." The Department of Justice also announced that the St. Louis County Police Department

Senator, Chairman of Subcommittee on Financial & Contracting Oversight, will hold September hearing Washington, D.C. – Following the fatal shooting of teenager Michael Brown by a Ferguson, Mo. police officer, and subsequent clashes between local police and protesters, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill will lead a Senate hearing to examine the militarization of state and local police departments. McCaskill’s hearing will begin at 10:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, September 9 in Dirksen Senate Office Building, SD-342. Specifically, McCaskill—Chairman of the Subcommittee on Financial & Contracting Oversight— will use the hearing to examine federal programs that enable local police departments to acquire military equipment, such as the Defense Department’s 1033 program for surplus property and grants made through the Departments of Justice and Homeland

Poplar Bluff, Mo. - When the nation's Veterans Affairs Health system came under fire because of a scandal that grew out of a Phoenix, Az., VA Hospital, U.S. Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill stepped to the forefront immediately to work to improve healthcare for U.S. Veterans. The scandal arose because veterans were not getting treatment soon enough, and because fraudulent records were being used to keep track of how long it was taking veterans to get the help they needed. McCaskill visited the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff on Tuesday to announce that the Poplar Bluff facility is being added to a survey system to keep track of how VA Centers are performing in the eyes of