Senate Report Card: Kit Bond R-MO

Senator Kit Bond is the senior Republican United States Senator from the state of Missouri. He assumed his office in 1987. He previously served as the governor of Missouri.

Senator Bond serves on the Appropriations, Intelligence, Environment and Public Works and Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committees. He is the ranking member on the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Committee and the Vice Chairman of the Intelligence Committee.

Bond voted against the Americans with Disabilities Act. He voted against the Interrogation Limits bill, which strictly defines the methods of interrogation that can be used by US forces. He voted agains the creation of the Office of Public Integrity, which would have looked into charges of corruption by lawmakers. He voted against revoking executive power to replace federal prosecutors without a preliminary hearing.

He coauthored the federal highway bill, which was signed into law . The five-year bill provides $286.5 billion for highways, roads and bridges. Bond secured Missouri almost $1.3 billion in new highway funds as a result of the bill. The new bill provides $862 million per year, a $200 million per year increase. Bond funded $467.5 million for Missouri transportation projects statewide.

Senator Bond has been given low ratings by the Republicans for Environmental Protection citing anti-environment votes on seven out of seven issues deemed critical by the organization. He supported oil drilling both offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, while opposing efficiency and renewable-resource programs to improve energy security, lower costs, and reduce energy-related environmental impacts.

Kit Bond voted against President Bush's comprohensive Immigration Reform Bill, arguing that it provided amnesty to undocumented workers and immigrants.

Bond criticized his colleagues who are in favor of timelines, restrictions and withdraw in Iraq, The senator voted in favor of the Iraq War Resolution and against resolutions to provide for withdraw or a timetable for benchmarks and goals for the war.

After meeting with top U.S. commanders, including General Petraeus, Bond believes the new surge plan offered by President Bush is showing signs of progress believing that violence has decreased. He cautioned that while it is still too early to tell the overall success of the new plan, he was pleased with the positive signs he saw in Iraq. He is in favor of waiting longer to see if the surge plan is successful while drawing criticism from senate colleagues that the surge has already proven unsuccessful. He believes that more public diplomacy is needed and thinks that plenty of positive steps have been taken in Iraq, but that the people are unaware of them.

Senator Kit Bond is up for reelection in 2010.