Senate Teamwork

The US Senate’s new geometry — 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and 2 independents caucusing with the Democrats — will mean that most important decisions in Congress’s upper chamber will require an unusual degree of bipartisanship.

Fortunately for the City of St. Louis, Missouri will be represented by two senators — a junior Democrat in the Senate’s majority and a senior Republican in the Senate’s minority — who understand the importance of federal attention and resources to the challenges and opportunities of urban America.

Senator-elect Claire McCaskill ran a campaign that stressed strong pro-City positions on healthcare, immigration, education, and taxation. In Washington, she will join Senator Kit Bond, whose legislative record on affordable housing, infrastructure, lead paint, transportation, and anti-crime issues ranks him among the City’s best friends in Washington, DC.

I think they will be a great team for us.