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WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Claire McCaskill has stern words for her soon-to-be former colleagues in the Senate, saying that polarization and fear of political consequences have rendered the body ineffective and unwilling to take on difficult issues.
The 65-year-old two-term senator lost to Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley in her re-election bid in November. In an emotional farewell speech from the Senate floor on Thursday, McCaskill called her fellow senators "family," but expressed concern about what the Senate has become.
McCaskill said that the Senate is "no longer the world's greatest deliberative body" and cited a litany of concerns, including legislation that is written behind closed doors, omnibus bills so large that senators don't know their details and lobbyists learning the details of tax bills before senators do.
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