Tagged: Roy Blunt

Updated 2:15 p.m. May 2 with information from conference call with Sen. Blunt

From Senator Roy Blunt:

"Osama bin Laden's death is a major victory for America. This development is the culmination of the sacrifices and dedication from our brave troops and intelligence professionals. After nearly a decade, it also brings a great measure of justice and closure for all Americans who lost loved ones as a result of the brutal attacks against our nation on 9/11. While this does not mean the end of our fight against global terrorism, bin Laden's death is a major blow to al-Qaeda and the terrorist organizations he financed."

In a Monday conference call, Blunt praised the president for sending Special Forces into bin Laden's Pakistani compound, rather than conducting a bombing raid.

Congressional budget talks appear headed in a positive direction today, but conservative spending cuts remain obstacles as Congress seeks to avert a government shutdown this weekend.

Missouri Republican Senator Roy Blunt continued to heap blame on Democrats for not passing a budget last year.

"They could have resolved them any way they wanted to last year,” Blunt said. “So their negotiating position is dramatically impacted by their unwillingness to deal with these issues when they were totally in control of everything."

Reporting from Illinois Public Radio's Luke Runyon used in this report.

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk says Libyan rebels should be given weapons to help them quickly overthrow Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

The Illinois Republican says furnishing weapons will help end the Libyan war and limit costs for the United States and its allies. 

Kirk spoke with reporters Friday. He says the conflict in Libya needs to be finished quickly.