During his Naval career, Blunt received numerous commendations, including four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Blunt was called back into active naval service, after he had been elected to the office of secretary of state for Missouri.

He completed a six-month tour of duty in Great Britain during Operation Enduring Freedom, during which time he continued to work full-time for the state as well.

In August 2001, as secretary of state, Blunt traveled to Israel along with a delegation of Republicans led by his father, Roy, to meet with Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon.

In the general election, he faced Missouri State Auditor Claire McCaskill, who had defeated incumbent governor Bob Holden in the Democratic primary.

Blunt and his allies in the Missouri General Assembly moved quickly to enact legislation that they said would create a positive business climate in the state and result in job growth.

In September 2009, the state insurance agency issued a report showing medical malpractice claims in Missouri at a 30-year low in 2008, believed to result from Blunt's restriction of injury settlements under tort reform in 2005.

Particularly controversial were provisions reducing coverage of programs created by state legislation to provide a social net, especially to families.

[22] In July 2007, Blunt signed an executive order launching the Missouri Accountability Portal (MAP),[23] which provides Missourians with free, immediate, online information about how the state spends taxpayer money.

[31] Blunt proposed selling Missouri's student loan agency, known as MOHELA, and using the proceeds to pay for endowments and new construction for the state's public universities.

[32] In the area of elementary and secondary education, Blunt has proposed that school districts be required to spend at least 65% of their budgets on student instruction.

[34][35] At the NRA's annual meeting, held in St. Louis in 2007, Blunt signed legislation prohibiting the seizure of firearms during declared states of emergency.

[41] In 2005, Blunt signed legislation to limit sales of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine products, the key ingredients needed to make methamphetamine.

[54] Also in 2008, Blunt and Arkansas Democratic governor Mike Beebe signed an historic bi-state water quality agreement to protect watersheds and aquifers that cross state lines.

[55] Blunt issued Executive Orders[56] and programs to encourage university cooperation, tax relief, research funds and seed capital for "life science" start-up firms, and an innovative program to reward insurance companies and other large institutional investors for investing in funds that hold biotech stocks.

In August 2007, a reporter for the Springfield News-Leader filed to gain access to emails by Ed Martin, Blunt's chief of staff, under the state's Sunshine Law.

He was investigating whether Martin had used his office to try to influence anti-abortion groups in relation to opposition to state Attorney General Jay Nixon, a Democrat.

[60] At the same time, "Blunt spokesman Rich Chrismer insisted to reporters that 'there is no statute or case that requires the state to retain individual's e-mails as a public record.'

It distributed packets of emails and documents to four major newspapers in Missouri to support its claims that the attorney had made inappropriate use of a state computer.

[61][62] Eckersley said he was terminated for other reasons, related to trying to ensure employees complied with the state's email retention policy under its Sunshine Law.

In the first known "whistleblower" case against the Missouri state government, Eckersley filed suit for wrongful termination and defamation of character against Blunt and his senior appointees.

[63] Nixon's team had to go to court in the spring of 2008 to get a ruling on whether the governor's office was required to comply with their requests for information, at the expense of the state.

On January 22, 2008, Blunt surprised voters, "staffers and supporters" by announcing he would not run for another term,[60] although he reportedly already had millions of dollars in a war chest for his upcoming campaign.

[67] After a year-long legal effort, in November 2008, the Kansas City Star and St. Louis Post Dispatch reported having gained access to 60,000 pages of Blunt administration emails.

Their analysis showed that Ed Martin, former chief of staff to Blunt, had used his state office to try to influence outside political groups, among other internal problems.

In addition to trying to encourage opposition to AG Jay Nixon, Martin worked with political groups to oppose the appointment of Patricia Breckenridge to an open seat on the Missouri Supreme Court.

Blunt has continued to advocate for greater transparency in government spending,[80] state and national lawsuit reform[81] and improving public education.

The council, is a bipartisan 501(c)6 based in Washington, D.C., and its mission is to promote the unique and significant economic contribution of the U.S.-based auto companies to the American economy.