Latest news with #Missourians
Business Wire
6 days ago
- Politics
- Business Wire
Citizens Against Government Waste Names Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe July 2025 Porker of the Month
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe (R) its July 2025 Porker of the Month for punting taxpayer money into Kansas City NFL and MLB stadiums. Gov. Kehoe was an easy choice for July Porker of the Month as he plays games with taxpayer dollars and hands off huge tax breaks to team owners. Share After SB 3 passed the Missouri Senate 19 to 13 in a rushed 2:30 a.m. vote during a special session with minimal public debate, Gov. Kehoe quickly signed it into law. SB 3 authorizes bonds backed by state tax revenues to cover up to 50 percent of the $1.15 billion stadium costs for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals. Missourians face spiraling property taxes and strained local budgets as schools, infrastructure, and first responders struggle for resources. But Gov. Kehoe put the needs of his constituents last and tax breaks for team owners first. CAGW President Tom Schatz said, 'Gov. Kehoe's support for this late-night bill pushes property tax-funded public bonds for the private benefit of team owners who can easily afford to pay for their own stadiums. His grand handout should have taxpayers scrambling and crying foul as they get penalized by the governor and special interests. Gov. Kehoe was an easy choice for July Porker of the Month as he plays games with taxpayer dollars and hands off huge tax breaks to team owners.' Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government. For more than two decades, Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers and government officials who have shown a blatant disregard for the taxpayers.
Gulf Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Fearful of Trump's wrath, Congress abdicates its authority
Carl P. Leubsdorf, Tribune News Service The first six months of President Donald Trump's second administration have brought an unprecedented expansion of presidential power. They've also brought an unprecedented abdication of congressional authority. Fearful of incurring Trump's wrath — and perhaps primary opposition — Republican lawmakers have voted to confirm unqualified nominees, and rubber-stamped Medicaid cuts they acknowledged would hurt their constituents, often after proclaiming publicly they would never do so. Oversight committees, which are supposed to police the executive branch's management of legislation, are ignoring the administration's unconstitutional dismantling of statutory agencies and programmes — and complaining about the federal judges who are seeking to protect them. Some members who represent swing districts or states with thousands of Medicaid recipients may face the wrath of voters next year. All of them should. There's no question which member of Congress put on the year's most hypocritical legislative performance. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri spent two months righteously condemning pending GOP proposals to cut Medicaid, noting it serves over one million Missourians. For Republicans 'to build our 'big, beautiful bill' around slashing health insurance for the working poor,' he wrote in The New York Times, 'is both morally wrong and politically suicidal.' He then voted for it, citing a modest addition funding rural hospitals. Then, he introduced a bill to repeal some of the Medicaid cuts, an empty gesture destined never to see the light of day — or the Senate calendar. Hawley was not the only GOP senator casting a damaging vote while expressing reservations. Sen. Lisa Murkowski gained some concessions for her Alaska constituents, then voted for the Trump package while expressing doubts about what she was doing. 'While we have worked to improve the present bill for Alaska,' she said, 'it is not good enough for the rest of our nation — and we all know it.' To be clear: the Senate would have rejected it had either Hawley or Murkowski voted on their stated principles. There was even less GOP resistance when the administration asked Congress to cancel $9 billion it had previously voted for, most for health and food aid to poor countries, the remainder for public radio and television. Though the cuts will shut small public radio outlets in many states, most Republican senators kept silent as Democrats denounced their impact. Only two, Maine's Susan Collins and Murkowski, opposed the measure, safe votes since the administration had enough support without them. The Senate's hypocrisy was matched in the House. Sixteen Republicans vowed resistance to the Medicaid cuts drafted by the House Budget Committee. 'Protecting Medicaid is essential for the vulnerable constituents we were elected to represent,' they wrote GOP leaders. 'Therefore, we cannot support a final bill that threatens access to coverage or jeopardizes the stability of our hospitals and providers.' Signatories were Reps. David Valadao and Young Kim, Ca.; Juan Ciscomani, Az.; Rob Bresnahan Jr., Pa.; Chuck Edwards, NC; Andrew Garbarino, Michael Lawler and Nicole Malliotakis, NY; Jen Kiggans and Robert Wittman, Va.; Jefferson Van Drew, NJ; Don Bacon, Ne; Dan Newhouse, WA.; Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Ia.; and Jeff Hurd, Co. But all 16 subsequently backed it after gaining an increase in the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction, which benefits mainly middle- and upper-income taxpayers. All 16 later acquiesced in even more sweeping Medicaid cuts added by the Senate. Legislative issues were not the only places where GOP senators abandoned stated principles amid administration pressure. Senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Joni Ernst of Iowa cast the decisive votes to confirm the two most manifestly unqualified Trump Cabinet secretaries after obtaining promises the two nominees abandoned once approved. Cassidy said Secretary of Health and Services-nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., if confirmed, 'will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' recommendations without changes.' Soon after taking office, Kennedy removed all 17 panel members, replacing some with outspoken critics of government-mandated immunization for the nation's children. Ernst expressed concern about Secretary of Defense-nominee Pete Hegseth's stated opposition to women in combat roles and sought a commitment to having a senior-level military official dedicated to sexual assault response and prevention. 'Women will have access to ground-combat roles, given the standards remain high,' Hegseth testified. While he has not reversed the Obama administration's decision placing women in combat roles, he announced a review of physical fitness standards that could have that effect. Hegseth has not yet announced an official to monitor sexual assault issues, but he has continued his purge of high-level women officers, most recently removing the US Naval Academy's first female superintendent. Both Cassidy and Ernst face re-election races in 2026, and both feared Trump-endorsed primary challenges. In fact, some Trump supporters sought to pressure Ernst before she backed Hegseth — including a column by a potential primary foe, Iowa state Attorney General Brenda Bird. GOP-led congressional committees have been no better. The principal House investigative committee, which spent the last two years unsuccessfully trying to find a way to impeach Joe Biden, has switched its focus to whether the former president's declining health led aides to exercise his duties, despite the lack of evidence they did. Rather than probe the current administration's manifest irregularities, they're investigating hearsay about the prior one. One thing the past six months have shown is that, when casting votes or confirming nominees, there is little difference between so-called 'conservative' Republicans and so-called 'moderate' ones. When it comes to backing Trump, they are all on board.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
After Missouri repealed paid sick leave law, it could go back on the ballot
Reality Check is a Star series holding those with power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at RealityCheck@ Have the latest Reality Checks delivered to your inbox with our free newsletter. When Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe last week signed a bill repealing paid sick leave protections, his signature overhauled a voter-approved law that enjoyed widespread support in November. But the Republican governor's decision may not be the final say on the matter. Supporters of paid sick leave have laid the groundwork for a potential campaign that would put another measure on voters' 2026 ballots. 'This measure would restore the paid sick leave that legislators just took from Missouri voters,' said Richard Von Glahn, who filed a new measure on behalf of Missouri Jobs with Justice, one of the groups that successfully campaigned for the previous initiative, called Proposition A. The decision by Kehoe and Republican lawmakers to strike down portions of Proposition A was met with fierce backlash from paid sick leave supporters. Workers who began receiving paid sick leave earlier this year are now poised to lose those benefits on Aug. 28, when the law signed by Kehoe takes effect. The move also illustrated a continuation of Republican attempts to undermine voter-approved policies seen as more progressive, such as legal abortion, which lawmakers are seeking to overturn through a new ballot measure in 2026. Unlike Proposition A, which changed state law, the initiative filed by Von Glahn would amend the state constitution. Some supporters feel that constitutional protections might be the only way to prevent lawmakers from overturning measures passed by voters. 'It's about the only response that's left to proponents of these particular proposals,' said Peverill Squire, a professor of political science at the University of Missouri-Columbia. 'When you leave it as a statute, then it invites the legislature to make changes.' Von Glahn cautioned that the paid sick leave initiative was still in its early stages and supporters could eventually decide on a different path. After settling on a measure, campaigners must also clear an expensive and time-consuming signature process to get initiatives on statewide ballots. But if supporters decide to collect signatures to put his measure on a ballot in 2026, it would serve as a major response to the legislature's overhaul of Proposition A. 'The initiative is basically about restoring rights to Missourians that the legislature has, you know, in the previous decade taken from them,' Von Glahn said. The language of Von Glahn's initiative is similar to Proposition A. It would require most employers with 15 or more employees to offer an hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. The measure would also enshrine the state's $15 minimum wage in the constitution and guarantee future increases based on inflation. In addition, the initiative would also allow cities and counties with populations of more than 10,000 people to enact their own minimum wage and sick leave requirements. A spokesperson for Kehoe did not immediately respond to a request for comment. GOP opposition likely While nearly 58% of voters approved Proposition A, the measure faced intense pushback from Republican lawmakers and business advocacy groups who argued it would hurt local businesses. They also argued that the new law did not repeal all of Proposition A, including a section that raised the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour. If Von Glahn's initiative reaches the ballot, it's certain to run into similar opposition. Some of the resistance will come from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which last month submitted a letter to Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins opposing the proposed initiative. Kara Corches, the chamber's president and CEO, said in a statement to The Star that the measure would have 'dire effects on Missouri's economy.' 'The ability for businesses to decide the policies that best fit their unique needs is the bedrock on which our free enterprise system is built,' Corches said. 'This proposal is a clear break from our system of free enterprise.' Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O'Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican, sent The Star a lengthy statement that also lambasted the proposed initiative as a 'job killer.' O'Laughlin specifically criticized the paid sick leave requirement, claiming it 'basically allows anyone to claim illness even if they are not ill.' 'It is an effort to destroy the capitalist society that has made America a place of endless opportunity for anyone willing to work and be responsible for their own future,' O'Laughlin said. Direct democracy attacks The prospect of another paid sick leave initiative could also bolster Republican attempts to curtail direct democracy in Missouri by raising the threshold for initiative petitions to pass. Abortion rights, Proposition A, Medicaid expansion and marijuana legalization were all placed on statewide ballots through initiative petitions, a more-than-a-century-old process that allows voters to bypass lawmakers and approve policy measures. Missouri is one of more than 20 states where voters have this ability. Missouri Republicans, who control every statewide office and both chambers of the legislature, have targeted this mechanism for direct democracy in recent years. They argue that amending the state constitution has become too easy, while some insist that the U.S. is a republic, not a democracy. Historically, however, most initiative petitions fail to qualify for the ballot before they're even put to voters. Missourians also shot down nearly 60% of the initiatives on the ballot between 1910 and 2022, according to previous reporting. But Missouri Republicans have made raising the threshold for amending the state constitution a top priority during recent legislative sessions. At least one Republican senator told The Star he'd like to pursue changes to the process during the upcoming legislative session. 'This whole initiative petition thing is a mess,' said Sen. Mike Cierpiot, a Lee's Summit Republican, who later added, 'my primary focus this year is trying to do something to fix this initiative petition thing.' But Cierpiot said his plan would not focus on changing the approval threshold. Instead, he said he wants to amend the process so that the summaries on voters' ballots are more concise and that the state properly enforces a rule that ballot measures only deal with one subject. While Republican lawmakers argue against the initiative petition process by saying the state constitution has been amended too easily, supporters like Von Glahn point to the recent decision to overhaul Proposition A. He had hoped that a constitutional change wouldn't be necessary, he said. 'But for the legislature to attack provisions that were so overwhelmingly passed by voters, for the legislature to repeal provisions on the minimum wage that have been in place for nearly two decades,' Von Glahn said, 'well, it certainly seems like greater protections for Missouri families might be needed.'
The Hill
11-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Missouri repeals voter-approved paid sick leave law
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) signed a measure Thursday that repeals the state's guaranteed paid sick leave law, less than a year after nearly 58 percent of voters approved it. In a news release, the governor's office described the voter-initiated paid sick leave law as 'onerous' and harmful to small businesses because it dictates 'when and how paid leave must be provided' and requires 'burdensome record keeping and compliance obligations.' 'Today, we are protecting the people who make Missouri work — families, job creators, and small business owners — by cutting taxes, rolling back overreach, and eliminating costly mandates,' Kehoe said in a statement. Kehoe was elected governor last fall, receiving nearly the same number of votes (about 1.7 million) as those in favor of the paid sick leave measure on the same ballot. The legislation Kehoe signed this week also ends automatic Consumer Price Index adjustments to the state's $15-an-hour minimum wage, another component of the ballot initiative voters overwhelmingly approved in November. 'The governor's action today demonstrates the absolute disdain Republicans have for working Missourians,' Missouri House Democratic Leader Ashley Aune said in a news release. 'But in stripping workers of their legal right to earned sick leave, the governor and his allies have probably guaranteed this issue will be back on the ballot next year as a constitutional amendment that will place worker protections beyond their reach.' Voters approved the ballot initiative known as Proposition A as a new state statute, which has a lower signature threshold for ballot submission and approval but can be repealed by state lawmakers, rather than as a constitutional amendment, which can only be reversed through another statewide vote. Missouri's GOP-controlled legislature approved the repeal of the components of Prop A during its session earlier this year, voting 133-17 in the House and 22-11 in the Senate. The paid sick leave law, which went into effect May 1, allows employees to earn an hour of time off for every 30 hours worked. The new law Kehoe signed doesn't provide for workers to keep time that they accrued during the nearly four months that it will have been effect when it ends next month. An independent poll of Missouri voters in April found 75 percent opposed efforts to repeal the measure, but pro-business groups lobbied heavily for its repeal, describing it as burdensome for employers. 'Business owners were clear: Proposition A's paid leave and minimum wage policies were a job killer,' Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) President and CEO Kara Corches said in a statement. 'Missouri employers value their employees and recognize the importance of offering competitive wages and benefits, but one-size-fits-all mandates threaten growth.' Missouri Jobs with Justice, a worker advocacy group that advocated for the paid sick leave law, had urged Kehoe to veto the legislation to repeal it. 'Missouri workers and their families do not deserve to see their newly earned paid sick leave stripped away,' the group wrote in a letter to Kehoe last month. 'So many workers are for the first time experiencing the relief of paid sick leave.' 'If Proposition A is repealed, workers will again face increased economic insecurity when balancing being sick with maintaining their job,' it added.
The Hill
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Missouri attorney general claims chatbots undermining Trump record
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) is demanding information from several major tech firms with artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, which he alleges are distorting facts and producing biased results about President Trump. Bailey sent letters to Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Meta on Wednesday, asking whether they design their algorithms to disfavor certain political affiliations or policy positions and requesting internal records about how they select inputs for their AI models. He took aim at the chatbots' responses to a question rating the most recent presidents on the issue of antisemitism. While Microsoft Copilot declined to respond, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Meta AI and Google's Gemini all rated Trump last, which Bailey slammed as 'deeply misleading.' The Missouri attorney general is also requesting documents from the four tech giants about the design of their chatbots and why they ranked Trump unfavorably on the issue. 'We must aggressively push back against this new wave of censorship targeted at our President,' Bailey said in a statement. 'Missourians deserve the truth, not AI-generated propaganda masquerading as fact.' 'If AI chatbots are deceiving consumers through manipulated 'fact-checking,' that's a violation of the public's trust and may very well violate Missouri law,' he continued. He pointed to the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, which seeks to prevent companies from using false or deceptive advertising to sell merchandise in the state. 'Given the millions of dollars these companies make annually from Missourians, their activities fall squarely within my authority to protect consumers from fraud and false advertising,' Bailey added. The Hill has reached out to Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Meta for comment. Bailey's concerns about the development of four prominent AI chatbots come as Elon Musk's xAI faces backlash over recent tweaks that resulted in antisemitic responses from its AI chatbot Grok. Grok was making broad generalizations about people with Jewish last names and perpetuating antisemitic stereotypes about Hollywood, before xAI stepped in on Tuesday and began removing posts and placing new guardrails on the chatbot.
