Republican infighting halts business in Jefferson City
Continued infighting within the Republican Party has largely stalled progress in Jefferson City. Our roundtables explore disagreements among MPs and the priorities they have left on the agenda.
Updated: January 28, 2024, 11:30 a.m. CST
The Game Now in Missouri Politics. As we watch the aftermath of the new Jeff City shading on the Senate floor this Congress, Republicans are at odds with far-right members of their own party, which this year has been renamed the Freedom Caucus. There has been a back-and-forth battle on many issues, including the initiative petition process. Things came to a head last week when the Senate president's proposal stripped four caucus members of their committee assignments and changed their parking locations. And he wonders if this chamber, designed to be populated by civil, righteous politicians and women, has been overtaken by a small group of swamp creatures who too often think more of their children than their colleagues. He did not hesitate to explain the reason for his decision. Because no matter how many sticks and stones they throw at us, no matter how much they call us, no matter how much we make them uncomfortable, we will fight valiantly for our problems. We have no intention of giving up the fight. A week and a half ago, the Freedom Caucus filibustered for several hours to block numerous appointments issued by Gov. Mike Parson, who, by the way, gave his State of the State address last week. The shadow has faded a little. . Discuss it all with KMBC Nine political reporter Michael Mahoney and Missouri Independent Editor-in-Chief Jason Hancock. Gentlemen, welcome home. Well, we thought this might happen. It's happening. Jason, what is the impact of this conflict? What is happening at the general meeting now? Well, basically nothing. Well, now the Freedom Caucus is pledging to hold onto virtually everything until they get their initiative, petition reform. They want this bill referred to a specific committee. They want to move it to the calendar and discuss it. And they are holding up the gubernatorial appointment. They sometimes prevent the Senate from doing even the simplest things it must do to begin legislative business, such as approving the previous day's journal. In the run-up to the Legislature, there were also concerns that efforts to pass a resolution allowing senators to attend the Legislature would be thwarted. So, uh, we have a situation where the Caucus Freedom Caucus and the Republican leadership are having an active internal battle within the party, within the party, and basically what are the priorities that the Republican Party would want this year? It's stagnant. To cross the finish line. How do you overcome dysfunction? Well, that's going to be difficult. Just Thursday morning, Sen. Eigel tweeted, “Come and receive it.” The Revolutionary War and the Alamo's old lines. Do you want to take it? Let's start. It's hard to see how this creates any kind of compromise, at least as we look at it now and as Jason said, um, you know, there's a lot of bad stuff out there. There are emotions. And this is at least the third year in a row that our conservative hardliners in the Senate have joined this and then other members of the Senate's Republican majority have been at odds in the past. That's the second half of the session. This starts practically from the beginning. Yeah. surely. It's important to mention, uh, Caleb Robinson Rollins is running for Missouri Secretary of State. Bill is a candidate for Governor Mahoney. Is there a campaign component here? What we have to keep in mind is that for everything there is always a movement and supporters. And it's not just Routing and Eagle, it's all state senators, and by extension, House members running for state senate or up for re-election, with a lot of campaign rhetoric going on throughout the year. It will be. throughout the session. That doesn't help. Oh, keep things going as we said, the governor gave his last State of the Nation Address. This is all happening behind the scenes, but Jason, what struck you about his speech? It was kind of a victory lap for the governor. You know, he's been in that position for six years. He won a full term of his own in 2020, taking over from Eric Greitens, who was forced to resign in disgrace, erm. And much of his speech was a review of his list of accomplishments. He spoke about infrastructure spending and workforce development, which have been pillars of his administration. Um, and obviously he talked about some of the big social issues that were passed during his term, bans on abortion, um, things like that. He talked about appointing five different men to the statewide office, which became vacant thanks to the Senate wins over Eric Schmidt and Josh Hawley. So, um, you know, he introduced some of his legislative agenda. Obviously, he put in the budget as part of the state. But, uh, the main purpose of the speech was for him to reflect on his own legacy and, uh, basically say goodbye. He has one year left. Well, it may not have been the smoothest final year for the governor given what we've just talked about, but the tone of the speech was a misty look back at his six years and kind of a start. It was like a watercolor painting to give shape to the legacy he wanted to leave behind. And we know we're talking about a budget. It was another record budget. Will he be able to get much of this done given this impasse? It's about getting into this fight over, uh, initiative petition reform and how the Senate Freedom Caucus wanted it done. I think it will be. Um, and, um, because this is an election year session of Congress, and not much is going on anyway. And some elements of his budget could be taken hostage by some members of Congress to make their own political points. election year. Well, there are a lot of priorities. Let's see if any of them pass. That's all for now. Michael Mahoney, Jason Hancock.
Republican infighting halts business in Jefferson City
Continued infighting within the Republican Party has largely stalled progress in Jefferson City. Our roundtables explore disagreements among MPs and the priorities they have left on the agenda.
Updated: January 28, 2024, 11:30 a.m. CST
