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SE Missouri Congressman says Democrats must compromise with Trump to avoid shutdown

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Southeast Missouri Congressman Jason Smith thinks Democrats says must compromise with President Trump to avoid a government shutdown.

Missouri Republican Congressman Jason Smith (Image courtesy of KFVS-TV)

“If the Democrats don’t come to the table and help to faithfully show some kind of reasonable compromise, the President will make sure that the Government is not open until they come up to a reasonable compromise,” said Smith.

The Republican made the comment as the White House appeared yesterday to back-off the President’s demand for $5 billion to build a border wall. Democrats have proposed to keep funding at current levels of $1.3 billion for border fencing and security measures, but have rejected the wall.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders suggested that Trump doesn’t want to shut down the government during a Tuesday briefing. She said the President would consider other options and the administration was looking at ways to find the money elsewhere.

Congressman Smith thinks Democrats have a responsibility to compromise after the White House has offered to explore alternatives to a shutdown. “Government is, you’re are trying to reach an agreement,” Smith said. “It’s not an all or nothing approach. You have to find some kind of common ground.”

Last week, Trump took a much harder line as he told Democratic leaders in a televised meeting he was willing to shut down the government over the border issue, saying he would be “proud” to do so.

The Democratic leaders, likely House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have made it clear they are not interested in funding Trump’s border wall.

If a funding agreement is not reached, more than 800,000 government workers could be temporarily laid off or forced to work without pay beginning at midnight Friday, which would disrupt government operations days before Christmas.

Republican leaders have hinted they are willing to keep funding at current levels into the new year.

Alabama Republican Richard Shelby, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee said late yesterday that he was crafting a bill keep short-term funding in place into February.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell yesterday said he was confident there would not be a government shutdown, stating that a stopgap measure could be approved.

(Congressman Smith’s comment were provided by KFVS-TV)

Missourinet 7 a.m. News 12-18-2018

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Top Stories:  Greenwood Police near Kansas City say a man is in custody after he reportedly attempted to drown his 6-month-old child in a pond.  Officers were able to locate and revive the child who is reportedly now in good condition.  And for-profit, non-accredited Vatterott Career Colleges ceased operations yesterday.  The school had a significant presence in St. Louis and also had campuses in Kansas City and Joplin as well as other locations in the Midwest.

 

MU and Kansas City nonprofit offer $40 million scholarship program

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The University of Missouri and a Kansas City-based nonprofit have announced a $40 million scholarship program.

University of Missouri in Columbia

The new funding will support 800 additional scholarships at MU over the next several years, each worth $10,000 per year for up to five years, to Kansas City area students.

KC Scholars will contribute $20 million, while MU and the University of Missouri System will contribute $10 million each, for a total commitment of $40 million. KC Scholars was launched in 2016 by the Kauffman Foundation, an enterprise of the late Kansas City entrepreneur and Royals baseball team owner Ewing Kauffman.

The first students to benefit from the arrangement will enroll at the University of Missouri in Columbia in fall 2019. They applied earlier this year and were eligible but will only now receive the scholarships with the funding in place.

The new announcement is in keeping with the UM System’s Promise and Opportunity Scholarships program. Last September, UM System President Mun Choi announced that the system would invest $75 million in Promise and Opportunity Scholarships.

Choi thinks the partnership with KC Scholars is beneficial to MU and to students who are seeking scholarships. “We have been focused on creating pathways to success for students and stakeholders who want to invest in the University of Missouri,” Choi said. “The system’s investment in the KC Scholars program is another way for us to provide more opportunities for talented students to achieve their full potential.”

In order to qualify for the KC Scholars traditional scholarship, students must be juniors in high schools in one of six counties in the Kansas City region, have at least a 2.5 GPA and supply a financial need for additional support. The counties included are Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and Platte, Clay, Cass and Jackson counties in Missouri.

KC Scholars currently awards approximately 500 college scholarships annually to attend one of 17 partner colleges and universities in Missouri and Kansas, including MU.  46 KC Scholars awardees are enrolled at MU, the largest proportion of KC Scholars students at any college or university.

MU Chancellor Alexander N. Cartwright thinks the partnership will enhance the ability of financially challenged students to gain access to scholarships. “KC Scholars works hard to provide financial assistance to students who want to attend college, and this partnership will ensure that even more students who qualify for KC Scholars will benefit from this important effort,” Cartwright said. We are dedicated to our pursuit of eliminating financial barriers for students from Missouri and the Kansas City region who want to come to Mizzou.”

Terry Bassham is president and CEO of Evergy, the holding company that owns the utilities Kansas City Power & Light and Topeka, Kansas based Westar Energy. Bassham, who is also a KC Scholars board member, notes the partnership will help strengthen the supply of qualified workers in the region. “The Kansas City-area business community recognizes that it goes a long way to help fill the workforce pipeline our economy desperately needs, said Bassham. “I am confident the region’s philanthropic community will step up to match MU’s $20 million.”

 

Missourinet 7 a.m. News 12-17-2018

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Top Stories:  The city of Republic in southwest Missouri has reached a settlement with the family of a man who was shot and killed by a police officer in 2016 after suffering a seizure while driving.  The city has agreed to pay the family $1.2 million.  And police in two southern Missouri’s towns are warning about a man scamming businesses with fake handwritten notes to get refunds worth hundreds of dollars he never spent.  The Licking and West Plains police departments say the suspect could be in the area.

 

Blunt declines to criticize judge who struck down health care law on Meet the Press

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Missouri Republican Senator Roy Blunt was a guest on NBC’s Meet the Press for the fourth time this year Sunday.

Senator Roy Blunt – R appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, December 16th, 2018

During most of his eight-minute plus appearance, Blunt was quizzed by moderator Chuck Todd about the latest federal court decision out of Texas striking down the entire Affordable Care Act.  He also commented on reports of an investigation into President Trump’s inauguration committee and his vote as a Congressman in 1998 to impeach President Clinton.

Blunt dismissed a call by Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York for Congress to intervene in the healthcare lawsuit after the judge’s decision, saying it would amount to Congress improperly telling the circuit court what to do.

Before Blunt’s appearance on Meet the Press, Republicans, who tried to repeal the law in 2017, had reacted with relative silence after the ruling was issued.  The health care law now receives a favorable rating in polls after a majority of respondents expressed disapproval in the past.  A spokesperson for House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, AshLee Strong said, “The House was not a party to this suit, and we are reviewing the ruling and its impact.”

Blunt declined to say if the judge in the case had exercised judicial activism. Moderator Todd stated that the judge’s act of determining that a tax penalty for not buying health insurance was not a tax was “the definition of a judge writing legislation.” Blunt responded by saying the action wouldn’t justify legislators acting like judges. He shied away from acknowledging the judge had overstepped his authority, instead noting that the ruling has no immediate impact. He said it would either be dismissed, or the court case would go through a long process before an outcome would be decided.

Blunt predicted the issue would be used by for political purposes. “Health care will be used as a political issue way beyond the ramifications of one district judge making a ruling that has no immediate impact,” said Blunt.

Todd quoted a tweet from President Trump who called the ruling “great news for America” and asked if Blunt agreed with the President’s assessment. The two-term Senator didn’t directly respond to the question but declared that the health care law was poorly planned and implemented, and has negatively impacted families with insurance they don’t need and deductibles they can’t afford.

When asked why Republicans haven’t come up with their own health care plan, Blunt mentioned that he introduced the feature in the current law that allows individuals to remain on their parents’ policies until the age of 26. He claimed the provision had insured more people than any other aspect of the Affordable Care Act.

Todd observed that Republicans couldn’t seem to unite on any health care idea. Blunt responded by saying health care is a difficult issue. He claimed that “Medicare for all”, a policy being promoted in Democratic circles would never happen, proclaiming “Medicare for all would wind up meaning Medicare for none.”

Blunt also declined to say whether the health care lawsuit, which was filed with Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley’s backing, was called for. He noted that Hawley’s involvement in the suit didn’t stop Hawley from winning election to the Senate.

He said Senators would now face the task of drafting health care policies, although he admitted the framework of the Affordable Care Act, such as the individual marketplace, would remain intact. Blunt championed a rule put in place by the Trump administration paving the way for associated health plans. Associated health plans allow small businesses to band together to obtain healthcare coverage as if they were a single large employer.

The native of southwest Missouri’s Niangua said he would not support adding one cent to the tax penalty for not purchasing health coverage that was stripped out last year by Congress. The judge in the latest case ruled the requirement to buy healthcare was unconstitutional because the tax had been zeroed out.  Blunt stated that the tax provision in the health care law was a stretch from the beginning and dismissed the notion of adding a one-cent penalty now.  “Coming up with a one-cent gimmick would not have much appeal to me,” Blunt said.

Todd brought up reports that the Trump inaugural committee is under investigation and asked Blunt, who chaired the congressional committee that planned the event, what he knew about the Trump inaugural operation. Blunt said, “I have no idea what they did.” Federal prosecutors in New York are reportedly probing whether President Trump’s inaugural committee misspent donated funds from the record $107 million it received for the 2017 event.

The Meet the Press moderator finished his interview with Senator Blunt by asking if he regretted voting for all four charges of impeachment against President Bill Clinton in 1998. “Not as much as I’m sure he regrets lying to the grand jury,” said Blunt.

Blunt admitted in hindsight that Congress may have wrongly rushed to impeach Clinton, who was acquitted by the Senate after being charged with two articles by the House. He also predicted that the incoming Democratically controlled House would be punished by voters if it investigates President Trump for impeachable offenses. “My advice would be legislate, don’t investigate if you want to be rewarded with the continued opportunity to be in control of the House of Representatives,” Blunt said.

In addition to four appearances on Meet the Press, Blunt who is a member of the Republican majority leadership in the Senate has been a guest on FOX News Sunday, FOX Sunday Morning Futures, ABC’s This Week and CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper this year.

Outgoing state Senate Agriculture Committee chairman wants successor to know importance of job

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An unanswered question for Missouri State Senators heading into the upcoming session is who’ll head the important Agriculture Committee.

State Sen. Brian Munzlinger (R-Williamstown)

Republican Brian Munzlinger of Williamstown is retiring after serving his eight-year term limit in the chamber. The lifelong farmer has advice for whoever takes his place – have an open mind and take the responsibility seriously. “Listen, take a lot of notes and don’t be afraid to step up to the plate, because as agriculture it’s very important,” said Munzlinger. He says he has not made a recommendation to Senate leadership about who should be named chairman.

Agriculture has an annual $88.4 billion economic impact on Missouri according to figures compiled by the state. The largest commodities are soybeans, which account for nearly a quarter of the state’s agricultural income, followed by corn, and cattle and calves. Missouri’s top 5 export partners are Canada, Mexico, the European Union, China, and Japan. Pork products and soybean meal are the state’s largest agriculture exports.

Munzlinger says the next Agriculture Committee chairman should have an appreciation for the industry’s importance, even if that lawmaker doesn’t have a farming background. “One thing I always told everybody is, ‘I don’t care if you’re a farmer or not, but you eat every day, and that’s provided by agriculture,” Munzlinger said.

One of the northeastern Missourian’s major accomplishments relating to agriculture in recent memory is his help guiding through the legalization of industrial hemp in Missouri. Some lawmakers in the past had viewed such a move as a step toward legalizing marijuana. The bill that was signed into law in 2018 contained language stating that the Missouri Highway Patrol “may perform aerial surveillance” to ensure that marijuana plants are not being cultivated near industrial hemp.

Munzlinger thinks it’ll be important for whoever succeeds him to know that the Agriculture Committee chairman sits on numerous boards. “I did ask the incoming (Senate) President Pro-Tem to please make sure that the new agriculture chairman, whoever it is, knows that he would be appreciated to serve on those boards or his designee,” Munzlinger.

Munzlinger is a member of the Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Corn Growers Association, Missouri Soybean Association, and the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association.

The Missouri Agriculture Department has a roughly $40 million budget. Among its recent financial challenges has been securing funds to properly support its Plant Industries Division which oversees pesticides used in in the industry. One pesticide, in particular, dicamba, is known to have damaged neighboring crops. In September, the Agriculture Department was seeking $1.46 million in additional funding for the Plant Industries Division.

(Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth contributed to this report)

Missourinet 7 a.m. News 12-14-2018

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Top Stories:  An attempted burglary at a Springfield apartment turned into a shooting incident yesterday.  One of the burglary suspects was shot in the gut and taken to a hospital while two other suspects are at large.  And two Kansas City brothers have been accused of buying a car, then returning to rob and assault the original owners the next day.  Antoine and Antonio Anderson were charged with first-degree sodomy and robbery yesterday.

McCaskill delivers sharp criticism of U.S. Senate in her final speech on chamber floor

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Missouri Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill had sharp words for her colleagues during her final prepared speech in the chamber’s floor Thursday.

Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill

The two-term office holder in the upper chamber of Congress is leaving her post in January after losing a bitter contest for reelection to Missouri’s Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley.

During her roughly 10-minute address, McCaskill spoke about what she called her three families – her actual family, her family of Missourians and her family of fellow Senators.

McCaskill was very direct in telling her colleagues that she’s worried about the Senate, calling it dysfunctional while quoting a British writer.  “Peter Morgan, an author said no family is complete without an embarrassing uncle,” said McCaskill.  “We have too many embarrassing uncles in the United States Senate.”

Without naming names or party affiliation, but likely referring the chamber’s operation under Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, she said the Senate had become secretive and closed off with a few Senators writing bills behind closed doors and then refusing to allow debate or amendments on the legislation.  She claimed that “giant omnibus bills” of which Senators know few details are instead being presented to powerful lobbyists before being voted on.

McCaskill contended that power in the Senate had become dangerously centralized, noting that during her first year in the chamber in 2007, the Senate voted on 306 amendments compared to 36 as this year’s session is ending.

She claimed the chamber is run by a few Senators who write all the bills and make all the decisions and said the body needs to let its member engage in more debate and allow for more power to flow through committees.

McCaskill said the Senate is functioning in a similar fashion to the House and no longer stands on higher ground.  “The United States Senate is longer the world’s greatest deliberative body, McCaskill said.  “And everybody needs to quit saying it until we recover from this period of polarization and the fear of the political consequences of tough votes.”

She mentioned President Trump’s previous career while claiming his election was the result of public frustration with a dysfunctional Congress.  “Something is broken, McCaskill said.  “And if we don’t have the strength to look in the mirror and fix it, the American people are going to grow more and more cynical, and they might do something crazy like elect a reality TV star president.”

Six other Senators, including her fellow Missourian, Republican Roy Blunt, paid tribute to McCaskill on the chamber’s floor after she finished.

Blunt said his staff and McCaskill’s staff had worked closely on citizen and Missouri concerns.  He noted that their families had gotten to know each other and mentioned he attended a memorial service for her mother during McCaskill’s reelection campaign and that McCaskill was at a service after his father passed away during his reelection campaign.  Blunt said he and McCaskill had been friends for 30 years, but become especially good friends in the past eight years serving together in the Senate.

Fellow Democrat Diane Feinstein of California said she expects to hear political commentary from McCaskill through the media.  “I expect to turn on my television set, turn on my radio and hear you many, many times, and take a lot of good advice,” said Feinstein.

Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said she admired McCaskill for working in a bipartisan way.  “Senator McCaskill has demonstrated her belief that no party holds a monopoly on good ideas,” said Collins.  “It has been such a pleasure to work with her across the aisle on so many issues.”

Democratic Senators John Tester of Montana, Bill Nelson of Florida and Dick Durbin of neighboring Illinois also took to the chamber floor to speak highly of McCaskill.  Nelson, like the outgoing Missourian, lost his bid for reelection in November.

While speaking about her actual family, McCaskill choked up when she mentioned her siblings and remembered her mother’s motivating phrase when trying to get the kids corralled to take a trip – “last one in the car is a Republican”.  She also defended her husband, Joseph Shepard, a wealthy businessman who was criticized for receiving government subsidies for his housing investments during her campaign.  She said Joseph had a good heart which directed him to “do good” while “he did well.”

When focusing on her Missouri family, McCaskill stated that she loved every corner of the state, even areas that she said, “aren’t very crazy about me.”

She also paid tribute to her Senate staff and recited her office’s motto, “If you work hard you can do well, but if you’re having fun you’ll do great.”  She said working with her staff was “heaven.”

Missourinet 7 a.m. News 12-13-2018

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Top Stories: Jefferson City Police in mid-Missouri are investigating a shooting that led to a murder last night.  Police found two men with gunshot wounds.  They say the shooting is not related to the killing of a college student Tuesday night.  And a suspect was shot and killed and a St. Louis Police officer was injured yesterday in the department’s first fatal police-involved shooting of the year.  The incident occurred at a gas station when officers spotted a stolen vehicle.

Missouri U.S. House delegation all in with Farm Bill

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Almost the entire Missouri delegation to the U.S. House voted in favor of the Farm Bill that passed the chamber Wednesday with resounding bipartisan support.

Only Republican Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler, who was unable to make the final vote due to the passing of her father back home in Show-Me State, failed to endorse the measure.

Most Missouri House members found something to like in the $867 billion Farm Bill, although several of the Republicans supported a provision not included in the final package that would’ve increased work requirements for SNAP (food stamp) recipients.

It lasts over five years until 2023, reauthorizing $400 billion in U.S. agricultural subsidies and conservation programs. The bill also legalizes industrial hemp by including the Hemp Farming Act of 2018, which officially removes industrial hemp from the federal list of Schedule I controlled substances.

Although not casting a ballot, Hartzler still issued a statement noting it included language she supported to promote the expansion of rural broadband. She also supported a small change to SNAP which establishes an interstate data system that blocks recipients from receiving benefits in multiple states.

Hartzler said the bill had shortcomings, but included her priorities and was a necessary step to help farmers.

“While we did not achieve all that we wanted in the final version of the bill, this legislation is a positive step for farmers, ranchers, consumers, and rural America,” said Hartzler. “I am pleased to see many of my priorities reflected in the legislation, and I applaud Congress for acting so quickly to secure a comprehensive Farm Bill for those facing difficult times in farm country.”

In a moment of drama, the bill narrowly advanced to a floor after language was added blocking a vote for the rest of the year on limiting U.S. involvement in Yemen. The 206-203 vote to include the provision is a temporary win for President Donald Trump, who supports Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen and refuses to blame Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of U.S. resident and writer Jamal Khashoggi.

With Hartzler absent, five of the six Missouri Republicans in the House voted in favor of the provision. Both Democrats, William Lacy Clay, and Emanuel Cleaver voted against it.

Cleaver told Missourinet he’s concerned the conflict jeopardizes millions of Yemeni lives.  He hopes the bill’s language preserving support for Saudi Arabia is dropped.

“Our only hope, and I think it’s going to happen, is that the more sensible United States Senate will take it out and we can move on, “said Cleaver.

But the 5th District Congressman, who represents Kansas City as well as farmers in western Missouri, was happy with the final product.

“We passed a very, very good farm bill that satisfies the farm advocacy groups as well as those who represent urban areas, and I happen to be one of the few people who represent both,” Cleaver said.

Republican Blaine Luetkemeyer praised efforts to come together and produce a final bill that’ll help farmers in outstate Missouri.

“After months of bipartisan negotiations between the House and Senate, the Farm Bill is finally headed to the President’s desk,” said Luetkemeyer. “This package will provide the certainty Missouri farmers deserve while investing in the future of our rural communities. I’m proud to support this legislation.”

GOP Congressman Sam Graves, whose 6th District stretches border to border across the rural northern part of the state, said the measure provides the tools needed for farmers to be productive.

“Agriculture is the backbone of North Missouri’s economy. As a sixth-generation family farmer, I cannot stress enough the importance of today’s passage, Graves said. “The 2018 Farm Bill maintains and strengthens the farm safety net to provide certainty to producers, and brings stability back to our agricultural community, giving them what they need to continue to provide the safest and most affordable food to America and across the world.”

Republican Jason Smith, who represents a wide swath of southern Missouri, Ann Wagner, whose district is largely in the suburban St. Louis area and Billy Long, who represents the southwest portion of Missouri, also voted for the Farm Bill, also known as the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, as did St. Louis-based Democrat William Lacy Clay.

Representative Cleaver is happy the measure will go to President Trump without the increased work requirement for SNAP recipients his Republican colleagues in the House tried to include.

“There are all kinds of misconceptions about SNAP recipients that they’re people who don’t work or don’t want to work and so forth, ” said Cleaver. “When you look at the real statistics, it’s glaringly (the) opposite of that.”

The final vote on the Farm Bill in the House was 369-47.

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