KANSAS CITY—A man wounded in a shooting last month has died.

Just before 3:30a.m. June 15, officers were dispatched to Truman and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri.&nbsp; First responders located a victim, later identified as 24-year-old Jalin Brewer, inside a vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds. 

EMS transported Brewer to an area hospital for treatment&nbsp;&nbsp;Detectives were notified on Tuesday he died as a result of his injuries. Preliminary investigation indicated this was a result of an argument that led to gunfire. Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

KANSAS CITY—A man wounded in a shooting last month has died.Just before 3:30a.m. June 15, officers were dispatched to Truman and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri.&nbsp; First responders located a victim, later identified as 24-year-old Jalin Brewer, inside a vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds. EMS transported Brewer to an area hospital for treatment&nbsp;&nbsp;Detectives were notified on Tuesday he died as a result of his injuries. Preliminary investigation indicated this was a result of an argument that led to gunfire. Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

Victim dies two-weeks after wounded in Kansas City shooting

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/camikoons/">Cami Koons</a>

The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear Iowa Pork Producers Association’s case against a California law that mandates the amount of space livestock animals, in particular hogs, have while being raised.

The Supreme Court has ruled on&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/05/11/u-s-supreme-court-rejects-pork-producers-challenge-of-california-law/" target="_blank">a previous case</a>&nbsp;in favor of upholding the California law, which opponents argue puts an unfair burden on pork producers by impacting their ability to sell to the state.

The IPPA lawsuit argued Proposition 12, which voters approved in 2018,&nbsp;imposed excessive burdens on interstate commerce and discriminated against out-of-state farmers.

The case was heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which&nbsp;<a href="https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/memoranda/2024/06/25/22-55336.pdf" target="_blank">ruled</a>&nbsp;in June 2024, in favor of California. IPPA filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to review the decision, which is the petition the court denied Monday.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird led more than 20 attorneys general from other ag-producing states on an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-728/340376/20250129084901950_01.28%20-%20Iowa%20Pork%20Producers%20v.%20Bonta.pdf" target="_blank">amici curiae</a>&nbsp;in support of the IPPA appeal to the Supreme Court.

Bird said in a statement Monday she was disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision.

“Laws like this hurt Iowa’s rural communities and make it more difficult for Americans to enjoy the world-class pork products they have come to love and expect out of our state,” Bird said.

Bird said she would continue to fight against similar laws, including a Massachusetts law against which the<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/10/03/iowa-ag-leads-continued-fight-against-massachusetts-animal-confinement-law/" target="_blank">&nbsp;attorney general also led an amici curiae</a>&nbsp;with other states, urging for an appeal.

“States like California and Massachusetts should not dictate Iowa farming practices,” Bird said.

The California law, which went into effect in 2024, stipulates that regardless of where an animal was raised, it must comply with the state regulation on animal confinement in order to be sold in California. The law stipulates sow enclosures must have at least 24 square feet of room. The law, which passed as a state referendum, was supported by animal rights organizations that say this spacing would give the animals enough space to turn around freely.

The west-coast state is a major pork consumer, meaning its laws have a big impact on pork production across the country and in states like Iowa, which produces the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=108733" target="_blank">most</a>&nbsp;pork in the nation.

Pork producers said the law would disrupt the pork supply chain and raise costs at the consumer level, as producers retrofit their facilities to comply with the law.

Eldon McAfee, counsel for IPPA, said the organization was “disappointed, obviously” by the decision and that many pork producers “don’t understand” how a California law “can be enforced here in Iowa.”

McAfee said producers believe this should be a marketplace decision driven by consumer and producer choice, not an enforcement.

“We do not believe it can be mandated by law, we believe it is unconstitutional,” McAfee said. “But the court disagreed in the NPPC case and declined to accept this case.”

McAfee referenced a<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/03/28/u-s-supreme-court-will-hear-dispute-over-californias-pork-sale-restrictions/" target="_blank">&nbsp;Supreme Court decision</a>&nbsp;against the National Pork Producers Council’s petition of the California law.

He said while the court did not issue an explanation of the decision, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24-728.html" target="_blank">docket entries</a>&nbsp;show justices discussed the case seven times before eventually declining the petition, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh dissenting.

McAfee said the next step forward is legislative action.

“The courts have stated the basic premise that it is the federal government, Congress, that regulates interstate commerce,” McAfee said. “We believe the best option is federal legislation … to prevent this type of law.”

U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Iowa, has also been a vocal opponent of Proposition 12, working with other Republicans in Iowa and other states to advance legislation the past several years that would supersede the state law.

“This mandate on Iowa hog farmers increases pork prices for families, makes hog farming needlessly more expensive, harms our rural communities, and threatens our food security,” Feenstra said in a statement Monday. “I remain committed to getting a new, five-year Farm Bill signed into law that repeals Prop 12 and delivers certainty and clarity for our hog farmers.”

This article was originally published by&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/" target="_blank">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, a part of States Newsroom.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751453050142.png" alt=" (Photo by Kent Becker, U.S. Geological Survey)" />
 <figcaption> (Photo by Kent Becker, U.S. Geological Survey)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/camikoons/">Cami Koons</a>The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear Iowa Pork Producers Association’s case against a California law that mandates the amount of space livestock animals, in particular hogs, have while being raised.The Supreme Court has ruled on&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/05/11/u-s-supreme-court-rejects-pork-producers-challenge-of-california-law/" target="_blank">a previous case</a>&nbsp;in favor of upholding the California law, which opponents argue puts an unfair burden on pork producers by impacting their ability to sell to the state.The IPPA lawsuit argued Proposition 12, which voters approved in 2018,&nbsp;imposed excessive burdens on interstate commerce and discriminated against out-of-state farmers.The case was heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which&nbsp;<a href="https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/memoranda/2024/06/25/22-55336.pdf" target="_blank">ruled</a>&nbsp;in June 2024, in favor of California. IPPA filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to review the decision, which is the petition the court denied Monday.Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird led more than 20 attorneys general from other ag-producing states on an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-728/340376/20250129084901950_01.28%20-%20Iowa%20Pork%20Producers%20v.%20Bonta.pdf" target="_blank">amici curiae</a>&nbsp;in support of the IPPA appeal to the Supreme Court.Bird said in a statement Monday she was disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision.“Laws like this hurt Iowa’s rural communities and make it more difficult for Americans to enjoy the world-class pork products they have come to love and expect out of our state,” Bird said.Bird said she would continue to fight against similar laws, including a Massachusetts law against which the<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/10/03/iowa-ag-leads-continued-fight-against-massachusetts-animal-confinement-law/" target="_blank">&nbsp;attorney general also led an amici curiae</a>&nbsp;with other states, urging for an appeal.“States like California and Massachusetts should not dictate Iowa farming practices,” Bird said.The California law, which went into effect in 2024, stipulates that regardless of where an animal was raised, it must comply with the state regulation on animal confinement in order to be sold in California. The law stipulates sow enclosures must have at least 24 square feet of room. The law, which passed as a state referendum, was supported by animal rights organizations that say this spacing would give the animals enough space to turn around freely.The west-coast state is a major pork consumer, meaning its laws have a big impact on pork production across the country and in states like Iowa, which produces the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=108733" target="_blank">most</a>&nbsp;pork in the nation.Pork producers said the law would disrupt the pork supply chain and raise costs at the consumer level, as producers retrofit their facilities to comply with the law.Eldon McAfee, counsel for IPPA, said the organization was “disappointed, obviously” by the decision and that many pork producers “don’t understand” how a California law “can be enforced here in Iowa.”McAfee said producers believe this should be a marketplace decision driven by consumer and producer choice, not an enforcement.“We do not believe it can be mandated by law, we believe it is unconstitutional,” McAfee said. “But the court disagreed in the NPPC case and declined to accept this case.”McAfee referenced a<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/03/28/u-s-supreme-court-will-hear-dispute-over-californias-pork-sale-restrictions/" target="_blank">&nbsp;Supreme Court decision</a>&nbsp;against the National Pork Producers Council’s petition of the California law.He said while the court did not issue an explanation of the decision, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24-728.html" target="_blank">docket entries</a>&nbsp;show justices discussed the case seven times before eventually declining the petition, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh dissenting.McAfee said the next step forward is legislative action.“The courts have stated the basic premise that it is the federal government, Congress, that regulates interstate commerce,” McAfee said. “We believe the best option is federal legislation … to prevent this type of law.”U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Iowa, has also been a vocal opponent of Proposition 12, working with other Republicans in Iowa and other states to advance legislation the past several years that would supersede the state law.“This mandate on Iowa hog farmers increases pork prices for families, makes hog farming needlessly more expensive, harms our rural communities, and threatens our food security,” Feenstra said in a statement Monday. “I remain committed to getting a new, five-year Farm Bill signed into law that repeals Prop 12 and delivers certainty and clarity for our hog farmers.”This article was originally published by&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/" target="_blank">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, a part of States Newsroom.

Supreme Court declines to hear Iowa pork producers’ case against California law

JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspects on multiple allegations

&nbsp;Just after&nbsp; 3:30 a.m. Monday, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a person with a gun threatening people and a report of multiple gun shots at 18199 S. Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

Deputies responded to the location and while on scene discovered that a pickup at the residence was used in running down a man on a motorcycle causing injuries to the man. It was reported that the pickup also struck a second vehicle.

On Monday, Jackson County Sheriff Deputies and Detectives served a search warrant at the scene. Three juveniles that were found staying at the residence were placed into police protective custody.

Chellcie Lynn Sparks, 37, of Mayetta was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of attempted second degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, criminal threat, criminal restraint, aggravated endangering a child, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.&nbsp; The sheriff's office released no details on the condition of the motorcyclist.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751399232739.png" alt="Sparks photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Sparks photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspects on multiple allegations&nbsp;Just after&nbsp; 3:30 a.m. Monday, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a person with a gun threatening people and a report of multiple gun shots at 18199 S. Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.Deputies responded to the location and while on scene discovered that a pickup at the residence was used in running down a man on a motorcycle causing injuries to the man. It was reported that the pickup also struck a second vehicle.On Monday, Jackson County Sheriff Deputies and Detectives served a search warrant at the scene. Three juveniles that were found staying at the residence were placed into police protective custody.Chellcie Lynn Sparks, 37, of Mayetta was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of attempted second degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, criminal threat, criminal restraint, aggravated endangering a child, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.&nbsp; The sheriff's office released no details on the condition of the motorcyclist.

Kansas woman accused of running motorcyclist down with a pickup

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on drug allegations.

Just before 3:30p.m.&nbsp;&nbsp;June 24, a Sheriff’s Deputy&nbsp;conducted a traffic stop on a white Ford Taurus in the 1700 block of SW Topeka Boulevard, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. A K-9 Unit assisted and illegal narcotics were located.&nbsp;

Dee’Yana A. S. Scaggs, 20, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant and Use/possess with intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body

Stanley K. Lawton, 76, of Topeka, was also arrested and booked into the SNDOC for Topeka bench warrants. He has previous drug convictions and was in the Kansas prison system from 1984-2004, according the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1751294324511.png" alt="Lawton photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Lawton photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on drug allegations.Just before 3:30p.m.&nbsp;&nbsp;June 24, a Sheriff’s Deputy&nbsp;conducted a traffic stop on a white Ford Taurus in the 1700 block of SW Topeka Boulevard, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. A K-9 Unit assisted and illegal narcotics were located.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1751294285377.png" alt="Scaggs photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Scaggs photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Dee’Yana A. S. Scaggs, 20, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant and Use/possess with intent to use drug paraphernalia into human bodyStanley K. Lawton, 76, of Topeka, was also arrested and booked into the SNDOC for Topeka bench warrants. He has previous drug convictions and was in the Kansas prison system from 1984-2004, according the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Kan. couple with 56-year age difference caught with illegal drugs

President Trump on Tuesday toured the new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-alligator-alcatraz-history-immigration-detention-activism-796d5fae66d28de45c647241aa02d7bd">immigration detention center</a>&nbsp;in Florida known as "Alligator Alcatraz."

President Trump on Tuesday toured the new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-alligator-alcatraz-history-immigration-detention-activism-796d5fae66d28de45c647241aa02d7bd">immigration detention center</a>&nbsp;in Florida known as "Alligator Alcatraz."<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump: &quot;It&#39;s known as alligator alcatraz, which is very appropriate, because I looked outside and it&#39;s not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon...We&#39;re surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland and the only way out is really deportation.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/vAcOPWifwX">pic.twitter.com/vAcOPWifwX</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1940087277398466733?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Biden wanted me in here ... Didn&#39;t work out that way.&quot; 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/pP76ik1huq">pic.twitter.com/pP76ik1huq</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1940072389598941416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ: MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN! 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/kfMZuMwc9N">pic.twitter.com/kfMZuMwc9N</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1940128362892337660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> at Alligator Alcatraz: &quot;Between <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sec_Noem</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovRonDeSantis</a> and the whole group — it&#39;s really government working together.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/NnbPBwg87b">pic.twitter.com/NnbPBwg87b</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1940070379470430636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sec_Noem</a> on the ground at &quot;Alligator Alcatraz&quot; in the Everglades <a href="https://t.co/di8AZY95bD">pic.twitter.com/di8AZY95bD</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1940067632725602696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><a href="https://t.co/ovBH34PX8o">pic.twitter.com/ovBH34PX8o</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1940075727875084645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥President Trump toured Florida's  “Alligator Alcatraz” 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1751156588594.png" alt="File photo U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., talks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)" />
 <figcaption>File photo U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., talks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)</figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The Big Beautiful Bill kicks 1.4 MILLION illegal immigrants off Medicaid. For too long, Americans have been paying for the welfare of people who shouldn&#39;t even be in our country. Today, the Senate voted to end that. And yes—this DID make it into the final draft of the bill. 🧵&mdash; Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenEricSchmitt/status/1940116526964908323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/aUaeIqJ9H9">pic.twitter.com/aUaeIqJ9H9</a>&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1940078883421778342?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The Big Beautiful Bill ends that arrangement by restricting Medicaid eligibility. According to the official data from the CBO (see below), that kicks a whopping 1.4 million illegal immigrants off the Medicaid rolls. <a href="https://t.co/zTeutcnpIz">pic.twitter.com/zTeutcnpIz</a>&mdash; Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenEricSchmitt/status/1940116541808468441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Mo. U.S. Senators celebrate passage of 'Big, Beautiful Bill

WASHINGTON –&nbsp;Senate Republicans passed&nbsp;President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;big&nbsp;tax breaks and spending cuts bill Tuesday on the narrowest of margins after a turbulent overnight session.

Moments after the vote, Kansas U.S. Senator&nbsp;Jerry Moran released a statement on his vote in support of the Big, Beautiful Bill. Moran wrote,&nbsp;&nbsp;“The Senate budget reconciliation bill provides certainty for Kansans by preventing a tax hike on middle-class families and small businesses, while also investing in the long-term security of our southern border and bolstering our military’s capabilities at a time when threats from our adversaries are increasing."

“As this legislation was being drafted, I worked to make certain hospitals in Kansas were at the forefront of these discussions. After numerous discussions with Kansas hospital leaders, my colleagues and Administrator Oz, I was able to make changes to the legislation to make certain Kansas hospitals will not face any immediate cuts upon enactment of this legislation."

“These provisions will protect Kansas’ ability to continue pursuing its application for increased Medicaid payments for certain providers. This change ensures that as state directed payments wind down, Kansas providers will be starting at a higher percentage of enhanced payments buying them much-needed time to utilize federal dollars as payments are reduced."

“I also secured a one-year delay in the implementation of reductions to state directed payments to give Kansas providers more time to access these resources. Finally, I pushed for the establishment of a rural provider fund to aid rural hospitals facing significant financial challenges. These changes and investments, along with tax cuts for Kansas families, will bolster our economy and strengthen the safety of our nation.” &nbsp;

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Protecting Rural Hospitals –&nbsp;Creates a $50 billion fund to provide emergency assistance for rural hospitals at risk of closure due to significant financial hardships.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Securing the Border –&nbsp;Provides robust funding to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to enhance the long-term security of our nation’s borders and inhibit the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the U.S.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ensuring Safety &amp; Modernization in Air Travel –&nbsp;Provides $12.52 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to modernize and enhance safety of air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bolstering U.S. Defense &amp; National Security –&nbsp;Provides $150 billion to the Department of Defense to support the modernization and readiness of our Armed Forces some of which will be spent in Kansas.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Expanding Access to Capital for Farmers &amp; Rural Communities –&nbsp;Includes Sen. Moran’s legislation, the&nbsp;Access to Credit for our Rural Economy (ACRE) Act, which gives greater flexibility to more financial institutions to offer affordable lines of credit to rural and agricultural borrowers.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Supporting Kansas Agriculture&nbsp;–&nbsp;Modernizes Farm Bill provisions that are years overdue by updating agricultural reference prices, makes much-needed updates to disaster programs, bolsters crop insurance and provides more resources for animal health programs. Also, provides permanent relief from the Death Tax to allow Kansas farmers to pass their family farms on to the next generation of producers.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Reducing the Tax Burden for Working Americans –&nbsp;Lowers taxes for American families, workers and small businesses.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1751334816395.png" alt="Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran during the overnight vote-o-rama -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran during the overnight vote-o-rama -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON –&nbsp;Senate Republicans passed&nbsp;President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;big&nbsp;tax breaks and spending cuts bill Tuesday on the narrowest of margins after a turbulent overnight session.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">✅ PASSED: <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> casts the deciding vote as the Senate approves the One Big Beautiful Bill — moving it back to the House and one step closer to President Trump&#39;s desk. <a href="https://t.co/zAcMgrxS0z">pic.twitter.com/zAcMgrxS0z</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1940079817686413712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Moments after the vote, Kansas U.S. Senator&nbsp;Jerry Moran released a statement on his vote in support of the Big, Beautiful Bill. Moran wrote,&nbsp;&nbsp;“The Senate budget reconciliation bill provides certainty for Kansans by preventing a tax hike on middle-class families and small businesses, while also investing in the long-term security of our southern border and bolstering our military’s capabilities at a time when threats from our adversaries are increasing."“As this legislation was being drafted, I worked to make certain hospitals in Kansas were at the forefront of these discussions. After numerous discussions with Kansas hospital leaders, my colleagues and Administrator Oz, I was able to make changes to the legislation to make certain Kansas hospitals will not face any immediate cuts upon enactment of this legislation."“These provisions will protect Kansas’ ability to continue pursuing its application for increased Medicaid payments for certain providers. This change ensures that as state directed payments wind down, Kansas providers will be starting at a higher percentage of enhanced payments buying them much-needed time to utilize federal dollars as payments are reduced."“I also secured a one-year delay in the implementation of reductions to state directed payments to give Kansas providers more time to access these resources. Finally, I pushed for the establishment of a rural provider fund to aid rural hospitals facing significant financial challenges. These changes and investments, along with tax cuts for Kansas families, will bolster our economy and strengthen the safety of our nation.” &nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>’s bill has passed the Senate and will deliver MAJOR wins to every single American. I look forward to seeing it get through the House and to the President’s desk by the 4th of July. 🇺🇸&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1940082519455551861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Sen. Moran’s priorities:·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Protecting Rural Hospitals –&nbsp;Creates a $50 billion fund to provide emergency assistance for rural hospitals at risk of closure due to significant financial hardships.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Securing the Border –&nbsp;Provides robust funding to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to enhance the long-term security of our nation’s borders and inhibit the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the U.S.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ensuring Safety &amp; Modernization in Air Travel –&nbsp;Provides $12.52 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to modernize and enhance safety of air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bolstering U.S. Defense &amp; National Security –&nbsp;Provides $150 billion to the Department of Defense to support the modernization and readiness of our Armed Forces some of which will be spent in Kansas.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Expanding Access to Capital for Farmers &amp; Rural Communities –&nbsp;Includes Sen. Moran’s legislation, the&nbsp;Access to Credit for our Rural Economy (ACRE) Act, which gives greater flexibility to more financial institutions to offer affordable lines of credit to rural and agricultural borrowers.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Supporting Kansas Agriculture&nbsp;–&nbsp;Modernizes Farm Bill provisions that are years overdue by updating agricultural reference prices, makes much-needed updates to disaster programs, bolsters crop insurance and provides more resources for animal health programs. Also, provides permanent relief from the Death Tax to allow Kansas farmers to pass their family farms on to the next generation of producers.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Reducing the Tax Burden for Working Americans –&nbsp;Lowers taxes for American families, workers and small businesses.

🎥Moran explains his vote to help Senate pass the Big, Beautiful Bill

TOPEKA –&nbsp;The Kansas State Fire Marshal (KSFM) Investigation Division was requested to assist with a fatality fire in the 200 block of West 6th&nbsp;Street, Solomon, on Tuesday.

KSFM Special Agents were requested by local authorities after they responded to a house fire with a fatality.&nbsp; Three Special Agents/Certified Fire Investigators were sent to assist with this fire event, according to a media release from the State Fire Marshal's office.

According to the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office, they were notified at 4:44 a.m. of the fire. The residence was fully engulfed when firefighters and deputies arrived.

Deputies assisted a man from the residence through a window. Two adults and a juvenile were able to make it out of the burning structure safely. They notified firefighters and deputies that there was teen still trapped inside. Deputies attempted to gain entry through a doorway and a window, but were not able to gain entry due to the intense heat and smoke.

After the fire was brought under control by firefighters, the female victim, Elizabeth Lillian Ohl, 17, was located inside the residence by firefighters.

The fire incident is classified as undetermined, with multiple potential causes that could not be ruled out.&nbsp;

DICKINSON COUNTY— Authorities are investigating the cause of a fatal fire in Dickinson County.

&nbsp;Just after 4:30a.m. Tuesday the Sheriff’s Office was notified of a house fire in the 200 block of West 6th Street in Solomon, according to a statement from the Dickinson County Sheriff's office.

 The residence was fully engulfed when firefighters and deputies arrived.

Deputies assisted a man from the residence through a window. Two adults and a juvenile were able to make it out of the burning structure safely. They notified firefighters and deputies that there was another person still trapped inside. Deputies attempted to gain entry through a doorway and a window, but were unable to gain entry due to the intense heat and smoke.

After the fire was brought under control, firefighters found the victim was inside of the home. The Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Sheriff’s Office are conducting a joint investigation. The sheriff's office has not released the name of the victim or additional details.

TOPEKA –&nbsp;The Kansas State Fire Marshal (KSFM) Investigation Division was requested to assist with a fatality fire in the 200 block of West 6th&nbsp;Street, Solomon, on Tuesday.KSFM Special Agents were requested by local authorities after they responded to a house fire with a fatality.&nbsp; Three Special Agents/Certified Fire Investigators were sent to assist with this fire event, according to a media release from the State Fire Marshal's office.According to the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office, they were notified at 4:44 a.m. of the fire. The residence was fully engulfed when firefighters and deputies arrived.Deputies assisted a man from the residence through a window. Two adults and a juvenile were able to make it out of the burning structure safely. They notified firefighters and deputies that there was teen still trapped inside. Deputies attempted to gain entry through a doorway and a window, but were not able to gain entry due to the intense heat and smoke.After the fire was brought under control by firefighters, the female victim, Elizabeth Lillian Ohl, 17, was located inside the residence by firefighters.The fire incident is classified as undetermined, with multiple potential causes that could not be ruled out.&nbsp;-------------DICKINSON COUNTY— Authorities are investigating the cause of a fatal fire in Dickinson County.&nbsp;Just after 4:30a.m. Tuesday the Sheriff’s Office was notified of a house fire in the 200 block of West 6th Street in Solomon, according to a statement from the Dickinson County Sheriff's office. The residence was fully engulfed when firefighters and deputies arrived.Deputies assisted a man from the residence through a window. Two adults and a juvenile were able to make it out of the burning structure safely. They notified firefighters and deputies that there was another person still trapped inside. Deputies attempted to gain entry through a doorway and a window, but were unable to gain entry due to the intense heat and smoke.After the fire was brought under control, firefighters found the victim was inside of the home. The Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Sheriff’s Office are conducting a joint investigation. The sheriff's office has not released the name of the victim or additional details.

Fire Marshal: 17-year-old dies in Kansas house fire

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Law enforcement investigating a weekend homicide in Kansas City have identified the victim as 29-year-old&nbsp;Rayondre Johnson, according to KCPD&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

Just after 10 p.m. Sunday, were called to the 3300 block of Cypress Avenue in Kansas City.&nbsp;

They located a man, later identified as Johnson, suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers rendered aid until EMS arrived, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say early information indicates the victim and one or more suspects had an interaction in front of the residence that escalated to gunfire.

If you have information about this case, contact 816-234-5043 or remain anonymous by calling the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

A reward of up $25,000 is available for anonymous tips submitted to the hotline.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Law enforcement investigating a weekend homicide in Kansas City have identified the victim as 29-year-old&nbsp;Rayondre Johnson, according to KCPD&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez.Just after 10 p.m. Sunday, were called to the 3300 block of Cypress Avenue in Kansas City.&nbsp;They located a man, later identified as Johnson, suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers rendered aid until EMS arrived, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.Police say early information indicates the victim and one or more suspects had an interaction in front of the residence that escalated to gunfire.If you have information about this case, contact 816-234-5043 or remain anonymous by calling the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.A reward of up $25,000 is available for anonymous tips submitted to the hotline.

Homicide: Police ID 29-year-old found dead outside KC home

JOHNSON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 3:30a.m. Tuesday in Johnson County.

An electric bicycle driven by 25-year-old Desmond Robinson of Kansas City, Missouri, was westbound on west 95th Street in Overland Park, according to Officer John Lacy.&nbsp; The driver entered the intersection at Metcalf Avenue against the red light, according to Lacy. The electric bike struck a southbound vehicle at the intersection. Robinson was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Lacy.&nbsp;

The other driver was not injured and is cooperating with the investigation. The Overland Park Traffic Safety Unit continues to investigate the accident.

JOHNSON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 3:30a.m. Tuesday in Johnson County.An electric bicycle driven by 25-year-old Desmond Robinson of Kansas City, Missouri, was westbound on west 95th Street in Overland Park, according to Officer John Lacy.&nbsp; The driver entered the intersection at Metcalf Avenue against the red light, according to Lacy. The electric bike struck a southbound vehicle at the intersection. Robinson was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Lacy.&nbsp;The other driver was not injured and is cooperating with the investigation. The Overland Park Traffic Safety Unit continues to investigate the accident.

Mo. man on e-bike dies after 2-vehicle crash

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">Ashley Murray</a>

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans approved their signature tax break and spending cuts package Tuesday with a tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President JD Vance, following days of tense, closed-door negotiations that went until the few last minutes of a marathon amendment voting session.

The 51-50 mostly party-line vote sends the legislation back to the House, where GOP leaders hope to clear the bill for President Donald Trump’s signature this week, by their self-imposed July Fourth deadline. But frustrations throughout the House GOP Conference over changes made in the Senate could delay or even block final approval.&nbsp;

Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina&nbsp;voted against approving the legislation over concerns it would not benefit the country’s finances or Republican voters.

Changes made in final negotiations were not immediately clear or publicly available.

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski , whose support had been unclear until the vote, and Majority Whip John Barrasso, of Wyoming, left the chamber to catch an elevator together just after 9:30 a.m. Eastern.

Asked if the bill was in the hands of the parliamentarian, Murkowski quipped, “I think it’s in the hands of the people that operate the coffee machine.”

Barrasso said “Yes” when asked if it would pass this morning.

Trump told reporters on Tuesday morning before leaving for a Florida visit to the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention site that “it’s very complicated stuff” when asked about Senate Republicans’ debate over spending cuts.

“We’re going to have to see the final version. I don’t want to go too crazy with cuts. I don’t like cuts. There are certain things that have been cut, which is good. I think we’re doing well,” Trump said. “We’re going to have to see, it’s some very complicated stuff. Great enthusiasm as you know. And I think in the end we’re going to have it.”

The heart of the nearly 1,000-page legislation extends and expands the 2017 tax law to keep individual income tax rates at the same level and makes permanent some tax breaks on business investments and research and development costs.

The bill would also put in motion some of Trump’s campaign promises, including no tax on qualifying tips, overtime or car loan interest, but only for a few years.

And it slashes spending on the Medicaid program for low-income people and some people with disabilities as well as&nbsp;shifting significant costs of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to states for the first time. It also overhauls federal education aid

It would also bolster spending on border security and defense by hundreds of billions of dollars, including line items for the “golden dome” missile defense system and additional barriers along the southern border.

The measure would provide a substantial funding increase for federal immigration enforcement for detention and removal of people without permanent legal status, aiding the president in carrying out his campaign promise of mass deportations.

The bill would raise the debt limit by $5 trillion, a figure designed to get Congress past next year’s midterm elections before the country would once again bump up against the borrowing limit.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only lose four Republicans if all lawmakers in that chamber attend the vote. Several GOP members have voiced frustration with how the Senate has reworked the legislation, signaling an uphill climb for the bill.

House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith said as he left the Senate cloakroom just after 9:20 a.m. Eastern that lawmakers are “getting closer to a bill signing on July Fourth.”

“If you followed this journey over the last six months, over and over, people said that we could not accomplish a budget (reconciliation bill). We did. They said we would never pass it out of the House. We did. The Senate is going to pass it. The House is going to pass it, and the president’s going to sign it into law,” the Missouri Republican said.

The Senate had adopted three amendments to the bill following an all-night amendment voting session, known as a vote-a-rama.

Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn was able to remove language from the package that would have blocked state and local governments from regulating artificial intelligence for five years if they wanted access to a $500 million fund. That&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00363.htm" target="_blank">vote was 99-1</a>&nbsp;with only North Carolina’s Tillis voting to keep the language in the package.

Blackburn said the change was necessary because lawmakers in Congress have “proven that they cannot legislate on emerging technology.”

Senators approved an amendment from Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst by voice vote that would disqualify “anyone making a million dollars or more from being eligible for unemployment income support.”

Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy was able to get an amendment adopted by a voice vote that would move up the date when Medicaid administrators must begin checking the Social Security Administration’s death master file to determine if a new enrollee is alive before adding them to the health program. It was set to begin on Jan. 1, 2028, but will now begin one year earlier.

Senators rejected dozens of amendments offered by both Democrats and Republicans, some of which deadlocked on 50-50 votes. Maine’s Collins and Alaska’s Murkowski broke with their party several times to vote with Democrats.

Hawaii Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono tried to eliminate a sweeping private school voucher program that’s baked into the reconciliation package, but that vote failed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00358.htm#position" target="_blank">50-50</a>. Collins, Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer and Murkowski voted in support.

The original proposal called for $4 billion a year in tax credits beginning in 2027 for people donating to organizations that provide private and religious school scholarships.

But the parliamentarian last week&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gun-silencer-school-voucher-provisions-dropped-gop-mega-bill-us-senate" target="_blank">deemed the program</a>&nbsp;to not comply with the “Byrd Bath,” a Senate process named for the late Sen. Robert Byrd, forcing senators to rework the program.

Details on the finalized version of the program remain unknown as the final bill text has not been released.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Safety funding for Virginia airport across from DC

Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner tried to add language to the bill that would have increased safety funding for airports near Washington, D.C., and established a memorial for the victims who died in a crash this January. The vote failed on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00367.htm" target="_blank">a tied 50-50 vote</a>, with Collins, Kansas GOP Sen. Jerry Moran and Murkowski voting with Democrats in support.

“Colleagues, we all know that on January 29 of this year, 67 individuals lost their lives when a military helicopter and a passenger jet collided near Reagan National Airport. This tragedy underscores the need for more safety improvements at National Airport,” Warner said. “The reconciliation bill increases, actually doubles, the amount of rent that National and Dulles pay the government but doesn’t use any of that money to make those airports and the people who use them any safer.”

He argued there was “no good rationale for increasing those rents and not using them for aviation safety.”

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz spoke against Warner’s amendment, saying the rents for the two airports in Virginia near the nation’s capital haven’t been updated in decades.

“The federal government originally calculated the rent in 1987 at $7.5 million dollars, massively below market rates,” Cruz said. “This bill increases that to $15 million, still dramatically below market rates.”

Cruz — chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation — said the legislation includes $12.5 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration to “transform the air traffic control system” and said his panel is looking into the collision in order to prevent something similar from happening again.&nbsp;

Trump budget director’s office targeted

Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen also got within one vote of having an amendment adopted when he tried to remove a section from the bill that would increase funding for the White House budget office by $100 million.

“This is at a time when (Federal Emergency Management Agency) grants to many of our states have been canceled, grants for law enforcement have been frozen, grants for victims of crimes are on hold,” Van Hollen said. “That is not efficiency. That is creating chaos and uncertainty. And I ask my colleagues, why in the world would we want to send another $100 million to OMB?”

Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson opposed the efforts, saying “the Office of Management and Budget needs to identify budgeting and accounting efficiencies in the executive branch. They need the resources to do it.”

The amendment was not added to the bill following another&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00368.htm" target="_blank">tied 50-50 vote</a>&nbsp;with Collins, Murkowski and Paul voting with Democrats in favor.

Had GOP leadership wanted either of those proposals added to the package, they could have had Vance break the tie, but they did not.

Collins loses vote on rural hospital fund

Maine’s Collins tried to get an amendment added to the legislation that would have increased “funding for the rural health care provider fund to $50 billion dollars and expand the list of eligible providers to include not only rural hospitals but also community health centers, nursing homes, ambulance services, skilled nursing facilities and others.”

Collins said the additional $25 billion in funding for the fund would be paid for by “a modest increase in the top marginal tax rate, equal to the pre-2017 rate for individuals with income above $25 million and married couples with income above $50 million.”

Collins’ amendment was subject to a Senate procedural limit known as a budget point of order. She was unable to get the votes needed to waive that on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00355.htm" target="_blank">22-78 vote</a>.

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against Collins’ proposal, calling it “flawed,” and introduced the budget point of order against her amendment.

“The danger Senate Republicans are causing for rural hospitals is so great, Republicans have had to create a rural hospital relief fund so they can look like they are fixing the problem they are causing,” Wyden said. “It is a Band-Aid on an amputation. It provides just a tiny fraction of the nearly $1 trillion in cuts the bill makes to Medicaid. It would be much more logical to simply not cut $1 trillion from Medicaid in the first place.”

Collins received a mix of support from Republicans, including West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito, Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy, Utah’s John Curtis, Nebraska’s Fischer, South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, Missouri’s Josh Hawley, Ohio’s Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno, Mississippi’s Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker, Louisiana’s Kennedy, Kansans Roger Marshall and Moran, Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, Alaskans Dan Sullivan and Murkowski and Indiana’s Todd Young.

Also voting to waive the point of order and move forward with the amendment were Georgia’s Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock and Virginia’s Warner, all Democrats, and independent Maine Sen. Angus King.

Shauneen Miranda contributed to this report.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1751134086185.png" alt="White House image" />
 <figcaption>White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">Ashley Murray</a>WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans approved their signature tax break and spending cuts package Tuesday with a tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President JD Vance, following days of tense, closed-door negotiations that went until the few last minutes of a marathon amendment voting session.The 51-50 mostly party-line vote sends the legislation back to the House, where GOP leaders hope to clear the bill for President Donald Trump’s signature this week, by their self-imposed July Fourth deadline. But frustrations throughout the House GOP Conference over changes made in the Senate could delay or even block final approval.&nbsp;Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina&nbsp;voted against approving the legislation over concerns it would not benefit the country’s finances or Republican voters.Changes made in final negotiations were not immediately clear or publicly available.Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski , whose support had been unclear until the vote, and Majority Whip John Barrasso, of Wyoming, left the chamber to catch an elevator together just after 9:30 a.m. Eastern.Asked if the bill was in the hands of the parliamentarian, Murkowski quipped, “I think it’s in the hands of the people that operate the coffee machine.”Barrasso said “Yes” when asked if it would pass this morning.<h2>Trump weighs in</h2>Trump told reporters on Tuesday morning before leaving for a Florida visit to the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention site that “it’s very complicated stuff” when asked about Senate Republicans’ debate over spending cuts.“We’re going to have to see the final version. I don’t want to go too crazy with cuts. I don’t like cuts. There are certain things that have been cut, which is good. I think we’re doing well,” Trump said. “We’re going to have to see, it’s some very complicated stuff. Great enthusiasm as you know. And I think in the end we’re going to have it.”The heart of the nearly 1,000-page legislation extends and expands the 2017 tax law to keep individual income tax rates at the same level and makes permanent some tax breaks on business investments and research and development costs.The bill would also put in motion some of Trump’s campaign promises, including no tax on qualifying tips, overtime or car loan interest, but only for a few years.And it slashes spending on the Medicaid program for low-income people and some people with disabilities as well as&nbsp;shifting significant costs of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to states for the first time. It also overhauls federal education aidIt would also bolster spending on border security and defense by hundreds of billions of dollars, including line items for the “golden dome” missile defense system and additional barriers along the southern border.The measure would provide a substantial funding increase for federal immigration enforcement for detention and removal of people without permanent legal status, aiding the president in carrying out his campaign promise of mass deportations.The bill would raise the debt limit by $5 trillion, a figure designed to get Congress past next year’s midterm elections before the country would once again bump up against the borrowing limit.<h2>On to the House</h2>House approval is far from guaranteed.Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only lose four Republicans if all lawmakers in that chamber attend the vote. Several GOP members have voiced frustration with how the Senate has reworked the legislation, signaling an uphill climb for the bill.House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith said as he left the Senate cloakroom just after 9:20 a.m. Eastern that lawmakers are “getting closer to a bill signing on July Fourth.”“If you followed this journey over the last six months, over and over, people said that we could not accomplish a budget (reconciliation bill). We did. They said we would never pass it out of the House. We did. The Senate is going to pass it. The House is going to pass it, and the president’s going to sign it into law,” the Missouri Republican said.<h2>Three amendments succeed</h2>The Senate had adopted three amendments to the bill following an all-night amendment voting session, known as a vote-a-rama.Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn was able to remove language from the package that would have blocked state and local governments from regulating artificial intelligence for five years if they wanted access to a $500 million fund. That&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00363.htm" target="_blank">vote was 99-1</a>&nbsp;with only North Carolina’s Tillis voting to keep the language in the package.Blackburn said the change was necessary because lawmakers in Congress have “proven that they cannot legislate on emerging technology.”Senators approved an amendment from Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst by voice vote that would disqualify “anyone making a million dollars or more from being eligible for unemployment income support.”Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy was able to get an amendment adopted by a voice vote that would move up the date when Medicaid administrators must begin checking the Social Security Administration’s death master file to determine if a new enrollee is alive before adding them to the health program. It was set to begin on Jan. 1, 2028, but will now begin one year earlier.Senators rejected dozens of amendments offered by both Democrats and Republicans, some of which deadlocked on 50-50 votes. Maine’s Collins and Alaska’s Murkowski broke with their party several times to vote with Democrats.<h2>National private school voucher program</h2>Hawaii Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono tried to eliminate a sweeping private school voucher program that’s baked into the reconciliation package, but that vote failed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00358.htm#position" target="_blank">50-50</a>. Collins, Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer and Murkowski voted in support.The original proposal called for $4 billion a year in tax credits beginning in 2027 for people donating to organizations that provide private and religious school scholarships.But the parliamentarian last week&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gun-silencer-school-voucher-provisions-dropped-gop-mega-bill-us-senate" target="_blank">deemed the program</a>&nbsp;to not comply with the “Byrd Bath,” a Senate process named for the late Sen. Robert Byrd, forcing senators to rework the program.Details on the finalized version of the program remain unknown as the final bill text has not been released.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Safety funding for Virginia airport across from DC</h2>Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner tried to add language to the bill that would have increased safety funding for airports near Washington, D.C., and established a memorial for the victims who died in a crash this January. The vote failed on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00367.htm" target="_blank">a tied 50-50 vote</a>, with Collins, Kansas GOP Sen. Jerry Moran and Murkowski voting with Democrats in support.“Colleagues, we all know that on January 29 of this year, 67 individuals lost their lives when a military helicopter and a passenger jet collided near Reagan National Airport. This tragedy underscores the need for more safety improvements at National Airport,” Warner said. “The reconciliation bill increases, actually doubles, the amount of rent that National and Dulles pay the government but doesn’t use any of that money to make those airports and the people who use them any safer.”He argued there was “no good rationale for increasing those rents and not using them for aviation safety.”Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz spoke against Warner’s amendment, saying the rents for the two airports in Virginia near the nation’s capital haven’t been updated in decades.“The federal government originally calculated the rent in 1987 at $7.5 million dollars, massively below market rates,” Cruz said. “This bill increases that to $15 million, still dramatically below market rates.”Cruz — chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation — said the legislation includes $12.5 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration to “transform the air traffic control system” and said his panel is looking into the collision in order to prevent something similar from happening again.&nbsp;<h2>Trump budget director’s office targeted</h2>Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen also got within one vote of having an amendment adopted when he tried to remove a section from the bill that would increase funding for the White House budget office by $100 million.“This is at a time when (Federal Emergency Management Agency) grants to many of our states have been canceled, grants for law enforcement have been frozen, grants for victims of crimes are on hold,” Van Hollen said. “That is not efficiency. That is creating chaos and uncertainty. And I ask my colleagues, why in the world would we want to send another $100 million to OMB?”Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson opposed the efforts, saying “the Office of Management and Budget needs to identify budgeting and accounting efficiencies in the executive branch. They need the resources to do it.”The amendment was not added to the bill following another&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00368.htm" target="_blank">tied 50-50 vote</a>&nbsp;with Collins, Murkowski and Paul voting with Democrats in favor.Had GOP leadership wanted either of those proposals added to the package, they could have had Vance break the tie, but they did not.<h2>Collins loses vote on rural hospital fund</h2>Maine’s Collins tried to get an amendment added to the legislation that would have increased “funding for the rural health care provider fund to $50 billion dollars and expand the list of eligible providers to include not only rural hospitals but also community health centers, nursing homes, ambulance services, skilled nursing facilities and others.”Collins said the additional $25 billion in funding for the fund would be paid for by “a modest increase in the top marginal tax rate, equal to the pre-2017 rate for individuals with income above $25 million and married couples with income above $50 million.”Collins’ amendment was subject to a Senate procedural limit known as a budget point of order. She was unable to get the votes needed to waive that on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00355.htm" target="_blank">22-78 vote</a>.Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against Collins’ proposal, calling it “flawed,” and introduced the budget point of order against her amendment.“The danger Senate Republicans are causing for rural hospitals is so great, Republicans have had to create a rural hospital relief fund so they can look like they are fixing the problem they are causing,” Wyden said. “It is a Band-Aid on an amputation. It provides just a tiny fraction of the nearly $1 trillion in cuts the bill makes to Medicaid. It would be much more logical to simply not cut $1 trillion from Medicaid in the first place.”Collins received a mix of support from Republicans, including West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito, Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy, Utah’s John Curtis, Nebraska’s Fischer, South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, Missouri’s Josh Hawley, Ohio’s Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno, Mississippi’s Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker, Louisiana’s Kennedy, Kansans Roger Marshall and Moran, Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, Alaskans Dan Sullivan and Murkowski and Indiana’s Todd Young.Also voting to waive the point of order and move forward with the amendment were Georgia’s Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock and Virginia’s Warner, all Democrats, and independent Maine Sen. Angus King.Shauneen Miranda contributed to this report.&nbsp;

US Senate narrowly passes GOP megabill after overnight session, sending it to House

On behalf of the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Highway Patrol announced Monday the fallen officer escort of Deputy Brandon Gaede from Wichita, Kansas, to Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel in Phillipsburg, Kansas, on July 1, according to a statement from the KHP.&nbsp; Deputy Gaede died in the line of duty on June 27.

The escort, to include the Kansas law enforcement and larger first responder community, will leave Wichita at approximately noon and travel north on Interstate 135 through Salina. They will continue west out of Salina on Interstate 70 to exit 159, then go north on US-183 to westbound US-36. 

The escort will enter the city of Phillipsburg from the east on US-36/State Street. During the escort, motorists traveling along this route may experience delays.

Funeral services for Gaede are scheduled for July 5 at 10:30 a.m. in the Huck Boyd Community Center in Phillipsburg.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1751127258786.png" alt="Deputy Brandon Gaede" />
 <figcaption>Deputy Brandon Gaede</figcaption>
 </figure>On behalf of the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Highway Patrol announced Monday the fallen officer escort of Deputy Brandon Gaede from Wichita, Kansas, to Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel in Phillipsburg, Kansas, on July 1, according to a statement from the KHP.&nbsp; Deputy Gaede died in the line of duty on June 27.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fplsoks%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02psbjBGUNjdnTehkNMQPvsHGmCFrb5NSbZtyyye9uhi8zTwXPRLgsgcucy8BCwhFkl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="698" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>The escort, to include the Kansas law enforcement and larger first responder community, will leave Wichita at approximately noon and travel north on Interstate 135 through Salina. They will continue west out of Salina on Interstate 70 to exit 159, then go north on US-183 to westbound US-36. The escort will enter the city of Phillipsburg from the east on US-36/State Street. During the escort, motorists traveling along this route may experience delays.Funeral services for Gaede are scheduled for July 5 at 10:30 a.m. in the Huck Boyd Community Center in Phillipsburg.

Funeral plans announced for Fallen Kansas deputy

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating a violent altercation that injured two teenagers at a skate park in Kansas City, Missouri.

Just after 1a.m. Sunday, police&nbsp;responded to report of a disturbance at 6401 NE Pleasant Valley Road in Kansas City, according to a statement from police.

First responders learned that a girl had been struck by a car, which fled the scene. They also learned that a teenager girl had arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound. The 15-year-old shooting victim told hospital staff she was shot at Pleasant Valley Skate Park, according to police.

The injured girl reported a verbal altercation broke out and people began pushing and hitting the vehicle she was in. The driver of the vehicle, who was listed as a victim of aggravated assault, began to drive away as the altercation continued.

Someone fired a gun as they drove off. The gunshots struck the car and the girl who was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The driver and other victim was a 16-year-old girl.&nbsp; Police have not reported a possible suspect or an arrest.

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating a violent altercation that injured two teenagers at a skate park in Kansas City, Missouri.Just after 1a.m. Sunday, police&nbsp;responded to report of a disturbance at 6401 NE Pleasant Valley Road in Kansas City, according to a statement from police.First responders learned that a girl had been struck by a car, which fled the scene. They also learned that a teenager girl had arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound. The 15-year-old shooting victim told hospital staff she was shot at Pleasant Valley Skate Park, according to police.The injured girl reported a verbal altercation broke out and people began pushing and hitting the vehicle she was in. The driver of the vehicle, who was listed as a victim of aggravated assault, began to drive away as the altercation continued.Someone fired a gun as they drove off. The gunshots struck the car and the girl who was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The driver and other victim was a 16-year-old girl.&nbsp; Police have not reported a possible suspect or an arrest.

Girls hurt in disturbance, shooting at Kansas City skate park

CHRISTIAN COUNTY—Two people died in an accident just before 9p.m. Monday in Christian County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Ford F150 driven by a 40-year-old Webb City man was westbound on Melton Road just west of Mills Road in Highlandville.

The pickup crossed the center line and sturck a 2013 Honda Odyssey driven by a 45-year-old Highlandville woman head-on.

The driver and a 52-year-old passenger in the Honda were pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; EMS transported the driver of the pickup and a baby boy in the Honda to Cox South in Springfield. All four were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

CHRISTIAN COUNTY—Two people died in an accident just before 9p.m. Monday in Christian County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Ford F150 driven by a 40-year-old Webb City man was westbound on Melton Road just west of Mills Road in Highlandville.The pickup crossed the center line and sturck a 2013 Honda Odyssey driven by a 45-year-old Highlandville woman head-on.The driver and a 52-year-old passenger in the Honda were pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; EMS transported the driver of the pickup and a baby boy in the Honda to Cox South in Springfield. All four were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

2 adults dead, man and baby injured after Missouri head-oncrash

The cuts were needed, Gov. Kehoe said, to make up for education spending beyond his recommendation and to anticipate revenue shortfalls in future years

BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

Gov. Mike Kehoe made his first round of&nbsp;<a href="https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Fiscal_Year_2026_Veto_Summary.pdf" target="_blank">budget vetoes</a>&nbsp;hurt Missouri lawmakers where it matters most, in the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/29/missouri-senate-to-debate-budget-with-450-million-in-spending-on-pet-projects/">earmarked state funds</a>&nbsp;they added to spending plans this year.

Kehoe on Monday signed the package of 13 spending bills passed by lawmakers this year, but not before vetoing $300 million in general revenue items and putting a hold on spending for $211 million more.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Fiscal_Year_2026_Veto_Summary.pdf" target="_blank">list of cuts</a>&nbsp;eliminated 109 of the 248 earmarked items tracked by The Independent throughout the budget process. Another 23 were reduced by the Republican governor’s use of the line-item veto and 23 more are under restriction, meaning the only way the money will be spent is if Kehoe specifically orders it or lawmakers vote to override him.

The cuts were necessary, Kehoe said in a news release, because state revenues are being squeezed by extra spending for public schools he did not support,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/07/missouri-bill-exempting-capital-gains-from-income-tax-sent-to-governor/">tax cuts</a>&nbsp;he does support and the cost of disaster relief from a major tornado in St. Louis and storms in other parts of the state.

In all, Kehoe issued 208 line-item vetoes and put&nbsp;<a href="https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Expenditure_Restrictions_-_July_1_2025.pdf" target="_blank">restrictions on 32 expenditure items</a>. The budget passed by lawmakers, the release said, had 450 items and nearly $775 million spending Kehoe did not recommend.

“We want to assure Missourians that this action is not indicative of a larger economic problem, as our economy remains strong and resilient,” Kehoe said in the release. “Just as President Trump and the federal government is reigning in spending, the State of Missouri must do the same. While we do not have an economic problem in Missouri, we do have a spending problem in state government.”

The vetoes and spending restrictions come despite a historically healthy state surplus and revenues for the current fiscal year that are exceeding expectations. Through Friday, revenues for the current fiscal were $216 million more than anticipated when the budget was written and $31 million more than an updated estimate made in December.

That will change in the coming year and beyond, the release said.

“The Office of Administration’s Division of Budget and Planning estimates a nearly $1 billion shortfall in general revenue starting in (fiscal year 2027),” the release stated. “Contributing to this shortfall, ongoing general revenue spending authorized in the (fiscal year 2026) budget is projected to outpace ongoing revenues by nearly over $1 billion and grow larger in future years.”

In the letters accompanying his budget actions, Kehoe refers regularly to the revenue issue as his basis for vetoes and restrictions.

“A course correction in state finances is not only warranted but will be constitutionally required to achieve a balanced budget in future years and safeguard Missouri’s financial security and AAA bond rating going forward,” Kehoe wrote.

When Kehoe&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">released his budget proposal</a>&nbsp;in January, it anticipated the state would end the current fiscal year with an unobligated general revenue balance of $2.6 billion. At that time, the unobligated surplus at the end of the coming fiscal year was projected at $1.4 billion, but during the recent special session state Budget Director Dan Haug told lawmakers he expects&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/10/end-of-multi-billion-missouri-fiscal-surplus-is-near-budget-director-says/">no more than half that amount</a>&nbsp;— $600 million to $700 million — will remain on June 30, 2026.

Kehoe is wrong to use uncertainty about future revenues and the size of the remaining surplus to justify his cuts, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough, a Republican from Springfield, said in an interview with The Independent.

He told the governor that in a conversation last week, Hough said.

“He said revenues aren’t really coming in where we thought they were,” Hough said. “And I said, ‘Well, governor, I hate to disagree with you on this, but it’s actually about a percent over what we agreed on for the (consensus revenue estimate) as far as I know right now.”

Lawmakers approved $53.4 billion in spending for the coming year, including $16 billion in general revenue. Kehoe’s actions reduced the total budget to $50.8 billion and $15.5 billion in general revenue. A large portion of the overall reduction is from Kehoe vetoing changes in how federal highway funds are managed.

Major new spending items in the budget include:

The surplus revenue being used by lawmakers and Kehoe in the budget approved Monday represents money accumulated when tax collections increased at double-digit rates for two years and the state substituted federal COVID relief funds for general revenue spending.

The state collected $13.4 billion in general revenue last year and the consensus revenue estimate released in December projected receipts would&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-revenue-estimate-predicts-70-million-drop-in-state-tax-receipts-through-june/">decline by about 0.6%</a>&nbsp;in the current fiscal year. Revenues through Friday were up by about 0.4%.

The projected increase in revenue for the coming year has evaporated because of a tax cut bill enacted by lawmakers that is&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/07/missouri-bill-exempting-capital-gains-from-income-tax-sent-to-governor/">awaiting Kehoe’s signature</a>&nbsp;and possible revenue reductions due to federal tax changes.

The new tax break would allow investors to reap the profits from long-term capital gains — the increase in value of an asset held for 12 months or longer — without paying state income tax. The bill also would expand the “Circuit Breaker” tax credit intended to offset property taxes for lower-income seniors and people with disabilities.

The tax changes being debated at the federal level are also likely to lower Missouri tax collections. The House-passed version of the budget reconciliation bill would reduce Missouri tax receipts by at least $170 million in the coming year,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/02/proposed-federal-tax-changes-could-mean-170m-or-more-cut-to-missouri-state-revenues/">experts have said</a>, while changes to benefits such as Medicaid and food stamps could&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/23/cuts-to-food-aid-endorsed-by-congressional-gop-could-cost-missouri-400-million/">shift hundreds of millions</a>&nbsp;of costs from federal to state taxpayers.

The vetoes and restrictions can be reversed by legislative override votes, which would take place in September. The vetoes and restrictions include, for example, almost every general revenue-funded road project added by lawmakers, including projects in Hough’s district, the district of Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Republican from Shelbina, and House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, a Republican from Noel.

One item important to Deaton, $19 million to buy land in McDonald County for a state park in his district, drew a second veto, but most of the money made it through. Kehoe cut $7.5 million from the appropriation, while Gov. Mike Parson, who left office in January, vetoed a similar appropriation in its entirety a year ago.

Whether any of the vetoes or restrictions will be overridden will depend on how mad people are about them, Hough said.

“It just depends on what the specific line would be that would rise to the level of irritating people enough to the point where they say, ‘We want to go override the governor in his first year,’” Hough said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1751334447404.png" alt="Image from the Governor's video" />
 <figcaption>Image from the Governor's video</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The cuts were needed, Gov. Kehoe said, to make up for education spending beyond his recommendation and to anticipate revenue shortfalls in future years</h2>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Gov. Mike Kehoe made his first round of&nbsp;<a href="https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Fiscal_Year_2026_Veto_Summary.pdf" target="_blank">budget vetoes</a>&nbsp;hurt Missouri lawmakers where it matters most, in the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/29/missouri-senate-to-debate-budget-with-450-million-in-spending-on-pet-projects/">earmarked state funds</a>&nbsp;they added to spending plans this year.Kehoe on Monday signed the package of 13 spending bills passed by lawmakers this year, but not before vetoing $300 million in general revenue items and putting a hold on spending for $211 million more.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today, I signed the FY26 state operating budget bills. We appreciate the work of the General Assembly in getting this to my desk. Here&#39;s more on how this budget reflects our commitment to limited government, fiscal discipline, and a long-term vision to support public priorities. <a href="https://t.co/5XfXAdrov4">pic.twitter.com/5XfXAdrov4</a>&mdash; Governor Mike Kehoe (@GovMikeKehoe) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovMikeKehoe/status/1939800729339744658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The&nbsp;<a href="https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Fiscal_Year_2026_Veto_Summary.pdf" target="_blank">list of cuts</a>&nbsp;eliminated 109 of the 248 earmarked items tracked by The Independent throughout the budget process. Another 23 were reduced by the Republican governor’s use of the line-item veto and 23 more are under restriction, meaning the only way the money will be spent is if Kehoe specifically orders it or lawmakers vote to override him.The cuts were necessary, Kehoe said in a news release, because state revenues are being squeezed by extra spending for public schools he did not support,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/07/missouri-bill-exempting-capital-gains-from-income-tax-sent-to-governor/">tax cuts</a>&nbsp;he does support and the cost of disaster relief from a major tornado in St. Louis and storms in other parts of the state.In all, Kehoe issued 208 line-item vetoes and put&nbsp;<a href="https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Expenditure_Restrictions_-_July_1_2025.pdf" target="_blank">restrictions on 32 expenditure items</a>. The budget passed by lawmakers, the release said, had 450 items and nearly $775 million spending Kehoe did not recommend.“We want to assure Missourians that this action is not indicative of a larger economic problem, as our economy remains strong and resilient,” Kehoe said in the release. “Just as President Trump and the federal government is reigning in spending, the State of Missouri must do the same. While we do not have an economic problem in Missouri, we do have a spending problem in state government.”The vetoes and spending restrictions come despite a historically healthy state surplus and revenues for the current fiscal year that are exceeding expectations. Through Friday, revenues for the current fiscal were $216 million more than anticipated when the budget was written and $31 million more than an updated estimate made in December.That will change in the coming year and beyond, the release said.“The Office of Administration’s Division of Budget and Planning estimates a nearly $1 billion shortfall in general revenue starting in (fiscal year 2027),” the release stated. “Contributing to this shortfall, ongoing general revenue spending authorized in the (fiscal year 2026) budget is projected to outpace ongoing revenues by nearly over $1 billion and grow larger in future years.”In the letters accompanying his budget actions, Kehoe refers regularly to the revenue issue as his basis for vetoes and restrictions.“A course correction in state finances is not only warranted but will be constitutionally required to achieve a balanced budget in future years and safeguard Missouri’s financial security and AAA bond rating going forward,” Kehoe wrote.When Kehoe&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">released his budget proposal</a>&nbsp;in January, it anticipated the state would end the current fiscal year with an unobligated general revenue balance of $2.6 billion. At that time, the unobligated surplus at the end of the coming fiscal year was projected at $1.4 billion, but during the recent special session state Budget Director Dan Haug told lawmakers he expects&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/10/end-of-multi-billion-missouri-fiscal-surplus-is-near-budget-director-says/">no more than half that amount</a>&nbsp;— $600 million to $700 million — will remain on June 30, 2026.Kehoe is wrong to use uncertainty about future revenues and the size of the remaining surplus to justify his cuts, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough, a Republican from Springfield, said in an interview with The Independent.He told the governor that in a conversation last week, Hough said.“He said revenues aren’t really coming in where we thought they were,” Hough said. “And I said, ‘Well, governor, I hate to disagree with you on this, but it’s actually about a percent over what we agreed on for the (consensus revenue estimate) as far as I know right now.”Lawmakers approved $53.4 billion in spending for the coming year, including $16 billion in general revenue. Kehoe’s actions reduced the total budget to $50.8 billion and $15.5 billion in general revenue. A large portion of the overall reduction is from Kehoe vetoing changes in how federal highway funds are managed.Major new spending items in the budget include:<ul>
 <li>A $300 million increase for the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/23/missouri-school-funding-task-force-turns-its-attention-to-property-tax-inequities/">foundation formula</a>, the state’s basic aid program for public schools.</li><li>$107 million to revamp the child care payment system so providers receive their money at the beginning of each month for the children enrolled in their center.</li><li>$50 million to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/08/missouri-budget-negotiators-agree-to-spend-50-million-on-private-school-scholarship-program/">expand the number of children</a>&nbsp;served by the MOScholars voucher program, which helps parents pay tuition at private and parochial schools.</li><li>A state employee pay raise plan based on longevity, with raises up to 10%, plus pay increases for Department of Corrections officers who work in high-security and administrative segregation areas.</li><li>Almost $93 million to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/29/cost-balloons-for-missouri-taxpayers-in-medicaid-contract-dispute/">pay off a judgment</a>&nbsp;against the state for damages claimed by a vendor who worked on the state’s computerized Medicaid enrollment system. A $23 million judgment grew to more than $50 million as the state appealed and interest accrued. The appropriation includes both state and federal funds to allow flexibility in the way the judgment is paid.</li>
 </ul>The surplus revenue being used by lawmakers and Kehoe in the budget approved Monday represents money accumulated when tax collections increased at double-digit rates for two years and the state substituted federal COVID relief funds for general revenue spending.The state collected $13.4 billion in general revenue last year and the consensus revenue estimate released in December projected receipts would&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-revenue-estimate-predicts-70-million-drop-in-state-tax-receipts-through-june/">decline by about 0.6%</a>&nbsp;in the current fiscal year. Revenues through Friday were up by about 0.4%.The projected increase in revenue for the coming year has evaporated because of a tax cut bill enacted by lawmakers that is&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/07/missouri-bill-exempting-capital-gains-from-income-tax-sent-to-governor/">awaiting Kehoe’s signature</a>&nbsp;and possible revenue reductions due to federal tax changes.The new tax break would allow investors to reap the profits from long-term capital gains — the increase in value of an asset held for 12 months or longer — without paying state income tax. The bill also would expand the “Circuit Breaker” tax credit intended to offset property taxes for lower-income seniors and people with disabilities.The tax changes being debated at the federal level are also likely to lower Missouri tax collections. The House-passed version of the budget reconciliation bill would reduce Missouri tax receipts by at least $170 million in the coming year,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/02/proposed-federal-tax-changes-could-mean-170m-or-more-cut-to-missouri-state-revenues/">experts have said</a>, while changes to benefits such as Medicaid and food stamps could&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/23/cuts-to-food-aid-endorsed-by-congressional-gop-could-cost-missouri-400-million/">shift hundreds of millions</a>&nbsp;of costs from federal to state taxpayers.The vetoes and restrictions can be reversed by legislative override votes, which would take place in September. The vetoes and restrictions include, for example, almost every general revenue-funded road project added by lawmakers, including projects in Hough’s district, the district of Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Republican from Shelbina, and House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, a Republican from Noel.One item important to Deaton, $19 million to buy land in McDonald County for a state park in his district, drew a second veto, but most of the money made it through. Kehoe cut $7.5 million from the appropriation, while Gov. Mike Parson, who left office in January, vetoed a similar appropriation in its entirety a year ago.Whether any of the vetoes or restrictions will be overridden will depend on how mad people are about them, Hough said.“It just depends on what the specific line would be that would rise to the level of irritating people enough to the point where they say, ‘We want to go override the governor in his first year,’” Hough said.

Missouri governor hits earmarks with veto pen as he signs state budget

RILEY COUNTY —The investigation into the aggravated arson which occurred on June 13, at Walmart, 101 E Bluemont Avenue in Manhattan, is still an active investigation, according to a statement from the Riley County Police Department.

The RCPD has forwarded an affidavit to the Pottawatomie County District Attorney’s Office for review and consideration for prosecution.

The Riley County Police Department is leading the investigation into the incident while working closely with the Manhattan Fire Department.

Just before 5p.m. on June 13, the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to a fire reported at Walmart,&nbsp; 101 Bluemont Avenue, according to a media release.

Upon arrival, crews found people evacuating and light smoke showing at the doors. Employees were extinguishing the fire as crews arrived at the middle of the store where the fire occurred.&nbsp;

Crews ensured that extinguishment was complete by overhauling the area and taking smoldering material outside.

Just before 7p.m., Walmart was still closed while fire crews evacuate smoke from inside the building. No injuries were reported.&nbsp; There was considerable smoke damage.

Riley County Police Department, Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office, and Pottawatomie County EMS responded to assist.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1751321189617.png" alt="Photo Manhattan Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photo Manhattan Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>RILEY COUNTY —The investigation into the aggravated arson which occurred on June 13, at Walmart, 101 E Bluemont Avenue in Manhattan, is still an active investigation, according to a statement from the Riley County Police Department.The RCPD has forwarded an affidavit to the Pottawatomie County District Attorney’s Office for review and consideration for prosecution.The Riley County Police Department is leading the investigation into the incident while working closely with the Manhattan Fire Department.Just before 5p.m. on June 13, the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to a fire reported at Walmart,&nbsp; 101 Bluemont Avenue, according to a media release.Upon arrival, crews found people evacuating and light smoke showing at the doors. Employees were extinguishing the fire as crews arrived at the middle of the store where the fire occurred.&nbsp;Crews ensured that extinguishment was complete by overhauling the area and taking smoldering material outside.Just before 7p.m., Walmart was still closed while fire crews evacuate smoke from inside the building. No injuries were reported.&nbsp; There was considerable smoke damage.Riley County Police Department, Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office, and Pottawatomie County EMS responded to assist.

Police: Investigation of alleged arson fire at Kan. Walmart continues

The Justice Department on Monday announced the results of its 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants, including 96 doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other licensed medical professionals, in 50 federal districts and 12 State Attorneys General’s Offices across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving over $14.6 billion in intended loss, according to a statement from the DOJ.