Rural Caucus Newsletter, July 24th 2026
Trump’s creepy pro‑birth crusade has officially come for teenagers, Rural Democrats. Teen pregnancy programs now have to preach traditional marriage and baby‑making instead of offering actual reproductive health. The whole thing’s been rebranded into “reproductive goals counseling,” fertility‑tracking homework, and a stern wag‑the‑finger warning about the supposed dangers of ovulation suppression. And the evidence‑based programs that actually lowered teen pregnancy rates? Canceled. Because...well...of course they were. Feds have a new teen pregnancy prevention plan: Fertility and ‘reproductive goals’ • Missouri Independent
And here’s why Missourians should care: Missouri has relied heavily on those evidence-based programs, especially in rural counties where teen birth rates are higher and access to reproductive health care is already limited. The federal shift means the programs that actually worked for Missouri teens Explore Teen Births in Missouri | AHR are getting tossed out are being replaced with curriculum built around fertility awareness, marriage promotion, and abstinence‑only sermons. The new approach discourages the use of any type of contraception and instead hands teenagers a fertility-tracking worksheet - not exactly helpful for preventing teen pregnancy in communities already stretched thin.
And the kicker? The new funding structure gives extra points to applicants who have never received funds before opening the door for crisis pregnancy centers Beware of “Crisis Pregnancy Centers”: 9 Facts about Fake Clinics which typically do not provide contraception - to step in and claim federal dollars. So yes - this shift hits Missouri squarely in the teeth. Rural teens lose trusted relationships and medically accurate information. In return, they get fertility charts, marriage pep talks, and fewer tools to actually prevent pregnancy.
So what can grassroots Democrats do? Start talking about it - loudly. If Washington wants to swap evidence-based teen pregnancy programs for fertility sermons and ovulation‑tracking homework, rural Missourians need to make sure every parent, teacher and nurse knows exactly what’s being taken away. Show people the data on Missouri’s teen birth rates, especially in rural counties. Push for real reproductive health education, not a federally mandated “baby‑making curriculum.” And remind your neighbors that when politicians cancel programs that actually worked, it’s up to us - the folks living with the consequences - to raise hell until they put them back.
State Fair
We have only 20 days until the opening day of the State Fair. We still have several open shifts so please look and jump in where you can. For everyone's safety, our goal is a minimum of three volunteers per shift and we aren't quite there on several days: State Fair Booth Sign-Up - 2026 - Google Sheets and give what you can: Missouri Democratic Party - Non-Federal — Donate via ActBlue or mail a check to: Missouri Democratic Party, 407 Jefferson St., Jefferson City, MO 65101. Please note on your check that it's for the State Fair tent.
We will have a "State Fair Best Practices" on Thursday, Aug. 6 at 7 PM: Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81741254606?pwd=JpLOrvdKUP6rrNR10gUyhX93WZfMzr.1
Missouri News
The sixth annual Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review, published this month by the MO Dept. of Health and Senior Services, shows 340 Missourians died while pregnant or within a year after pregnancy. Of those, 108 deaths were classified as pregnancy related - meaning their deaths were caused or aggravated by the pregnancy itself - and nearly 80% of them were preventable: Missouri maternal deaths remain mostly preventable, sixth state report finds • Missouri Independent. The latest report does not yet include deaths from 2024 and 2025 - when the state began rolling out several programs and initiatives - championed by the Democrats - aimed at reducing poor maternal outcomes. We’re looking forward to seeing what the next report shows once those efforts are reflected in the data.
Data centers are power hogs (forget about the water usage) - they need massive new, sometimes gigawatt-scale, transmission lines. And Missouri’s laws give utilities broad authority to take land if they can argue the project benefits the grid: When can a power company take your land for data center infrastructure? And electric companies say new large scale powerlines are needed to get more energy onto the grid to serve big power consumers such as artificial intelligence data centers. Now, the utilities argue reducing competition is the fastest way to do it: Missouri lawmakers fight utility bid to bypass competition on new power lines • Missouri Independent
Missouri backed out of the multi‑state lawsuit attacking federal disability protections but only after the feds quietly reversed the Biden‑era rule that said gender dysphoria may qualify as a disability: Missouri drops out of lawsuit challenging federal disability rights protections • Missouri Independent. Some of you may be wondering what “gender dysphoria” actually means. It’s the real conflict that happens when a person’s internal sense of gender doesn’t line up with the sex they were assigned at birth - a persistent, uncomfortable feeling of being out of place in one’s own body. Missouri Republicans don't recognize that very real conflict.
Missouri’s attorney general has decided the real threat to the state isn’t crime, corruption, or crumbling infrastructure - it’s Kansas City daring to consider minority‑ and women‑owned businesses when handing out contracts: Missouri sues Kansas City over diversity contracting program - Axios Kansas City. Hanaway is just clocking in another round of culture‑war theater instead of focusing on the safety of Missourians.
One in five Missouri kids who qualify for childcare help aren’t getting it - 7,389 children are stuck on a waiting list - and that didn’t happen by accident Missouri shelves childcare payment overhaul as thousands remain on waitlist • Missouri Independent - it happened because Republican lawmakers spent down the surplus, repeatedly cut corporate taxes, and then shrug when there's not enough money left for working families. Missouri’s childcare crisis is the direct result of 23 years of Republicans’ “cut now, worry later” budgeting.
National News
FEMA money is supposed to help with floods, tornadoes, fires, and emergencies - not be used as a bargaining chip to force states to adopt federal election and immigration rules: Map Shows States Suing Trump Admin Over FEMA Funding - Newsweek
The U.S. Interior Dept. wrapped up last week by tossing out a rule designed to protect plants and animals on the brink of extinction U.S. cancels automatic protections for imperiled animals as critics warn of extinctions | PBS News apparently deciding that “endangered” is more of a suggestion than a status. It’s the latest move by Trump to peel back the Endangered Species Act, much to the delight of industries that have never met a habitat they couldn’t bulldoze.
More Trump tariffs. First, Trump's plan for tariffs on generic drugs: Problems with Trump’s Plan for Tariffs on Generic Drugs - Public Citizen (100% starting August 2028). Also, a new set of tariffs on all our largest trading partners Trump keeps finding a way to implement his tariff policy : NPR. Real galaxy‑brain moves: making everyday Americans pay more.
Trump’s big “tax relief for seniors” turns out to be a temporary $6,000–$12,000 deduction that vanishes in 2028 - conveniently AFTER the Democrats retake Congress: Democrats Say Social Security Boss' Message Pushed Misleading Statements on Trump Tax Law's Benefits. So yes, you get a little break now, and then the government snatches it back the moment the election calendar is clear.
Victory! A federal court ruled that voting rights groups can continue their challenge to Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting: Federal Judge Finds Disenfranchisement is ‘Plausibly Likely and Imminent’ Due to Executive Order Restricting Mail Voting | Brennan Center for Justice. The court reiterated, “The President plays no role in the regulation of elections,” and that his mandate to USPS is unconstitutional.
The DOJ got spanked very hard in federal court in New York and had to withdraw subpoenas it had recently served on New York Times reporters and their families: Trump administration admits legal errors and withdraws subpoenas of 3 NYT reporters | PBS News/ And the DOJ attorneys barely escaped with their legal hides intact.
Oil is now blasting past $100 a barrel because of Trump's Iran War and the midterms are less than four months away: Looks Like $5 Gas Is Back on the Menu which is just impeccable timing if you enjoy political casualty served with $5 gas. And speaking of casualties: DOD Quietly Changes Number of Soldiers Killed in Iran War | The New Republic and after Democrats called them out for doctoring the numbers, the Pentagon leaves casualty totals uncorrected on website after deaths and injuries disappeared | CNN Politics. Nothing says respect like erasing troops who died or were injured in Trump's Iran war.
Other News
On July 23rd, we participated in an event hosted by KFF and States Newsroom. The event focused on how work requirements and other federal policy changes are affecting states, health care systems, and the people who rely on Medicaid: Medicaid and the Road Ahead: Spending Cuts, Work Requirements and What's Next for States, Providers and Families | KFF. It's worth the time to listen.
If you thought Flock cameras were deeply invasive when they were just mounted to neighborhood stop signs and hidden inside speed trailers, you might want to look up: Police Are Deploying 60 MPH Autonomous Drones to Read Your License Plate from the Sky
In closing...
No‑excuse voting is officially underway in Missouri for the Aug. 4 elections, so make a plan - vote early, vote on Election Day, just vote. And while you’re at it, remind your friends, family, neighbors, and that one guy at the feed store that their ballot matters too. Oh! And don't let up on sharing info on Amendments 4 & 5 and telling folks to vote NO! County election officers are predicting a big turnout: Missouri early voting period opens with a rush that points to high primary turnout • Missouri Independent.
Onward and Upward!
Joshua Dunne
Chair
Jacqueline Farr
Vice-Chair
John Parks
Treasurer
