Rural Caucus Newsletter, July 31st 2026
The 30‑year Treasury yield just hit a 19‑year high, something we haven’t seen since 2007, Rural Democrats. While that might sound like something only Wall Street traders care about, it lands squarely on Missouri’s doorstep. When long‑term interest rates jump, it hits everything Missourians rely on: farm loans, mortgages, hospital financing, equipment purchases, land deals, and even credit cards: US borrowing costs hit 19-year high as Fed holds interest rates | US interest rates | The Guardian. When borrowing gets more expensive, rural communities feel it first and feel it hardest because so much of our economy depends on affordable credit.
This spike is the financial markets yelling, “Inflation isn’t going away, and the government is borrowing a ton of money." Trump's spending habits aren’t helping either. The fact that Trump, besides his other vanity projects, just bought 250 customized Cadillac Escalades Let them eat SUVs: Trump White House orders fleet of luxury cars as Americans struggle | US news | The Guardian only reinforces the warning that he and federal borrowing are out of control. Americans are grinding through a full‑blown affordability crisis - groceries up, gas up, interest rates up - caused largely by Trump’s on-going war against Iran. And in the middle of all that? He goes out and buys a fleet of $90,000‑plus government Escalades? Seriously? Ok...back to the main topic...
Higher Treasury yields are bad news - pushing up interest rates across the board, right when prices are still high and oil costs keep bouncing around. That means higher payments, delayed projects, and fewer affordable options for families, farmers, small businesses, and local governments trying to keep rural Missouri moving.
Missouri News
Imagine threatening to defund an entire public library because toddlers heard a story about a rainbow dinosaur and a kid in a wig. That’s the big moral crisis of the week for the Republicans: Missouri Republicans threaten library funding over ‘rainbow story time’ • Missouri Independent. Hoskins saying he “looked up the books but didn’t read them” is just chef’s kiss. If you’re gonna throw a fit over a children’s book, at least read the thing. It’s ten pages. With pictures.
The AFL‑CIO’s scorecard for Missouri’s congressional delegation shows a pretty blunt split: Republican representatives voted with working‑family priorities only 8% of the time, while Democratic representatives voted with those priorities 100% of the time: Legislator Voting Records | AFL-CIO. That’s especially striking given that surveys estimate up to 45% of union members vote Republican - meaning a large chunk of union households are sending lawmakers to Washington who rarely vote in line with the labor positions their unions publicly support. You might want to share this bit of info with your union friends who vote Republican - they're voting for a representative who will not represent them.
Metadata markers show the voucher data file passed through a treasurer’s office employee’s computer before being uploaded - meaning the leak happened on the state’s end, not the vendor’s: After voucher data leak, Missouri treasurer's office pointed at its contractor • Missouri Independent. Just another example of Vivek Malek’s incompetence and not accepting responsibility.
It's about time! Abortion returns to southwest Missouri after more than two decades without local access • Missouri Independent. We know we're preachin' to the choir...Abortion is healthcare. It’s a private, deeply personal medical decision - made by the patient, her doctor, and, if she wants, the spiritual voice she trusts. It has saved lives & the sanity of countless women.
Here's a good update at who's pouring money into the Amendment 4 & 5 campaigns: Millions are pouring into the Amendment 5 race. Where is it coming from?
Excellent commentary on how our public schools are critical to rural communities: Rural Missouri’s future depends on its public schools • Missouri Independent
National News
If you were hoping for cleaner air, healthier lakes, or fewer respiratory problems, Trump's new EPA rule ain't it: Data center power plants avoid acid rain limits in new Trump EPA rule. It basically says: “We know acid rain is bad, and we know these pollutants hurt people, but tough bongos - deal with it.
Another day, another “let’s make college harder” rule from Trump: this new rule blocks students from getting federal loans if their major isn’t projected to make enough money: Low-paying degrees face federal student loan cutoff under new rule - Los Angeles Times. If your degree doesn’t clear HIS earnings bar, you’re out of luck. Social work, art, religious studies, teaching‑assistant programs, and music get slammed the worst - basically anything that helps people or enriches communities.
And the hits keep comin': The Trump administration announced that it will end a Biden-era program that has helped tamp down the cost of monthly premiums for drug coverage for people on Medicare: Trump administration moves to end Biden-era Medicare Part D subsidy program. The decision means millions of Americans 65 and older will face higher Medicare drug premiums next year, when the cost of living is already a major concern.
Oh great, nothing says “responsible stewardship of public land” like rubber‑stamping a massive data center on 88 acres of federal ground: Trump Admin Approval of Data Center on Public Land Faces Lawsuit - Newsweek. This opens the door to commercial development on public lands, folks, while showing no regard for habitat impacts, water use, or the enormous energy demands of large-scale data centers. This isn’t just about one facility. It’s about federal public lands becoming the next frontier for private AI development.
A provision now taking effect under Trump's Big Bad Bill sends students to private schools at public expense - even if parents make over $500,000: Trump's great private school handout - Salon.com and there's little to no oversight: Barns, go-karts and strip malls: The wild west of private schools that collect taxpayer dollars - Salon.com. It’s no secret that conservatives have spent decades trying to shrink public schools down to size, and every new private‑school funding scheme is another brick pulled out of the foundation. Privatizing American education isn’t a side quest - it’s the goal.
But some good news: the Senate’s education committee shut down Trump's effort to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education which would create a protective “shield” around core Education Department divisions that oversee special education, Native American education, K‑12 programs, and higher education In bipartisan rebuke, Senate panel votes to shield special ed from RFK Jr.'s agency.
Other News
Sure, Flock can help fight crime. But it can also help certain officers commit crimes: Police Keep Losing Their Jobs for Using Flock Cameras to Stalk People – Mother Jones. It's now past 30 cops nationwide caught abusing Flock - that’s just the ones who got sloppy enough to leave a paper trail.
In closing...
A dozen Republican‑led states - with Missouri leading the charge - have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to let Trump’s executive order targeting mail‑in voting go into effect before November’s midterms: GOP states join DOJ in asking Supreme Court to let Trump block some mail ballots - Democracy Docket. Missouri didn’t just sign on, Rural Democrats - they're the lead plaintiff in filing the emergency appeal.
The order they’re defending would force states to send lists of “eligible” mail‑ballot voters to the Postal Service - and then block delivery of ballots from anyone not on those lists. It’s a system built on the assumption that voters - including Missourians - are trying to cheat unless they prove otherwise.
By backing this order, Hanaway's effectively saying Missourians can’t be trusted with their own ballots. The policy presumes fraud first and asks questions later, treating rural voters, seniors, and anyone who relies on mail voting as potential wrongdoers. Missouri is at the center of Trump's effort to restrict mail voting, and Hanaway is backing a plan that treats Missourians as if we're gaming the system instead of simply trying to vote. And with Trump escalating his call to pass the SAVE Act Trump demands Senate cancel August break until it passes the SAVE America Act | PBS News, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ordered the Democratic states to file their response by Aug. 3. She can grant or deny the stay herself, or refer it to the full Court. So as of this moment, everything is still in play.
A huge shout‑out to all the election judges working on August 4. These folks show up before sunrise and keep our local democracy running with patience, accuracy, and a whole lot of heart. We’re grateful for every single one who gives their time to make sure our elections stay fair, smooth, and accessible for everyone.
Joshua Dunne
Chair
Jacqueline Farr
Vice-Chair
John Parks
Treasurer
