Rural Caucus Newsletter July 3rd 2026

Jul 7

The Supreme Court closed out its term with a week of rulings that will ripple through every corner of the country, Rural Democrats. In just a few days, the Court weighed in on presidential power, campaign finance, transgender athletes, SCOTUS Concludes Pride Month by Allowing States to Ban Trans Students From Girls’ Sports Teams and federal agency authority. But the decision with the deepest constitutional roots - and the most direct impact on families in our communities - was the Court’s reaffirmation of birthright citizenship. Birthright citizenship: “We break no new ground today” | SCOTUSblog

This wasn’t just another case. It was a full‑blown challenge to the constitutional foundation laid after the Civil War, when the Citizenship Clause was written specifically to prevent the government from deciding who “counts” as American. Lower courts had already blocked the order, and the Supreme Court ultimately agreed: the Constitution means what it says.

Many Republicans - including Trump - have latched onto Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s opinion in the case What in the World Did Brett Kavanaugh Write on Birthright Citizenship? | The New Republic as giving the GOP a roadmap to end birthright citizenship. While he agreed with the court’s majority that Trump’s order was unlawful, Kavanaugh said he disagreed that the 14th Amendment should automatically give citizenship to children born to parents in the country unlawfully or temporarily. He said Congress could take the thrust of Trump’s order and amend that law or pass new legislation “establishing exceptions to birthright citizenship for children born to foreign citizens unlawfully or temporarily in the country.” So the fight isn't over because Kavanaugh has suggested a way to dilute the Citizenship Clause: Despite Supreme Court ruling, the battle over birthright citizenship is just beginning - Democracy Docket

Rural Caucus News

Here is the MO Budget Project presentation on Amendment 5 https://bit.ly/MOBudgetPresentation, Passcode: !6Db9v%Y and attached are the slides Amy used in her presentation. Amy's presentation and information was fantastic!

Help us with our future messaging: The Rural Caucus "What Issues are Important To YOU" - Google Forms. Our only goal here is to hear from you about what issues matter most. Be sure to share with friends, family and on your social media!

Please look at the blank days/shifts and volunteer: 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 had a great conversation with Rep. Adrian Plank about Missouri Rural Progress PAC and we want to help amplify their work: MO Rural Progress PAC — Investing in Rural Missouri Democrats. Every dollar contributed stays in Missouri - deployed by Missourians, in Missouri precincts, on Missouri candidates, for Missouri voters.

Missouri News

Parson’s office burned through $375,000 in state‑funded plane rides, didn’t bother writing down why he needed to play sky‑king, and auditors say a full third of those flights had no identifiable state business at all: Audit finds former Missouri Gov. Mike Parson's state flights often lacked a public purpose • Missouri Independent. A whole lot of taxpayer‑funded takeoffs, no accountability.

Ameren Missouri asked the Missouri Public Service Commission for a $343 million bump in what they get to charge you for basic electric service...again: Ameren Missouri proposes rate hike, monthly bills could rise by $13. Want to get real pissed? Look at the companies profit margin: Q1 2026 Net Income: $357 million (up from $289 million in Q1 2025).Q3 2025 Net Income: $640 million. Ameren Q1 Earnings Outpace Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y

With Kehoe's “grade card” brain cramp, the state’s about to drop half a million bucks just to print the report cards and then burn another $715,000 every single year babysitting the software. And because none of that is actually in the budget - of course it isn’t - he's already planning to go hat‑in‑hand to the legislature for a supplemental cash infusion: Missouri education department’s A-F school grading plan comes with warnings • Missouri Independent. And all this is happening while the state’s surplus is already spent, the auditor is yelling “stop digging,” lawmakers passed a budget with no raises for state employees, and education funding is flatter than a possum on Highway 65.

Don't forget folks, Kehoe blew off the state‑law mandate to increase the public school foundation formula - just plain ignored it: Missouri school districts facing state budget cuts ahead of the 2026-27 school year - KQ2 | St. Joseph, Missouri News, Weather & Sports. But he had zero hesitation handing out $60 million to private schools that don’t have to follow accountability rules.

Missouri’s wheat outlook? Same as everyone else’s - cooked: America's wheat harvest falls to lowest in 150 years - Newsweek. Missouri isn’t Kansas or Texas but input costs are rising everywhere, including Missouri - fuel and fertilizer spikes tied to global conflict hit all farmers, not just the big wheat states. And when wheat acres drop nationally, mills pay more, and those costs get passed down the chain to consumers - including Missouri families buying flour and bread.

With Trump’s Big Bad Bill Act, states with payment error rates above 6% will be required to fund between 5% and 15% of benefits paid out through SNAP, starting Oct. 1, 2027. Missouri’s error rate for federal fiscal year 2025 was 8.67%. Missouri could be on the hook for $150 million due to its error rate.Missouri could be on the hook for $150 million in food benefits due to error rate • Missouri Independent. It will be the first time in the program’s history that federal funds will not cover 100% of benefits issued by states.

National News

A major win! USPS mail-in ballot changes blocked by. federal judge. This is especially significant to Native American rural communities. Native American voters have some of the longest mail delays in the country. Limited post office access, long distances, and rural delivery routes mean ballots often arrive after Election Day even when mailed on time.

Now that Trump decided not to allow the automatic renewal of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), working families could get whacked: Trump Halts USMCA Trade Agreement: How Grocery Bills and Car Prices Could Change - Newsweek. If USMCA ever gets kicked into limbo, tariffs snap back, prices jump, and suddenly your groceries, car parts, and everyday basics cost more. Supply chains get jittery, shelves get patchy, and you end up footing the bill. The agreement is still in force right now but given how Trump likes to play chicken with trade deals, nobody can say what’s coming next.

Trump has spent his term treating pesticide protections as optional - ripping out safeguards and fast-tracking "forever chemicals" like diflufenican, epyrifenacil and chlormequat for use on corn and soybeans. Center for Food Safety | Press Releases | | Trump's EPA Approves More Hazardous Pesticides. Public health and cancer risks are just tiny speed bumps to him - barely worth tapping the brakes. Trump is once again making it crystal clear how little regard he has for Americans’ health.

A weaker than expected jobs report June jobs report: US hiring slows as labor market loses momentum & Fed data showing workers’ share of national economic output is at its lowest level ever recorded Corporate Profits Are Soaring. At The Same Time, Workers Hit Their Lowest Share of National Income Ever Recorded. | IBTimes is further evidence that the Trump economy is not working for the majority of working families. Meanwhile, corporate profits are soaring like they’ve got a rocket strapped to them. And on top of that, US safety net’s shortfalls show up in global data: Americans are not as well off as people in peer nations – US safety net’s shortfalls show up in global data.

Feels like you can’t swing a feed bucket these days without smacking straight into another “you’ve got to be kidding me” story of White House corruption: Trump Cut a Billion-Dollar Mining Deal. His Sons Stand to Profit. - The New York Times. Back in September, Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and the president of Kazakhstan - a Central Asia country - met up and wouldn’t you know it, out pops a shiny exclusive mining deal for Kaz Resources.

Trump raked in almost $1.2 billion from his crypto ventures last year while the folks who bought his tokens got the privilege of watching their investments swan‑dive: Trump filing shows he took in about $1.2 billion from crypto businesses last year | AP News. A close look at Trump’s latest financial disclosure reveals how he turned tariffs into a get-rich-quick scheme: Trump Made Hundreds of Stock Trades One Day Before Pausing Tariffs | The New Republic. Wealth inequality is exploding. People like Trump get to hide their fortunes in assets - empowering him to accumulate political power that corrupts democracy itself - while workers like us get taxed on every dollar we earn. The Founders’ Warnings About Excess Wealth Have Come Appallingly True | The New Republic. The system sticks us with the bill and lets the ultra‑rich stockpile that kind of money.

Other News

A new report says consultants linked to the Trump administration steered money away from the congressionally created America250 effort and into a look‑alike outfit instead: Ranking Member Huffman Releases Report on How Trump Hijacked America's 250th Birthday to Enrich Himself, Sell Access, and Harvest Americans' Data. Investigators say donors who thought they were supporting the bipartisan, congressionally created America250 effort were instead given banking and routing info for Trump's Freedom 250. The findings show donors were misled and funds meant for the official, congressionally chartered nonprofit were diverted to an entirely different entity.

In closing...

This weekend, we’re celebrating America’s 250th birthday - a moment to honor the communities, traditions, and everyday people who’ve carried this country forward for two and a half centuries. From small towns to big cities, the story of America has always been written by folks who show up, pitch in, and look out for one another. It’s also worth remembering that democracy didn’t start here - Indigenous nations, especially the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, AMERICA 250: How the Haudenosaunee shaped America’s democracy - ICT shaped many of the ideas the founders adopted.

One of the biggest omissions in the founding fathers' adaptation was the exclusion of women, even though Haudenosaunee women held vital roles in governance and community life. Indigenous nations had functioning democratic systems long before the United States existed, including the principle of making decisions with future generations in mind - a value Native people have carried forward and one our country still needs today.

While you’re celebrating the 4th of July weekend, stay cool and stay safe out there - heat and Missouri humidity can creep up on you.