Rural Caucus Newsletter September 18th 2026
Our schools are getting shortchanged yet again, Rural Democrats. It's like a hobby with them. After more than two decades of Republican control in Jefferson City, the State Board of Education refused to request the $300 million our public schools are owed under state law: Missouri education board declines to seek $300 million increase in school aid • Missouri Independent. Instead, they froze funding and cut so deeply that they even eliminated Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, taking free books away from our youngest readers. When they say the money “doesn’t exist,” what they really mean is that corporate interests come first and rural kids come last. These cuts hit rural Missouri the hardest. Small towns don’t have extra staff, grant writers, or big budgets needed to absorb this kind of blow. Every dollar they withhold is a dollar our teachers, bus routes, and classrooms will never see.
The following is a statement from Senate Democratic Leader Doug Beck on the Missouri State Board of Education's decision to underfund local public schools by hundreds of millions of dollars next year:
“The Missouri State Board of Education has an obligation to follow the law and to report to legislators the funding needs of our local public schools for the next year. Instead, they surrendered their authority, cowered under political pressure from a Republican administration, and told politicians what they wanted to hear. At a time when Missouri’s kids, parents, and teachers needed real leadership, the Board of Education failed them.”
Now the state is rolling out a new A–F grading scale that punishes rural districts even more: Missouri districts could see 2025 data tied to A-F grading plan by end of September - ABC17NEWS. Under this system, a school can drop a full letter grade just because a few kids were sick on test day. Rural districts don’t have the extra staff or data teams that larger, well‑resourced districts rely on to navigate complicated testing systems. That’s the reality. And while every public school is graded under this new A–F scale, charter schools are completely exempt. Rural schools get the labels; charter schools get a free pass.
Missouri News
We love this for him: Missouri voters file second class action lawsuit against Denny Hoskins in less than a week • Missouri Independent along with the whistleblower: Whistleblower sues Secretary of State, adding to office's legal woes - Missouri Lawyers Media. But it's never-ending: Missouri Republicans ask federal court to revive gerrymandered map, block referendum • Missouri Independent. It’s the same two‑decade tug‑of‑war over one blunt question: What happens when voters pass something the Republicans - who have been running the state for 23 years - didn’t want passed? Who has the last word? We know the answer: they take another swing. And another. And another. And it will not stop unless voters use their power on November 3rd to vote them out
Of course Hawley rolled out the first Missouri Prayer Breakfast stunt... in DC: Josh Hawley pushes Republicans to sign anti-abortion 'Declaration for Life'. His ‘Declaration for Life’ drafted by hand‑picked pastors, talks about the ‘scourge’ of mifepristone, and pretends this is some grand spiritual awakening - not a coordinated attempt to juice turnout and scare voters before November when we're voting on Amendment 3. Its the same playbook every time: wrap the politics in a prayer and slap a pledge on it.
Kehoe said he’ll regulate Flock cameras ‘to the extent permissible by law,’ which is weird because Missouri doesn’t have any laws regulating Flock cameras: Flock cameras to get guardrails in Missouri | STLPR. So now we’ve got an executive order full of tough‑guy language about ‘safeguards’ and ‘criminal referrals,’ but it’s basically a stopgap until the legislature decides whether it wants to do anything real.
Buckle up, folks. It’s about to get real fun at the pump: Gas Prices To See ‘Staggering Increases’ Across Multiple States - Newsweek and average gasoline prices in Missouri surged 15.9 cents per gallon over the past week: Missouri gas prices jump nearly 16 cents as geopolitical tensions rattle markets | hannibal. You don’t have to drive a diesel truck to get hit by diesel prices. If it was grown, harvested, shipped, delivered, refrigerated, or stocked, diesel touched it: Diesel prices are hitting record highs at a bad time for many U.S. farmers | State News | columbiamissourian.com and you pay for that touch. To really stress everyone out, some photos are showing gas stations running out of diesel: Some Gas Stations ‘Out of Diesel’ as Prices Surge - Newsweek: GasBuddy's nationwide data indicates that, at least for now, the incidents being shared online are isolated.
Are we the only ones surprised Sam could be bought for such a bargain-bin rate? Missouri congressman urged leniency for Ponzi schemer who hired longtime consultant • Missouri Independent. What's crazy about this is Graves said Jawahar can "re-enter society as a productive citizen," but he's not a citizen. In the same letter, Graves pointed out that if he's in prison for a long time, he will not be able to pay restitution. But the end goal was to get a presidential pardon from Trump which means he won't have to pay restitution at all.
And the first measles case in 20 years in St. Louis County: Missouri train ride led to Kansas City-area measles case that’s exposed 250 people so far • Missouri Independent
National News
Trump finalized a move to gut wildlife protections - a demolition job on the Endangered Species Act’s core safeguard: habitat protection. In another major strike, Trump administration escalates its assault on the Endangered Species Act | Humane World for Animals. The administration rewrote the definition of “harm” so narrowly that developers can bulldoze, drill, mine, or log in critical habitat as long as they don’t literally kill the animal on‑site. Now, “harm” has no regulatory definition at all. Environmental groups warn this is a fast‑track to extinction, because habitat loss is the #1 driver of species collapse.The changes have sparked significant public debate, legal action, and pushback from conservationists and a bipartisan group of lawmakers: Trump’s endangered species habitat rule repeal faces pushback | CNN
Trump's EPA has not just weakened but entirely erased the limits on climate pollution from coal and gas power plants: Trump’s EPA repeals pollution limits on fossil fuel power plants : NPR. And this is happening when 2026 is shaping up to be the warmest year ever recorded so we ain't seen nothing yet: It Still Feels Like Summer in Parts of the US. Blame El Niño | WIRED
Trump is weighing at least 12 data‑center and data-center infrastructure proposals covering roughly 17,600 acres of federal public land across six Western states: Trump Is Considering More Data Centers on Public Lands Than Previously Known - The Washington Sun. Many of these projects were not previously disclosed and are not easily found on BLM’s website, meaning the scale was larger than publicly known until The Washington Sun’s investigation.
The FBI’s old standards? Yeah, those can apparently be waved off now. Polygraphs throw up red flags and the new line is basically, “Well, they were traumatized (as young adults).” Kash Patel on Why the FBI Changed Its Mind on Bestiality Hires: We Don’t Want To ‘Punish Victims’.
Trump threatened earlier this month to halt trade with any nation running a trade deficit with the United States unless the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates. Trump threatens to stop trading with countries that have a trade deficit unless the Fed cuts rates. Fast forward to this week, Warsh raised rates by a quarter point, its first hike in three years: Why the Federal Reserve hiked rates this week. It’s wild watching this play out - Trump pushed out Jerome Powell for not marching to his tune, and now Warsh turns around and hikes the rates anyway. The hike is a double-edged sword: it will make borrowing for homes, autos and other purchases more expensive. But if you've been socking money away, you'll probably earn a bit more interest on your savings: What the Fed rate hike likely means for you | PBS News
The Senate Ag Committee advanced the Farm Bill along party lines yesterday, doubling down on a status quo that serves corporate greed at the expense of rural communities and the family farmers and ranchers who feed us. It now goes to the full Senate: With McConnell Back, Senate Ag Committee Advances Farm Bill on Party Lines.
In closing...
Well, at least we finally got a piece of good news in the middle of all this Republican‑made chaos. The Supreme Court just shut down Trump’s last‑minute attempt to restrict mail ballots for the midterms. Supreme Court rejects Trump’s mail ballot limits before elections | AP News. But voting‑rights groups and Democratic officials are gearing up for what they see as possible election interference from the Trump administration as we head into the midterms. After winning the fight to protect mail ballots, they recognize the need to shore up the rest of the system.
Common Cause Common Cause: Fighting For The Democracy We Deserve - Common Cause is launching a nationwide voter‑protection effort, placing thousands of trained volunteers at polling sites across 25 states to push back against any attempt to intimidate voters - including the possibility of troops or law enforcement being sent to the polls: With vote-by-mail court fight settled, attention shifts to protections at the polls • Missouri Independent The Democratic Party is also expanding its protection program, deploying 10,000 volunteers across all 50 states and seven territories to help voters navigate any barriers thrown in their way: Democrats to send volunteers to polls this November to prevent voter intimidation : NPR.
These moves are meant to get ahead of any attempt to skew election results. Voting‑rights advocates say they’re preparing for more pressure and more attempts to discourage people from casting a ballot. They warn that the threats facing voters are real, urgent, and designed to make everyday Americans give up. That’s where we come in.
Given how Missouri Republicans are trying to silence our participation, we know better than anyone that democracy only works when every voter can participate without fear, interference, or intimidation. Our job is to stay alert, stay organized, and make sure every Missourian who wants to vote...votes.
Joshua Dunne
Chair
Jacqueline Farr
Vice-Chair
John Parks
Treasurer
