Rural Caucus Newsletter, June 12 2026
We’ve got a whole lot to share this week, Rural Democrats - so grab yourself a cold drink, get comfy, and settle in
Russell Vought - Trump’s Director of The Office of Management and Budget and the chief architect of Project 2025 - is trying to check off another box on that agenda. We should set off every alarm bell and wave red flags across Missouri.
What he’s proposing isn’t some minor bureaucratic tweak. It’s a direct attempt to let political appointees override, rewrite, or flat‑out cancel science‑funding decisions based not on the quality of the research, but on whether the scientists’ personal lives and beliefs line up with the ideology of whoever’s in power. That’s not oversight - that’s political litmus‑testing. KUOW - President Trump seeks control of science funding
This is straight out of the authoritarian playbook: centralizing power, punishing dissent, and turning basic rights like free speech, free association, and independent thought into privileges handed out only to people who “fit” the ruling party’s worldview. When government starts deciding who gets research funding based on ideology instead of evidence, that’s not democracy - it's about control and power.
And for rural communities, the danger is even clearer. We rely on federally funded science for everything from crop research to water quality to rural health studies. If political appointees can kneecap research because they don’t like a scientist’s social media posts or personal life, rural Missouri loses out first. We lose the data we need. We lose the innovation we depend on. We lose the independence that keeps our communities strong.
You can do something about it! YOU CAN SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENT on the proposed rule here: Federal Register :: Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance
Public comments are part of the official record - they matter, they’re read, and they can slow down or stop rules like this. When enough people speak up, agencies have to respond. Deadline is July 13, 2026.
There are two more "proposals" we want to highlight that you need to speak out against:
1. Last week, the Trump administration quietly released a sweeping new federal rule that would use funding threats to force institutions across the country to reject transgender people. "Fascism"—New Federal Rule Would Require Federal Funding Recipients To Deny Trans People Exist. SPEAK OUT AGAINST THIS HATE-FILLED RULE: Regulations.gov. The public comment period closes July 13th. This is one of those moments where our voices need to be loud, clear, and impossible to ignore.
2. The National Park Service is taking public comments on Trump’s god‑awful proposed Arch through June 15th (just three days away), so go ahead and put your “I’m disgusted” thoughts in writing while you still can: ParkPlanning - Triumphal Arch at Memorial Circle
Rural Caucus News
Last week, we shared our version of the DNC’s Storyteller program. Some of the feedback we've gotten is that folks weren’t thrilled about having to share their email - they were worried it meant getting placed onto yet another mailing list. So we listened and tweaked the form: 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, not to collect emails people don’t want to give.
On social media, we came across a terrific infographic on key voting dates for the Aug. 4 primary. We've attached it for you to share on your social media and with your community.
Mark your calendars! We’re hosting two virtual informational workshops with Amy Blouin, President and CEO of the Missouri Budget Project, on Wednesday, June 24 and Monday, June 29, both at 7 PM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86501717003?pwd=cnYSH7meUmRSqoUDLeqTY7sKzOndiu.1
Great work, Democrats - the volunteer sign‑up sheet is finally starting to look alive. Of course, we still need more hands. So take a peek at your calendar and see where you can jump in: State Fair Booth Sign-Up - 2026 - Google Sheets. We’ve emailed all the candidates with tent details and the sign up sheet, and asked each county committee to chip in at least $50 if they can swing it. Let’s keep this momentum rolling: 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.
Missouri News
Missouri is postponing its plan to prohibit using federal food aid to purchase candy, prepared desserts and sugary drinks until Feb. 2027. Grocers warned they needed clearer guidance to enforce the new restrictions at the checkout: Missouri delays SNAP restrictions on candy and sugary drinks until 2027 | KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR. The cynical part of us thinks they dragged their feet - or kept the rules fuzzy on purpose - because of midterms.
The Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks (CALO) is part of the for‑profit “troubled teen industry,” a barely regulated pipeline that ships adoptees off at staggering rates. Parents and former staff say kids get almost no schooling and are supervised by barely‑trained employees. And the kicker? Taxpayers are paying the tab. CALO has charged up to $20,000 a month to warehouse adopted kids, sometimes for years.Inside a taxpayer-funded treatment center for adoptees, tales of abuse, neglect and little oversight. Two moms said it felt like "Lord of the Flies".
Judges keep pointing out that some of these “official summaries” barely tell voters what the ballot measures actually do, and Republicans insist the courts are somehow overstepping instead of just fixing the spin: Missouri courts keep rewriting ballot language as fights over direct democracy intensify • Missouri Independent. Hells bells...If Republicans would do what's right, there wouldn't be a reason for the courts to intervene.
"State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said Missouri is about to exhaust the surplus lawmakers relied on to balance the state budget." OUR CORRECTION: Missouri didn’t “run out of money." Republican tax cuts ran Missouri out of money. And Democrats repeatedly warned this was coming: Missouri auditor warns deep budget cuts loom as surplus nears end • Missouri Independent. The Republican tax cuts drained revenue faster than the state could replace it & Fitzpatrick’s own report confirms the danger. Because Missouri can’t borrow, the only options left are emergency cuts - the most painful, least responsible way to govern.
This isn’t an accident, folks. More than 333,000 Missourians lost Medicaid from January 2025 to February 2026, and nearly 92% were kicked off because of paperwork screw‑ups - not because they suddenly stopped qualifying: Medicaid paperwork problems continue to cost thousands of Missourians coverage • Missouri Independent. It's a system working exactly the way they designed it.
The Missouri Association of Realtors clearly understands how important the initiative petition process is - and how much Missourians value having their own voices heard: Missouri Realtors spend $2 million to fight Amendment 4 limits on citizen initiative petitions • Missouri Independent. And this is right after they donated about the same amount to defeat Amendment 5.
National News
Trump continues to roll back environmental protections: Donald Trump allows commercial fishing in Pacific marine national monuments. The monuments were protected because they’re biodiversity hotspots - nurseries for endangered species, coral systems thousands of years old, and habitats you can’t replace once they’re scraped up by a trawler.
Inflation rose to 4.2% in May - the highest level in three years: US inflation tops 4% for the first time in 3 years as Americans get squeezed by high gas prices | AP News and did Trump really say he loved inflation after the report? Why yes he did - repeatedly - on camera, and quoted by every major outlet covering the June 10, 2026 Oval Office. Here: Trump Says He Loves Inflation Caused By Iran War and here: Trump On Inflation Numbers: 'I Love The Inflation' - Newsweek and here: Donald Trump brushes off affordability concerns: 'I love the inflation' - just to share a few.
Listen to this crap and tell us this doesn't sound like political blackmail. Hawley suggested that Todd Blanche’s shot at becoming AG might depend on whether he’ll play ball with Hawley’s shady anti‑abortion crusade: Josh Hawley Wants Todd Blanche’s Version of the DOJ to Help Him With His Anti-Abortion Agenda. He straight‑up wants Blanche’s DOJ to help him meddle in states’ mifepristone lawsuits.
Mike Johnson admitted MAGA extremists have a plan to take a blowtorch to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security in 2027 - if given another term in power: Republican Speaker Mike Johnson admits he has a plan to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. He won't release the plan now...ahead of midterms because he knows their policy will be extremely unpopular. And by the way - they're not "entitlements."
Medicare Advantage plans are denying necessary medical treatment for seniors at high and increasing rates: Major Medicare Advantage insurers appear to deny care for profit, federal watchdog finds | Healthcare Dive. In a companion write-up: Private insurers deny requests for older Americans on Medicare Senate investigators, USA Today, and federal transparency data all show a systemic pattern of insurers completely blocking necessary care for senior citizens.
Other News
A toxic, invasive worm has been spotted in Missouri. Parks and rec employees say if you spot one, don't smash it,. don't touch it, and follow these instructions to kill it: Invasive worm spotted in St. Louis; Here's the best way to kill it.
We thought this was interesting news: Families are moving into a tiny-home community that could become one of the largest in US with rents under $500 a month, The project aims to provide affordable, fully furnished homes with utilities included, making monthly budgeting easier - freeing up more household budgets for essentials such as food, transportation, child care, and savings.
In closing...
Joshua Dunne
Chair
Jacqueline Farr
Vice-Chair
John Parks
Treasurer
