Kansas City Today

Missouri's auditor on the future of the state budget

By Brian Ellison,

Published June 22, 2026 at 4:00 AM CDT

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A recently released audit of Missouri’s finances shows the state is on the brink of a budget crisis. Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick discusses what his office found and how he wants elected officials to respond.

State officials say Missouri is on the brink of a budget crisis. State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick tells KCUR's Brian Ellison the state has a spending problem and how he thinks it can be fixed.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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Brian Ellison

As a host and senior news analyst at KCUR, I seek to create a more informed citizenry and richer community. I want to enlighten and inspire our audience by delivering the information they need with accuracy and urgency, clarifying what’s complicated and teasing out the complexities of what seems simple. I work to craft conversations that reveal realities in our midst and model civil discourse in a divided world. Follow me on socials @ptsbrian or email me at brian@kcur.org.

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Byron J. Love

As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.

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