Eric Schmitt

The final Senate version of the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" contains restrictions on medical provider taxes that alarmed Missouri health experts — and Sen. Josh Hawley. But he voted for the bill anyways, after adding $50 billion in funding for rural hospitals.

The Missouri Hospital Association strongly opposed a plan to cap medical provider taxes at 3.5 percent. The tax helps hospitals, nursing homes and pharmacies pay to treat low-income patients.

Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee pushed back against the Trump administration's bid to rescind federal funding for public broadcasting and international aid programs. Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt spoke in favor of revoking funding.

Missouri's House Speaker declined to sign a letter calling for passage of the "Big Beautiful Bill," citing its potential impact on the state's Medicaid program. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said the latest proposal "needs work."

The Missouri Republican also said he's confident the U.S. Senate will pass President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," although he agrees with Sen. Josh Hawley that the measure should not cut Medicaid benefits.

California U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff has placed a hold on Ed Martin’s nomination for U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., casting doubt on whether he’ll get confirmed. Schiff said that Martin "demolished the firewalls" between the White House and Justice Department.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said he’s talked to President Trump about keeping the state’s priorities intact. But Missouri Republicans are closely watching if the federal government's mass layoffs, tariffs and cuts to popular programs like Medicaid spark a broader backlash.

The Republican senator expects Republicans will work on overhauling the country’s tax code and pare down governmental regulations priorities. He cast doubt that lawmakers will have enough support to curtail abortion access nationwide.

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a GOP candidate for governor and the official who oversees Missouri elections, claimed "the democrats are trying to steal another election.” U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat, said that nobody is "above accountability."

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is one Republican who has been especially vocal against the United States financially backing Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that Jackson County and St. Louis County should have been allowed to intervene in a lawsuit that struck down local health orders aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

The Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority — MOHELA — is named 85 times in the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion striking down the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness program. The ruling affects more than 777,000 Missourians with federal student loans who would have received $10,000-$20,000 of relief.