U.S. Senate

The Senate voted to approve the $9 billion rescission package early Thursday.

The Senate voted by a razor-thin margin late Tuesday to advance debate on a package of funding cuts requested by President Trump that would claw back $1.1 billion previously allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

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 Republican megabill cuts trillions in taxes, while scaling back spending on Medicaid and other federal programs. It now heads to the House, where some GOP lawmakers are signaling major objections.

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.

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.

During a public ceremony in Jefferson City, the former U.S. senator and governor was honored for his accomplishments and for not seeing political parties as a barrier for progress.

Sen. Josh Hawley spent his first time in office building up his reputation as an arch-conservative — and in the Jan. 6 insurrection linked himself to President Trump and the MAGA movement. But in several ways, the Missouri senator is also positioning himself as a champion of the working class.

The senior U.S. senator from Missouri is known for his raised fist in solidarity with Trump supporters on January 6, and he was the first Republican senator to object to the 2020 election results. He's also positioned himself as a champion of working class Americans.

The Joint Economic Committee - Minority report released Thursday by Congressional Democrats projects Republican tax cut proposals could mean a one-third cut to Medicaid nationwide. Children, the elderly and rural residents stand to lose the most.

Kunce's hybrid political action committee will be able to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on elections while donating some money directly to candidates. However, his failed U.S. Senate campaign ended the election season with debt.

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.