Current:Home > ScamsMissouri Senate filibuster ends with vote on multibillion-dollar Medicaid program -RiseUp Capital Academy
Missouri Senate filibuster ends with vote on multibillion-dollar Medicaid program
View
Date:2025-04-14 07:38:26
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A dayslong filibuster in the Missouri Senate ended Thursday after a Republican faction allowed a vote on a more than $4 billion Medicaid program they had been holding hostage.
Senators gave initial approval in a voice vote to a bill that will renew a longstanding tax on hospitals and other medical providers. The measure needs a second vote of approval in the Senate.
Money from the tax is used to draw down $2.9 billion in federal funding, which is then given to providers to care for low-income residents on Medicaid health care.
The vote came after members of the Freedom Caucus, a GOP faction, on Tuesday began blocking any work from getting done on the Senate floor. They took shifts stalling two nights in a row by reading books about former President Ronald Reagan and going through the proposed state budget line by line.
The Freedom Caucus had been leveraging the tax to pressure Senate Republican leaders to pass a bill kicking Planned Parenthood off the state’s Medicaid program, which the chamber did last month.
The House last week sent the measure to Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who is expected to sign it.
On Tuesday, the Freedom Caucus used the hospital tax again to demand that Parson sign the Planned Parenthood defunding bill and that the Legislature pass a proposed constitutional amendment to raise the bar for passing future amendments.
The hope is that raising the vote threshold to amend the constitution would hypothetically make it harder for voters to pass a pending abortion rights amendment this fall.
Republican lawmakers have said raising the bar for amending the constitution is a top priority.
GOP senators only managed to pass the proposal after negotiations with Senate Democrats to strip other election-related language, which House Republicans want, from the proposal.
Senate Majority Lear Cindy O’Laughlin said in a Facebook post Wednesday she plans to bring the measure on constitutional amendments up for debate May 6.
Both the Freedom Caucus and Republican Senate leaders are claiming victory in the extended standoff.
The Freedom Caucus said in a statement they formed a coalition with 18 senators — enough to force a vote without support from Democrats — in support of passing the constitutional amendment.
Other Senate Republicans said the advancement of the crucial hospital tax represents a defeat for the Freedom Caucus.
“What you saw today was the majority of the majority party all sticking together saying we know we have a duty to govern in this state, and we’re going to do whatever we need to do that,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough told the Missouri Independent.
The last time a Missouri Senate filibuster lasted so long was in 2016, when Democrats stood to protest proposed protections for those who cite their faith in denying services such as flowers or cakes for same-sex weddings.
veryGood! (5617)
Related
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Samoa Boxing Coach Lionel Fatu Elika Dies at Paris Olympics Village
- Paris Olympics are time to shine for Breanna Stewart, A'ja Wilson: 'We know what's at stake'
- Paris’ Olympics opening was wacky and wonderful — and upset bishops. Here’s why
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Kamala Harris’s Environmental and Climate Record, in Her Own Words
- 3 men sentenced for racist conspiracy plot to destroy Northwest power grid
- Tom Cruise, Nick Jonas and More Are Team USA's Best Cheerleaders at Gymnastics Qualifiers
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Inside Tatum Thompson's Precious World With Mom Khloe Kardashian, Dad Tristan Thompson and Sister True
Ranking
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Céline Dion's dazzling Olympics performance renders Kelly Clarkson speechless
- Attorney for cartel leader ‘El Mayo’ Zambada says his client was kidnapped and brought to the US
- Meet the trio of top Boston Red Sox prospects slugging their way to Fenway
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- 2024 Paris Olympics highlight climate change's growing threat to athletes
- Body found in Phoenix warehouse 3 days after a storm partially collapsed the roof
- Nevada attorney general appeals to state high court in effort to revive fake electors case
Recommendation
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
Yes, walnuts are good for you. But people with this medical condition should avoid them.
Summer Olympic Games means special food, drinks and discounts. Here's some
Who plays Deadpool, Wolverine and Ladypool in 'Deadpool and Wolverine'? See full cast
John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
Tom Cruise, John Legend among celebrities on hand to watch Simone Biles
Inside Tatum Thompson's Precious World With Mom Khloe Kardashian, Dad Tristan Thompson and Sister True
Drone-spying scandal: FIFA strips Canada of 6 points in Olympic women’s soccer, bans coaches 1 year