Republican Supermajorities

Fail Boone County Residents 

 Schaefer, Rowden, Jones Block Medicaid Expansion

 Columbia, Mo. – The Boone County Democratic Central Committee expressed its great disappointment in the Missouri General Assembly Friday evening as the Assembly concluded its work for 2013 with a legislative session notable only for its abject failure to address issues of real importance to Missourians. Instead of working to accelerate economic development and expand access to health care by strengthening Medicaid, the Republican supermajorities focused on a narrow agenda tailored to appease their largest donors.

 In doing so, Republicans, including Caleb Rowden, Kurt Schaefer and Caleb Jones, have said yes to 9,000 lost jobs and no to 24,000 new ones; yes to $4 billion cut from hospitals’ bottom lines and no to a $9.6 billion boost for the state economy; yes to a 14% uninsured rate and no to health coverage for 300,000 additional Missourians; and, predictably, yes to extreme partisanship and no to over 60 state and local business groups that know this is the right way to grow the economy and increase the quality of life in Missouri.

“Missourians should know that Republicans in the state legislature repeatedly blocked this year’s signature issue: Gov. Nixon and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce’s plan to bring Missouri tax dollars home, expand Medicaid and grow the state economy by $9.6 billion,” said Boone County Democratic Central Committee Chair Homer Page. “In particular, it’s time to hold supposed-moderates Kurt Schaefer and Caleb Rowden accountable for hurting our hospitals and sending our tax dollars to other states.”

As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Schaefer played a key role in rejecting plans to strengthen Medicaid by first excluding Gov. Nixon’s Medicaid proposal from the state’s 2014 budget and then leading committee Republicans in voting against an amendment for its inclusion.

“Sadly, Kurt Schaefer put his 2016 political ambitions before the needs and priorities of his constituents. Whatever hint of moderation Kurt Schaefer once had is now gone,” said Page.

In the House Budget Committee as well as on the House floor, freshman Rep. Caleb Rowden also took the partisan path and sided with Republicans in opposing Medicaid expansion.

“Time after time in Jefferson City, Caleb Rowden joined the ideological extremism and voted with his party to block Medicaid expansion,” said Page. “Yet he also told us he was going ‘to do the tough work and make the tough decisions’ to find a Medicaid solution. Now we know that wasn’t anything more than an empty promise.”

The Boone County Democratic Central Committee represents the Missouri Democratic Party in Boone County and performs such functions required by the laws of the State of Missouri, the Charter and By-Laws of the Democratic Party of the United States, and the Constitution and By-Laws of the Missouri Democratic Party.