Shortly after attendees of Missouri Republican Party Lincoln Days sang a rousing rendition of the Village People’s “YMCA” on Friday evening, U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt took the stage to express unequivocal support for President Donald Trump.
“Those who believe they can remain neutral in this are naive.” “We must all pick a side,” Schmitt stated. “Over the past decade, a great darkness has arisen in our country, a darkness that seeks to snuff out the flame that our forefathers lit centuries ago.”
So far, Missouri Republican leaders have remained staunchly supportive of Trump, despite the fact that the Republican president’s second administration has sparked near-hourly debate over spending cuts and significant shifts in foreign policy.
On Saturday morning, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley began his annual Lincoln Days breakfast by expressing relief that Trump was back in office.
“We have a window of opportunity now to save the soul of this country,” Hawley told the press. “The American people do not want what has been shoved down their throats for the past four years. The American people want to protect their children. They want the streets to be safe. They want the border to be closed. “They want our towns to thrive again.”
Republican elected officials across the country have largely refrained from criticizing Trump’s initial actions. And Hawley strongly supports some of his key decisions, such as cutting off logistical support to Ukraine’s efforts to repel Russia’s invasion.
However, Hawley told reporters on Saturday that he does not support drastic cuts to the federal workforce, which would jeopardize some of his top priorities. This includes cleaning up radioactive waste in St. Louis and St. Charles counties, as well as establishing conservation offices across the state.
“We’ve got to make sure, at the end of the day, we are delivering on what our taxpayers have paid for,” Hawley told the press. “I want to ensure that our veterans receive the best possible care. And, listen, I spoke with the president about this. I believe the president shares all of these goals. So I support the efficiency and service of a government that works for the people.”
Schmitt stated that everything the Trump administration does “has to do with programming and personnel, which squarely fits into the executive branch.” However, he did state that Congress will eventually have to be more active in terms of how money is appropriated during Trump’s presidency.
He also expressed hope that major federal employers, such as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in St. Louis, will not face significant workforce reductions.
“NGA, obviously, is very important to me,” Schmitt explained. “I think it’s part of this defense tech capital moving forward.”
Watching for backlash
Lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Bob Onder, R-St. Charles County, say Trump is more disciplined, focused, and ready to carry out his agenda in his second nonconsecutive term than when he first took office in 2017.
“In the second term, he came prepared to go. He had a team in place. “He knew what he wanted to do,” Onder explained.
While there’s no doubt that Trump’s popularity among Missourians helped the state’s Republican Party gain clout, they’re also keeping an eye on whether some of his initial actions, such as cuts to the federal budget and popular programs, spark a broader backlash that dampens enthusiasm among the party’s activists and elected leaders.
“We just need to continue to work together to make sure that our priorities are Missourians’ priorities, and they match their values,” Mike Kehoe, Missouri’s governor, said.
Trump won the state’s electoral votes three times in a row, all by double digits. He is particularly popular in rural areas of the state, such as southeast and northeast Missouri, which were historically Democratic-leaning.
Attendees at Lincoln Days praised Trump for a number of executive orders and administrative actions, particularly his immigration policy and plans to reduce taxes. And, for the most part, they support Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts to reduce spending.
“I think the reason Missourians resonate so well with President Trump is he represents the working men and women across this country,” says Mike Kehoe, the state’s governor. “In Missouri, those same working men and women must make difficult financial decisions for their families. They must trim the fat, which they cannot always do in the era of Biden inflation. So, I believe President Trump is doing what Missourians want him to do. He wants a government that is the right size, while still providing essential services to those in need.
However, this does not mean that Trump’s first acts as president have not caused problems for Missouri Republicans.
Trump’s tariffs and federal job cuts have sparked opposition from some business groups and Missouri voters. U.S. Rep. Mark Alford, R-Cass County, faced a hostile crowd at a Belton town hall recently, primarily about the impact of layoffs in the federal workforce.
Trump also reversed some of his more unpopular actions, such as asking fired employees to return to work.
“The federal government is too large. The question is, “How big is too big?” said U.S. Representative Jason Smith, R-Salem, chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee. “And whenever you try to reduce the size of the federal government, as Bill Clinton did when he was president, there can be unintended consequences. So I’m sure there will be unintended consequences that must be addressed.”
Smith, on the other hand, applauded Trump for signing an executive order requiring federal employees to work in offices rather than from home.
Protecting Medicaid
For Hawley, one of the most important tests of whether Republicans can maintain their gains among trade union members and working-class voters in the coming years will be their ability to deliver tangible policy accomplishments.
He also stated that Republicans should avoid cutting Medicaid, including eliminating the enhanced federal Medicaid expansion match, which could have a financial impact on states like Missouri.
“Now if they want to complete the work requirements. I’m all for it. I think that is fantastic. But I’m not going to vote for anything that reduces benefits for people who work and qualify for Medicaid,” Hawley said, citing the fact that 21% of Missourians are on Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.
Some conservative House members advocate for larger spending cuts. And reducing Medicaid may be the most appealing option, especially if cuts to Medicare and Social Security are off the table.
Schmitt did, however, say that Republicans are unlikely to try to cut the Medicaid expansion match in legislation aimed at cutting taxes, restricting immigration, and increasing energy production. That is widely referred to as the reconciliation bill.
“One thing that’s been, everybody’s been pretty consistent on whether it’s Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security, it’s not going to impact benefits,” Schmitt told the crowd. “I think it’s really programmatically, how do you do things to maybe save some money along the way, and then ultimately allowing states to have more flexibility with their models?”
Smith stated that Trump made it clear that any cuts to Medicaid or Medicare would focus on making the programs more efficient or denying access to immigrants without legal status.
While Onder, like U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Ozark, has criticized the overall cost of Medicaid expansion, he does not expect the reconciliation bill to include reductions in the amount of federal funding provided to states to cover the expansion population.
“I have argued from the very beginning, since 2010, that the 90-10 match forever is unsustainable at a time when the federal government is in such a budget and debt problem,” Onder told reporters. “I believe it will eventually have to be addressed. But, in the short term, I believe we can save more than $100 or $200 billion by simply checking eligibility on a regular basis.
