Congressman Alford (R-Mo.) among GOP reps advocating for cutting Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security
It took Rep. Mark Alford (MO-4) less than a minute on CNN to completely embarrass himself and our state yet again this week.
As Elon Musk and unelected grifters pillage our coffers, privatizing public services for personal profit, Alford shamelessly sang his praise in hopes that he’d get a cut.
“Elon Musk is a brainiac with an IQ I cannot even fathom,” Alford told CNN when asked if he was OK with the cuts to our essential programs to give billionaires more tax breaks. We can’t fathom simping over a man getting $38 billion annually in government contracts (over $100 million a day) and ignoring the people you were elected to serve, personally.
But more egregiously, Alford then went on to incorrectly state that Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security make up 75% of the U.S. budget before demanding cuts: “We’ve got to find the savings there.”
Maybe Alford can’t fathom that over 2.6 million Missourians (over 40% of our state) get their health care through Medicare and Medicaid. Maybe he can’t fathom that over 1.3 million Missourians (over 20% of our state) receive Social Security benefits.
Progress MO works year-round to hold Missouri politicians accountable for everything they do, from abortion access to fair working conditions to supporting public education. We track what’s going on in Jeff City and D.C. to keep Missourians educated and informed. But we can’t do it without your help.
Pro Publica: Conservatives in the Missouri Legislature are proposing a bill to bankrupt Missouri, giving residents the option to defund our state by donating to anti-abortion centers instead of paying any taxes.
Missouri Independent: Months after Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved a minimum wage increase and paid sick leave requirements, the new laws are under siege in court and the state legislature.
Springfield News-Leader: Congressman Eric Burlison is trying to cut food assistance from the poor and elderly to fund billionaire tax breaks.
Kansas City Star: KC-area families share how looming cuts to Medicaid would hurt their kids lives and cause disruptive instability for their families
New York Times: As Republicans are advised to stop listening to people who live in their districts following disasters like Congressman Mark Alford (R-Mo.), Democrats are launching a nationwide blitz of their districts. MO-2, the district GOP Rep. Anne Wagner represents, is one of the very first up.
St. Louis American: The Missouri legislature, ignoring the will of St. Louis residents and voters statewide, stripped authority over the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department from the city and put it in the hands of Gov. Mike Kehoe and the state.
We all know Sen. Josh Hawley’s hypocrisy knows no bounds. But even our heads were swirling when we saw him celebrate First Amendment restrictions less than a year after he led a hearing on students’ First Amendment rights.
4.6 MILLION Missourians who will see their Social Security benefits slashed under the 2025 GOP budget plan. But at least billionaires will be getting more tax breaks as working Missourians are forced to push back their retirements. Source: House Committee on the Budget.
Missouri’s GOP Congressmen are going on the record in support of cutting Medicaid. Here’s what the proposals to cap matching or end expansion would mean in our state.
Rep. Mark Alford’s buffoonery keeps making headlines as the former TV anchor can’t stop the stream of bad news.
Instead of listening to what actual Missourians want and being accountable to them, Alford’s new strategy is to cut and run. As Missourians from Alford’s district voiced their frustration to state Rep. David Tyson Smith, he shared Alford’s office contact info. Which led to Alford’s staff going to Tyson Smith’s to intimidate them.
Missouri workers are sounding the alarm on HB 567, which would completely eliminate paid sick days that over 57% of Missourians just voted for in November. Not having sick days means workers are forced to choose between putting hundreds of thousands of our coworkers and customers at risk of illness and a paycheck every day.
