State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released her eighth monthly report detailing the state government’s use of federal stimulus dollars intended for the COVID-19 response. In March, Auditor Galloway announced that her office would examine the state’s distribution and spending of funding received under the CARES Act and other federal assistance programs recently passed by Congress. […]
Tag: congress
Audio: Missouri man arrested in connection to U.S. Capitol riot
A man from southwest Missouri’s Springfield has been arrested on suspicion of participating in this month’s attack on the U.S. Capitol. Zachary Martin has been arrested on federal charges of restricted buildings or grounds, unlawful activities on Capitol Grounds, disorderly conduct, and demonstrating in the Capitol building. FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton tells Missourinet FBI special […]
Man charged with $1.9 million COVID-relief fraud after seeking forgivable loans
A Nevada man was charged in an indictment Wednesday for his alleged participation in a scheme to defraud multiple financial institutions by filing bank loan applications that fraudulently sought more than $1.9 million dollars in forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Nicholas L. […]
Audio: Congressman Graves talks about working with Biden Administration and Keystone XL Pipeline
President Biden has issued an executive order canceling the 1,200-mile Keystone XL Pipeline project. The nine billion dollar oil pipeline project was first proposed in 2008 and has been stuck in court battles through the years. It would have stretched from Canada to Texas. Northern Missouri Congressman Sam Graves says Biden’s decision is an economic […]
Hawley wants an ethics probe of U.S. Senate Democrats who filed complaint against him
(Missouri Independent) – Seven U.S. Senate Democrats urged the chamber’s ethics panel last week to investigate Sen. Josh Hawley’s role in the pro-Trump assault on the Capitol. Now Hawley is calling for an ethics probe of the Democrats. In a Monday letter, Hawley argued that the Democrats filed an improper complaint last week against him and Sen. […]
Audio: Trump pardons ex-U.S. Congressman who lived in northeast Missouri
Former President Donald Trump has granted a partial pardon to a former U.S. Congressman from the state of California who lived in Missouri for many years. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, a Republican from the Shelbina and Columbia areas, served in Congress for 14 years until 2005. He resigned after pleading guilty to receiving $2 million in […]
Man pleads guilty to obtaining over $700,000 in COVID-19 relief using fraud scheme
A Washington man pleaded guilty today to perpetrating a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s […]
Biden immigration overhaul would open a door to citizenship for 11 million people
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden is poised to send a sweeping immigration reform bill to Congress Thursday that would lay out a path for nearly 11 million undocumented people to obtain citizenship within eight years. Immigration has been one of the toughest issues for Congress to tackle, and the legislation’s fate is unclear in […]
Audio: Congressman Emanuel Cleaver gains power, to be named housing panel chairman
KC-area Congressman Emanuel Cleaver will have more power in the new Congress, as a senior Democrat. He will soon become the chairman of the subcommittee of the House Finance Committee, one that oversees Housing and Insurance. Cleaver supported Biden early– and in return, Biden held a major rally in Kansas City at the […]
Owner of online Payday Loan Company pleads guilty to bankruptcy fraud
A Mission Hills, Kansas, man pleaded guilty in federal court to a bankruptcy fraud scheme related to his online payday loan company. Del H. Kimball, 53, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to one count of bankruptcy fraud. By pleading guilty, Kimball admitted that […]
Audio: Missouri Congressman wants financial companies to stop serving U.S. Capitol rioters
Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver wants banks and other financial services companies to stop processing transactions for rioters and organizations who were part of last week’s attack on the U.S. Capitol. Congressman Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat, has written to a trade group called the Electronic Transaction Association to request that its member institutions […]
Protests in Missouri calling for Senator Josh Hawley’s resignation
St. Louis labor leaders and good-government groups are coming together to demand U.S. Senator Josh Hawley’s resignation. At the U.S. Capitol last week, Hawley fist-pumped the mob that shortly after stormed the building, putting members of Congress and Capitol staff at risk and injuring Capitol and D.C. metro police – including one officer who later […]
Audio: Missouri Congressman Jason Smith says “Impeaching Trump would fuel more hate and fire”
The U.S. House has voted today to impeach President Trump for the second time. House Democrats have led the effort after Trump urged rally supporters last week to march to the U.S. Capitol and “pressure” lawmakers to object to the election certification process. On the House floor today, southeast Missouri Republican Congressman Jason Smith, a […]
Audio: Missouri Congressman Jason Smith on House floor last Wednesday; woman shot 25-yards from him
A southern Missouri congressman who serves as the GOP Conference Secretary was one of the last six members to leave the U.S. House floor last Wednesday, before the deadly Capitol riot. Salem Congressman Jason Smith tells Missourinet a woman who was shot to death was 25 yards from him. Smith says he had […]
Josh Hawley stands his ground despite Missouri officials calling for his resignation and donors pulling support
Calls for the resignation of Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley continue to trickle in, along with some Republican allies and corporate donors pulling their support for him. The political backfire follows his efforts to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory and the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol that followed last week. “I will never […]
Audio: Former Missouri GOP Congressman signs onto letter calling for Trump to be impeached
At least 24 former Republican Congressional members, including one from Missouri, have signed onto a letter for the second time supporting the impeachment of President Trump. In the letter, former Missouri Congressman Tom Coleman and the other Republicans say there is no excuse for nor defense of a President to actively orchestrate an […]
There is a renewed push to expand access to legal aid
The movement to expand affordable legal services is receiving renewed focus since a U.S. Supreme Court Justice made a public endorsement of the idea. Conservative-leaning Justice Neil Gorsuch recently wrote an op-ed for USA Today, calling on states to find creative ways for more Americans to get free or affordable legal guidance, especially in non-criminal cases. […]
Audio: Senator Roy Blunt chairs presidential inauguration, discusses safety, importance to world
Senator Roy Blunt says plans for Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration will not be derailed or changed after last week’s deadly breach of Capitol security. As chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, Blunt oversees inauguration plans. Blunt said “It’s the right decision” to swear in Biden at the traditional spot. The attendance will be […]