Murray: Kehoe’s Austerity Politics Will Hurt St. Louisans

For the second year in a row, Missouri’s Republican governor vetoed no policy bills. Don’t let that headline fool you. Gov. Mike Kehoe’s 225 budget line-item vetoes will hit everyday Missourians where it hurts most: in their classrooms, in their neighborhoods, and in their ability to access basic services. In total, Kehoe cut $2.23 billion in funding lawmakers approved nearly $300 million of that in general revenue. He claims this “course correction” is about protecting Missouri’s finances, but let’s be clear: these cuts come at the expense of working families, struggling schools, and local communities, particularly in St. Louis.

Education in St. Louis Takes a Direct Hit

Let’s start with what this means for our kids. Kehoe vetoed $2.5 million for a reading literacy program in St. Louis city, turning his back on students who are already fighting to overcome disparities in early literacy. He also blocked $3.2 million for Teacher Recruitment and Retention scholarships and $2.5 million for “Grow Your Own” grants programs designed to address our teacher shortage crisis. He cut $400,000 for a nonprofit supporting school improvements and slashed $2 million in revolving loans for charter public school capital improvements. He even rejected a modest $1.8 million in pay raises for educators in state-run schools. In St. Louis, where teacher turnover is high and resources are scarce, these vetoes will deepen the inequities between well-funded suburban districts and urban schools struggling to keep qualified educators in the classroom.

St. Louis Workforce and Innovation Lost Key Investments

St. Louis has been working to build a future around technology, advanced manufacturing, and innovation. Kehoe just pulled the rug out from under that effort. He vetoed:

• $1.75 million for the St. Louis Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Center: a project designed to create high-tech jobs in the city.
• $2.5 million for Great Rivers Greenway: a major regional infrastructure initiative that revitalizes neighborhoods while creating jobs.
• $250,000 for the Gateway Arch Park Foundation: undermining efforts to maintain Missouri’s most iconic tourist destination.
• $500,000 for an urban amphitheater that hosts Shakespeare festivals: cutting cultural and economic opportunities that bring visitors downtown.

He even cut $500,000 for a St. Louis nonprofit providing cost-free computer programming training and apprenticeships, stifling the exact type of workforce development programs Missouri needs to stay competitive in a tech-driven economy.

Undermining Public Safety and Community Support in St. Louis

Kehoe vetoed $1 million in personal services for a St. Louis city jail, a facility that is already under scrutiny for unsafe conditions. He slashed $500,000 for a sober living program aimed at helping St. Louis residents recover from addiction, despite the ongoing opioid crisis. Community-based services were also gutted:

• $2.5 million for refugee resettlement programs in St. Louis city
• $1 million for Employment Connection in St. Louis, a program that helps residents find stable jobs
• $500,000 for Annie Malone Children & Family Services, a historic Black-led nonprofit serving vulnerable children
• $500,000 for Doorways, a St. Louis nonprofit providing housing and services for people living with HIV/AIDS

And he didn’t stop there. Kehoe vetoed $126,000 and $250,000 for St. Paul Saturdays, an outreach program for at-risk youth in St. Louis. He also vetoed $1.5 million for Serving Our Streets, a violence prevention program that has been saving lives in the city. These are the programs that keep neighborhoods safe, stabilize families, and build trust between communities and government. Cutting them will only deepen the cycles of poverty and crime Kehoe claims he wants to fix.

Slashing Mental Health and Healthcare Access

At a time when Missouri’s mental health system is overwhelmed, Kehoe vetoed $15.6 million for new behavioral health crisis centers and $3.3 million for crisis and open-access mental health services. For St. Louis, where behavioral health needs are high and services are already stretched thin, these cuts are devastating. He also blocked $500,000 for a veteran-only homeless shelter in Columbia but St. Louis veterans will feel this too as regional services compete for limited funding. On the healthcare front, he rejected $500,000 from the Opioid Addiction Treatment and Recovery Fund for a St. Louis sober living program and $700,000 for Samuel Rodgers Health Center, a federally qualified health center that serves thousands of low-income patients.

Culture, Arts, and Civic Life in St. Louis Suffer

It wasn’t enough for Kehoe to target education, public safety, and mental health. He also cut funding for the very institutions that make St. Louis vibrant:

• $2 million for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
• $500,000 for the Shakespeare Festival amphitheater
• $250,000 for the Gateway Arch Park Foundation

These aren’t frivolous expenses; they’re economic drivers that support tourism, create jobs, and enhance quality of life.

The Bigger Picture: Austerity Hurts Everyday Missourians

Kehoe’s vetoes aren’t about fiscal responsibility, they’re about austerity politics. He’s making a choice to balance the state’s books on the backs of working families, children, and vulnerable communities.

Missouri is not broke. We’re sitting on record reserves. Federal relief funds were supposed to help communities recover and rebuild after the pandemic. Instead, this administration is hoarding money while refusing to invest in the future. These cuts will force local governments and nonprofits to scramble for alternative funding, which often doesn’t exist. It will mean fewer teachers, fewer mental health resources, fewer workforce opportunities, and fewer community safety net. This legislature has proven their focus is providing the wealthiest Missourians with tax breaks and giveaways.

What’s Next?

The General Assembly will meet in September for the veto session, but with a Republican supermajority, it’s unlikely they’ll override any of these cuts. That means it’s up to us, the people of Missouri, to speak out. We need to tell Gov. Kehoe and his allies in the legislature that our kids, our families, and our communities are not expendable. St. Louis deserves better. Missouri deserves better. And come the next election, we must demand leaders who believe in investing in people, not just protecting bond ratings and corporate interests.

Marty Joe Murray is the 78^th District State Representative in the Missouri House. As a Democrat he is a dedicated public servant known for championing issues at the intersection of healthcare, equity, and justice.

Editor’s Note: Mound City Messenger editor Glenn Burleigh is employed by one of the nonprofits whose funding was cut.