Gridlock and mutually assured destruction: The Missouri Legislature’s first three weeks

By: Jason Hancock

Outlets: Missouri Independent

Published: January 26, 2026

Words: 607

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 3 days ago

Let’s talk about how the first three weeks of Missouri’s legislative session are going.

In short: Gridlock in the Senate. Scandal in the House.

Senate Democrats entered the year divided after a contentious leadership fight. But the 10-member caucus appears to have coalesced around a simple two-pronged strategy: absolute opposition to increasing the sales tax and a willingness to slow the Senate to a crawl.

Normally, opposing tax increases would put Democrats …

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