Rowden removes conservative state senators from committee assignments – ABC17NEWS

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden took action against a conservative faction of his Republican party Tuesday in a move he says is meant to ensure the legislative session is productive.

Rowden (R-Columbia) held a news conference after the adjournment of Tuesday’s business to say that he had stripped three members of the Senate’s Freedom Caucus of their committee assignments.

“Missourians have demanded more of us,” Rowden said in prepared remarks. “They have demanded progress, civility, and the passage of policies that will provide better schools, a stronger economy, and safer communities around this state.

“Instead, the Chaos Caucus has chosen to use the Missouri Senate as a place to try and salvage their languishing statewide campaigns and intentionally destroy the institution in an effort to claim the game is rigged against them. They are willing to kill important conservative priorities like IP reform, education reform, and banning China from owning our farmland, simply so they can continue to receive a paycheck from taxpayers.”

Members of the Freedom Caucus have filibustered legislation already this year just weeks into the session. The Republican infighting has led to early adjournments and deadlock on the Senate floor.

Rowden said he was removing Sens. Rick Brattin (R-Harrisonville), Bill Eigel (R-St. Charles) and Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg) of their committee chair and vice-chair assignments.

Rowden labeled the members “swamp creatures” and compared them to children. He accused the senators of taking “marching orders from their puppet masters in Virginia.

The conservative senators shot back that Rowden was using his office to benefit his secretary of state campaign by publishing his primary opponents.