{"id":8578,"date":"2026-01-29T06:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/democrats-question-250k-budget-earmark-for-former-missouri-governors-foundation\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T06:00:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:00:10","slug":"democrats-question-250k-budget-earmark-for-former-missouri-governors-foundation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/democrats-question-250k-budget-earmark-for-former-missouri-governors-foundation\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats question $250K budget earmark for former Missouri governor\u2019s foundation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"614\" src=\"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/011325_Parson1-1024x614.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<p>State lawmakers requested details about an earmark in Missouri&#8217;s budget for a nonprofit established by former Gov. Mike Parson, pictured here leaving Gov. Mike Kehoe&#8217;s inauguration in January 2025 (Annelise Hanshaw\/Missouri Independent).<\/p>\n<p><span>A $250,000 earmark in Missouri\u2019s budget for a nonprofit founded by former Gov. Mike Parson \u2014 including money drawn from a federal program designed to help low-income families \u2014 raised red flags for Democratic lawmakers Wednesday, who questioned how and why the money was requested by the executive branch.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The nonprofit, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iiitbiiutm.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span>The 57 Foundation<\/span><\/a><span>, takes its name from Parson\u2019s tenure as Missouri\u2019s 57th governor. In <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/nonprofits\/organizations\/331372792\/202501829349300410\/full\" target=\"_blank\"><span>federal tax filings<\/span><\/a><span>, the organization says its mission is to \u201cprovide a facility to educate the public on the history of Gov. Parson\u2019s life and administration.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The filings also describe plans for \u201cstraightforward charitable giving\u201d aimed at helping \u201conly those who are inadequately able to help themselves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Gov. Mike Kehoe\u2019s proposed budget directs $125,000 in general revenue and another $125,000 from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, or TANF, to the foundation. Beyond a brief description that the group provides \u201cessential resources and support\u201d to Missourians in need, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/budplan.oa.mo.gov\/media\/pdf\/fy27-dss-appropriation-book-governors-recommendations\" target=\"_blank\"><span>the budget<\/span><\/a><span> offers no details on how the money would be used.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI find it really hard to believe that the nonprofit that is best situated to serve the constituents of Missouri just happens to be the former governor,\u201d said state Rep. Betsy Fogle of Springfield, ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>State lawmakers repeatedly asked staff from the Missouri Department of Social Services about criteria used to identify organizations to receive funding or cuts. Staff said that for The 57 Foundation, they only have the description included in Kehoe\u2019s proposed budget.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Gabby Picard, a spokesperson for the Governor\u2019s Office, quoted that description in an email to The Independent and said the budget recommendation is not intended to fund a gubernatorial library.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/donate\/?oa_referrer=midstorybox\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"donateContainer\">\n<div class=\"donateTextContainer\">\n<p>YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"donateButtonContainer\">\n                <button>SUPPORT<\/button>\n            <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>        <\/p>\n<p><span>Some lawmakers queried other funding recommendations affecting organizations located in their districts and expressed displeasure when department staff were unable to provide explanations of spending recommendations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Much of their scrutiny concerned Missouri\u2019s proposed use of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/acf.gov\/ofa\/programs\/temporary-assistance-needy-families-tanf\" target=\"_blank\"><span>TANF funds<\/span><\/a><span>. Federal law requires states to use the federal funds to help low-income families meet basic needs \u2014 namely, through a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mydss.mo.gov\/temporary-assistance\/apply\" target=\"_blank\"><span>cash assistance<\/span><\/a><span> program and employment and training services mandated for recipients. States can decide how to use the rest of the funding, though programs they fund must further TANF goals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Democratic State Rep. Raychel Proudie of Ferguson told The Independent that the earmark for The 57 Foundation is an example of a lack of oversight of how taxpayer dollars are spent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t appear that our departments are doing due diligence when they are appropriating these funds,\u201d Proudie said. \u201cThey\u2019re getting the money out the door, but not in a way that meets the needs of the community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Proudie said it is ultimately lawmakers\u2019 responsibility to prevent fraud and wasteful spending.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s on us, first and foremost, and secondarily, it\u2019s on these state departments,\u201d Proudie said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The 57 Foundation was created in the waning months of Parson\u2019s final term as governor in 2024. Its president is Tom Burcham, a former Republican state lawmaker from Farmington who also serves as treasurer for the political action committee created to boost Parson\u2019s 2020 gubernatorial campaign, Uniting Missouri.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>After Parson won a full term in 2020, the PAC <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/briefs\/pro-parson-pac-has-spent-110k-on-private-plane-expenses-so-far-in-2023\/\"><span>shifted<\/span><\/a><span> from supporting his political career to largely paying for his travel \u2014 including spending around $120,000 for Parson\u2019s trips to watch the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 and 2024 Super Bowls.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Uniting Missouri also donated $100,000 to support Kehoe\u2019s run for governor in 2024. Parson appointed Kehoe lieutenant governor in 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>An email to The 57 Foundation seeking comment was not returned on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Social Services Director Jess Bax said her agency will provide lawmakers with additional information and that the department supports Kehoe\u2019s recommendations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe governor had to make really tough decisions in a budget year where we don\u2019t have enough funding,\u201d Bax said. \u201cSo we do support his recommendations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Democratic State Rep. Kimberly-Ann Collins of St. Louis pressed department staff about their stance on blanket support for Kehoe\u2019s recommendations, asking why The 57 Foundation is worthy of state funding.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWhat is it about this particular item that you support, to support the health and well-being of children and families?\u201d Collins asked.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The department\u2019s chief financial officer, Patrick Luebbering, said his team worked with the Office of Administration to identify areas to reduce funding. He added that when little information is available about an organization, the department relies on the governor\u2019s judgment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe governor is our boss, and we trust him,\u201d Luebbering said. \u201cItems like these, even though we don\u2019t have all the information, we assume that what he\u2019s doing is right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Republican State Rep. Darin Chappell of Rogersville, chair of the House appropriations subcommittee covering social services, said \u201cthe fiscal accountability that we\u2019re asking of the departments is fair and right.\u201d And he encouraged lawmakers to come to him with feedback about Kehoe\u2019s budget recommendations and to make the case for organizations they see as deserving state appropriations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt warms the cockles of my heart to hear the bipartisan support for the very principles of budgeting that I\u2019ve been screaming about for three years,\u201d Chappell said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>State lawmakers insisted on asking their questions about funding recommendations in the public hearing even if department staff didn\u2019t have the answers on hand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Fogle said she has been \u201cfrustrated\u201d in her six years on the committee about the difficulty of getting answers from departments about budget recommendations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI do expect,\u201d Fogle said, \u201cif the department is going to support the governor\u2019s recommendations, that they can answer baseline questions about the things that they\u2019re requesting funds for.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Collins said to Bax that she doesn\u2019t think some of the organizations that would receive funding in the proposed budget are helping Missourians in need.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI am in all of these meetings, and some of these organizations we\u2019ve never even heard of,\u201d Collins said. \u201cWe\u2019ve never seen them lift up [anyone]\u2026. And so I just find it jaw-dropping that you all are stating that we support the governor\u2019s recommendations, but you don\u2019t know what some of these organizations do. That\u2019s heartbreaking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/subscribe\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"subscribeShortcodeContainer\">\n<div class=\"subscribeTextContainer\">\n                <i class=\"fas fa-envelope\"><\/i>\n<p>GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscribeButtonContainer\">\n                <button>SUBSCRIBE<\/button>\n            <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>        <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>State lawmakers requested details about an earmark in Missouri&#8217;s budget for a nonprofit established by former Gov. Mike Parson, pictured here leaving Gov. Mike Kehoe&#8217;s inauguration in January 2025 (Annelise Hanshaw\/Missouri Independent). A $250,000 earmark in Missouri\u2019s budget for a nonprofit founded by former Gov. Mike Parson \u2014 including money drawn from a federal program&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8579,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Democrats question $250K budget earmark for former Missouri governor\u2019s foundation - WestplexNews.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/democrats-question-250k-budget-earmark-for-former-missouri-governors-foundation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Democrats question $250K budget earmark for former Missouri governor\u2019s foundation - WestplexNews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"State lawmakers requested details about an earmark in Missouri&#8217;s budget for a nonprofit established by former Gov. 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Mike Parson, pictured here leaving Gov. Mike Kehoe&#8217;s inauguration in January 2025 (Annelise Hanshaw\/Missouri Independent). A $250,000 earmark in Missouri\u2019s budget for a nonprofit founded by former Gov. Mike Parson \u2014 including money drawn from a federal program...","og_url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/democrats-question-250k-budget-earmark-for-former-missouri-governors-foundation\/","og_site_name":"WestplexNews.com","article_published_time":"2026-01-29T12:00:10+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/missouriindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/011325_Parson1-1024x614.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Brad Hildebrand","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Brad Hildebrand","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/democrats-question-250k-budget-earmark-for-former-missouri-governors-foundation\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/democrats-question-250k-budget-earmark-for-former-missouri-governors-foundation\/"},"author":{"name":"Brad Hildebrand","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/86ac6e2a917ca881b22f6d55d1b955f0"},"headline":"Democrats question $250K budget earmark for former Missouri governor\u2019s foundation","datePublished":"2026-01-29T12:00:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/democrats-question-250k-budget-earmark-for-former-missouri-governors-foundation\/"},"wordCount":1065,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/democrats-question-250k-budget-earmark-for-former-missouri-governors-foundation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/011325_Parson1-1024x614-1kp0W7.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/democrats-question-250k-budget-earmark-for-former-missouri-governors-foundation\/","url":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/democrats-question-250k-budget-earmark-for-former-missouri-governors-foundation\/","name":"Democrats question $250K budget earmark for former Missouri governor\u2019s foundation - 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