Arsonist claims to be a firefighter…

Hawley Introduces Groundbreaking Legislation to Fund Rural Hospitals, Ensure Access to Emergency Care
Wednesday, June 24, 2026

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) held a press conference to introduce the Rural Hospital Emergency Room Guarantee Act, which would ensure Americans living in rural areas have access to top-notch and close-to-home healthcare. [….] Nearly 200 rural hospitals have shut their doors since 2005, leaving millions stranded in the face of potential health emergencies. Senator Hawley’s bill would prevent further closures.

“Americans in rural communities across the country are confronted with a concerning shortage of access to emergency medical care. In Missouri alone, 12 rural hospitals with emergency rooms have closed in as many years, and those that remain open are struggling to keep the lights on. Congress must act swiftly to protect the necessary emergency care hardworking rural families deserve,” said Senator Hawley…

[….]

The fire:

This you, bro?:

Roll Call Vote 119th Congress – 1st SessionXMLVote Summary
Question: On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 1, as Amended )
Vote Number: 372 Vote Date: July 1, 2025, 11:56 AM
Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Bill Passed
Measure Number: H.R. 1 (A bill to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14. )
Measure Title: A bill to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14.
Vote Counts: YEAs 50
NAYs 50
Vice President of the United States Voted Yea
[….]
Hawley (R-MO), Yea
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[emphasis in original]

After marathon session, Missouri senators give crucial votes to pass massive budget bill
St. Louis Public Radio | By Jason Rosenbaum, Sarah Fentem
Published July 1, 2025 at 3:28 p.m. CDT

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Rural hospitals serve outsize numbers of Medicaid patients, said Sheldon Weisgrau, vice president of advocacy and public policy at the Missouri Foundation for Health, a St. Louis-based advocacy and philanthropic organization.

“They’re very reliant on the funding, and they already operate on very thin margins,” he said. “And so any changes, any reductions to what funding is available to them – from any payer source, but most importantly, from their main payer sources – is going to cause problems.”

Hawley said in a press release that the rural hospital fund would add $1 billion to Missouri’s coffers over the next five years.

Heidi Lucas, of the Missouri Rural Health Association, wasn’t impressed with the changes, saying the added amendment just “prolongs the inevitable.”

“I think we’re going to feel it,” she said. “It might take a little bit longer to feel it than what we were initially expecting, but we’ll feel it. And the repercussions of that are going to be terrible, right? I firmly believe people are going to die because of this.”

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Sociopath.