JEFFERSON CITY — In an escalation against a renegade group of Republicans, the Missouri Senate president said Tuesday he was stripping members of the faction from their committee leadership posts.
Senate President Caleb Rowden removed state Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, as chairman of the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Pensions Committee.
He also stripped committee chairmanships from Sens. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg; Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville; and Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester. Hoskins was also taken off the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Not only did Eigel, a U.S. Air Force veteran, lose the chairmanship of the veterans committee, he lost his regular parking space in the basement of the Capitol. “They’ve taken my parking spot and put me in the furthest spot from the MO Capitol,†Eigel said on social media.
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Rowden’s surprise announcement was bound to intensify divisions in a Missouri Senate that has been marred this year by dysfunction and acrimony.
The four senators stripped of their leadership positions are part of a new “Freedom Caucus†that has fought with other Senate Republicans. The caucus on Thursday held up gubernatorial appointments for hours in a bid to advance initiative petition changes.
Senators returned to action Tuesday. Before convening, Rowden called a news conference to announce his decision. He was flanked at the podium by rank-and-file Republicans who don’t make up the “Freedom Caucus,†as well as Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin, who called the caucus “terrorists†last week.
Rowden said Tuesday the start of the Senate’s 2024 session had been “nothing short of an embarrassment†and that “a small group of swamp creatures†had overtaken the chamber.
“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 that the game is rigged against them,†Rowden said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
Eigel is running for governor, Hoskins is running for secretary of state, Koenig is running for treasurer and Brattin is running for reelection to the Senate.
Rowden is running against Hoskins in the Republican primary for secretary of state. Hoskins tied Rowden’s action Tuesday to the campaign.
“It’s unfortunate that our President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden has decided to use his office and try and beat me in the statewide race for secretary of state,†Hoskins told reporters following Rowden’s announcement.
Eigel said, “We’re willing to be bold about fighting for our issues. We’re not going to give up the fight.â€
After the upper chamber convened Tuesday, Hoskins and Eigel took to the Senate floor to denounce Rowden’s move.
“You are the worst president pro tem in the history of the Missouri Senate!†Hoskins said to Rowden.
“You just did the most confrontational thing you can do as a pro tem, which is to remove the chairmanships from four senators, three of which are three of the most senior senators in this chamber,†Eigel said, referring to himself, Hoskins and Koenig, who were elected in 2016.
Eigel said he wasn’t sure how removing chairmen would lead to less tension.Â
“The actions taken today are what they are,†Rowden said. “I couldn’t ignore the crescendo of people who came to me and said, ‘look, something has to be done.’â€
Republicans standing beside Rowden at the podium included state Sen. Jason Bean, a Republican from Holcomb, in the Bootheel.
“The time has come to not allow this disruptive behavior,†Bean said. “I stand firmly with our caucus, the Republican caucus, to address this issue now so that we can have a productive session.â€
Alyse Pfeil of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.