51ºÚÁÏ

But, after nearly eight hours of filibustering and promises they’d go all night to win their demands, the small coalition temporarily called it off.

In a stalling action that began soon after the Senate’s 10 a.m. start, some members of the Freedom Caucus derailed the Senate’s plans for the day and took control of the floor to pressure Gov. Mike Parson to sign legislation prohibiting Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood.

“We’d like to see the governor sign the defund Planned Parenthood bill,� said faction leader Bill Eigel, a Weldon Spring Republican who is running for governor. “He could take that completely off the plate.�

Parson, a longtime abortion opponent, wasn’t biting at the group’s latest attempt to leverage an issue to gain attention.

Aides said the bills on Parson’s desk are still under staff review. In addition, the governor was on the road in Kansas City and 51ºÚÁÏ into the evening hours.

“This deliberate dysfunction in the Senate is unfortunate for the people of Missouri and senators trying to do good work for the people back home,� Parson’s office said in a statement.

“This is why I have trust issues in politics,� Eigel said after learning the governor wasn’t interested in the caucus’ intentions. “When I talk about a lack of leadership, this is what I’m talking about.�

Members of the hard-line faction also demanded the chamber approve a resolution asking voters to limit their ability to make changes to the state constitution. The measure, if approved, would share space on the ballot with a question asking if abortion rights should be restored after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision.

“I’m being confrontational because I want to get (the resolution) passed right now,� Eigel said.

But with less than three weeks left in the Legislature’s scheduled session, GOP leaders in the chamber made no move to take up that issue, preferring instead to focus on a key source of revenue for the more than $50 billion state budget, which must be sent to the governor by May 10.

Following Freedom Caucus member Sen. Nick Schroer’s two hours of speaking, he announced the blockade was lifted and Senate leaders positioned the chamber for a vote on renewing a tax on health care providers.

The break didn’t last long before Eigel, who is running third in the polls for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, resumed manning the parliamentary roadblock.

“This does not represent any breakthrough,� Eigel said.

The Federal Reimbursement Allowance tax is paid by hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers. The tax, which expires Sept. 30, generates more than $4 billion to help pay for the state’s Medicaid program.

The budget can’t be finished until the tax is renewed, said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough, a Springfield Republican who is running for lieutenant governor.

“If Missouri fails to renew the FRA, the state risks losing out on billions of dollars in federal funding for Medicaid. This could result in significant budget cuts, reduced healthcare services, and increased costs for patients & providers,� Hough said in a post on social media.

The latest version of the Senate’s $53 billion spending plan includes $10 million for soccer fields in 51ºÚÁÏ County and $10 million for Great Rivers Greenway, the agency that oversees biking and pedestrian trails in the 51ºÚÁÏ region.

The Senate blueprint eliminates a $7 million allocation for 51ºÚÁÏ Lambert International Airport to revamp its passenger terminals. Another $13 million is earmarked for construction projects at the Riverview Gardens School District.

The current schedule, barring more political posturing or procedural delays, has the full Senate signing off on Hough’s budget plan this week, followed by time spent trying to hammer out a final spending blueprint with the House.

Only after that will the proposed constitutional amendment to make it harder for citizens to change the state constitution come up for a vote, primarily because it, too, could turn into a lengthy filibuster.

On Tuesday, however, the Freedom Caucus held the floor.

Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville, was among those joining the talkathon. He said the group’s demands were made clear at the beginning the session in January and essentially ignored by Senate leaders.

“We were basically met with ‘pound sand,’� said Brattin.

Another member, Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, bemoaned action taken earlier this year by Senate leaders to take away committee assignments and parking spots from the caucus.

“I’m all in for the fight,� Hoskins said. “With two and a half weeks left, I am ready to fight.�

House Majority Leader Jon Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, acknowledged that action in the House would likely slow this week while Senate Republicans try to work out their long-running and deep internal disagreements.

“All eyes are on the Senate,� Patterson told reporters Monday.

The health provider tax legislation is .

Updated at 7:15 p.m.