National Nurses Organizing Committee - Missouri, an affiliate of National Nurses United, deeply opposes efforts by Missouri lawmakers, pushed by President Trump and his Republican allies, to further election-rigging schemes ahead of the 2026 midterms.

“It is deeply distressing that instead of respecting the will of the people of Missouri, lawmakers are looking to silence the voices of those they have pledged to serve and are folding to the pressure from President Trump and his Republican cronies,” said Leslie Rogers, a registered nurse at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo. and a Missouri resident. “As nurses, we have vowed to be fierce advocates for our patients, so everyone has a voice in the decisions that affect their well-being. These cynical rigging schemes are intended to muzzle opposition to a Republican agenda that seeks to defund our hospitals and Medicaid and to destroy fundamental institutions that ensure the health and safety of all.”

The debate over the Missouri congressional map is not a new one. The issue was rejected by the State house in 2022, despite support from conservative groups including Missouri’s largest anti-abortion organization. As in 2022, this current power grab by the Republicans is not only designed to manipulate the political makeup of Missouri, but also to push through an agenda that further denies families the full spectrum of health care with drastic cuts to Medicaid.

Nurses are unequivocally committed to blocking the authoritarian overthrow of our democracy. As we head into the 2026 midterms, we are witnessing a cynical display of political gamesmanship designed not to best articulate the will of the nation but to deny Americans a fair voice in the election. As we have seen over the last six months, President Trump and Republican efforts aim to lock their grip on power and to dismantle institutions that are fundamental to the wellness of our nation. We have seen policies that gut collective bargaining rights for federal workers and weaken Veterans Health Administration services, slash funding for essential safety net programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, and fail to curb the high cost of living while providing tax cuts to billionaires. We know these sweeping cuts to federal programs contradict the will of the working people in this country and won’t win elections. That is why President Trump and the Republican party are ramping up the pressure across the country to employ dubious redistricting practices to block working people from electing Democrats to retake Congress in 2026.

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.