Clay Wirestone
June 23, 2025 3:33 am
Officials at the Pentagon will make important decisions for our country in the days ahead. Meanwhile, Kansans have work of their own to do for the state. (Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brittany A. Chase/Department of Defense)
So, the United States is at war again.
Those of us who lived through the Middle Eastern quagmires of the early 2000s can all too easily recall the mixture of fear and dismay that accompanied watching American forces head to foreign lands. For those of you too young to remember, I fervently hope this particular war winds up with the least amount of carnage possible for Americans, Israelis and Iranians.
Here’s the real challenge in grappling with times like these. When it comes to American foreign policy and the actions of those in Washington, D.C., deciding our nation’s response to foreign threats, there’s not a great deal that any one of us can do. There is also the risk that our leaders use foreign conflict as a distraction from vital matters at the state and national levels.
Right now, today, Kansans cannot decide what Iran does or how the Pentagon behaves. We have a critical role in deciding what happens to this state, however, and I want to write about a handful of other issues facing us today. These are real. These are pressing.
Don’t forget them as commentators slobber over the latest batch of “WAR!” headlines, chyrons and social media posts.
Medicaid threat
More than 1,500 Kansans have died because of the failure of Republican lawmakers in Kansas to expand the state’s Medicaid program.
Kansas Reflector editor Sherman Smith reported earlier this month that Republican lawmakers in Washington, D.C., could add to that shameful toll. They plan cuts to the existing, skimpy program: “A new analysis of cuts contained in the GOP’s ‘big beautiful bill’ under consideration by Congress shows that 13,000 Kansans would lose enrollment in Medicaid, and the state would lose $3.77 billion in federal funding.”
Online outlets Politico and The Hill have highlighted U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran’s alarm over potential program cuts, writing that he and a handful of other Republican lawmakers had “raised concerns” and “drawn public red lines.” That’s a welcome contrast to our state’s other U.S. senator, Roger Marshall, who can’t take a step without putting his foot in his mouth.
Senators will face enormous pressure this week as Majority Leader John Thune tries to push through President Donald Trump’s legislative centerpiece.
The potential coverage loses matter. Our senators’ votes matter.
The lives of Kansans matter.
Local elections
Kansans won’t vote on their state or federal lawmakers in 2025. We will, however, vote for municipal officials.
Take a look at this information page of Secretary of State Scott Schwab. The deadline to register or update your information for the primary is July 15, with advance voting beginning the next day. Primaries will be held Aug. 5
The deadline to register or update personal information for the general election is Oct. 14, with advance voting starting the next day. The general election takes place Nov. 4.
I know that local elections don’t see the kind of excitement or coverage or late-night thrills of presidential contests or even midterms. But they arguably make more of a difference in our daily lives. Local officials set property taxes and allocate services. They chart the courses for school districts and a multitude of other public programs. If you don’t know about the issues in your city or town, there’s still time to reach out and learn.
You’ll be standing up for yourself and your neighbors.
Big amendment
A constitutional amendment changing the selection process for Kansas Supreme Court judges will appear on the August 2026 ballot.
You will hear an awful lot about the vote in months ahead. Kansas Reflector has already run a column from a retired judge on the subject. You can read the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas’ take on the situation here. Lawmakers passed a ban on financial contributions to amendment campaigns from “foreign nationals” to tilt the playing field on just this issue.
Someone else making his voice heard over the weekend was Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, who shared this statement from the state GOP on Saturday.
Kansans already cast regular retention votes for members of the Supreme Court. But the popular-vote plan would clear the way for big money interests to back hard-right candidates. Those justices might just be more willing to let lawmakers ban abortion and cut funding for public education. Not that Republican lawmakers would ever want to do such things, of course.
As you can see, Kansans have a lot to pay attention to over the next 14 months or so. We haven’t even gotten to the 2026 general elections.
War coverage will continue. I’ll watch and read it, along with the rest of you. But let’s keep an eye on those local needs, issues and principles.
Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.
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