KS - March 28 2025

Kansas Legislature Passes Spending Plan

Trump’s 25% Auto Tariffs Hit Kansas City Exports, Jobs

Stable Global Corn, Soybeans Production; Wheat Trends Shift

Christians, Satanists Clash at Kansas Statehouse Rallies

Severe Storms Threaten Kansas with Hail, Winds Saturday

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1. Kansas Legislature Passes Spending Plan

The Legislature adopted a spending plan Thursday that fully funds public schools, provides pay raises for state employees, eliminates DEI initiatives, polices pronouns in emails, and puts the state on a course to blow through billions in reserves and face a budget shortfall within three years. Senate Bill 125 finalizes $27.08 billion in spending for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, and provides the blueprint for how the state will spend $25.6 billion next year. Those figures include $10.85 billion from the State General Fund in the current year and $10.64 billion next year, a $210 million decrease in spending of state revenues. When coupled with the five-year, $2 billion slash to income taxes from last year’s special session, and assorted new legislation that would deliver tax cuts, the state would be an estimate $461 million in the red in fiscal year 2028. That would be a stark departure from the $3.2 billion surplus from a year ago, which is already projected to decline to $2.1 billion as expenses for the current fiscal year exceed revenues.

Editors note: overall, compared to California, it seems we’re in pretty good shape
Source: Kansas Reflector

2. Trump’s 25% Auto Tariffs Hit Kansas City Exports, Jobs

President Donald Trump’s trade wars continue with additional 25% tariffs on auto imports. These will affect Kansas City drivers and auto workers, including those at the Ford plant in Claycomo, north of the river. The Kansas City area sends cars, chemicals and agricultural products to the U.S.’s northern neighbors. And a new study of 41 American cities suggests that Kansas City relies on those exports more than most. Kansas City is the third most dependent U.S. metro on Canadian exports, according to an analysis released Thursday, May 28, by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, an association of groups representing over 200,000 Canadian businesses. The study looked at the dollar amount of Canadian exports as part of a city’s GDP and the share of exports to Canada using 2023 U.S. International Trade Administration and Census data. The 41 cities in the study were defined by their metropolitan statistical area, which includes parts of Missouri and Kansas. Goods destined for Canada make up 2.1% of Kansas City’s GDP. Kansas City had 2,211 exporters in 2023, more than half of which sent goods to Canada or Mexico. In 2023, Canada received $3.9 billion in products from Kansas City. This equated to almost 40% of Kansas City’s exports, the third highest percentage in the nation.
Source: Kansas City Star

3. Stable Global Corn, Soybeans Production; Wheat Trends Shift

The March 11 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates showed few significant changes to the outlook for corn or soybeans. Global wheat trends showed record production in Australia and plunging imports to China. The U.S. Department of Agriculture noted that United States tariffs on Canada and Mexico were suspended until April 2 for all products covered under USMCA, which includes most agricultural products in the WASDE. Reciprocal tariffs are scheduled to begin on April 2. The March 11 WASDE did not incorporate them into commodity forecasts. Despite U.S. tariffs being suspended, Canada’s retaliatory tariffs remain in place, were accounted for in WASDE estimates and assumed to continue. U.S. tariffs on China and China’s retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. were also assumed to remain in place.
Source: HPJ

4. Christians, Satanists Clash at Kansas Statehouse Rallies

Dueling rallies by Christians and Satanists at the Kansas Statehouse filled downtown Topeka with chants of "Christ is King" and "Hail Satan" — and at least two instances of physical violence. What began as plans for a Satanic black mass on the planned last day of the regular legislative session elicited a larger response by Christians. Most lawmakers had already left the night before, and earlier in the week, the Legislature condemned the Satanists. There were several hundred Christians in a permitted space on the south steps, primarily led by the Catholic group American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property. There were several dozen Satanists in their permitted space at the east steps, led by The Satanic Grotto. There were also dozens of Capitol Police and Kansas Highway Patrol troopers across the Statehouse grounds.
Source: CJ Online

5. Severe Storms Threaten Kansas with Hail, Winds Saturday

Meteorologist Peyton Sanders says that severe storms are expected across portions of south central and eastern Kansas Saturday evening. Most of the day will be dry, but scattered thunderstorms will develop along a cold front after 7 PM over south central and eastern Kansas. Activity will move east during the evening and will continue into the night. Large hail up to golf ball size and damaging winds up to 70 miles per hour will be the primary threats.

Source: KWCH

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Sources

1. https://kansasreflector.com/2025/03/27/kansas-legislature-passes-spending-plan-that-would-put-state-460m-in-the-hole-within-three-years/ (Kansas Reflector)
2. https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article302955644.html (Kansas City Star)
3. https://hpj.com/2025/03/28/few-changes-for-corn-soybeans-in-wasde/ (HPJ)
4. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2025/03/28/christians-and-satanists-hold-competing-rallies-at-kansas-statehouse/82704649007/ (CJ Online)
5. https://www.kwch.com/2025/03/28/weather-alert-severe-storm-risk-saturday/ (KWCH)