Summary
Rep. Mark Alford is currently on a taxpayer-funded vacation during the government shutdown, while Missouri families and farm communities are bearing the cost.
By Ricky Dana, Candidate for U.S. House – Missouri’s 4th District
🚨 Mark Alford Vacations on Taxpayer Dime During the GOP Shutdown
While Missouri families struggle for food, paychecks, and farm support, Congressman Mark Alford Vacations on Taxpayer Dime — calling it a “district work week.” The federal government remains shut down because Republicans refuse to negotiate a bipartisan funding bill — and Alford isn’t in Washington doing his job.
This GOP-led shutdown is no accident. Speaker Mike Johnson and his allies, including Mark Alford, have chosen political games over governance. Instead of working across the aisle, they called a “district work period” — which in reality is a taxpayer-funded vacation. The move also delays seating a duly elected Democrat from Arizona, shrinking their margin and avoiding action. Let’s be honest: that’s not leadership, it’s extortion.
🔥 Alford’s Role — Out of Washington, Not Working for Missouri
Instead of staying in D.C. to reopen the government, Mark Alford Vacations on Taxpayer Dime. He warned that a shutdown would “harm our military and veterans.” He was right — and then he stayed home. He’s collecting his paycheck while thousands of Missourians aren’t.
His “district work” press releases talk about meeting constituents, but he’s not fighting to get USDA, VA, and SNAP funding restored. When your job is to pass a budget, a vacation is not work.
💰 The Cost to Missouri — Real Families, Real Dollars
The Missouri Governor’s Office estimates this shutdown is costing our state roughly $232 million every week. Here’s what that looks like:
- 667,000 Missourians may lose SNAP food assistance if the shutdown continues into November.
- 98,000 mothers and children could lose WIC nutrition benefits.
- 56,000 federal employees across Missouri are furloughed or working without pay — including TSA agents, VA staff, and USDA workers.
- $15 million per week in SBA loans to small businesses are frozen.
- Missouri’s economy is shrinking by hundreds of millions weekly, draining rural counties and farm towns first.
Mark Alford Vacations on Taxpayer Dime while Missouri’s families pay the price. This is not a partisan issue — it’s a basic failure of leadership. The farmers, veterans, and working parents of Missouri’s 4th District deserve better.
🚜 Rural Missouri & Farm Families Take the Hardest Hit
In Benton, Hickory, Dallas, and Cedar Counties — the heart of Missouri’s 4th District — USDA offices are closed. That means no subsidy payments, no disaster aid, no marketing loans. One Missouri farmer said, “After 55 years of farming, I’ve never seen support just disappear like this.”
At Fort Leonard Wood in Pulaski County and Whiteman Air Force Base in Johnson County, thousands of military personnel and civilian employees are missing paychecks. Local businesses in Waynesville, Warrensburg, and St. Robert are losing revenue fast. Mark Alford Vacations on Taxpayer Dime while his constituents hold the line for our country without pay.
🏠 Missouri Counties Most Impacted
Pulaski County: Fort Leonard Wood’s 9,000 civilian workers are unpaid; the base drives $3 billion yearly into Missouri’s economy.
Johnson County: Whiteman AFB employs 5,600 active duty and 2,000 civilian staff — local families face missed mortgages and bills.
Benton, Hickory, Dallas, and Cedar Counties: FSA offices closed, farmers missing loan payments, and rural families watching benefits run dry.
💥 Bottom Line
Mark Alford Vacations on Taxpayer Dime while Missouri’s farm families and veterans go unpaid and hungry. He knows this shutdown hurts our state — he admitted it — yet he chooses politics over people.
Missourians deserve a representative who shows up to work, not one who collects a paycheck while our state bleeds. It’s time for leaders who fight for rural families and farmers instead of taking vacations on the taxpayer’s dime.
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📖 Stay updated: rickydana.org/news-you-should-know
Sources:
Governor Mike Kehoe – Federal Shutdown Impact on Missouri
Missouri DSS – Federal Shutdown Impacts and Food Assistance
KCUR – USDA Offices Closed, Farmers at Risk of Foreclosure
Missourinet – Shutdown Threatens SNAP and WIC Benefits
First Alert 4 – Missouri Workers and Families Struggle as Shutdown Drags On
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