Alford stays out of congressional redistricting fight, excited about USDA jobs coming to KC

West-central Missouri Congressman Mark Alford says he stayed out of the Congressional redistricting fight in 2022 and he’s staying out of it again.

“This is between Governor Kehoe and the state legislature and whoever else they’re talking with on this,” says Alford. “I do know this, and I have striven so hard in the last 2 1/2 years that I’ve been in office to be a true representative for every individual in our district.”

President Trump wants Missouri to change its Congressional districts before the 2026 elections to give Republicans an upper hand, even though Republicans already have six Republican-strong districts and Democrats have two. 

Governor Mike Kehoe is deciding whether he will call a special session to have the legislature redo the map.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it will relocate resources to five hub locations in the next few years, including Kansas City. 

West-central Missouri Congressman Mark Alford tells Newstalk KZRG he’s excited about the move.

“I think it’s a great choice to move how many ever that end up coming here to work with our field service agents to come to the heart of America to show that agriculture is important,” says Alford. “But also to help facilitate and solve some of the issues that are really first and foremost with our farmers and producers right now.”

In a memo to USDA staff, Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says Kansas City has a lower cost of living compared to Washington D.C., along with hubs in Indianapolis, Salt Lake City, Fort Collins, Colorado and Raleigh, North Carolina.