For Immediate Release: Sept. 12, 2025 

Contact: Brian Farmer, 573-751-3158

Senator Barbara Anne Washington Releases the Following Statement in Response to the Passage of Redrawn Congressional Maps

JEFFERSON CITY — Senator Barbara Anne Washington, D-Kansas City, decries the final passage of House Bill 1 in the Missouri Senate on Sept. 12. Now awaiting the governor’s signature, the newly drawn congressional map dissects Kansas City and Jackson County into three districts and reduces the metropolitan area’s representation in Washington, D.C.

“This decision to follow the president’s lead and redistrict communities mid-decade is an unprecedented move that will greatly affect Kansas City’s constitutionally contiguous and compact lines. Now on the governor’s desk, HB 1 divides the Fifth Congressional District into three, predominantly rural areas, drastically changing the makeup of voters who choose Kansas Citians’ representation in Washington, D.C., without the consent or input of these impacted residents.

The governor’s “Missouri First Map” is not representative of Missouri’s diverse population and will alienate the voters in my community. In the 2024 General Election, the current president and governor received less than 60% of Missourians’ votes, adhering to the recurring 60/40 ratio in statewide elections since 2000.

We are elected to represent the values and best interests of our constituents, not merely act as proxies for the ever-changing winds of power in Washington, D.C. This state’s leadership has seemingly put politics over people and bypassed voter input. I will continue the fight for my constituents and ensure their voices are not silenced. We may not have the majority in the Legislature, but my colleagues and I in the Minority Caucus have the Constitution, the will of the people and the best interests of Missourians on our side.” 

For more information about Sen. Washington and her legislation, please visit her Senate website.