Lynn Schmidt, Missouri Independent

Recently, columnist Janice Ellis asked the question: “Who is the real Republican Party? Look at how it governs.”

As the Missouri state chair for Our Republican Legacy, here is my answer. The Republican Party belongs to history, not to one man. The principled Republicans and conservatives are still here. And we’re not going anywhere.

There is a temptation, understandable if mistaken, to believe that what we see today is what conservatism will look like forever. That the Republican Party, the party of Abraham Lincoln, Dwight Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan, has been permanently remade in the image of one man, one moment, one movement defined more by grievance than by governance.

We reject that premise. And we are ready for what comes next.

Those of us who have spent our lives in the tradition of principled, Reagan-style conservatism have not abandoned the party. We have not gone quietly into political exile. We have been waiting, organizing, and preserving the intellectual and moral infrastructure of a conservatism worth believing in — one grounded in Unity, The Constitution, Fiscal Responsibility, Free Enterprise, and Peace through Strength.

That is precisely the mission of Our Republican Legacy, the organization founded by former Missouri Sen. John Danforth, a man who has devoted his life to public service with integrity, who served as U.S. Senator, United Nations Ambassador, and Missouri Attorney General, and who has never confused loyalty to a party with surrender of conscience.

Sen. Danforth understands something that too many in today’s Republican Party have forgotten that the party is a vessel for values, not the other way around.

President Donald Trump will not control the Republican Party forever. No political figure does. The currents of American political life are too unpredictable, the electorate too dynamic, the demands of governing too complex for any one personality to permanently define a major political coalition.

History is littered with figures who seemed immovable — until they moved. The question is never whether change will come. The question is whether honorable people are ready when it does.

We intend to be ready.

What does that mean in practice? It means identifying and supporting candidates, at every level of government, but most importantly a candidate for President in 2028, who hold genuine conservative values rather than merely pay lip service to them.

It means building a coalition of Republicans who understand that winning elections is important, but that what you do with power matters just as much.
It means insisting that a strong America abroad requires a stable, honest America at home. It means fiscal seriousness in an age of ballooning deficits.

It means respecting the Constitution and adherence to the rule of law.

Reagan called America a “shining city on a hill” —not a nation defined by its enemies, real or imagined, but one animated by its possibilities.

Reagan conservatism was never simply nostalgia. It was an optimistic, forward-looking philosophy that trusted the American people, believed in limited government, and free markets.

That vision did not die. While it went underground, it has persisted in the convictions of millions of Republicans who cast their ballots with unease, who winced at what was said from the podium, and who whispered their doubts to trusted friends.

Those Republicans deserve a home. Our Republican Legacy exists to be that home — and to build the bridge between the conservatism that made America strong and the conservatism that will be called upon to lead again.

The moment is coming. And when a candidate rises who embodies these values, who governs with competence, speaks with honesty, leads with humility, principled Republicans across this country will answer the call —that we are the real Republican Party.

This article was published in the Missouri Independent.

Recently, Missouri’s senior senator introduced the American Worker Rebate Act which promises “at least” $600 per adult and dependent child funded by revenue from President Donald Trump’s new tariffs. The proposed legislation represents a dangerous fiscal misstep that threatens to worsen inflation while squandering a rare opportunity to address America’s mounting debt crisis.

Hawley’s proposal goes against one of Our Republican Legacy’s five pillars — fiscal responsibility — which is being woefully overlooked by current Republicans.

Our Republican Legacy’s fiscal responsibility principle reads: “Historically, our party stood for fiscal responsibility. The explosion of national debt in recent years is a legacy of weakness that future Americans must inherit. We renew our historical commitment to a sound economy.”

Hawley’s proposed tariff rebate is an anathema to the very idea of fiscal responsibility and is an example of just how much the GOP has changed from what it used to be.

American workers deserve policies that genuinely improve their economic prospects, not Hawley’s political theater that provides temporary checks while imposing hidden long-term costs.

Tariffs are essentially taxes on imported goods, and those costs are inevitably passed along to consumers through higher prices. Hawley’s rebate scheme will have American families paying higher prices at the store while receiving what amounts to their own money back—minus the administrative costs of collection and redistribution.

The inflationary risks of Hawley’s plan cannot be overstated. The U.S. has brought in a record $150 billion worth of tariff revenue so far, but that economic burden came directly from American consumers and businesses.

Rather than allowing this contractionary effect to help cool inflation, Hawley proposes pumping the tariff revenue directly back into consumer spending through cash payments. This creates a perfect storm for further price increases with tariffs driving up the cost of imported goods while rebate checks increase consumer demand, pushing prices higher across the board.

The Federal Reserve has spent the past few post-Covid years fighting to bring inflation under control, raising interest rates and implementing contractionary monetary policy to reduce demand pressures in the economy. Hawley’s rebate scheme would effectively counteract these efforts by providing fiscal stimulus precisely when the economy needs restraint.

For a family of four potentially receiving $2,400, the immediate gratification of cash payments would be quickly eroded by the resulting price increases on everything from groceries to housing.

Hawley’s tariff rebate plan offers an economic sugar rush mixed with short-term political gain at the expense of long-term economic stability.

As troublesome as the risk of inflation, Hawley’s proposal also misses a massive opportunity for debt reduction. With the national debt approaching dangerous levels and interest payments consuming an ever-larger share of federal revenues, the $150 billion in tariff collections could make a meaningful dent in our fiscal obligations.

Our Republican Legacy’s founder and former Sen. John Danforth had the following to say: “Hawley’s plan which, as I understand it, would give $600 to every man, woman and child in America, is the opposite of one of (Our Republican Legacy’s) core principles of fiscal responsibility. The current Republican program blows the lid off the national debt which now stands at $37 trillion and, under the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, will grow an additional $3.4 trillion over the next 10 years.”

Reducing the national debt would lower the government’s interest burden, freeing up resources for productive investments in infrastructure, education, and defense. It would also strengthen America’s fiscal position for future economic challenges and reduce the intergenerational burden we’re placing on young Americans. Every dollar spent on rebates today is a dollar not available for debt reduction, meaning higher taxes or reduced services for future generations.

Again, from Danforth: “As I understand Hawley’s proposal, that increase in the debt is not enough. He would increase it by an additional $200 billion in a one-time payment to all.”

Rather than fueling inflation through misguided stimulus, Congress should demonstrate genuine leadership by either repealing the tariffs, which is within their Constitutional powers, or apply the tariff revenue to debt reduction, providing lasting benefits for all Americans while avoiding the inflationary trap this proposal would create.

While it remains to be seen whether Hawley’s proposed legislation would ever become law, this isn’t the first time Hawley has embraced the idea of sending out checks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hawley was a lone Republican calling for additional rounds of stimulus checks back in 2020, even teaming up with democratic socialist, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Hawley’s populist, political and economic shell game is likely to hurt hard-working Americans.