Kansas Governor Laura Kelly visited Pittsburg on Monday as part of her "People's Budget Tour". Kansas Budget Director, Adam Profitt, gave remarks alongside Kelly. Proffitt is also the Secretary of Administration. The governor wanted to speak directly to Kansans to understand their priorities ahead of the 2026 legislative session.
During her opening remarks, she said the budget is universal.
"It'll be made up of numbers and ratios and formulas and percentages, but each of those things has real meaning for real people," said Gov. Kelly.
Kelly launched the statewide tour to address the potential damage caused by the budget bill passed in April. Kansas lawmakers opted to pass their own budget bill instead of Kelly's.
According to a press release about the tour, the budget passed by the Legislature projects that Kansans will spend between $300 million and $700 million more than they receive each year.
Despite Kelly's line-item vetoing of some issues, the budget approved included improvements for resources for Kansans. The allocated funding went towards early childhood and K-12 education, higher education, and economic development. The budget also increases support for intellectual and developmental disability services, according to a press release from the governor in March.
Pittsburg residents filled the Frisco Event Center to listen and voice concerns about Kelly's plans for the 2026 budget. The session was divided into two parts: opening remarks from Secretary Proffitt and Kelly, followed by a question-and-answer session for residents.
Kelly said the budget is one of the most essential responsibilities of a governor.
"A state budget is crafted to ensure that it meets the needs and reflects the values of Kansas, but just as importantly, that it is sustainable over time," added the governor.
The town halls were also a canned food drive, in partnership with the Kansas Food Bank and Harvesters. Non-perishable, non-glass items were encouraged.
Matt O'Malley from Wesley House estimated that attendees donated 500 pounds of food. The Wesley House is an outreach ministry of the First United Methodist Church in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Some of the top concerns from Pittsburg residents were K-12 education and funding of social service net programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid.
Kelly said residents at every stop brought up these issues — and it's something she'll take into consideration.
"I hope that Kansans will understand that when we talk about wanting to hear what they have to say, that we mean it, we really do want the input so that I can take that information back to Topeka and craft a budget that will reflect what the people of Kansas are concerned about," she said.
Kelly announced that Kansas would receive full November SNAP benefits starting November 7. The most recent data show that roughly 50% of all Crawford County residents utilize SNAP benefits. Several residents spoke highly of the governor's move.
The governor is in her final term and won't see the 2026 budget come to fruition - this was a topic of concern for residents.
Sheri Coatney works with the Southeast Kansas Independent Living (SKIL) Resource. She works with patients with disabilities who utilize Medicaid services. The Trump Administration's Big Beautiful Bill created new provisions for who is eligible for Medicaid - and caused a $150 billion cut to the service.
Coatney said, "We have a pretty big task in front of us as we look at the future."
"I want to make sure that as you're going through your budget, that you're not forgetting to look beyond your governorship and have your leadership there as we look at this extreme crisis that the federal government has put us in as far as what happens to people with these optional programs," added Coatney.
Kelly said the Medicaid cuts "will hit very hard."
"We have just really decimated our fundamental healthcare structure, particularly in our rural areas, so that we've not been able to use that $8 billion to invest. So I think we're, in some ways, more fragile than some of the other states," added Coatney.
The governor and her team will make their last stop in Wichita on Wednesday. Her budget team will discuss findings after Thanksgiving.
The Kansas House convenes for the 2026 Legislative Session on Monday January 12.
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