The Missouri House has given first-round approval to a group of bills that will make up next year’s state budget.

The $48 billion proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget covers every aspect of state government – from Medicaid to transportation and education.

State Rep. Keri Ingle, D-Lee’s Summit, expressed concerns that programs to help children will be undercut.

“I want to be really clear that when we say that we care about the children in this state, the budget is how we prove that,” Ingle said to her Republican colleagues. “Your words are shallow.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Darin Chappell, R-Rogersville, said that throwing money at a problem won’t fix it.

“We should not put the state in a fiscal responsibility that it cannot maintain,” he said.

The House is expected to vote on its spending plan by Thursday, which is $5 billion less than what Gov. Mike Kehoe proposed in his State of the State Address. Once the House passes the budget proposal, the plan heads to the Senate for more number crunching.