Hello neighbors! As the spring turns to summer, I hope that you are looking forward to warmer weather, longer days, and time outdoors with family and friends.
This transition also marks the end of the regularly-scheduled legislative session. As in every odd-numbered year, the major work of the session has been the building of a new two-year state budget. That work has been especially challenging this time, with a closely divided Legislature, long-term fiscal constraints, and unprecedented chaos and threats from the federal government.
Closely-Divided Legislature, Long-Term Constraints
Inside the Legislature, the House has been tied, for the first time in more than 40 years. (The DFL has a bare majority in the Senate.) Both DFL and Republican votes are required for any legislation to advance. I serve as co-chair of the Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development committee, as well as DFL lead on a committee dedicated to fraud prevention and agency oversight. I also serve on the committees for Public Safety – drawing on my outside work as a prosecutor of gender violence – and Ways & Means (i.e., the overall budget).
Readers of my Community Reporter column from August 2024 will recall the enormous progress Minnesota made under DFL control during the prior (2023-2024) legislative term. Put simply: Whatever the policy area – environment, housing, education, transportation, health, and more – there were transformational investments and policy changes that will help everyone in our state to thrive for years to come.
By necessity – given the tie in the House – much of the focus of my DFL colleagues and me this session has been on protecting these gains. In particular, I have worked to protect the Paid Family & Medical Leave program, which will take effect on January 1. Every worker in our state deserves time to bond with their new baby, heal from serious illness or provide critically-needed care for a family member. We’ll continue to stand strong for this principle.
The investments made in 2023-2024 were based on quite-conservative fiscal projections; they included more than $3 billion placed in a “rainy-day” fund and another more than $3 billion left unspent. In fact, the current two-year budget is running a surplus. Nevertheless, projections several years out show an imbalance for programs supporting certain vulnerable Minnesotans. These longer-term constraints pose an additional challenge as we finalize a budget.
Chaos and Threats from the Trump Administration
All of the above is only complicated further by the actions of the Trump administration. A large proportion of Minnesota’s budget comes via the federal government. The administration has already forced through some cuts, often with scant legal basis. And those that it has proposed to the Republican-controlled Congress would be massive, gutting programs on which our residents rely for health, food, education and much more. The administration’s defiance of the law, of our democratic institutions and of basic decency expand the danger exponentially.
Many constituents have reached out to me with alarm about all of this – and asking for ideas about what they can do to help. There are no easy answers, but I do have a few thoughts. The first is that we must not allow ourselves to be overwhelmed or paralyzed. Vulnerable people — those who are being targeted now, as well as the future generations who will inherit our democracy and our warming planet — are depending on us to step up and lean in.
Each of us must do that in our own way. There are regular protests and rallies; consider bringing your voice and sign. Organizations that advocate for and support vulnerable people in our community (and around the world) are facing cuts and persecution; consider increasing your contributions and volunteer time. There is much (strategically intended) confusion about the administration’s actions; educate yourself about what is going on. And engage in conversations with family and friends, from a variety of backgrounds, about what you are seeing and experiencing.
Our democracy is precious, as is the rule of law underlying it and the vibrant state and country that it has built. They are sustained by the actions of each one of us. #EverybodyIn. I will keep working to protect them, and I know that so many of you will too.