Dear Neighbors,
I hope everyone will have an enjoyable and safe Halloween! As a quick reminder, we are now within Minnesota's “Cold Weather Rule” where you are protected from utility shut-offs, visit this site to learn more about these protections.
Although the Minnesota legislature does not return to session until February, Minnesota Democrats are very concerned about the continued negative impacts of this federal administration on our state.
Shutdown Impacts to SNAP
We are approaching the fourth week of the shutdown of the federal government in Washington D.C. where Republicans control the Presidency and both houses of Congress. As Minnesotans continue to struggle with health care costs and food access, President Trump continues to build his $300 million ballroom and has promised to give $40 billion to Argentina.
Even before the shutdown, Trump made massive federal cuts to food support known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is a critical lifeline for families to put food on the table, and these cuts come when hunger is rising rapidly under Trump. More than 440,000 Minnesotans rely on SNAP to put food on the table. Nearly a third of kindergarteners in Minnesota rely on SNAP, and approximately 152,000 children and 72,000 seniors in Minnesota will lose access to meals due to the Trump shutdown.
Starving people is a choice the Trump administration is making as there are funds available that the administration should use to provide these benefits during the shutdown. Along with my colleagues, the House and Senate DFL caucuses sent a letter to Trump urging him to use his authority to keep families and children fed through November. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has also filed a lawsuit about this. Governor Walz has announced the use of some emergency funds that will be allocated to help prevent starvation in the short-term in Minnesota.
If you or someone you know needs help with food this fall, Hunger Solutions has a list of statewide food shelves and additional resources here. For assistance specifically in Ramsey county, you can search for resources here. If you’re able to, please consider making a contribution to a local food shelf. I plan on making an ongoing contribution starting tonight. Food shelves are already struggling to meet the demand, and the longer the uncertainty around SNAP continues, the more pressure they will face.
Department of Homeland Security Cuts MN Public Safety Efforts
Minnesota receives critical public safety dollars from the federal government in the form of the Urban Area Security Initiative grant. This grant funds emergency response planning, emergency equipment procurement, cybersecurity training, and many other initiatives that help guarantee our safety. This year, however, Minnesota received less than a third of what we are typically allotted, and the cut comes on top of another public safety grant that the Trump administration defunded.
Walz wrote a letter to our federal delegation urging action on this urgent matter. As explained in the letter:
With this latest round of funding decisions, DHS has cut over $7.2 million from law enforcement and public safety programs that should be dedicated to protecting Minnesotans and preventing and stopping terrorism. In a year when Minnesota has experienced unprecedented political violence, a school shooting, significant cyber attacks, and other concerning events it defies logic that such funding would be withheld from Minnesota as we work to protect Minnesotans and all Americans from mass violence events and terrorist activity.
This is another clear example of Trump and his appointees defunding public safety and making Minnesotans less safe.
Survey on Gun Violence
The Minnesota DFL has passed laws that reduce gun violence in Minnesota and is working on additional legislation. As a part of that effort, we created a survey where you can tell us your personal experience with gun violence. Many of the ways in which gun violence impacts our society occur on more personal levels and don’t get a lot of media attention. We are hoping to shine a light on these stories to raise awareness of the full cost of gun violence. Please take the time to fill out our survey if you have been impacted by gun violence.
Stay In Touch
Please feel free to contact me directly with your viewpoints or if I can be of assistance. My email is rep.kelly.moller@house.mn.gov and my phone number is 651-296-0141.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.
Sincerely,
Kelly Moller
State Representative