Legislative Update - A More Affordable Minnesota

Dear Neighbors, 

Working hard and playing by the rules should mean that your family can afford their life and get ahead. But the reality is that this “deal” is broken.

The problem is that our economic system is rigged against regular Minnesotans, with an ever-growing gap between the ultra-wealthy and everyone else. Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Republican politicians at every level are doubling down on this broken system, choosing to put more power in the hands of the ultra-wealthy while things get harder and harder for working people.

It's time for change that puts more power in the hands of Minnesotans — not billionaires and large corporations. That’s why this week my DFL colleagues introduced a plan to address the biggest costs facing Minnesota families. Whether that’s health care, child care, housing, energy, or groceries, we’re putting forward solutions where our neighbors can not only afford to just get by, but thrive.

As the DFL Chair of the Housing Committee, I’m especially dedicated to ensuring Minnesotans don’t break the bank just to have a roof over their heads. In addition to the solutions listed above, I’d also add our bipartisan efforts to create more diversity in our state’s housing options.

This week in committee, we held an informational hearing on the Starter Homes Act, an all-too-rare example of both sides of the aisle, legislators from all over the state, coming together to meet the needs of Minnesotans. 

There’s more work to be done to get this over the finish line, but we continue to build a coalition behind this legislation. If there was ever a time to deliver affordable homes to Minnesotans, this is it. 

ICE’s Impact on Minnesota

Just the other day, Kristi Noem refused to apologize to Minnesotans who were illegally detained by ICE. Then yesterday, we got the welcome news that she had been fired. Make no mistake, it is the people of Minnesota who are responsible for Kristi Noem’s departure. We stood strong amidst the unlawful abuses of power of ICE and showed Noem the door.

Though Noem is out, our state still grapples with ICE and its impact on our communities. There’s no shortage of horror stories from these last few months, but as we look at the full impact on Minnesota, especially on our economy, what we need now is data so that we can appropriately respond.

That is why I authored legislation to study the economic impact of Operation Metro Surge. It’s a bill that simply asks my Republican colleagues to take this first step and be curious. Being informed should not be controversial.

In my closing comments, I shared one of the many stories that came out of our community.

As has been the case for the majority of the DFL’s solutions when it comes to addressing ICE’s impact on our state, all the Republicans on the committee voted no, choosing to keep their heads in the sand.

Not studying the impact doesn’t change the fact that our economy has been harmed. It just means we won’t have all the information we need to properly do our jobs, and our state’s recovery will be lessened because of that.

If you want another example of Republicans’ complete disconnect when it comes to ICE in Minnesota, we had another instance earlier this week where a GOP representative wanted to know more about the “paid protesters” that have been standing up for their communities. 

That’s what they fundamentally don’t understand, that thousands of Minnesotans would want to make this state a better place for their neighbors.

That’s worth fighting for. 

In partnership, 

Michael Howard