Dear Neighbor,
The 2025 regular session began with Republicans having gained equal power in the House of Representatives and looking to restore sanity in our state after two years of Democrats in full control of the Capitol spending recklessly, taxing unnecessarily and passing extreme policies that nobody outside of the leftist base wanted.
One problem: Democrats could not come to grips with the fact Minnesotans had put an end to their unchecked trifecta power and that balance was restored in St. Paul. In fact, they refused to come to work the first 23 days of the regular session, blaming a contested Shakopee election to distract from the fact a Democrat House candidate who cheated and courts prohibited from being seated was the real reason they were staying home and collecting a paycheck instead of doing the work they were elected to do.
Those 23 days Democrats skipped work are at least part of the reason the state’s next two-year budget remained incomplete when the May 19 deadline for this year’s regular session to adjourn arrived. Their general disunity and refusal to abide by the global agreement their leadership – including Gov. Walz – put forward also threw sand in the legislative gears.
All this necessitated a one-day special session this week to finish our state’s next two-year budget. During that special session, House Republicans successfully eliminated free health care for illegal immigrants, made the largest spending cut in state history and rejected tax increases on Minnesota families.
It was not without drama. One House Democrat led a protest chant on the House floor and was called out of order by the Speaker. By my unofficial count, there was an average of one crying Democrat per hour during the special session. Maybe they still have not come to grips with the fact Minnesotans put an end to their unchecked power?
Another key reason a special session was necessary is Democrats dragged their feet on key bills, clinging to their deeply unpopular provisions on issues such as providing health care to illegal immigrants. They claim reserving MNCare for legal residents will strain hospitals and other public institutions, completely ignoring that it’s actually illegal immigration which does that.
We heard time and again in committee from schools and other institutions that the need for services has increased beyond expectations, and this is heavily due to illegal immigration. Since the expansion of MNCare to illegal immigrants took effect just five months ago, enrollment has already exceeded 20,000 people. That is nearly four times the Walz Administration’s first-year projection of 5,500.
This rapid increase has caused major cost overruns and threatened to blow a massive hole in the state budget. And, unlike other MNCare recipients, illegal immigrants receive zero federal reimbursement, meaning Minnesota taxpayers are covering 100 percent of the cost.
Even progressive states like California and Illinois have recognized the unsustainable cost and are either pausing enrollment (California) or bailing on the program (Illinois). House Republicans acknowledged the fiscal realities of this issue and passed a bill that ends the free health insurance program for adults here illegally.
Taxpayer-funded benefits should not serve as a reward for violating federal immigration law and I am proud we took action and put Minnesotans first.
On a side note: We have seen riots taking place in Los Angeles, primarily directed against federal immigration law enforcement. We may see similar unrest here, just like we did in 2020 under Walz’s feckless leadership. I call on the feds to pursue RICO investigations against those funding and organizing these violent riots.
As for the now-complete state budget, it is clear House Republicans have restored balance at the Capitol. We delivered the largest reduction to government spending in state history with $2 billion in budget cuts. In all, there is $5 billion less spending than the previous budget. We also blocked all proposals to further raise taxes on Minnesota families. We prevented the creation of a fifth-tier income tax bracket ($8 billion), defeated the governor’s sales tax increase ($400 million), and stopped the expansion of sales taxes to professional services ($334 million) to name a few.
Is it a perfect budget? Nope. Did it go far enough to clean up the mess Democrats caused the last two years? Also, nope. But it is undeniable progress that provides a ray of hope for our state after the dire realities of radical Democrat ideology had taken root. Our work is far from finished. I look forward to helping Minnesota turn the corner now that Republicans have at least stemmed the bleeding without the luxury of a true majority in either legislative body and the most partisan governor our state has ever seen still in office.
Sincerely,
Walter