Dear Neighbor,
We are coming down the final stretch of the 2026 legislative session and we’ll see if House Democrats have it within themselves to support bills that help Minnesotans or if they’ll just keep inventing new ways of hurting people in our state. Here is more on the latter and other notes from the Capitol:
State flag(s)
House Democrats have authored a bill that orders Minnesota cities and counties to fly the state’s new flag by reducing state funding if they choose to display the historic version. In other words, House Democrats are trying to punish their political enemies who dare not fly the flag Democrats redesigned as a former trifecta.
The bill (H.F. 5077) comes at a time when several cities – including Champlin, Zumbrota, Elk River and Inver Grove Heights – are opting to continue flying the historic flag on public property. Current state law does not require local governments to display the official flag.
As punishment, House Democrats want to reduce local government aid by 10 percent for entities choosing to display any other flag than the one that became official in 2024. LGA is a key source of state funding for local governments that helps communities pay for essential services such as police and fire departments. making this a significant financial penalty for noncompliance.
The good news is Republicans stand against this bill in our tied House. The bill also faces procedural hurdles because it was introduced after this year’s legislative deadlines passed, and there is no Senate companion. That said, it’s just one more reason we can’t afford another Democrat trifecta.
Federal warrants
Federal agencies served nearly two dozen warrants on likely fraudulent Medicaid providers earlier this week.
These federal law enforcement raids didn’t happen in a vacuum. For years, House Republicans warned that Minnesota’s Democrat leaders were failing to provide the basic oversight needed to stop fraud. After repeated red flags, whistleblower warnings, and explosive growth in program spending, Gov. Walz and AG Ellison had every chance to step in and fix this. They didn’t, and now the federal government is stepping in to clean up the mess.
Minnesota taxpayers deserve accountability, and they're finally starting to see it. That accountability must extend to the leaders who oversaw this historic fraud as well.
GOP tax relief vs. DFL “class warfare”
House Republicans propose a massive $4 billion in tax/fee relief this session to give Minnesotans some breathing room. This includes reducing car tab fees to pre-trifecta levels and providing a $1 billion property tax reduction.
Meanwhile, the House DFL’s Deputy Floor Leader and ranking member of its leadership team proudly declared this week that House Democrat tax policies are “class warfare” because they aren’t even trying to pretend anymore. “We're calling this ‘class warfare,’” she said, “and I’m like, ‘Don’t threaten me with a good time.’ This IS class warfare.”
This just confirms obvious and underscores yet again the importance of Republicans having broken up one-party control at the Capitol, providing more balance and sparing Minnesotans from the Democrats’ extremism.
Until next time, have a good weekend and please stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Harry