Legislative Update – May 16, 2025
Neighbors,
Yesterday, I joined my fellow members of the House and Senate People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus and other ally representatives outside the Governor’s Office to protest the budget deal reached by Governor Walz and legislative leaders.
In negotiations, Republicans held the state budget hostage unless their demand to strip healthcare access for our undocumented neighbors was met. They would risk a government shutdown, along with all the services Minnesotans rely on, just to harm our neighbors and follow Trump’s lead in his racist and xenophobic attacks on immigrant communities.
The compromise reached by legislative leaders would strip MinnesotaCare, a health care program for Minnesotans with low incomes, of undocumented adults, leaving children still eligible.
Let me be clear: I will not vote for a bill that strips healthcare access away from anyone. As someone who has worked tirelessly to get more people the health care coverage they deserve, this is a betrayal of Minnesota’s values and will harm Minnesotans in every single corner of our state.
Later in the day, POCI Caucus members held our own press conference to correct the record from the Republicans’ lies about MinnesotaCare coverage, stand up for our undocumented neighbors, and unequivocally say that we will do everything in our power to ensure this “deal” does not become law. You can watch the whole press conference here.
I especially appreciated the comments of Senator Alice Mann, an emergency room physician and member of the Senate POCI Caucus, who directly refuted Republicans’ baseless claims that this policy is about fiscal responsibility. It is not low-income immigrants who are to blame for our current budget situation, it is the wealthy millionaires and corporations who refuse to pay their fair share, including the for-profit healthcare system that is already broken and will only get worse because of this policy that will lead to more emergency room visits and uncompensated care.
This is not “free healthcare,” as some have said. This population of Minnesotans pays more than $220 million in taxes per year, and they will pay premiums and copays, just like everyone else. The enrollment in this program is higher than expected, showing demand for healthcare access is greater than even anticipated, but the costs through the first four months are lower than forecasted.
Insurance for undocumented residents is supported by hospitals, doctors, nurses, insurers, labor, and faith groups. The only opponents are Republican elected officials, and the only reason to kick people off is racialized politics and xenophobia. Watch Senator Mann’s comments here.
As a member of the Health Committee and the Black Maternal Health Caucus, I also know that this provision will make our state less healthy and exacerbate our already unacceptable health care disparities.
When we kick low-income folks off health care insurance, we prevent them from getting preventative care that helps them live longer, healthier lives. When we kick our immigrant neighbors off health care insurance, we are furthering disparities in a health care system that already systemically harms Black and Brown people. This all leads to more emergency room visits and uncompensated care, placing strain on our already broken health care system.
As we enter these final days of the legislative session, I’m working with our incredible POCI leadership and other allies both inside and outside the legislature to apply pressure and ensure we turn back from the current course extreme Republicans have put us on.
We'll continue to fight to ensure our communities' voices and stories are heard and reflected in legislative decisions as we work to establish a balanced budget that leaves no community behind.
Thank you to everyone from District 62B who has made your voice heard already, and please continue to speak up and speak out!
Stay In Touch!
Hearing from constituents like you is a key aspect of my job as a state legislator. If you have questions, ideas, or feedback that you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Unfortunately, due to technological constraints, replies to this newsletter won’t reach my email account. You can email me at rep.anquam.mahamoud@house.mn.gov or call my office at 651-296-0294. You can also “like” and follow my official State Representative Facebook page.
Sincerely,
Anquam Mahamoud
State Representative