Legislative Update - Leaders Reach A Budget Deal

Dear Neighbors, 

The main headline coming out of the State Capitol was yesterday’s news that Governor Walz and legislative leaders had reached an agreement on our state budget, setting the framework our conference committees will work with to know how much to invest or reduce in funding for their respective budget areas. 

As a member of the Conference Committee for the Agriculture Budget, this is the news we were waiting for in order to craft the final version of this budget alongside House and Senate colleagues. Work in this committee is already going well, and should be completed soon.  

Still, this budget deal is a compromise, and while a compromise means no one gets everything they want, I promised to never compromise on the values our community sent me here to represent - and at the center of that is looking out for our neighbors.

That’s why I stood in solidarity with the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus as they announced their opposition to a provision in the budget deal that would strip healthcare away from our undocumented neighbors.

Why was this a part of a deal in the first place? Because Republicans were willing to shut down our entire government and the services Minnesotans rely on in order to deprive our neighbors of necessary care.

Doing so doesn’t make Minnesota any healthier, safer, or more prosperous. It only makes life harder for some folks, and I will not vote for a bill that takes healthcare away from anyone. I will always fight for a Minnesota where everyone can access the care they need and have a chance to thrive.

This is a proposal that is not just morally wrong, but fiscally irresponsible. Just because someone doesn’t have health insurance doesn’t mean they don’t get sick. More often than not they just put off seeking medical treatment until they end up in a costly emergency room, where medical emergencies are treated regardless of coverage. 

I want to lift up the words of Senator Alice Mann, a physician, and member of the legislature’s People of Color and Indigenous Caucus, who spoke against this proposal yesterday.

While I cannot support this specific proposal as it pertains to stripping away healthcare, this budget agreement also does a lot of good things, namely, protecting the accomplishments made by the DFL in recent years to support Minnesotans. Republicans tried to either repeal or roll back universal school meals, Earned Sick & Safe Time, reproductive freedom, gun violence prevention measures, clean energy goals, Unemployment Insurance for hourly school workers, and Minnesota’s Paid Family & Medical Leave program that’s beginning next year, to name a few. DFLers defended all of these. 

Federal Cuts to Medicaid and SNAP

Ensuring Minnesota’s budget is in the best shape possible is crucial, especially as we prepare for the worst as it pertains to the federal government. Wherever federal funding should falter, we need to make sure Minnesota is standing strong. 

Congressional Republicans continue their attempt to cut Medicaid, SNAP, and implement a series of additional economic policy failures that would harm the lives of everyday Americans, including small business owners and local economies. 

Republicans' reconciliation proposals would kick millions off their health insurance and take food away from hungry children. On top of this, it would raise household electricity costs and saddle middle-class and poor students with even greater student loan debt. Their plan will make it harder for everyday Americans to make ends meet, while the richest Americans, households in the top 0.1%, would enjoy a tax break of several hundreds of thousands of dollars on average.

While the budget deal I mentioned above keeps undocumented children eligible for MinnesotaCare, a health care program for Minnesotans with low incomes, Congressional Republicans are also looking at cutting matching federal funds to Medical Assistance for states that provide coverage to ANYONE that is undocumented. 

All the more reason to not back down when it comes to passing the best possible budget in Minnesota - for ALL our neighbors. 

The House’s Budget Proposals

Even as some of our final budgets are being crafted right now, we are still passing the remainder of the House’s Budget proposals, and I wanted to get you up to speed on these bills like I’ve done in previous updates. Here’s what we passed so far this week:

Health: Working families and seniors across our state - particularly in our rural communities - shouldn't have to drive for hours just to see a doctor or pick up a prescription. That's why we've extended audio-only telehealth coverage, strengthened local pharmacy support, and created pathways for qualified medical professionals to practice in all corners of Minnesota - because everyone deserves quality care.

Children & Families: More Minnesotans are experiencing food insecurity than ever before, and President Trump and Republicans are working to gut SNAP and other programs that Minnesota families rely on. The Health, Children, and Families budget provides critical resources to food banks, food shelves, and other programs to ensure children, working families, and seniors on fixed income have access to the food they need.

We’re also expecting to pass the House’s K-12 Budget today, which was a major sticking point of negotiations. In the end, as I mentioned above, we struck a deal that protects Unemployment Insurance for hourly school workers in this budget - a huge win for the workers who play a vital role in student success. 

These budget bills, like the ones before them, will soon be able to form their own conference committees to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate budget proposals. 

Applications Open - Presidential Leadership Scholars

No, not that President. Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) – a joint leadership development program led by the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson – is now accepting applications through July 20 for its 2026 class.

For over a decade, PLS has selected established professionals across all job sectors and backgrounds to learn about leadership through the experiences of these four presidents.

During the six-month program, selected professionals will hone their leadership skills through interactions and sessions with key administration officials, business executives, and leading academics, and form meaningful relationships with one another – learning from each other’s divergent views and experiences. 

If you or someone you know might be interested, I encourage you to check it out here. 

Stay Connected

Thank you for reading! Always feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or ideas you have on how to make our community and state better, especially as we get into the final weeks of the legislative session. You can reach me at rep.david.gottfried@house.mn.gov or 651-296-7153. You’ll either hear back from me or my Legislative Assistant, Isabel.

To keep up with my work in the House, you can either check out my legislative webpage, or follow along on my official Facebook page. Thank you again for placing your trust in me. I can’t wait to see what we can build together!

Sincerely,

David Gottfried

State Representative

House District 40B