Despite court orders prohibiting the federal government from freezing many funding streams, disruptions to federal funds have continued. Some disruptions are short-lived. Other grants and awards are abruptly canceled altogether, resulting in layoffs and fewer services for Minnesotans.
As a state legislator, there’s not much I can do to stop the Trump administration, but I’m not without options when it comes to defending our state and preparing our budget for the cuts coming our way. It would help if Minnesota Republicans in D.C. and St. Paul took their heads out of the sand, but I’m committed to providing our state with the resources it needs to weather these next four years.
The House’s Budget Proposals
This week, we’re finalizing the House’s proposals for our state budget. I want to lift up our efforts in the Agriculture Committee, which has already passed our 2025 budget proposal and now awaits a vote on the House Floor. In a tied House, we must work together, and I’m proud to report we reached a bipartisan agreement while still delivering a strong budget that improves Minnesotans’ lives.
DFLers fought to: - Address the federal cuts to programs that keep Minnesotans fed, winning increases to the Local Food Purchasing program and the Farm to School program.
- Tackle corporate consolidation and level the playing field for emerging small farmers by increasing funding for the Down Payment Assistance Program.
- Protect workers and consumers from bird flu by increasing workplace protections for farm and meat processing workers and ensuring retail testing of milk and poultry products.
Other committee areas of mine, like Capital Investment, still have a road ahead of them for passing the House’s proposal. While not part of our state budget, a Capital Investment bill is still crucial for funding Minnesota’s infrastructure projects - especially as the Trump administration threatens federal funding.
Next week, neither the House or Senate are in session in recognition of the Easter and Passover holidays. It’s a nice break before we dive back in for the home stretch of the legislative session. In those final weeks, we’ll be putting our House budget proposals up against the Senate’s and recommendations from Governor Walz.
In the end, we’ll come out with a final state budget for the next two years, but the uncertainty from the Trump administration doesn’t make this process any easier. It’s difficult to budget when we have a federal partner that doesn’t pay their bills or rakes back funding that’s already been allocated.
I’ll be sure to keep you posted as our budget bills continue through the legislative process.
Stay Connected
When we get back from break on April 21, we’ll only have a few weeks left of the legislative session, and now is a crucial time to reach out to share any questions, comments, or ideas you have on how to make our community and state better. A tied House presents new opportunities, and there’s no shortage of things I believe we can work on together. You can reach me at rep.fue.lee@house.mn.gov or 651-296-4262. You’ll hear back from me or our Legislative Assistant, Tenzin. I look forward to hearing from you! Sincerely, Fue Lee State Representative |