Dear Neighbors, We’re over halfway through the legislative session, and as we focus on finalizing the state budget in the next few weeks, that process is made all the more difficult from the cuts and uncertainty coming from the federal government. Every week we’re met with new policies coming from the White House, and while my legislative work is at the state level, much of our work is often mixed together, especially when it comes to funding programs and agencies in our state. I’m going to make a point in these newsletters to regularly highlight recent federal policies and how they impact our community, and I’ll start off with the recent news surrounding the Minnesota Department of Health. The Minnesota Department of Health announced last week that the Trump administration is unilaterally rescinding $226 million in federal grants related to the COVID-19 pandemic - funds that had already been allocated and budgeted for. The cuts amount to about 25% of MDH’s current budget, according to KARE-11, and are likely to result in the layoffs of around 200 employees. The actions are part of a broader nationwide effort to eliminate $11 billion in spending by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The recent federal funding cuts raise serious concerns about healthcare access for all Minnesotans and may exacerbate existing medical care disparities across our state. These changes could potentially impact vaccination programs, and ongoing pandemic research initiatives. Blowing a massive hole in budgets is not how we make Minnesota better. In the state legislature, we’ll do what we can to produce a strong, balanced budget for Minnesota, but we need our partners in the federal government to start taking this seriously. Small Business Impact Survey Amid additional federal tariffs announced this week, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development is gathering information from affected small businesses in Minnesota. In this period of uncertainty, there may be a lag in data, so this survey is a way for our Mankato business owners to communicate directly with the department now. The survey takes less than five minutes to complete. By collaborating with Minnesota's locally owned small businesses, which face significant challenges, we can proactively plan for the state's future needs. A “Landing Spot” for Federal Workers In addition to MDH employees, hundreds of federal employees are also grappling with unemployment, having either already been laid off or facing an uncertain future with rampant federal cuts. Last month, Governor Walz announced that the state launched a new website aimed at connecting these workers with new jobs, whether within state government or the private sector. |