Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As the Legislature moves forward in crafting a new state budget, my DFL colleagues and I will fight to put more power in the hands of Minnesotans, not billionaires and large corporations. The harm is already impacting Minnesotans and our state budget. We must ensure that our state budget provides for maximum flexibility for us to address future harm from federal action. We’re looking forward to working with Governor Walz and the Senate on a final budget agreement.
The remainder of the month of March at the Capitol has seen a shift back to power sharing between DFLers and Republicans. DFLers celebrated the swearing-in of Rep. David Gottfried (DFL-Shoreview), which returned the House to a 67-67 tie. The implementation of the power sharing governance agreement now means committees will be co-chaired by Democrats and Republicans and are comprised of equal numbers of members from both parties. Our co-chairs and committee members will use their power to restore a focus on building a budget to support Minnesotans.
For the 2025-2026 biennium, I've been assigned to serve on the House Housing Finance and Policy and Agriculture Finance and Policy committees. I am also greatly honored to be appointed as the DFL Vice Chair of the Ways and Means committee.
I'm proud to work with our dynamic group of legislators in establishing an equitable budget that supports all Minnesotans as we navigate the challenges ahead. With rising concerns about national economic policies including tariffs and trade tensions, our work is focused on creating resilient financial frameworks that protect our state's prosperity and ensure no community is left behind during these uncertain times. Together, we can create an economy that works for everyone, despite the challenges we will face. We continue to work towards securing policies that will lead to good-paying jobs, affordable healthcare, access to quality early care and education, and a robust social safety net for our most vulnerable Minnesotans.
Special Floor Moment
It was a great honor to have my parents, the Rev. Dr. John Agbaje and Mrs. Bunmi Agbaje, visit from Cincinnati, OH last month. My dad, a retired priest in the Episcopal Church, was the Chaplin for the day, delivering a powerful prayer ahead of our floor debate on March 20. I was glad that he could say a prayer over the House of Representatives to help guide us in our roles as leaders in Minnesota. I will be forever a proud daughter of hardworking immigrants who instilled a strong sense of resilience, strength, and wisdom.
Legislative Bills
As the power sharing agreement was implemented, I had the privilege of presenting important bills in different committees:
- Two bills strengthening the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board - one providing grants for worker training and another clarifying which facilities fall under its oversight.
- Two bills supporting youth workforce development through the West Broadway Business Coalition.
- A bill to create the licensure for Certified Midwives to help with maternity deserts in rural areas and provide more opportunities for pregnancy care for women in Minnesota.
- A bill to support locally owned housing by providing a revolving fund to cities and counties to build and operate their own housing provided at an affordable cost.
- A bill to create a permanent program for the First Generation Down Payment Assistance grant program established in 2023.
- A bill to expand connectivity between incarcerated people and their families by making more communication methods like video calls and email free.
I'm proud to champion legislation that builds upon critical areas in our community to enhance healthcare, housing, and job opportunities at all stages of life.
Protect Medicaid, Not Millionaires Act
While President Trump and Congressional Republicans look to subsidize tax cuts for the wealthy by reducing federal funding for Medicaid, I am a proud co-author of DFL-backed legislation that would raise taxes on millionaires at the level necessary to offset any cuts to this crucial program. Medicaid is the largest single source of health insurance in Minnesota, serving senior citizens, children, families, and people with disabilities.
A report from Congress’s Joint Economic Committee found that if Republicans in Congress pass their proposed budget and cut Medicaid, Minnesota could see 89,000 rural residents lose their health coverage,130,000 children lose their health insurance, more than 1 in 6 seniors lose their nursing home care and, in total, nearly 400,000 people cut off from their health insurance. If these callous cuts go through without additional revenue raised by Minnesota, it will have a direct and immediate negative effect on health in Minnesota, costing lives and doing harm.
Watch the press conference here.
How Will Federal Education Cuts Impact You?
Sadly, we no longer have a serious partner in the White House when it comes to building a world-class education system for our students. In March, President Trump advanced reckless plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. In response, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) launched a public feedback portal at education.mn.gov for parents, students, teachers, and community members to submit detailed accounts of the ways recent Executive Orders and abrupt federal education cuts are impacting schools and children across our state. More than 860,000 students in Minnesota depend on stable partnerships that have existed between their school communities, MDE and the U.S. Department of Education across administrations. For decades, the federal investments facilitated through those partnerships have played a key role in ensuring students in Minnesota receive the support they need to learn and thrive, including:
- $256 million for students with disabilities
- $192 million for students from low-income backgrounds
- $27 million for academic enrichment
- $6 million for students in rural schools
- $38 million to support children living on military bases or Native American reservations
- $100 million for Career and Technical Education workforce development programs
If any of these cuts impact you and your family, please let us know!
Federal Cuts to MDH
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. 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 essential services including COVID-19 testing capabilities, vaccination programs, and ongoing pandemic research initiatives. I am committed to pursuing solutions through collaboration, advocating for adequate public health funding, and supporting affected employees while ensuring our communities maintain access to vital health services during this challenging transition.
Prescription Drug Affordability
For too long, drug manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) and health plans have taken advantage of flaws in federal drug policy to squeeze consumers for ever increasing amounts of profit. I’m happy to say the DFL is pushing three bills specifically crafted to target the strategies keeping cheap and affordable drugs out of the hands of Minnesotans:
- HF 1652 would prohibit a health plan from forcing patients to switch drugs in the middle of the year because they’re now getting a bigger rebate from the manufacturer of a competitive drug. If a patient and a doctor find a drug that works, they should be allowed to stick with that drug for the rest of the plan year.
- HF 1075 says that health plans and PBMs must use the rebates that they received when patients bought their drug to buy down their price at the pharmacy counter in the form of a “Point of Sale Rebate.” This will ensure these rebates are being used to make expensive life saving drugs more affordable to the patients who need them.
- HF 1076 is an innovative approach not yet adopted by any other state. It requires PBMs and health plans to include the low-price drugs in their formularies and construct their formularies so that the drugs with the lowest prices for the patient (rather than the drug generating the biggest kick-backs to the insurance company) receive the best placement in their formularies. The goal of this legislation is to redirect competition away from rebates towards lower prices.
If these were passed into law, you would see a significant decrease in the price of the drugs you rely on. I’ll be sure to keep pushing for their passage and let you know of any progress!
Let’s Stay Connected!
I deeply value being in this work to improve lives with you. Please continue to reach out with any input, ideas, or feedback about the issues important to you. Please reach out anytime if you need assistance, schedule a meeting or community event, or have questions at rep.esther.agbaje@house.mn.gov or 651-296-8659.
In community,
Rep. Esther Agbaje
Minnesota House of Representatives (59B)
Legislative Assistant
Nhia Chang
Nhia.Chang@house.mn.gov
651-296-4165