Dear Neighbor,
Remember when Democrats had full control of the Capitol and spent two years pushing a radical agenda, passing laws citizens weren’t asking for and politicians weren’t even discussing in public?
They steamrolled the will of most Minnesotans to cater to extreme activists, and now we’re dealing with the fallout. A prime example? Democrats decided to give “free” taxpayer-funded healthcare to individuals in the country illegally. Enrollment in MinnesotaCare for undocumented immigrants has more than doubled what was initially projected, and now the program is costing far more than Minnesotans were led to believe.
Just four months into open enrollment, the Minnesota Department of Health reports 17,396 undocumented individuals are signed up – more than twice the original estimate of 7,700. When Democrats passed the expansion of healthcare for illegals in 2023, they said it would cost $196 million over four years. But with current enrollment, the price tag has already ballooned to around $550 million and rising.
This kind of massive cost overrun shouldn't be a surprise. California’s similar program has been a financial disaster. Just last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration said the state needs a $3.44 billion loan to cover Medi-Cal costs. While they didn’t directly say why, this announcement came just weeks after officials admitted they had underestimated costs by roughly $3.5 billion. Coincidence? Probably not. Illinois is seeing the same kind of overruns.
Back here in Minnesota, that’s over half a billion dollars that could have gone to emergency services, better roads, teacher pensions, smaller class sizes – you name it. Instead, when they had total control of the Capitol, Democrats chose to spend it on free, full-coverage healthcare for individuals who are here illegally, forcing hardworking Minnesota taxpayers to foot the bill.
Democrats sold this program under the banner of “benevolence.” But let’s be honest: is it benevolent to take food off your own child’s plate to feed strangers? Generosity only works when you can afford it. Otherwise, it’s just self-harm.
Right now, Minnesota is staring down a $6 billion budget deficit. We can’t keep throwing money at a program that was misrepresented from the start and that most people never asked for. It’s putting critical services such as rural hospitals, ambulance operations, and emergency care at serious risk.
This is happening at the same time we’re seeing a disturbing national trend of criminal aliens committing serious crimes, often with little accountability.
When we talk about lofty concepts such as bipartisanship and compromise, we need to be clear: there are some issues where there simply isn’t a middle ground. You cannot prioritize both productive, law-abiding taxpayers and criminals and expect the system to work.
You must choose, and Democrats have made their unfortunate choice. As we head into these end-of-session budget discussions at the Capitol, this fundamental divide will be at the center of the debate – and of our House Republican efforts to keep Minnesota from drifting even farther off the rails.
Sincerely,
Walter