Dear Neighbor, The House’s focus is shifting toward budget bills as a series of omnibus finance packages to set the state’s next two-year budget start coming to the floor. I’m sure there will be a lot to discuss on that subject in coming weeks. For now, I’d like to touch on the governor’s State of the State Address issued Wednesday night. It’s nice that he suspended his national grandstanding tour at least long enough to come home and deliver a speech. Except it sounded more like someone auditioning for what they hope is their next job instead of doing what their current job demands. Our closely divided legislature requires leadership that can bring us together solutions to help the people of our state. We needed the governor to deliver an honest reckoning for how we’re going to overcome the consequences caused by reckless spending and unnecessary tax increases with Democrats in total control of the Capitol the last two years. Minnesotans deserved to hear the governor say how he intends to work together with a divided legislature to get the job done. Instead of taking the approach of a statesman, he went on an angry rant and continued to divide Minnesota with partisan rhetoric. He once again invoked the Democrats’ Trump Deflection Strategy where all of Minnesota’s problems are the fault of Donald Trump or people outside the state. That does not serve Minnesotans well and we need to get past the national politics, name calling and finger pointing we saw in the governor’s speech so we can get down to serving the people of our state. Click here for video of a press conference I participated in following the governor’s speech. In other news: Taxpayer cost of providing free healthcare for illegal immigrants soaring Only after persistent inquiries by House Republicans, it has come to light that illegal immigrant enrollments in MinnesotaCare have more than doubled prior estimates, sending program costs well beyond projections. “Free” taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal immigrants was passed into law by Democrats in 2023. After just four months of open enrollment, the Minnesota Department of Health indicates 17,396 undocumented individuals have signed up, which is more than twice the original forecast of 7,700. This program was originally projected to cost Minnesota taxpayers $196 million over four years but, based on current enrollment, that cost has ballooned to an estimated $550 million and growing. There’s another layer to this issue impacting taxpayers: The federal government normally covers 90 percent of program costs, with the state responsible for the remaining 10 percent. Except, unlike traditional MinnesotaCare recipients, illegal immigrants are not eligible for federal funding support. That means Minnesota taxpayers are forced to cover the full cost of providing free healthcare to people who are in our state illegally. While Minnesota families are struggling to afford everyday essentials, Democrats are blowing over half a billion taxpayer dollars on a program they didn’t fully explain and prioritizing prioritize benefits for individuals here illegally over the needs of hardworking Minnesotans. This news comes at a time Minnesota faces a projected $6 billion budget deficit after Democrats in 2023 also spent the $18 billion surplus and increased state spending by 40 percent. Continued funding for free healthcare for illegal immigrants could jeopardize other critical services such as ambulance operations, rural hospitals, and emergency care. House Republicans are focused on bringing fiscal responsibility back to the Capitol and ensuring taxpayer dollars are used wisely. Legislation has been introduced to repeal the MinnesotaCare expansion for undocumented immigrants to control costs and protect essential services. A full repeal would save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over the next four years and reduce incentives for illegal immigration to the state. Ellison suing Trump You may recall this issue surfaced earlier this session, when House Democrats undermined safe and fair competition for girls by voting down the Preserving Girls Sports Act (H.F. 12) even though polls show around 80 percent of people agree with the bill’s position. Then, the Minnesota State High School League took things a step further, announcing it will not follow the Trump administration’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” order banning biological males from playing girls sports. Now, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison this week filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to prevent it from canceling around $1 million in law enforcement grants after the state said it would continue allowing biological males to compete in girls sports. Republicans are trying to fix this issue. There’s a common-sense way to handle this that does not involve messing around with federal lawsuits. For that to happen, Democrats would have to represent the wishes of the vast majority of Minnesotans instead of catering to the radical extreme. Don’t hold your breath. Until next time, have a good weekend and please stay in touch. I’m sure there will be a lot more to say about budget bills in upcoming newsletters. For now, have a good weekend and please stay in touch. Sincerely, Harry |