Friends and neighbors,

The 2025 special session ended early Tuesday morning. While there were a few victories, the overall result was incredibly disappointing. The new budget prioritized growing state government bureaucracy while making cuts to services for people who need help the most.

Despite the fact that Democrats spent us into a $6 billion deficit, Gov. Walz’s state agencies received a $770 million increase in their budgets. Instead of the Walz administration participating in the belt tightening, the cuts came at the expense of schools and nursing homes, who are staring down a combined $461 million in cuts. Growing our already-bloated bureaucracy while leaving vulnerable families behind is appalling.

This budget was negotiated largely in secret by a small group of insiders. Most legislators were left in the dark until the last possible moment. And worse, so was the public. The final deal came in the form of a dozen massive bills, rushed through with hardly any time for the public to digest them. There were show hearings, but there was no opportunity for amendments and no time for the public to provide genuine input. It was another example of an embarrassing lack of transparency and accountability from government.

One bright spot: We succeeded in ending MinnesotaCare coverage for illegal immigrant adults. I co-authored the legislation to repeal this costly program that had exploded well beyond its original projections. It was expected to cost $220 million and cover around 5,800 people. Instead, over 20,000 enrolled in just a few months, and costs were on track to top $600 million.

This was an unsustainable program, particularly with such a large deficit looming. Democrats were melodramatic during the floor debate, but this really was a commonsense decision. Other states, like extreme-liberal California, had already announced they will end similar programs. The feedback I get from conversations around the district is clear: Minnesota’s resources should be used to support seniors, Minnesotans with disabilities, and services for legal residents.

Here are a few more takeaways from the session:

Democrats blocked a bipartisan plan to create an independent Inspector General to root out fraud in state programs.
Disability services were cut by nearly $1 billion over four years.
Special education funding was slashed by more than $300 million.
In addition to nursing home cuts, a new “granny tax” will raise $137 million in fees on nursing home residents.
Local property taxes will likely rise as Democrats shifted costs onto counties.

This budget failed to put Minnesotans first in nearly every way. I’ll keep working to make sure your tax dollars are used wisely, not wasted on bloated bureaucracy or reckless spending.

If you have any questions about these issues or anything else that transpired during this year’s session, please reach out.

God Bless,