28-05-2025
Budget talks continue at Minnesota Capitol as health insurance for undocumented adults drives DFL wedge
Budget talks continue at the Minnesota Capitol but still no breakthrough in reaching an agreement on a balanced budget.
Legislative leaders walked into talks some without saying much on Tuesday.
"People have worked through the last few days, so we will see," said Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth.
DFL Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman sounded slightly more optimistic, saying "we are hoping to wrap things up this week."
One of the biggest obstacles is a DFL divide over free health insurance for adult undocumented immigrants
Protestors took over the hall outside the governor's office, furious that he and DFL Senate Majority leader back a compromise that would take the health insurance benefit away from undocumented adults but leave it in place for children.
"The governor is saying he will stand strong but will he, if he goes back on his promises on immigrants what else is he going to go back on," said Erika Zurawski, who protested the policy.
If no agreement is reached by June 1, layoff notices will start going out to state employees. The final deadline is June 30. If there is no agreement by then the state will enter a government shutdown — the first since 2011.
During the 20-day 2011 shutdown thousands of nonessential state workers were furloughed.
And while public safety employees including the state patrol kept working, state parks were all shut down
