‘We will see President Trump in court’: Minnesota to challenge order pausing federal funding
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Minnesota leaders said they intend to join a legal fight against a new move by President Donald Trump to suspend federal money for an unspecified but potentially long list of programs.
A federal judge in Washington put a stay on the Trump directive just minutes before it was to take hold. But the fight is sure to go on.
Minnesota leaders and others are working to blunt the pause on a range of federal grants and loans, pending a review. Minnesota could stand to see funding to state departments and programs frozen and possibly canceled under Trump’s latest action that caused coast-to-coast consternation Tuesday.
The memorandum signed Monday night puts a temporary pause on federal funds to review where they flow. There is no indication how long it will last.
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Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said Tuesday he had contacted Trump and members of Congress to better understand the thought process behind the order. He committed to sue over the action, which could impact up to $2 billion in funding that Minnesota receives each month.
“President Trump is leaving states out in the cold without any guidance or explanation. Minnesota needs answers,” he said. “We will see President Trump in court.”
Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison were outlining their next steps at an afternoon press conference.
"I do not sit around looking for ways to sue Donald Trump, but in the eight days that he's been in office, he's forced me to figure out ways to sue him almost every day because of his violations of the rights of the people of Minnesota,” Ellison said. “We're never going to stop. We're always going to stand up for the people of the state."
At a YMCA, which uses federal money to help operate youth programs, Walz railed against the move.
“This is not bold. It's not leadership,” he said. “It's stupid, buffoonish, childish is exactly what they did.”
Aid directed to individuals appears to be exempt. In all, Minnesota was in line to receive more than $39 billion as part of the current two-year state budget. Walz said the impact to the state’s bottom line could be extraordinary.
“President Trump has just shut off funding for law enforcement, farmers, schools, veterans, and health care. Minnesota will do what we can to keep the lights on, but we cannot fill the nearly $2 billion hole this will put in the state budget’s each month,” Walz said in a news release.
“I do not believe this decision was constitutional and we will work diligently to reverse it, but we are preparing for every eventual outcome to help Minnesotans weather this storm,” he continued.
Details are still unclear
State agency heads didn’t have a good sense as of Tuesday morning about how the order could affect funding to Minnesota agencies.
"We'll wait and see what comes down from the feds. You know, I am someone who wants to protect funding,” Department of Health Commissioner Brooke Cunningham told a Senate health and human services committee. “I think that is critical. I hope. I think public health is a bipartisan team sport. And I think it is important for us to maintain that funding."
Cunningham said funding cuts could push the state to reduce programs. Or the difference would have to be made up by state tax dollars.
Department of Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead, who will soon leave that role, echoed the sentiment. She said the state’s biggest department, which relies on billions of dollars in federal money to operate key programs, was still working to square exactly what the pause would look like.
Minnesota budget impact possible
Any changes in federal funding now or down the road could impact decision making around Minnesota’s next two-year budget. Senators raised questions about the pause during a committee hearing on Tuesday.
Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, co-chairs the Senate Committee on Finance and will have a strong say in drafting a state budget. He’s concerned.
“If we have a several billion dollar gap between revenues and expenses that’s a huge problem,” Marty said. “We get $20 billion a year from the federal government. If you take away even a small portion of that. All of a sudden it can double, triple our problems here.”
His Republican co-chair, Sen. Eric Pratt, R-Prior Lake, said he needed more information about the impact the order might have.
“I expect we will get more clarity and guidance to help the state fulfill the request on today’s order,” Pratt said. “We also need to be sure that vital programs are uninterrupted and this should be a fairly easy task to meet within the timeline given.”
Congressional delegation splits
Members of the Minnesota congressional delegation split in their response to the funding pause.
— Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat: “This unprecedented and unconstitutional move is causing chaos and jeopardizing critical support for everything from pediatric cancer research to equipment for our first responders. Much of this funding passed Congress with strong bipartisan support and Americans count on these services every day. The administration must reverse course and stop playing games with the American people.”
— Sen. Tina Smith, a Democrat: “I’ve heard from community health centers in Minnesota who are already looking at layoffs by the end of the day. May not be able to make payroll at the end of the week. Republicans need to grow a spine here. This isn’t a game, it’s people’s lives.”
— Rep. Tom Emmer, the third-ranking House Republican, told Politico that the president is following through on his campaign promise with the action. "You're going to see things like this, and your first reaction is going to be, 'Well, this isn't the way it's been done. "You need to understand, he was elected to shake up the status quo."
— Rep. Betty McCollum, a Democrat: “President Trump told the American people that he wanted to be a dictator on day one. Now in office, he and his administration are making good on that promise with illegal and unconstitutional actions that directly threaten Americans’ economic, personal, and national security. The flurry of unconstitutional Trump Executive Orders and memos issued in the last week make America weaker and less safe. They are increasing costs for health care, housing and groceries across our country.”
— Rep. Angie Craig, a Democrat: “We have received word from two #MN02 cities that they have been notified by DOJ that their COPS grants to local law enforcement have been put on hold. Withholding critical funding approved by Congress to hire police officers makes #MN02 communities less safe.”
— Rep. Kelly Morrison, a Democrat: “Trump has unilaterally blocked federal funding for programs that serve tens of millions of Americans. Programs that support everything from public safety, to housing, to education, to health care. He has unilaterally overridden Republicans and Democrats in Congress who approved this funding. This is illegal. This cannot stand.”
— Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat: Congress, not the president, has the constitutional power of the purse. My Democratic colleagues and I will fight this scheme with everything we have. By taking this reckless action, Trump is creating chaos for communities that need stability the most.”
— Rep. Pete Stauber, a Republican: “We are $36 trillion in debt, largely because of wasteful spending in Washington on things we don’t want and can't afford. Rest assured, this pause on federal funding will be lifted on worthy projects, many of which I fought for in the Northland. This is good governance and what the American people voted for!”
MPR News reporter Peter Cox contributed to this story