State of state address. Packed in the House chambers at the Capitol were legislators, Supreme Court judges and department chiefs. All focus was on the governor on the podium.
Trump a dark, looming shadow on address
ST. PAUL, Minn. – In his annual state of the state address Governor Tim Walz proclaimed Minnesota the envy of other states for going the right direction. He called the state “as strong as it’s ever been.” He cited new spending on classrooms and school meals, child tax credits for low-to-middle income families, and pending paid family leave program. “America would like to have what we have,” he said. Walz thanked the Legislature for the state of the state with an implicit pat on the back for himself. The governor was frank, however, that budget shortfalls lie ahead. He called on legislators to work out a spending plan that will “bring everyone to the table.” A dark undertone in his message was uncertainties about massive cuts in federal programs and services that President Trump has put in motion. Roughly 35% of the state’s budget comes from federal agencies that Trump has either wiped out or is crippling. The governor spared no criticism of Trump. He said the President is a destructive force to “the values that once made America the shining light of the world.”
“We need to prove to the people of Minnesota — to the American people — that there’s a better way to govern. Because the truth is, this current administration in Washington is not forever. These small, petty men will disappear into the dustbin of history. And when they do, we’ll have both an opportunity and an obligation to rebuild our government so it actually works for working people.”
Walz was specific about Trump’s proposed reductions in federal Medicaid support, which includes $1.6 billion per year for Minnesota. Care for a million Minnesotans could be impacted directly, he said. Rural hospitals could suffer collateral damage, he added. Walz also forecast economic trouble from Trump trade tariffs, his firing of thousands of federal workers, the cancelation of previously approved grants, and a plan to extend tax cuts that benefit only the wealthiest people in the nation.
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Walz. Sees opportunities and challenges in the months ahead and also – thank you, Donald Trump — unsettling unknowns. This was the governor’s seventh state of the state address.