Minnesota Budget Bites

The May budget projection will guide the decisions that policymakers make in the remaining weeks of the legislative session, and the months beyond. They remind us of how many of our neighbors are struggling, and the importance of taking swift action to reduce the hardships that Minnesotans and their families are facing as a result of the pandemic, and to start building for the economic recovery.

While they have taken some preliminary steps, federal decision-makers should further boost the Medicaid dollars it sends to states, make that increase last until the economy recovers, and maintain strong requirements to protect health care coverage.

Excluding immigrant Minnesotans – who make up close to 9 percent of our state’s population – puts them and their families at risk, and it makes it more difficult for our state and communities to recover from this public health crisis.

Due to the impact of historical racism and ongoing forms of discrimination and bias, BIPOC communities (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) will more acutely feel the economic and health effects of this coronavirus crisis. Without attention to equity, they are more likely to be left out of the policy responses.