Minnesota Capitol. Photo courtesy of House Public Information Services.
For those of us who support Minnesota’s efforts to fund robust public services, it’s been a rough few months. The February forecast dimmed what was already a fairly bleak state budget outlook, as rapid growth in costs are projected to outpace revenues for the foreseeable future. Add to that the looming threat of federal cuts and it feels a little like shoveling sand against a tsunami.
But Minnesota has a substantial role to play in both combatting President Donald Trump’s anti-public agenda and correcting our own fiscal trajectory. Here are 5 reflections for Minnesotans thinking about the future of public funding.
1. Step back and look at the big picture.
The political rhetoric about the state budget is bad right now. We had a lot of money a few years ago and now we have less. We also have higher tax rates than most other states, which has intensified conservative accusations that the Legislature overspent in 2023. Listen to this story long enough and the world can start to feel constricting. But that narrow narrative is an intentional strategy aimed at the GOP endgame: tax breaks for the rich, and harmful cuts to essential programs like Medicaid…