Trump/Musk firings, spending freezes, and program cuts affect Minnesota as well as the rest of the country. For many Minnesotans, the impact of the Trump/Musk firings hits where it really hurts, abruptly ending their jobs, with no notice, no severance pay, and no guarantee of continuing health insurance.
“Kate Severson’s boss told her Friday morning she was critical to the short-staffed team at Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota and she should not fear a widescale firing of federal workers still in their probationary periods.
“By 4:30 that day, she had received two termination notices, “effective immediately.” But first, she had to tell another worker she supervised that he too was being let go.
“And she had to tell her husband, who with her relocated from Colorado seven months ago for a federal job maintaining ice roads and trails. He hasn’t received a notice yet, but it could be coming. …
“[Fired federal employees] who spoke to the Star Tribune worked in wide-ranging jobs, from assisting military veterans and people with disabilities to helping fulfill small-business loans. All said they received no severance, and some who chose to take an earlier offer of a buyout with pay through September said they no longer qualified. …
“’I spent 10 years in the private sector and took a pay cut to come to the federal government because my wife and I just started a family, the hours are flexible, and the people are great,’ said a Minneapolis man who just lost his job as a fire protection engineer for the General Services Administration.
“The notice came as the man, who requested that his name not be used, and his wife were with their newborn twins in the neonatal intensive care unit.”
Cuts to the federal workforce disproportionately harm veterans, who make up about 30 percent of federal employees, compared to about 6 percent of private sector employees.
Other impacts of the Trump/Musk administration’s destructive, ideological and downright bizarre decrees seem less personal, but just as damaging. Back in 2018, Steve Bannon named the strategy we are now seeing as “flooding the zone with shit.” The sheer number of actions makes it hard to assess or understand the scope of their impact.
Rather than trying to look at the national picture, here’s a quick overview of some of the initial damage done in Minnesota.
Minnesotans already send far more in taxes to the federal government than the state receives back from the feds. Minnesotans send the federal government about $32 billion each year, and federal loans and grants coming back to the state total about $22 billion.
More than a thousand different funding streams pay for parts of state programs ranging from Head Start to national parks to Medicaid to highways. All of that is potentially on the chopping block, as the Trump/Musk regime targets blue states in particular.
Private businesses in Minnesota already feel the impact of other Trump/Musk policies. The 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum will hit many Minnesota manufacturers hard. Aluminum imports account for 80 percent of aluminum used in U.S. manufacturing. Now that is automatically at least 25 percent more expensive.
Farmers across Minnesota have lost financing and markets because of Trump/Musk program cuts and freezes. The Minnesota Reformer reports that some, like Tom Smude in Morrison County, have taken out loans in reliance on federal reimbursement. Others, like livestock farmer Hanna Bernhardt in Finlayson, have lost markets because of cuts to USDA support for food banks.
“Courts have ordered the Trump administration to resume all grant and loan payments while the executive orders are litigated. But like their peers in Minnesota, farmers in the rest of the country are reporting that they are unable to access previously promised funds.”
Higher education will also take some big hits.
St. Thomas lost a $6.8 million grant that provides scholarships and stipends for 185 students studying to become special education and elementary teachers. The Trump administration said the cancellation was part of its campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The University of Minnesota estimates it could lose more than $100 million per year under an order by the Trump administration to cap indirect support at 15% of research grants, That order is temporarily on hold because of a lawsuit.
The Trump/Musk freeze on funding stopped disbursement of grants that were already committed to community-based climate projects. The Minnesota Reformer reports:
“Last July the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the money for initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including climate-friendly farm practices, peatland restoration, energy efficiency, vehicle electrification and more. …
“Now, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says the Trump administration has locked them out of those funds, and projects that had been planning on using the funding to get off the ground are scrambling to find alternatives.”
Trump/Musk actions targeted some of the most vulnerable people and those who work with them.
Ending refugee admissions and halting all aid for refugee resettlement sparked despair in families waiting for reunification, terror in those whose relatives remain stranded in dangerous situations abroad, and cuts in Minnesota agencies helping refugees. For perspective, remember that refugees go through a multi-year application and vetting process, involving several U.S. law enforcement agencies, before they are approved to come to the United States.
Minnesota agencies helping refugees include Lutheran Social Services, which had to lay off 27 employees so far. Minnesota-based Center for Victims of Torture works with victims in some of the most violent and dangerous places around the world. Federal funding supporting their clinics and other programs was halted, leading to cuts of 75 percent of its staff.
In addition to the Trump/Musk cuts, Congressional Republicans plan massive cuts to Medicaid. In Minnesota, 1.4 million people rely on Medicaid to access health care. That number includes 650,000 children and 125,000 people with disabilities. The Minnesota Reformer reports:
“Cuts to Medicaid would impact Minnesotans across the state. Dr. Justin Schafer, a psychiatry resident with HCMC who’s on rotation in Bemidji, said the majority of patients he sees are covered by Medicaid. In Bemidji, Schafer said he mostly works with patients with opioid use disorder, who wouldn’t be able to access life-saving medication without Medical Assistance.”
Alaska Republican Congressional Representative Nick Begich faced outraged constituents at an open house in Fairbanks on February 17. They demanded action to oppose arbitrary terminations of federal employees and cuts in federal programs. He said he was “not in a position to approve or deny the cuts.”
That’s bullshit. The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse, the power to order or withhold spending. Republicans in Congress have been cowards, caving in to Musk’s threats to fund primary opponents for anyone who opposes him.
Now is the time to call all of them to account.
Minnesota 1st District. Brad Finstad—Republican
Washington, D.C.
2418 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2472
Rochester
2746 Superior Dr. NW, Suite 100
Rochester, MN 55901
Phone: (507) 577-6140
New Ulm
110 N. Minnesota St., Suite 5
New Ulm, MN 56073
Phone: (507) 577-6151
Minnesota 6th District Tom Emmer—Republican
WASHINGTON, D.C.OFFICE
326 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2331
OTSEGO, MN OFFICE
9201 Quaday Ave. NE
Suite 206
Otsego, MN 55330
Phone: (763) 241-6848
CHASKA, MN OFFICE
1107 Hazeltine Blvd
Suite 476
Chaska, Minnesota 55318
Phone: (952) 262-2999
Minnesota 7th District Michelle Fischbach—Republican
Washington, D.C. Office
2229 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2165
Fax: (202) 225-1593
Moorhead District Office
2513 8th Street S
Moorhead, MN 56560
Phone: (218) 422-2090
Willmar District Office
2211 1st Street S
Suite 190
Willmar, MN 56201
Phone: (320) 403-6100
Minnesota 8th District Pete Stauber—Republican
Washington DC Office
145 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6211
Brainerd Office
Brainerd City Hall
501 Laurel Street
Brainerd, MN 56401
Cambridge Office
Cambridge City Hall
300 3rd Avenue NE
Cambridge, MN 55008
Chisholm Office
Chisholm City Hall
316 W Lake Street Room 7
Chisholm, MN 55719
Hermantown Office
5094 Miller Trunk Hwy
Suite 900
Hermantown, MN 55811
Phone: (218) 481-6396
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Mary Turck
Needless to say, this pisses me off, shivers my timbers, and makes me want to vomit.* The following is personal:
“In addition to the Trump/Musk cuts, Congressional Republicans plan massive cuts to Medicaid. In Minnesota, 1.4 million people rely on Medicaid to access health care. That number includes 650,000 children and 125,000 people with disabilities.”
Q: Why do we say what is needless to say? Asking for a friend.
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