District Perspectives, Minnesota House Representative, District 64B

Hello neighbors! As we near the end of 2025, I hope that you can look forward to a holiday season that gives you plenty of time with family and friends.

I was glad to see so many folks from the neighborhood at the recent “Future of West 7th” town hall at North Garden Theater. With planned road work, possible transit projects, the need for safety improvements and much more, there are big decisions to be made about the future of this vital transportation corridor – which is also the backbone of a vibrant community. I’m grateful for the partnership of my event co-hosts: Rep. Pérez-Vega, Sen. Pappas, Leader Murphy, the Fort Road Federation and the Highland District Council. Please continue to keep in touch with us and with all levels of government about your hopes and expectations for this work.

This kind of community effort toward the common good is in sharp contrast to the chaos and corruption that we’ve seen from the administration of Donald Trump and his Republican enablers in Congress. Among many other outrages, they’ve chosen to cut health care, food support, housing services and much more to fund tax giveaways for billionaires. This at a time when life is becoming even less affordable for many Minnesotans and Americans.

And unfortunately, the negative consequences of Trump’s actions are likely to become worse, as his tariffs raise prices even higher. You may have noticed proposed increases in your property taxes this year. As the federal government cuts funding to boost the wealthy, critical services are getting shifted onto local governments. Put bluntly, as Trump installs gold-plated décor in the Oval Office, throws extravagant parties, and demolishes part of the White House to build a bigger ballroom, he’s making life harder and more expensive for the rest of us.

The good news is that Minnesota continues to chart a different course. Under DFL leadership in 2023 and 2024, our state put into place policies that are helping our state’s residents to afford their lives.

The universal school meals program, for example, now provides breakfast and lunch to every student in Minnesota’s public and charter schools. Since the program launched, more kids have received access to healthy meals – breakfast participation alone has jumped more than 40 percent – and families have saved an average of $1,000 per child.

The Earned Sick and Safe Time program now ensures that workers don’t have to choose between their health and their job (and the rest of us don’t have to worry about employees coming to work while they are infectious). The new ban on “junk fees” blocks a frustrating, “nickel-and-diming” headache. Investments in transit and housing are quickly expanding affordable options for transportation and places to live.

One of the most exciting steps forward for our state will start on January 1. Under the new Paid Family and Medical Leave law, Minnesotans will have a partial wage-replacement for up to 12 weeks to bond with a newborn, recover from a serious illness, or provide care for a seriously-ill loved one. For too long, these kinds of major life events have forced many of us into an impossible choice. Plenty of large employers already offer paid leave; this program provides an affordable way for smaller businesses to do so too.

Whatever more comes from the Trump administration and its allies, I’m determined to ensure that Minnesota continues to hold to our values. We’ll welcome and support immigrants, who add so much to our communities. We’ll give kids the great start that they deserve. We’ll ensure that vulnerable people receive support and dignity. We’ll invest in public health, education, and infrastructure. And we’ll stand up for individual rights and for our democracy.

For decades, this approach has provided us with one of the strongest economies, and healthiest populations, of any state. With it, we can continue to model for the country a place where everyone can thrive. #EverybodyIn. Here’s to more of that in 2026 and beyond.