With just over 50 days left in the 2025 session of the Minnesota Legislature, there’s not much public evidence that a lot of progress is being made on budget compromises between Republicans and Democrats.

In fact, nearly the entire two-hour Senate floor session Thursday was devoted to debating a resolution condemning President Donald Trump for pardoning people convicted or charged in the Jan. 6 riot in 2021 at the U.S. Capitol.

“An official condemnation from this body of the unprecedented blanket pardon by President Trump given to approximately 15-hundred people,” said Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-St. Louis Park), the author of the resolution.

Republicans protested the resolution as a waste of time with so many pressing budget matters facing the legislature. 

“We should be putting the needs of Minnesotans first, not meaningless political theater,” said Sen.  Michael Kreun (R-Blaine). “This has nothing to do with addressing the upcoming $6 billion deficit,” added Sen. Karin Housley (R-Stillwater).

DFL Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy says it was Republicans who prolonged what should have been a 10-minute debate and vote on condemning the pardons.  “Our members spent a total of ten minutes talking about this resolution,” she told reporters after the session, adding, “I feel really good about the work our caucus is doing” toward a budget agreement. 

Republican Minority Leader Sen. Mark Johnson is not as confident. “We’re trying to work toward deadline, get a budget done, and yet we’re spending a day on the floor doing this,” he said of the resolution debate about Trump.

The resolution was tabled for now and the debate will resume next week.

The legislature’s track record in getting budgets done without needing a special session is not good.

Since 2010, the legislature has needed special sessions in their odd-numbered budget sessions in 2011, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021. They’ve only avoided special sessions twice, in 2013 and 2023, both when Democrats had complete control of state government.

There is a divided government in 2025 with the Minnesota House tied 67-67.

This year’s deadline for the regular session is May 19. The real deadline is June 30, the end of the fiscal year, when money will run out if there is no budget deal.