At Issue: Jan. 19 — A chaotic start to the 2025 legislative session
This week on At Issue, Tom Hauser breaks down the chaotic beginning of the 2025 legislative session.
House Democrats are boycotting the start of the 2025 legislative session. Republicans carried on and elected a Speaker. The battle for house power now heads to court as DFL-ers ask a judge to immediately stop the House proceedings and rule on what constitutes a “quorum” in the Minnesota House.
The State Senate is still tied 33-33.
The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Governor Tim Walz prematurely called a special election for House District 40B.
Walz has shed light on his plans for Minnesota’s 2025 budget, saying he would like to slow down spending to balance the budget. Based on the latest budget forecast, lawmakers can either do more with less, raise taxes, or some sort of combination.
Hauser sat down with DFL House Leader Jamie Long and Republican House Majority Leader-designate Harry Niska to discuss the power battle in the House.
He then met with former DFL state senator Ember Reichgott Junge and Annette Meeks of the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota for political analysis.