Governor Walz, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan Outline Steps Minnesota is Taking to Mitigate Impact of Federal Government Shutdown
This week, Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan outlined the steps the State of Minnesota is taking to mitigate the impact of a potential federal government shutdown and prepare for its impacts on state programs that receive federal funds.
“Republicans in Congress are putting personal politics ahead of hundreds of millions of dollars in food, health care, and military spending,” said Governor Walz. “But if Washington won’t lead, Minnesota will. I have directed my state agencies to take every step available to communicate with Minnesotans and mitigate the impacts of a federal shutdown.”
“By refusing to fund the government, Republicans in Congress are putting critical services at risk for infants, children, mothers, and seniors – from food assistance to health care,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “We’re working closely with our state agencies to help ensure Minnesotans have what they need to take care of their families.”
Activating Statewide Contingency Response Team
Governor Walz has stood up the Statewide Contingency Response Team to work with individual state agencies to identify near-term programmatic impacts to Minnesotans.
Communicating Service Disruptions
The Governor has asked state agencies to reach out to the people, communities, and Tribal Nations that might experience service interruptions and to provide regular updates throughout a potential shutdown.
Working with Congressional Delegation
Governor Walz and his administration will continue to work with our representatives in Congress to support Minnesotans adversely affected by the shutdown.
Legal Protections for Minnesota
Governor Walz has directed Minnesota Management and Budget to work with the Attorney General to analyze legal remedies against the federal government if there is any failure to reimburse the State of Minnesota.
 On Wednesday, Governor Walz visited Detroit Diesel Remanufacturing in Hibbing to highlight state investments in the Iron Range. The state supported the manufacturing company with a $500,000 infrastructure grant and $10 million loan.
"Whether it's the microchips that make our cars run or the electric batteries that are increasingly powering machinery, Minnesota is a state that leans into innovation, manufacturing, and production. I saw that in action today at Detroit Diesel Remanufacturing in Hibbing," said Governor Walz.
 Governor Walz also visited a public safety center in Chisholm. This spring, the Governor signed the state’s largest-ever infrastructure bill into law, which included $3 million for the new public safety center.
"Chisholm's current public safety center is 100+ years old. The residents deserve an upgrade," said Governor Walz. "By funding our local public safety departments, we're building stronger, safer, communities across the state."
 On Tuesday, Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan celebrated the investments and renovations that will transform 95-year-old Fraser Hall and the University's chemistry education, fueling Minnesota's future workforce.
"We're making investments to transform the University of Minnesota's labs and research facilities. Talented young people have a lot of options when it comes to deciding where to live and work. We're making sure they decide here in Minnesota and fuel our workforce," said Governor Walz
"Minnesota is a state that leans into innovation to grow our economy and build our workforce. As a proud Gopher alum, I was thrilled to see that in action today at the groundbreaking of the University's new chemistry labs," said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan.
 Governor Walz directed all United States and Minnesota flags at state buildings to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Sunday, September 24, to honor firefighters who have been killed in the line of duty.
"We rely on our firefighters to respond quickly to emergencies and protect communities across Minnesota, and every firefighter deserves to come home at the end of every shift. Today we recognize those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty in service to their communities," he said.
 Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan traveled to Leech Lake for a government-to-government visit with tribal leaders from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.
"I enjoyed meeting with Chairman Faron Jackson and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. Government-to-government meetings like this are key to growing our partnerships to make Minnesota the best state for tribal state relations," said Governor Walz.
"We met with Chairman Faron Jackson and Leech Lake tribal leaders – our tenth official government-to-government visit. These are opportunities to learn the specific priorities of each tribal government as we work to lift up all people living in Minnesota," said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan.
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