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Dear Neighbors,
With the Minnesota House finally back to a 67-67 tie this week, I was able to chair my first Capital Investment Committee hearing of the year. Our focus? Investigating the Trump administration policies that are jeopardizing infrastructure projects throughout the state.
We can’t build a better Minnesota on shifting sands. With worthy infrastructure projects having their federal funding in doubt, Minnesotans deserve answers. The funding freezes coming from the Trump administration don’t solely impact Washington D.C.; they’re delaying crucial projects in rural, suburban, and urban communities throughout Minnesota - including ours.
Our hearing showed that more clarity is needed when it comes to promised federal dollars. The federal proposal eliminating tax-exempt municipal bonds to fund tax cuts for the wealthy also provides urgency in passing a bonding bill soon. I’ll be working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find the answers our state needs and deliver a bonding bill our communities deserve.
If you’re interested, you can watch that committee hearing here.
How Will Federal Education Cuts Impact You?
Sadly, we no longer have a serious partner in the White House when it comes to building a world-class education system for our students. This week, President Trump advanced reckless plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. The Minnesota Department of Education launched a feedback portal at education.mn.gov for parents, students, teachers, and community members to submit detailed accounts of the ways recent Executive Orders and abrupt federal education cuts are impacting schools and children across our state.
More than 860,000 students in Minnesota depend on stable partnerships that have existed between their school communities, MDE and the U.S. Department of Education across administrations. For decades, the federal investments facilitated through those partnerships have played a key role in ensuring students in Minnesota receive the support they need to learn and thrive, including:
- $256 million for students with disabilities
- $192 million for students from low-income backgrounds
- $27 million for academic enrichment
- $6 million for students in rural schools
- $38 million to support children living on military bases or Native American reservations
- $100 million for Career and Technical Education workforce development programs
If any of these cuts impact you and your family, please let us know!
Stay Connected
As we turn a new page in this year’s legislative session, now is a crucial time to reach out to share any questions, comments, or ideas you have on how to make our community and state better. A tied House presents new opportunities, and there’s no shortage of things I believe we can work on together.
You can reach me at rep.fue.lee@house.mn.gov or 651-296-4262. You’ll hear back from me or our Legislative Assistant, Tenzin.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Fue Lee
State Representative
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