Walz Outlines Steps Mitigating Effects Of Fed Shutdown On MN

ST. PAUL, MN — Gov. Tim Walz said his office is taking steps to mitigate the impact of a potential federal government shutdown and prepare for its impacts on state programs that receive federal funds.

Walz blamed Republicans in Congress for the possibility of a shutdown, accusing them of "putting personal politics ahead of hundreds of millions of dollars in food, health care, and military spending."

"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," Walz added.

According to the governor's office, a lapse of federal funding will have minimal impact on many federally funded state activities in the short term because some federal resources have already been allocated.

However, the longer a federal government shutdown lasts, the greater the impact on the state programs and services Minnesotans rely on.

Walz said his office is taking the following actions to reduce the impact of a potential shutdown on Minnesotans:

Activating Statewide Contingency Response Team

Walz has set up the Statewide Contingency Response Team to work with individual state agencies to identify near-term programmatic impacts on residents.

Communicating Service Disruptions

The governor asked state agencies to reach out to the people, communities, and Tribal Nations that might experience service interruptions and to provide them with regular updates during a shutdown.

Working with Congressional Delegation

Walz's s administration "will continue to work with our representatives in Congress" to support Minnesotans who are negatively affected by a shutdown.

Legal Protections for Minnesota

The governor directed the Minnesota Management and Budget Office to work with Attorney General Keith Ellison to analyze legal remedies against the federal government if there is any failure to reimburse the state of Minnesota.