Dear Neighbors,
I hope you're staying warm on these cold winter days. Although these winter days are short, it has not felt like that with everything happening at our nation’s and state’s Capitols.
Last week, Minnesota Democrats successfully negotiated a co-governing agreement that protects the will of the voters. Make no mistake, what the House Republican caucus did by trying to overturn an election that they lost and declare themselves to be a majority even though they didn’t win in November, pushed the limits of our democratic institutions.
That’s why DFLers had to fight back and deny quorum for three weeks. With this agreement, we prevented the House Republicans from throwing out the votes of 21,980 Shakopee voters in service of their extreme MAGA agenda. Minnesota Republicans have been forced to abandon their unconstitutional and illegal attempts to commandeer the House, including their undemocratic efforts to unseat DFL Rep. Brad Tabke after he won on election night, in a recount, and in a court case. This power-sharing agreement ends the House Republicans’ power grab and protects the will of Minnesota voters.
I want to thank every one of you who spoke up against the MAGA Republican power grab in Minnesota, and is standing up for democracy and the rule of law every day. It’s going to take all of us to fight for democracy in the face of attacks both on the federal level and right here at home. Standing up, speaking out, and using the power we have together is the only way we will defend democracy and our freedoms.
Protecting Minnesota from the Trump Administration’s Harmful and Unconstitutional Actions
It’s not an accident that House Republicans experimented with pushing the boundaries of Minnesota’s democracy at the exact moment as Donald Trump ascended to the White House. Right now, the daily barrage of unprecedented overreach by President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk, and his billionaire cabinet is designed to wear Americans down and undermine our faith in democratic institutions and the rule of law.
Here in Minnesota, DFLers across the government are standing strong to resist the harmful impacts of Trump-MAGA extremism. I wanted to assure you that I am working with Governor Walz, Attorney General Ellison and my legislative colleagues to fight back against the Trump Administration’s illegal and unconstitutional actions and Executive Orders that have thrown the country into chaos and targeted members of our community.
I’ll share more in the weeks ahead but here are a few specific examples of how we are working to protect Minnesotans from the harm, cruelty, and chaos of the Trump:
- I joined our federal and local partners to oppose the Trump Administration’s unconstitutional freezing of congressionally-appropriated federal funding. This freeze affected funding for housing, healthcare, childcare, public safety, school lunches and so many other basic services and supports Minnesotans rely on. Minnesota led a coalition of states to sue to stop the Trump Administration from withholding essential federal funding and won an initial victory when a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to restore funding.
- The Minnesota State High School League announced they plan to let state students continue to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity, which has been their policy for a decade, in response to Trump’s EO on women’s sports. Ellison sued to end Trump’s unconstitutional presidential order criminalizing and ending funding for gender-affirming care, saying “Trump’s executive order is not only illegal, it’s mean-spirited and deeply hurtful, so I’m filing a lawsuit to end it.”
- The Inclusive Democracy Caucus, which I co-chair, spoke out about President Trump and Elon Musk’s actions to target and dismantle the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency team that works with state and local elections officials in retaliation for doing their job to combat foreign interference and election disinformation.
- Minnesota sued to block Trump’s unconstitutional executive order on birthright citizenship. A Reagan-appointed judge called the EO “blatantly unconstitutional” and ruled in Minnesota’s favor.
- AG Ellison signed onto a joint statement on the DOJ memo about compelling state and local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law, stating ‘The President cannot unilaterally rewrite the Constitution’.
- Minnesota sent a joint statement from 12 state attorneys general stating President Trump is misleading the American people on purpose of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives.
- AG Ellison warned Minnesotans who work for the federal government about Trump and Elon Musk’s “buyout offer,” encouraging workers to listen to their union’s guidance on the issue.
- Minnesota joined 12 states in fighting Elon Musk and his so-called “Department of Government Efficiency”, saying Musk’s actions are unlawful, unprecedented, and unacceptable.
- Minnesota joined 22 states challenging Trump’s illegal cuts to medical and public health innovation research, to protect all Americans’ health and well-being against the Trump Administrations assaults and to hold the Administration accountable in court to follow the laws that they are bound to uphold.”
As I’ve said before, this barrage of unconstitutional actions is meant to overwhelm and distract the American public and our system of checks and balances, but in Minnesota we will stand strong against this executive overreach. Please reach out to my office if you have any concerns or issues to report and I will help connect you with the correct support and reporting authorities.
Doing the Work Minnesotans Sent Us to Do
In St. Paul, we are working to continue to fight for Minnesotans and to build an economy where all Minnesotans can advance and get ahead, not just the biggest corporations and the wealthiest few. We are working to make life more affordable for Minnesotans by lowering the cost of prescription drugs, child care, and housing and working to improve our quality of life by investing in education, infrastructure, and public safety. And we will stand up and protect the democratic freedoms and human rights of everyone in our state, no exceptions.
Committee Assignments
Now that the House is constitutionally organized, normal committee schedules and floor sessions have resumed, with Republicans holding temporary majorities on committees until a special election brings the House back to a 67-67 tie and shared power.
Once we return to a tie, I will serve as the DFL Vice-chair of the Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Committee, fighting for workers rights and unrigging the economy. I also serve on the Public Safety Finance and Policy and the Election Finance and Government Operations committees.
Another committee I will be serving on is the Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, created as a result of the power-sharing agreement. House Republicans demanded a two year majority on this committee, and early meetings have indicated that they are more interested in scoring political points than actually protecting the public coffers and making government work better for Minnesotans.
But as a member of the committee, I will be focusing on protecting government and the services people rely on against all types of fraud, including business models like worker misclassification fraud, which harms workers and defrauds the state of resources for crucial benefits, like unemployment insurance, that all Minnesotans use.
Bill Introductions
This week, I introduced several bills focused on unrigging our economy, holding corporations accountable for their unfair and deceptive practices, and protecting our democracy.
I introduced HF34, the Fair Competition Act, which is designed to fight against monopoly and monopsony power. Monopoly is defined as a company who is able to profitably raise prices substantially above the competitive level for a significant period of time and is able to exclude competitors from the market. A Monopsony is a market where only one buyer exists and is able to influence demand and price for a good and service. Cracking down on these unfair practices will mean lower prices for consumers and more competition overall in our economy.
I also introduced:
- HF37, proposing a constitutional amendment that requires “free, fair, and equal elections and prohibiting civil and military powers from interfering with the right to vote”.
- HF76, limiting the amount that top executives of public utilities can be compensated and paid for by ratepayers (like you and me).
- HF162, requiring the Department of Revenue to disclose certain corporate franchise tax information so we have more information about how much corporations making over $250 million dollars in revenue are paying in taxes and what they are receiving in tax breaks.
I will continue to update you on the progress of these bills as the legislative session progresses.
Stay in Touch
Thank you for your time, energy, and all you do to make our community a great place to live, work, and play. Always feel free to reach out to me with your input and ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance. My email is rep.emma.greenman@house.mn.gov or you are always welcome to call me at the Capitol at 651-296-4200 and follow my Facebook page for updates.
It’s an honor and a privilege to be your State Representative. I'm very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together and look forward to the work we have ahead of us. Together, we can create a stronger, brighter future for all Minnesotans!
Best,
Emma Greenman
State Representative