We’re mourning the horrific and incalculable loss of Speaker Melissa Hortman. Many MFU members met Rep. Hortman through lobby days at the Capitol, at the State Fair, Farmfest, or at our state convention. And others worked with her more closely. In recent years, few if any legislative updates have not been influenced by her leadership, which was often behind the scenes and always steady. Her strong, generous, and kind leadership earned her respect and friends across the political spectrum, as did her sense of humor and humility.

Two weeks after she and her husband, Mark, were assassinated in a targeted, political attack, they will lie in state at the Minnesota Capitol, together with their dog Gilbert. According to the governor’s office, she is the first woman and one of less than 20 Minnesotans to lie in state. The public is invited to pay their respects at the Capitol on Friday, June 27 from noon to 5 p.m. with a private funeral to take place on Saturday morning.

If you haven’t yet read the statement from their children, Sophie and Colin, it offers ways to honor their memory:

• Plant a tree.
• Visit a local park and make use of their amenities, especially a bike trail.
• Pet a dog. A golden retriever is ideal, but any will do.
• Tell your loved ones a cheesy dad joke and laugh about it.
• Bake something – bread for Mark or a cake for Melissa, and share it with someone.
• Try a new hobby and enjoy learning something.
• Stand up for what you believe in, especially if that thing is justice and peace.

“The best way to honor our parents’ memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else,” they wrote.

“Violence has no place in our politics,” MFU put out in statement shortly following the news. “We’re committed to the kindness and decency that Rep. Hortman modeled every day.”

The MFU team has also kept Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette in our prayers as they recover from an attack by the same gunman.

“As a society, as a nation, as a community, we must work together to return to a level of civility that allows us all to live peacefully,” they wrote in their first public statement.

Legislative recaps

On Monday, MFU staff traveled to Gaylord and Sleepy Eye for legislative recap events, totaling eight such meetings held across the state since the legislature first adjourned on May 19. For the latter, House Ways and Means Chair Paul Torkelson, R-Hanska, joined and shared remarks, including memories of finalizing the state budget deal with Rep. Hortman. His respect and admiration for his former colleague was clear.

Minnesota’s new budget goes into effect with the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, with policy updates having various effective dates going forward.

The goal of these recap sessions are not only to review legislative updates, but also to gather feedback and inspire resolutions for county conventions. In Gaylord and Sleepy Eye, MFU members brought comments about impact tariffs, concentration in the dairy industry, the shortage of large animal veterinarians, prescription drug prices, and the need for a new Farm Bill.

Federal policy changes afoot

On the federal level, the narrow, governing trifecta has continued working to reshape broad parts of the federal government through “reconciliation”—a budget maneuver that only requires a simple majority in both the House and Senate to pass. The House passed their version of reconciliation with only Republican votes in late May. As it stands, the bill makes significant cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, extended tax cuts (particularly for higher income earners), and adds $2.4 trillion to the federal deficit over the next 10 years.

Senate committees have begun unveiling pieces of their reconciliation bill which are similar to the House-passed bill. In agriculture, the Senate proposal cuts nutrition spending by $211 billion over the next decade and increases farm program spending by $67 billion. The bill does this by increases state cost share for program administration—a concern for the newly-approved state budget—and expanding work and reporting requirements.

In the Senate Finance Committee—and like the House-passed version—the Senate bill extends the 45Z tax credit (Clean Fuel Production Credit) for renewable fuels through 2031. The House bill fully blocks foreign feedstocks from qualifying for the credit, whereas the Senate version caps the value of the credit for foreign feedstocks at 80 percent. The 45Z tax credit is one of the only Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) energy tax credits to be retained in the proposed budget reconciliation bill, though the Senate phases out the credits more slowly.

The proposal from the Finance Committee also contains major cuts to Medicaid, including limitations on state provider taxes, which Minnesota and other states use to fund coverage for people who can’t afford healthcare.

Earlier this week, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that certain provisions were ineligible for passage via reconciliation, because they were “extraneous” to the budget goals.

Sen. Klobuchar used this opportunity to call for renewed work on a bipartisan, comprehensive Farm Bill reauthorization.

“While Republicans’ proposed cuts to SNAP will still be devastating to families, farmers, and independent grocers across the country, we will keep fighting to protect families in need,” Minnesota’s senior senator and the Ranking Member on the Agriculture Committee wrote in a statement. “Instead of a rushed partisan process, Republicans should work with us to lower costs for Americans and pass a bipartisan Farm Bill that works for all farmers and rural America.”

You can find a detailed description of the convoluted rules that govern the reconciliation process here.

NFU issues action alert

In tandem with changes via reconciliation, Congress is also advancing 2026 appropriations bills, including the agriculture appropriations bill which is moving through the House. In keeping with past efforts, the House bill includes a harmful policy rider that would prevent USDA from implementing and enforcing the Packers and Stockyards Act rules. National Farmers Union (NFU) issued an action alert opposing the bill, and calling on congress to reject the appropriations bill in its current form. Consider using it to contact your lawmakers!

Also on the federal level, NFU joined over 250 agricultural organizations in a letter addressed to several members of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, including Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Secretary of Health and Human Service Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,  urging that they ensure food and agriculture have a “seat at the table” as the commission develops policy recommendations related to the MAHA report, as well as any future commission activities. The letter reiterates the organizations’ support for achieving healthy food outcomes but urges the commission to correct the report’s errors and establish transparency and public engagement for all future activities.

As always, this is just a snapshot of MFU’s work on policy.  If you have any questions, thougths or concerns, reach out at (320) 232-3047 (C) or stu@mfu.org.