Overview
- Walz delivered his last State of the State on Tuesday night at the Capitol following that day's federal raids tied to suspected Medicaid childcare fraud.
- He urged lawmakers to pass a $907 million bonding bill for infrastructure projects across Minnesota.
- He pressed for an anti-fraud package with tougher criminal penalties, faster payment suspensions, stronger oversight, and support for an inspector general office outside the governor’s chain of command.
- He framed the past year as a “season of grief,” citing the assassination of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman, the Annunciation Catholic Church massacre, and Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration sweep reported to involve about 3,000 agents and linked to two deaths.
- Republican leaders denounced the speech and his record on fraud while pointing to an $18 billion surplus, and with a narrowly split House and about 20 days left in session, most proposals face long odds aside from possible consensus on fraud controls.