Yesterday Senate Republicans held a press conference to introduce the Minnesotans First agenda for the 2025 session, which aims to help Minnesotans with inflationary costs, rein in government spending, hold government accountable to fraud, keep Minnesotans safe, strengthen families, and protect children.

“For the last two years, Minnesotans have felt left behind and over-burdened by the priorities the Democrat trifecta passed, and this year we are offering an alternative that focuses on putting Minnesotans First,” said Senator Karin Housley (R-Stillwater). “We want to relieve the burdens on Minnesota families, which is why our plan focuses on public safety, accountability, eliminating fraud and abuse, and lowering the cost of living to help families across the state. These are the priorities that Minnesotans have been asking us to focus on, and these will be what guides us this biennium.”

The Minnesotans First plan has five key planks:

• Helping Minnesotans with the high cost of living by lowering costs in areas like energy, healthcare, housing, and business ownership
• Eliminating runaway spending by Democrats that has pushed the state into a $5.1 billion deficit after a decade of surpluses
• Increasing fraud prevention efforts, placing key emphasis on strengthening the Office of the Legislative Auditor and mandating agencies to follow through on anti-fraud measures
• Prioritizing public safety initiatives that support law enforcement combined with tougher penalties on violent and repeat offenders
• Recognizing the needs of kids in the classroom, and helping schools in a way that reduces burdensome mandates while allowing them to meet the needs of their students

“Out of control and unsustainable growth in the state budget has led to tax hikes and fee hikes, and there’s no sign that the Democrats are interested in putting the needs of Minnesotans first. The runaway train of Democrat spending is giving us huge deficits in the future that we can’t afford. It’s making it harder for Minnesotans to get by, and we are not interested in a budget bill that increases taxes for Minnesota families,” continued Housley. “These are commonsense solutions that regular Minnesotans can support that make their lives easier and make life more affordable. We are ready to get work, showing Minnesotans that we are listening, and addressing their needs is always our top priority.”