Sens. Rob Kupec and Grant Hauschild quietly listened on Monday afternoon as several of their DFL colleagues in the Minnesota Senate made emotionally-charged pleas for their fellow lawmakers to vote against a bill to repeal a recent expansion of public health insurance coverage to illegal immigrant adults.
HF1 was one of the pieces of legislation that Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders in the House and Senate agreed to pass during a one-day special session to finish up their budget work and avoid a July 1 government shutdown.
During the floor debate over the bill, which Democrats knew was fated to pass, Sen. Alice Mann, DFL-Edina, alleged that those who spoke in support of the repeal “know nothing about immigrants” and “are increasing human suffering and people will die.”
Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, said voting for the repeal is “a horrible thing to do to people.”
Despite those condemnations, Kupec of Moorhead, Hauschild of Hermantown, and Sen. Ann Rest of New Hope each voted yes on HF1, with 33 Republicans, to pass the bill on a 37-30 vote.
The votes of Kupec, Hauschild and Rest were three more than expected on the bill, which was pre-arranged to pass in a budget deal struck last week between Walz, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, and the leaders in a tied House.
Per the deal, Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, was to cast a vote in support of the bill, despite her adamant opposition to repealing the law that went into effect just a few months ago on Jan. 1.
“I struck a deal. I gave my word, but I do not support this proposal,” Murphy said in her own floor speech, as she appeared to hold back tears welling in her eyes.
Earlier in the day, the House passed the bill on a party-line vote, with the exception of House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman, who also agreed to vote for the proposal.
Neither Kupec or Hauschild took the opportunity during the Senate floor debate to explain their rationale to their colleagues.
On social media after the special session wrapped up, Hauschild mentioned a number of achievements he made for his constituents in northern Minnesota. His vote on the MinnesotaCare repeal wasn’t one of those listed.
“Proud to bring our values to the Capitol every day,” Hauschild said.
But Rest, an eight-term state senator, did speak up. In a short speech, she said: “I have a responsibility to support a solution for our budget and this is it. I will be voting yes. Courage or cowardice. I cannot vote to shut down our state. I just can’t.”
Those words came almost immediately after Sen. Bonnie Westlin, DFL-Plymouth, said the passage of the bill represents a “shameful day in this body.”
“And I am angry because my majority leader had a gun put to her head,” Westlin told her colleagues. “And she’s gonna take a vote on this, knowing her caucus does not support this because she wants to make sure this budget is passed.”
Walz is expected to sign the bill, as promised, when it reaches his desk.
Kupec and Hauschild represent swing districts where they won their respective elections in 2022 by just a few hundred votes each. Other senators from swing districts, like Judy Seeberger of Afton, John Hoffman of Champlin, and Aric Putnam of St. Cloud, voted against the repeal.
Recent polling found that a combined 53% believe illegal immigrant adults should not be allowed to enroll in MinnesotaCare.
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
