House DFL leader Melissa Hortman was the lone Democrat in the tied state House to cross over on Monday and vote for a bill to repeal a recent law which gave illegal alien adults access to a public health insurance program.
Following a four-hour debate on the House floor, the first bill of a one-day special session passed by a vote of 68-65, as Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, voted with 67 Republicans on a standalone bill to repeal most of a 2023 law that expanded MinnesotaCare access to illegal immigrants.
Sixty-five Democrats in the House voted against the repeal, which applies to adults only. Rep. Peter Fischer, DFL-Maplewood, didn’t cast a vote.
The Minnesota Senate then took up the bill, where it passed in a 37-30 vote, with Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, voting with Republicans, along with Sens. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, Rob Kupec, DFL-Moorhead, and Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope.
“This is about being honest with Minnesotans about how their tax dollars are being spent,” said Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, R-Fergus Falls. “We cannot justify spending hundreds of millions on individuals who broke the law to enter the country while we face cuts to special education, nursing homes, and disability services.”
Last month, DFL and GOP leaders and Gov. Tim Walz struck a budget deal that all parties agreed would include the repeal of MinnesotaCare access for illegal adults.
House debate
A number of Democrats, who protested that part of the agreement when it was announced last month, spoke up on the House floor Monday, with several attempting to convince their Republican colleagues to buck their caucus and vote no. They also gathered for a pre-session press conference to air their grievances with the legislation, which Gov. Walz has said he will sign, per the budget agreement.
“We didn’t think we were gonna have this many people speaking up on the floor today,” said Rep. Maria Isa Perez-Vega, DFL-St. Paul, who rose multiple times on the House floor to articulate her disdain for the bill. “But thank you for those of you who have said ‘this bill sucks.’”
Minnesota Democrat Leigh Finke: "We have worked so hard to become a magnet for people from foreign countries."
"Do you know who does that work? It ain't white people from the U.S." pic.twitter.com/wezOj6Opee
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) June 9, 2025
But Republicans said the measure is needed to protect the financial viability of MinnesotaCare for legal residents who need it most.
“MinnesotaCare was never designed to be a comprehensive healthcare system for undocumented individuals. It was created to serve hardworking, lawful Minnesotans,” said Rep. Jeff Backer, R-Browns Valley, who authored the bill. “We must prioritize Minnesotans and protect their wallets and healthcare.”
In 2023, the DFL-controlled legislature passed a bill to expand MinnesotaCare coverage to illegal immigrants. The enrollment period for illegals didn’t begin until Jan. 1 of 2025. The number of illegal immigrants enrolling in the program has exploded past initial projections
Those who were already enrolled will be covered through the end of the year. Children living illegally in Minnesota will continue to be eligible for MinnesotaCare.
At the outset of the debate on Monday, Democrats introduced an amendment to allow illegal immigrants over age 59 or who have critical health conditions to stay enrolled beyond this year. That measure failed on party-line vote.
GOP warns about giving illegal immigrants access to MinnesotaCare
“Members, if we do not stop this, we are creating a deficit in the healthcare access fund,” said Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, who said the expansion of MinnesotaCare to illegal immigrants would put the state’s healthcare access fund, which provides health insurance for low-income Minnesotans.
“I know, Democrats, you had an $18 billion surplus that you turned into a $6 billion deficit, well you are about to do it again,” Robbins added. “For low-income Minnesotans. We cannot afford to create another deficit that will hurt our most vulnerable citizens.”
But DFL lawmakers were not convinced.
“We’re standing on the stolen land in the halls of power that were built on stolen labor,” said Rep. Liish Kozlowski, DFL-Duluth. “No one can be illegal on stolen land.”
Democrat Rep. Liish Kozlowski during state health care for illegal immigrants debate: "We're standing on the stolen land in the halls of power that were built on stolen labor. No one can be illegal on stolen land." pic.twitter.com/kjJ6KK7rEw
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) June 9, 2025
Just minutes after the bill passed the House, several labor union activists were gathered outside the Minnesota Capitol to hold an anti-ICE protest.
Both the House and Senate have a number of budget items they plan to pass during the one-day legislative session, which ends at 7 a.m. on Tuesday.
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.
