[ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz today outlined the steps the State of Minnesota is taking to mitigate the impact of a potential federal government shutdown and prepare for its impacts on state programs that receive federal funds.

“Republicans in Congress are putting personal politics ahead of hundreds of millions of dollars in food, health care, and military spending,” said Governor Walz. “But if Washington won’t lead, Minnesota will. I have directed my state agencies to take every step available to communicate with Minnesotans and mitigate the impacts of a federal shutdown.”

“By refusing to fund the government, Republicans in Congress are putting critical services at risk for infants, children, mothers, and seniors – from food assistance to health care,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “We’re working closely with our state agencies to help ensure Minnesotans have what they need to take care of their families.”

A lapse of federal funding will have minimal impact on many federally funded state activities in the short-term because some federal resources have already been obligated for many state services through block grants. The longer a shutdown lasts, the greater the impact to the state programs and services Minnesotans rely on. The Governor will be regularly convening his cabinet to share information and explore creative solutions where possible.

Activating Statewide Contingency Response Team
Governor Walz has stood up the Statewide Contingency Response Team to work with individual state agencies to identify near-term programmatic impacts to Minnesotans.

Communicating Service Disruptions
The Governor has asked state agencies to reach out to the people, communities, and Tribal Nations that might experience service interruptions and to provide regular updates throughout a potential shutdown.

Working with Congressional Delegation
Governor Walz and his administration will continue to work with our representatives in Congress to support Minnesotans adversely affected by the shutdown.

Legal Protections for Minnesota
Governor Walz has directed Minnesota Management and Budget to work with the Attorney General to analyze legal remedies against the federal government if there is any failure to reimburse the State of Minnesota.