Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) holds a town hall event in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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00:00:00Thank you all for the overview of what we are up against.
00:00:24It is very clear that in the three months Trump has been in office, the United States has
00:00:31been in a free fall.
00:00:33You all know that Democrats are in the minority in the House and in the Senate, and that drastically
00:00:40reduces our power.
00:00:42If we were in the majority, here's what we would be doing.
00:00:45We would be holding nonstop oversight hearings about what the Trump administration is doing.
00:00:51Carrying out investigations into the corruption and the abuses of power and illegal actions.
00:01:00We would be holding Trump appointees in contempt of Congress when they lie on their oath and
00:01:07violate the Constitution.
00:01:12And trust me when I say this, you would be suing Trump for stealing Congressional authority,
00:01:17especially spending power.
00:01:21But as many of you know, this is not what's happening.
00:01:27Republicans in Congress are advocating their constitutional duties because they are too
00:01:33afraid to stand up to Trump.
00:01:37It has put us on a dangerous trajectory.
00:01:41The fate of our nation hangs in the balance.
00:01:46So what can we do?
00:01:48And what are we doing?
00:01:50We know that we can slow down Republican efforts in Congress.
00:01:55As many of you have seen, Senator Cory Booker held up the Senate for 25 hours.
00:02:07House Democrats found a way to split the Republicans on a vote to provide accommodations for new mothers,
00:02:15which led to votes being canceled for an entire week.
00:02:20We introduced amendment after amendment on a budget vote to make sure that we were breaking off Republican support.
00:02:31We are doing everything that we can.
00:02:35Some people might say this is performative.
00:02:39But one of the things we know about preventing fascism is that every minute of delay is important.
00:02:48It helps us run out the clock, organize more opposition, and exploit divisions within the Republican caucus.
00:03:07We can speak out more.
00:03:10We've been attending press conferences calling attention and raising the alarm
00:03:17about the massive cuts that are being proposed.
00:03:20Having testimonials, making sure that the public understands that these are not just numbers.
00:03:26They're not just random programs.
00:03:28These are our lives.
00:03:29These are our neighbors.
00:03:30These are the systems that the most vulnerable in our country rely on.
00:03:35And once they are broken, it will take decades to rebuild them.
00:03:39And as you've heard, we've also been protesting quite often.
00:03:51I myself had the honor of joining 150,000 people in T.C. at the hands of protests and watching millions across the country do so,
00:04:04including my colleagues that are sitting on the stage.
00:04:13We have been meeting with people and organizations that are impacted, who you will hear from in a little bit,
00:04:19to make sure that we are galvanizing public opinion.
00:04:23And I know that my colleagues, as they spoke to, are doing the same.
00:04:28As we speak, we are raising the alarm about snatching our neighbors and deporting them into foreign countries
00:04:37and in a black hole in a prison for life for not doing a single crime.
00:04:42We are coordinating efforts across all levels of government and types of power.
00:04:54We are meeting with Attorney Generals and understanding the lawsuits that they are filing so that we can support them.
00:05:01We're working with state and local governments to make sure they are providing backup.
00:05:05Congress is getting information from whistleblowers to inform these efforts.
00:05:10We are strategizing nonstop on how to make sure that the most limited power,
00:05:17how to use the most of the limited power that we have.
00:05:21As a member of the Progressive Caucus and the Black Caucus, we are working with our outside groups
00:05:28to organize and make sure we understand the impact that are getting our communities ready to defend themselves.
00:05:35We are doing weekly share information meetings to make sure that we are all on the same page
00:05:41and that we are coming up with strategies to defend you.
00:05:45And lastly, my office is working directly with individuals that are impacted.
00:05:50We are fighting for individual people's social security benefits, immigration paperwork, tax return, their access to disabilities,
00:06:02and making sure that they have all that they need from our federal government.
00:06:09Because, as many of you know, we are your liaison to the federal government.
00:06:17We can be a crucial line of advocacy for our constituents who are experiencing issues with federal government,
00:06:23like irregulation, delays, and emergencies.
00:06:26And although it is a difficult environment right now, our duty remains the same.
00:06:33In the last few weeks, we have worked to restore social security benefits,
00:06:38figure out issues with tax returns, expedite work permits, and reunite families.
00:06:44We know that we can solve every problem, but it is our job to do everything that we can to try.
00:06:51I will wrap up my remarks by saying this, that this is a terrifying time for our country.
00:07:01Trump's administration and the movement he is leading mean every indicator of a fascist takeover of the United States.
00:07:13Glorifying our past and promising a return to greatness, spreading propaganda,
00:07:20meaning systems to ensure this propaganda drives the news cycle,
00:07:26targeting universities, students, and what they call the intellectual elite,
00:07:31which means that you can read and comprehend,
00:07:37creating a new reality that hides the truth for his supporters or anyone who is passive observer of the news,
00:07:48creating hierarchy that places white men above all others and targets immigrants and people of color,
00:07:58spreading non-stop fiction that Trump and his movement are victims,
00:08:04focusing on law and order to cast any opponent as a criminal who should be imprisoned or deported,
00:08:13demonizing the LGBT community, destroying women's legal protection and bodily economy,
00:08:20dividing urban and rural communities and casting cities as lawless and decadence,
00:08:27destroying unions and casting any opponents as weak and lazy.
00:08:33If we want to stop Donald Trump, we need to recognize what we are dealing with.
00:08:41He is already ignoring court orders, forcing law firms and universities to fall in line,
00:08:48and talking about disappearing you as citizens to foreign torture camps run by dictators.
00:08:56This is a five-alarm fire for our republics.
00:09:11And with that, I will pass it back to Representative Long.
00:09:15Aren't we fortunate to have Congress for the normal fighting person?
00:09:18Well, that was your turn.
00:09:30So we're going to hopefully folks got a piece of paper as you were coming in.
00:09:34If you didn't, I will read off the prompts.
00:09:36But we are going to be taking lots and lots of questions from you all,
00:09:39but we're not going to have time to get to everyone.
00:09:41And we wanted to give you all a chance to share with each other what brought you here tonight.
00:09:45So we're going to do this for just five minutes.
00:09:47But I'm going to give you three questions.
00:09:49And I'd like you after these three questions to just find somebody near you,
00:09:52hopefully somebody you didn't come here with or don't know,
00:09:55and to just have a discussion about what brought you here.
00:09:57The three questions are, what kind of actions do you want to be involved in to push back?
00:10:02What resources, connections, and information do you need?
00:10:05And what do you need to see more of from elected officials?
00:10:08So those are the questions.
00:10:10What actions, what resources, and what do you need to see more of?
00:10:13So five minutes.
00:10:14Please go turn to a neighbor and have some conversations,
00:10:16and then we'll come back and take the questions.
00:10:19Thank you for being here.
00:13:37Thank you so much.
00:14:37The first is a Planned Parenthood patient, Jessica Klein.
00:14:42Jessica Klein.
00:14:43Hello.
00:14:51My name is Jessica Klein, and I've been a patient and a volunteer with Planned Parenthood for many years.
00:14:57I'm here today because I support reproductive rights, and I want to share my story.
00:15:01After learning my graduate degree in 2010, I had a routine annual pelvic exam in Planned Parenthood that came back after normal.
00:15:13They referred me to native-based testing at a more specialized medical center, where they found a tumor the size of a walnut in my service.
00:15:20They promptly scheduled me for a lead procedure to remove the tumor.
00:15:24Everything went well, and I was healthy, but the doctors told me if I had persuaded a couple more months, I would have cancer.
00:15:32That first appointment at Planned Parenthood and the doctors, nurses, and staff was life-saving.
00:15:39They saved me not only from future suffering, but also from financial burden.
00:15:44The cost of my exam at Planned Parenthood was significantly reduced for me, and thanks to a federally-funded program, the price of a lead procedure was covered entirely.
00:15:52And this meant every thing, because cancer runs in my family.
00:15:56My mom died of cancer when she was 36 years old.
00:15:59Who knows what could have happened if those resources weren't available?
00:16:04I'm just one example of why Planned Parenthood and other organizations are so crucial to people in our community, and there are so many others like me out there right now.
00:16:13The Trump administration is doing everything it can to eliminate funding for life-saving health care, including cancer screening, birth control, and STI testing.
00:16:22They are trying to shut down Planned Parenthood.
00:16:25The place that provided me was the crucial care I needed.
00:16:29People that are struggling with more than health care will suffer, and we cannot allow that.
00:16:34So please continue advocating for reproductive rights as our lives attend on it.
00:16:39Thank you, Jessica.
00:16:51Up next, we have a child care professional, Lauren Spencer.
00:16:57Come on up, Lauren.
00:16:59Come on up, Lauren.
00:17:00Good evening, everyone.
00:17:08My name is Lauren Spencer.
00:17:10I live in District 61B.
00:17:12I'm a mom of two.
00:17:13I work multiple jobs to make ends meet, and I'm a leader with Take Action, Minnesota, and it's so you can do care.
00:17:22My primary job is one of the most important in the world, early care and learning.
00:17:25But I'm here today because the proposed Medicaid cuts by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans will have devastating impacts on families like mine.
00:17:34This is my son, Isaiah.
00:17:36He was born on July 27, 2018, with a rare and life-threatening condition called Prune Belly Syndrome.
00:17:42I was told by doctors that with his condition, he would likely not survive birth and that his condition was incompatible with life.
00:17:49Prune Belly Syndrome causes kidney failure, several lung issues, and a complete lack of abdominal muscles, just to name a few other complications.
00:17:58Isaiah spent 84 days in the NICU fighting for his life.
00:18:02For the first three years of his life, he had a pylostomy, a hole in his back that drained urine directly from his kidney because his urinary system was so damaged, he couldn't urinate with other kids.
00:18:11A few months before his transplant, both of his kidneys were removed, and he had to go through dialysis three to four times a week, each session lasting about six hours.
00:18:21Then, on June 11, 2022, we got the call.
00:18:25A kidney match had been found.
00:18:30Just two days later, my baby received his transplant.
00:18:33Since then, he's been on as many as 10 medications and still takes at least four daily.
00:18:40He requires regular visits to multiple specialists, a nephrologist, urologist, neurologist, endocrologist, all the urologists.
00:18:48And he has a home health care nurse who started out visiting weekly, and now we're down to monthly visits.
00:18:53Today, Isaiah's 16-year-old, and 12-year-old.
00:19:06He's in first grade now, happy, full of life, and absolutely bursting with personality.
00:19:12He loves to sing and dance, and he brings so much joy to every room he walks into.
00:19:16He's funny, he's vibrant, and he's living the kind of childhood every parent dreams of for their child.
00:19:20But none of that would have been possible without Medicaid.
00:19:24I work in child care.
00:19:26We don't make a lot of money.
00:19:28If it weren't for Medicaid, I'd be in crippling medical debt, and I truly don't know if Isaiah would be alive today.
00:19:33Medicaid saved my son's life, and it continues to keep him alive every single day.
00:19:39Cutting Medicaid isn't just cutting costs.
00:19:41It's cutting lies.
00:19:43It's cutting futures.
00:19:44It's cutting hope.
00:19:45So I'm here to share my story and say thank you truly to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who's fighting for Medicaid for families like mine.
00:19:58And thank you to the DLSA legislators who here are fighting to protect Minnesota care, earn saving the sixth time, and pay family and medical leave.
00:20:06Thank you, everyone, for sharing Isaiah's story, and we celebrate that June 11, 2022 date with you.
00:20:33Up next, we have Sarah Quinn.
00:20:37Sarah is a hospital social worker.
00:20:39She'll share her story with you.
00:20:48All right.
00:20:49Good evening.
00:20:50Hello.
00:20:50My name is Sarah Quinn, and I live in Minneapolis in District 62B.
00:20:54I'm a mom at a Minneapolis public school parent.
00:20:57I'm a social worker, and I'm in my 13th year of practice, and I'm a leader with Take Action Minnesota and Minnesota United Parents.
00:21:09For the last five years, I've practiced in a primary care clinic in Minneapolis, where Medicaid is the main insurance for somewhere between 70% and 75% of our patients and families.
00:21:18Beyond covering the vast majority of our well-child exams, vaccinations, and labs, Medicaid also covers life-saving mental health screenings and services.
00:21:29When I think of the potential cuts to Medicaid, I think of a ninth grader I met in 2022.
00:21:35She spent most of middle school engaging in virtual learning while helping her younger sibling as her parents worked.
00:21:41When she saw me, she was profoundly depressed, engaging in regular self-harm, and had thoughts of suicide.
00:21:50We knew this because of pediatric screening tools and the ability to start therapy quickly, thanks to Medicaid.
00:21:57During the last several years, this team has engaged in individual therapy, virtual hospital program, and inpatient hospitalizations.
00:22:05All of these necessary steps in providing care have brought her to where she is today.
00:22:10Alive, supported, and managing for mental health.
00:22:22So I'm here tonight for my patients because it makes me angry that our national leaders are robbing us of our tax dollars,
00:22:30making massive cuts to Medicaid, and moving our hard-earned public money into the pockets of billionaires.
00:22:36Medicaid is not just a policy, it saves lives.
00:22:46I'm also here to thank our DFL leaders here in Minnesota for standing strong,
00:22:51for the policies big and small that our families and communities need.
00:22:55Medicaid expansion, Minnesota Care for All, and all of the foundational policies like earned, sick, and safe time
00:23:00that make access and care even possible.
00:23:03To Congresswoman Omar, DFL leaders, we need you to keep standing strong for the things that we need.
00:23:09From local leaders protecting earned, sick, and safe time to federal champions protecting Medicaid.
00:23:14We need to use all of the tools we have to protect everyday families like mine and my patients
00:23:19from the Trump administration.
00:23:21Thank you so much.
00:23:22Thank you, Sarah, Lauren, and Jessica, for sharing your incredible stories.
00:23:40Now we will open it up to questions.
00:23:45There are two mics.
00:23:48Raise your hand.
00:23:49I will call on you, and then the mic will get to you.
00:23:52Does that work?
00:23:54No.
00:23:54Okay.
00:23:55We'll do one right here.
00:24:00Hello.
00:24:01Nice to see you all.
00:24:04We need the Equal Rights Amendment in Minnesota.
00:24:07My name is Peter.
00:24:12I'm in the ERA Coalition.
00:24:14I've been involved with the ERA since October 2023.
00:24:19I logged in when I went down to the Capitol last year to log in a bill.
00:24:23I was very serious.
00:24:25I went down there in April.
00:24:28We were much out of time to pass the bill in the House and Senate.
00:24:31And in the last days of the recession, it was passed the House, but not the Senate.
00:24:37It was table for the very last day.
00:24:40I was very serious.
00:24:42I was deep down.
00:24:42I knew what was going to happen.
00:24:45We were going to lose the trifecta.
00:24:49And, of course, we lost the trifecta.
00:24:52But now we have a tight house with probably no hope of passing the ERA A bill.
00:25:01That bill seems to be passed.
00:25:03Thanks, Peter.
00:25:05Thank you, Peter, for the question.
00:25:07So all of us share a commitment to passing the Equal Rights Amendment.
00:25:11We were devastated that it became so close that it didn't get it done at the end of the last session.
00:25:17The good news is that we are all on the same page with the House and Senate about, at least
00:25:21on the Democratic side, about our commitments and moving forward.
00:25:24We have the agreement on language.
00:25:26We have tremendous co-authorship.
00:25:28I'm honored to be the lead author on the Clone Bill.
00:25:31Representative Lee Finke is the lead author on the primary bill.
00:25:34And so you're probably right.
00:25:35It's an uphill battle this year, but we're going to keep fighting.
00:25:37And I'm confident we're going to get it done next year.
00:25:41We'll do the purple of the hat right here in this section.
00:25:51Hello, government.
00:25:53I'm a veteran and also a government employee.
00:26:01Thank you for your service, sir.
00:26:06Right now, every day when I go to work, we live in a business.
00:26:11We live in a dark cloud.
00:26:13And what we need now is strong leadership, especially in Washington.
00:26:20I can be assured and keep our hopes up that we're going to get strong leadership right at the very top in these dark times.
00:26:29That collectively, you guys ever will inspire people in Washington to do what they're supposed to do and not do what this leader that I thought we had did to us.
00:26:47When he decided and went along with these other people on the budget, when it pertains to health care, when it pertains to our unions, when it pertains to rights, people rights, how can you assure us that we can keep our hopes up?
00:27:09I appreciate that.
00:27:11I do share, and I think many Americans share, that disappointment and the heartbreak that when we did need that strong leadership, and obviously in the House, that leadership was there, but we did not have it in the Senate.
00:27:31But I think that leader did hear you loud and clear, and I am pretty certain that some bad goals are being stiffened as we speak.
00:27:45Here.
00:27:46Purple.
00:27:47Oh.
00:27:48Oh.
00:27:49Oh.
00:27:50Sorry.
00:27:51Go for it.
00:27:52Hi.
00:27:53My name is Jamie Sloan.
00:27:54I've met you several times.
00:27:55Hello.
00:27:56Good to see you again.
00:27:57I'm wondering about, since we are facing this, this turn where you are hamstrategic, how do you feel?
00:28:12Whenever you are hamstrung essentially by the lack of majority power.
00:28:17How are you advocating for dual power in the case of community workers, community groups?
00:28:24I'm a member of the DSA.
00:28:26I also work at a not-profit that I really value.
00:28:29There's an organization that is really strong in the community.
00:28:35Uh, so like, yeah, how do you, how do you advocate for community members or your constituents also interacting with other community groups?
00:28:48Um, I just wanted to make the point that, uh, public, uh, television had reported that 132,000 people in the federal government have been fired or pressured to take fire.
00:29:02This raises the question of, in all this discussion of what's happening in the country and what the Trump hikes are doing to the country, where is common sense?
00:29:14Can, can rally prior to common sense? Can anybody look at this and say, this is, what, this is normal?
00:29:25This is going to help us, requiring 132,000 people, and it goes on and on?
00:29:30Common sense, please, let's rally around common sense.
00:29:34Unfortunately, there isn't much common sense to be found, um, when it comes to the executive branch.
00:29:46Um, you know, the, the, the whole plan with the, the, the federal firing or, um, putting them on administrative leave is essentially to dismantle the departments.
00:30:01He understands, right, as we've reminded him time and time again, he does not have a constitutional right to dismantle any of the departments that were stood up by Congress.
00:30:16So, I will get to, I will try to get to as many of you, um, so the, the, the, the plan, then, is to go after the law-hanging fruit.
00:30:27Which is, a lot of the staff is, they keep talking about people who are on probation.
00:30:32Many of these people who are on probation are not new employees.
00:30:37They are not new employees that were just hired.
00:30:41Most of them are employees who got a promotion because they excel in their job.
00:30:48So, they are new to the role.
00:30:52Um, and so, the, so, not only is he gutting the functionality of these departments that carry out important work for the American people,
00:31:02they are firing the best of the best in many of these departments.
00:31:07So, what, what he ultimately wants to do is that when the courts say, what you are doing is unconstitutional to say, the Department of Education still exists.
00:31:22Even though it cannot carry out the letter of the law in its duties, right?
00:31:29He will say, you know, the, the, the VA is still there.
00:31:34Even though they are planning to, to, to fire 77,000 staff at the VA.
00:31:40So, that's, that's, that's the plan and that's the thing that we have to push back against.
00:31:45And, and I am so grateful for a lot of our AGs, a lot of the organizations that are bringing the lawsuits.
00:31:53If you get an opportunity, you can save them.
00:31:56We are working tirelessly every single day.
00:31:59There are trackers out there so you can see, um, where these cases are.
00:32:03To your question about collaboration, we do inside, outside organizing all the time.
00:32:08That's essentially the existence of the West caucus.
00:32:11Uh, and that is essentially the existence of the Black caucus.
00:32:15We often times do weekly briefings, um, with outside groups that work with us, uh, on both of those caucuses.
00:32:23I know that the Hispanic caucus and other caucuses also do that.
00:32:26Because none of us will have the information and we'll be able to disseminate the information without the outside groups working hand in hand with us.
00:32:35Um, and actually before the election for a whole year, we had a project 2025 task force that was looking at what this possibly could look like and how we would respond.
00:32:47And that's why you saw those lawsuits be brought up instantly.
00:32:51Uh, it's because we've been planning for the possibility of, of this happening.
00:32:56There's a gentleman over there in a leather jacket.
00:33:08Uh, thank you.
00:33:09I am, uh, also a minister and I'm thankful.
00:33:11I've heard this church before.
00:33:12I've never been here, but thankful for, for being in a church.
00:33:16Um, you know, uh, I got one question, but, um, the Bible says that God would not pardon the kill with a nest of blood.
00:33:24And I believe that, uh, people need to repent for, you know, killing babies through Martian supporting homosexuality.
00:33:31It's a woman's body.
00:33:32It's a woman's body.
00:33:33Stay out of it.
00:33:34Jesus, may come in your heart.
00:33:35I, the man, stay out of it.
00:33:36My body.
00:33:37Oh, my question is here.
00:33:38My body.
00:33:39Yeah, please answer your question.
00:33:40Do you believe it's all right to, you know, to kill man more?
00:33:41I appreciate that question, but I don't think any man should dictate what a woman should do with a man.
00:34:04Oh, my.
00:34:05Oh, my.
00:34:06Where is contains the blood?
00:34:10We do it.
00:34:11Open a child?
00:34:12Iggy, open a girl.
00:34:13Hello?
00:34:14Oh yes.
00:34:16In questa row.
00:34:17Um, you are not a drug and celibate.
00:34:22Also, welcome, be with your blood.
00:34:26Aina, is gracias.
00:34:27According to the代 collectors, I told myself, I have a fundraiser here in Canada.
00:34:30Please, please don't give me this man.
00:34:32Oh, my gosh.
00:34:34I'm a career federal employee for the Equal Employment Office of the United States.
00:34:47I know that I'm less than a question and more of a request than a constituent of those
00:35:00five minutes down the street that the Protect America's Workforce Act is on the House Bill
00:35:05that codified our rights as federal workers to unionize for over a million federal employees
00:35:10stripped of AMTE recently.
00:35:13The Department of Justice just put a lawsuit out on AMTE to try to resolve my union.
00:35:19I'm sure this is already on the radar, but I'm hoping for any Congressperson that will
00:35:24listen to support that bipartisan bill on the floor to help protect us federal workers.
00:35:30Thank you so much. I think I am a sponsor, but I will double check.
00:35:43I know, I know. I will double check. So I will double back here.
00:35:49Maybe we'll take right there the mask.
00:35:53They have to get markers, you know?
00:35:58Speaking of low-hanging fruit, like you said, do you have any idea what's going on in Amy Klobuchar's mind right now?
00:36:09I don't know. I have to keep going. I don't know. I don't know. I have long hair maybe.
00:36:19Hi, everybody. My name is James Wilking. I am a labor organizer with SAE Work for Minnesota, Iowa.
00:36:28We have 500 workers that have been here to North Central States that worked really hard to form their union three years ago.
00:36:34We relied on FNCS during that process, which was incredibly challenging even with new players.
00:36:40And as some of you might know, FNCS was essentially shuttered recently by this administration.
00:36:45A question for our representatives. Do you see any place for us to step in to fill the gap that is now gone because of the vacancies at FNCS at the level?
00:36:57Yes.
00:37:00Thank you for asking that question.
00:37:02And, you know, what I will say, not just that she's a constituent of mine, but our labor commissioner, Commissioner Nicole Blisbach, is one of the best in the country.
00:37:12And I know that she and the administration, and we all, on laborers, spent a lot of time asking the question.
00:37:19We can't stop everything that's happening to the federal government.
00:37:22We know we have representatives who are fighting really hard.
00:37:25But we can think about how we're using our power here in Minnesota to protect workers, to protect their workplace democracy, and to ensure that we're doing everything we can.
00:37:35So I would love to talk to you afterwards, and I think for everybody, we are in the legislature.
00:37:40I know all of us in our jurisdictions are thinking a lot about what we can do here to ensure that we are protecting Minnesotans, that we are protecting our communities, and we are protecting workers.
00:37:50So thank you for what you do.
00:37:57Two heads.
00:37:58I'm Charlie.
00:37:59I live in Minneapolis.
00:38:00I have hated to decide since I first learned of the one that were conducted in Germany in the early 1960s.
00:38:17Yeah.
00:38:18And I can't get to decide what's going on in Dallas right now.
00:38:21To my amazing Congresswoman, I want to thank you for really giving me these things in order to stop that evil, and particularly the Trump resolution of disapproval, which is now simply more 2,000-pound bunker buster bombs.
00:38:34To kill people in their tents as they have fled from the rubble.
00:38:51But I also want to ask a question of the state representatives.
00:38:55Minnesota now has a law which prohibits the state from doing business with anyone who wants to boycott, digest, or sanction the genocide going on by Israel and Gaza.
00:39:08And I want to ask you if you would support anything, I'm asking the state secretary representatives now, if you would support measures to overturn that thing which seems crazy to me for a country that began with the Boston Tea Party.
00:39:23Thank you so much, and I share your gratitude to our Congresswoman for being just a voice of sanity and care and compassion in the world right now.
00:39:44I feel really strongly that people will look back at this time and what's been happening in Gaza, and we will be judged for how we reacted as a country.
00:40:03And so I can only speak for myself that I support repealing the BDS state law.
00:40:18You know, we just talked about this when we talked about the ERA, for example.
00:40:24There are a lot of different kinds of Democrats.
00:40:27There are a lot of different kinds of Democrats that Congresswoman Wilhelm works with.
00:40:32There's a lot of different Democrats we work with.
00:40:34And we didn't even, we didn't have an ERA supporting majority in the Senate in 2023.
00:40:42And we do not have the, we do not have the votes, we do not have the power, we do not have the agreement as Democrats who serve,
00:40:52because we don't have the agreement of the people who those people represent across the state to do that in the legislature right now.
00:41:01And, you know, I think that there are, there's a lot of like work that we need to do because, you know, you can be right on an issue if you haven't built the power to assert the rightness,
00:41:15then, you know, you're not able to actually make material moves on it.
00:41:21And so that's our job, is those of us who are anti-genocide, who are reacting with horror at what's happening in the world,
00:41:29is to do the organizing and to do the power building work that we need to do to build a moral consensus around this issue,
00:41:36and that that needs to infuse its way into governing bodies. But we're not at that moment right now, unfortunately.
00:41:45What am I doing to change? I mean, we have to have conversations like we, you know, it's not on us exactly, it's on all of us.
00:41:55You know, I mean, I have an obligation, I have been speaking out about Gaza, and Ilhan has been speaking out about Gaza with her much larger platform than any of us have.
00:42:07But it's right for us all to ask our elected representatives what they're doing. And, you know, I'm happy to tell you more about what I'm doing,
00:42:16but it's like, you know, this is an issue that we don't have agreement on within our own party. That's a fact of the matter, unfortunately.
00:42:26Thank you, Raisha. I think what Representative Gomez says, I think, you know, Charlie, you probably understand,
00:42:39is that when this bill passed, I was in the Minnesota House. I think I was the only Democrat who voted against it.
00:42:48Right? So you have to, like, comprehend the level of movement we have to do, because to me, it was against the First Amendment.
00:43:03Yeah. Point blank. Very unconstitutional. Probably if somebody sued, they would not, and they have, and many countries like Georgia,
00:43:12many states like Georgia and others, no longer have it on the books, and they had to, you know, figure out a way to, you know,
00:43:19trim some silly thing in it, right now, that doesn't have to, like ours does, because it's simply unconstitutional.
00:43:28And so we should, too, as Minnesotans, and see if we can maybe get rid of it that way.
00:43:34There is always a different, a different time.
00:43:41Hi.
00:43:42Please don't have the mic.
00:43:45Hi. I have a question for local leaders.
00:43:48I've been asking for local leaders because, as a state employee who is underrepresented by MAIN, currently represented by MAIN, working in higher education.
00:43:58Like, so Tim Walts has recently put in, put in, return to office order.
00:44:04And I'm against it because as a person with disabilities who currently has to work as accommodations, like that would affect, that even though my agency is not affected because my agency is technically not under accepted branch, but the issue is that it would affect my ability to pursue other opportunities within other agencies.
00:44:29And the second part is that now it is a contract negotiation period. I would like to see MMB to not make proposals that weaken union bargaining, bargaining collecting the rights. So thank you.
00:44:52So I just want to put that out there and see what the local leaders are thinking about it.
00:44:58Thank you. Thank you.
00:45:01I'll tell you what I told the governor and his staff is that my expectation as a state senator is that the governor is working with me in anything that affects your working conditions.
00:45:12The governor needs to work with workers if he's making changes.
00:45:18We know that in many instances the governor and the administration has given up leases in buildings and not everyone will fit in the buildings if we all have to go back to work.
00:45:30So they're going to have to get real creative.
00:45:31So they're going to have to get real creative.
00:45:32But the fundamental expectation I think me and my colleagues have is that the governor is working with me and with each union before he collaterally says here's the press release statement to come back.
00:45:45He has to work with you.
00:45:47Thank you so much.
00:45:48Thank you so much.
00:45:49Thank you so much.
00:45:50Thank you so much.
00:45:51Hi.
00:45:52I am an avid watcher of MSNC, and I saw Lisa Murkowski talking about how afraid she is to speak out, and it made me wonder if you guys could kind of covertly tell them that it's okay to be okay.
00:46:13To just walk together and say, you know what, you've got your back.
00:46:18I just want to see more fight.
00:46:20I just want to see more fight.
00:46:22I just want to see more fight.
00:46:34I think what Lisa speaks, the senator, the senator speaks to is real.
00:46:40You know, I think the level of threats that members of Congress and certainly those who go against their party leadership or the executive branch that they face is a lot.
00:46:59What my hope and, you know, the hope of some of my colleagues who have been dealing with this forever is that our courage would be contagious, that they would take things from us that regardless of how much we have been threatened, you know, I had the highest level of threats in the first Trump presidency when I was in Congress.
00:47:24Um, and it never, it never made me want to think about stopping and standing up for the Constitution for the United States.
00:47:33Um, and so I think it is important that the senator talks about it, because I think the public needs to understand that we do, when we do this, that our lives are under threat, so we do need support.
00:47:46We need to have people to have our back.
00:47:49Um, but I think she is, I think she is showing signs of bravery and courage, uh, and we should be sending her, uh, signs to continue to stand up, to continue to do this.
00:48:02We'll do the white, mask, blue.
00:48:22What I would like to really see is a pledge from the Democrats.
00:48:27They will always have a primary and they will not have any superdelegates who put their thumb on the scale.
00:48:33Because every time they have, they've lost.
00:48:35They have to have pure de-Democrats on the primaries.
00:48:40That's, that's the only way we're going to fix this.
00:48:44Because the Democratic Party has been weak on supporting workers and labor for a long time.
00:48:49When OSHA was created, there was one inspector for about only two to four factories.
00:48:54You know what the ratio is now?
00:48:56About one for 200.
00:48:57You're lucky to get a two-hour inspection every three years.
00:49:00They lost disgust years ago.
00:49:02And that's just kind of across the board.
00:49:04Who put up a fight?
00:49:06Who both?
00:49:08Yeah!
00:49:09And then we'll see the, the young man on the edge.
00:49:21Yeah.
00:49:22Hi, uh, the Yale Youth Survey poll shows that among youth, 18 to 21 year olds,
00:49:28the Republican candidate over the Democratic candidate on a generic ballot by 11 points.
00:49:33The Democratic brand has been toxic, has become toxic among young people.
00:49:37What are you doing to combat this?
00:49:39And what ideas do you have for us to win back young people?
00:49:42I'm trying to find who's the youngest one this week.
00:49:43And I guess it's me!
00:49:44Yeah, I guess I'll just be here as the millennial on the stage.
00:49:47Yeah, I'm still a millennial.
00:49:48And that makes me, you know, for our, for millennials.
00:49:49There's a lot of millennials on this stage.
00:49:50Yeah, I guess I'll just be here as the millennial on this stage.
00:49:54Yeah, I'm still a millennial.
00:49:55And that makes me, you know, for our, for millennials.
00:49:56There's a lot of millennials on this stage.
00:49:57And part of that is because we live our authentic truths as Democrats.
00:49:58And we bring that to the table.
00:49:59We don't worry about, like, oh, this is what the poll question actually says about the
00:50:01We say, you know what's wrong that people are trying to tell me, I'm just being a
00:50:08good guy, and I guess it's me.
00:50:09I'll just be here as a, the millennial on this stage.
00:50:10Yeah, I'm still a millennial.
00:50:11And that makes me, you know, for our, our, for millennials.
00:50:15There's a lot of millennials on this stage.
00:50:17And part of that is because we live our authentic truths as Democrats.
00:50:20And we bring that to the table.
00:50:22We don't worry about, like, oh, this is what the poll question actually says about the
00:50:25flurry.
00:50:26We say, you know what's wrong that people are trying to tell me?
00:50:30are trying to tell me how to, like, do my own health care decisions.
00:50:33It's wrong that there isn't a fully funded public school in my neighborhood.
00:50:36And I don't worry about what the, like, cool thing to do is.
00:50:38I just say this is what my community should look like.
00:50:41This is what we all want North East Minneapolis and South East Como to look like in a broader
00:50:45world where we have this.
00:50:46And standing up to each other and saying, hey, I think this is where we need to go as
00:50:52a party.
00:50:52And where I think we need to go as a party is a human-centered party where we can be
00:50:57dealing with each other and say, that's wrong and that's right and we're going to do what's
00:51:01right.
00:51:02I mean, I don't really have a great way.
00:51:04Ooh, why don't we just tick and talk our way to the top?
00:51:06Well, no, we're going to just do what matters and we're going to stand up for our neighbors.
00:51:14I appreciate that.
00:51:15I think, I think to the question of the primaries, none of us are a party to what the DNC decides,
00:51:21but as somebody who's been primary every cycle, I support primaries.
00:51:24I don't think people should be in the reason of primaries.
00:51:29It's good for democracy.
00:51:36Okay, she has, there is glasses and blue shirt.
00:51:42Hi, my name is Laura and I'm a teacher at Cosmos Montessori School, a chartered public school
00:52:04serving Grace Creek School through fifth grade and we're actually located in the same building
00:52:08as your office in Sanofany Community Center.
00:52:13I visited them.
00:52:14Yes, you have.
00:52:15My chartered public school is providing dual-language Montessori programming and we're doing it
00:52:22with limited funding as chartered public schools receive roughly 70% of what traditional district
00:52:28schools receive.
00:52:30So my question is, do you have any insight on the likelihood of cuts to federal funding
00:52:34such as title or special education funding or advice on how to advocate against these cuts?
00:52:40You know, so my name is Sydney, I am the chair of the House Education Committee here in Minnesota.
00:52:58And the real answer is I'm very concerned about this and it will have enormous impacts on our students
00:53:06who receive special education supports the most if the federal department of education goes away.
00:53:12There's a lot of educators in the room, I see you.
00:53:14Shout out to all of you.
00:53:21And you know what this is like in your classroom.
00:53:24For your special education classrooms, they're some of the most underfunded.
00:53:27And that special education funding is coming from the feds.
00:53:31So the state of Minnesota will not turn our backs on students receiving special education services
00:53:37and our most needing students.
00:53:38But that will mean that we will have to figure out how to close that hole.
00:53:41And this will impact every student in Minnesota.
00:53:43So it's something that we are standing up to making.
00:53:46We are standing up and saying this is wrong.
00:53:48All students deserve to have a world-class public education.
00:53:51And what the Republicans are doing by attacking special education money is wrong.
00:53:56And it's an attack on all of us, but it's an attack on our most vulnerable children.
00:54:00So thank you for standing up to that.
00:54:02It's wrong and it shouldn't happen.
00:54:06Thank you, Cindy.
00:54:07Yeah, we're in a month or two.
00:54:12The budget resolution that we passed, once it goes through the committees and we vote on it,
00:54:20has about $230 billion in cuts to education funding.
00:54:25So it is hard to have clarity about what parts, but I assume that it's going to have severe repercussions on education funding
00:54:35when we already have donor hole in funding here.
00:54:40Okay, we have one more.
00:54:42And there's a woman over here that has been raising her hand for a bit now.
00:54:46Hi, I'm Denise Myers, and I am sort of a transplant in Minnesota.
00:55:04I am a retired educator.
00:55:06I work with TRIO programs for about 20 years.
00:55:12And I actually have a question about the TRIO programs.
00:55:17Some of you may know what some TRIO programs are.
00:55:23Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search, Student Support Services Upward Bound,
00:55:29Math and Science, Veterans Upward Bound.
00:55:31And specifically, Students Support Services, the cycle starts, the five-year cycles,
00:55:39and it starts in September of this year.
00:55:43And I just wanted to know, with this craziness going on with the Department of Education,
00:55:48do you have any insights as to how those TRIO programs are going to be impacted?
00:55:54Because they work with low-income, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities.
00:56:02They work with students from middle school all the way up through adults.
00:56:07That's a whole lot of people that they work with.
00:56:10Yeah, I had TRIO support when I was in college.
00:56:15I had two kids.
00:56:16There is a purple, and then we'll end with that question, and then I'll take the two.
00:56:24Right there at the back.
00:56:33All right, I'm Amber Quinn.
00:56:36I live in Northwest Minneapolis.
00:56:38And I don't really want to speak this into existence, but a lot of my co-workers, one of my friends when we did the discussion,
00:56:46are really worried about the noises Trump has made about going for a third term and joking about it.
00:56:53So I didn't want to say that.
00:56:55I don't want him to normalize it.
00:56:56But what I want to ask, and this is maybe for the locals as well,
00:57:00it turns our chance for us to take some power back.
00:57:04So my expectation for where the cuts would be, support programs like TRIO would probably be first on the chopping block.
00:57:28They've already got rid of the Department of Civil Rights within the Education Department.
00:57:38We know that people who have grievances, whether they have disabilities or race, gender,
00:57:48have no one to call or contact in some of their cases, even if they were closing.
00:57:54Now we're, you know, they're basically gone and they're going back to the drawing board
00:57:59and they're having to see what they can do with their state's Department of Education.
00:58:06So again, it is a speculation, but I don't know where you find the $230 billion in cuts
00:58:13without cutting a lot of education funding.
00:58:15And so we shall see.
00:58:19I mean, obviously, we are going to put up a hell of a fight.
00:58:24You know, they have vulnerable Republicans.
00:58:29We're going to make sure that they are on the record,
00:58:32that there is not going to be a way to hide in the dark of the night
00:58:38to pass this legislation without us taking the time to publicly explain to the American people
00:58:46what is being cut, how it is going to impact them, and what it means.
00:58:54So, you know, I sit on the budget committee.
00:58:57We put on a fight there, but it was just the resolution.
00:59:01Now the language of the bill will be in there because we just passed the numbers.
00:59:06So once we see, because they keep saying, we're not cutting Medicaid,
00:59:10we're not cutting, you know, veteran support,
00:59:13that's their talking point, right?
00:59:16We're not coming for your Social Security.
00:59:18Well, $880 billion is a lot of money.
00:59:22So where are you going to find that if you're not cutting Medicaid?
00:59:26I have $230 billion is a lot.
00:59:29For our farmers who get support for SNAP programs,
00:59:33if A, they want to cut $230 billion there as well, or $220 billion.
00:59:39It has to impact real things that will then obviously have an impact on our lives
00:59:46and the lives of those that we love.
00:59:49And so, you know, we're going to try to make sure that folks understand.
00:59:54And before I close, who wants to take that question about taking back the house?
00:59:58So this is a good transition to the next conversation we're going to do,
01:00:05which is taking action.
01:00:07Like, what do we do?
01:00:09Right?
01:00:10We are not powerless.
01:00:12And to this question about 2026, there's also elections in 2025,
01:00:16it is our job to make sure that there are elections in 2028.
01:00:22I am a voting rights lawyer,
01:00:24and I will tell you that that question about what happens,
01:00:28the Constitution says one thing, so does the law.
01:00:31It is our job to make sure that we are still a constitutional democracy.
01:00:35And being together in things like this are really, really important.
01:00:49And our first action step, which is going to sound silly,
01:00:52but it's actually very important,
01:00:54and I want to tell you why a selfie is so important.
01:00:57Because I know there are people in this room,
01:00:59we heard from a few,
01:01:00I have a few constituents who are federal workers
01:01:03who feel alone, isolated, and abandoned.
01:01:07And we are here to say,
01:01:09we are with you.
01:01:14And I know that there are folks,
01:01:16there are Korean folks,
01:01:17there are immigrant folks,
01:01:18there are folks of color.
01:01:20Basically, Trump and Musk is coming after all of us.
01:01:24And it is our job to say,
01:01:25we are together and we are with you.
01:01:30And so, we are going to start with a selfie.
01:01:36And Ilhan says she takes the best selfies,
01:01:39so I want everybody to give their best smile,
01:01:41but we are going to do some more things too.
01:01:43And we are going to start with a selfie.
01:01:47I had everybody prepare for this ahead of time.
01:01:52Hey, you ready?
01:01:55One, two, three.
01:01:57So now, what I want you to do is,
01:02:03if you have a phone with a photo,
01:02:07with your neighbor, with yourself,
01:02:09maybe you have some new folks to talk to,
01:02:11I want you, right now,
01:02:13to take a picture.
01:02:15And I want you to,
01:02:17get out of your phones,
01:02:18get out of your phones,
01:02:20take a photo,
01:02:23with yourself,
01:02:24maybe a new neighbor you've met,
01:02:25maybe you're well,
01:02:27this whole cheering session back there.
01:02:31This is what community looks like.
01:02:37I have a slide.
01:02:41Slide.
01:02:46This is good.
01:02:48Take a picture.
01:02:48So, if you are taking these photos,
01:02:59if you use social media,
01:03:02tonight, go home,
01:03:03we're here,
01:03:05post about why you're here,
01:03:07what brought you here,
01:03:08and what and who you're fighting for.
01:03:11If you don't use social media,
01:03:13send an email
01:03:14to your friends,
01:03:15and your family,
01:03:17to your book club,
01:03:18to your pickleball club,
01:03:21to your church,
01:03:21to your synagogue,
01:03:22your mosque,
01:03:23and tell people
01:03:24why you are here,
01:03:25and who you are fighting for.
01:03:27So, can I get,
01:03:29will you promise to do this?
01:03:32Yes.
01:03:33Awesome.
01:03:33Take another slide.
01:03:35So, it is really important
01:03:37that we talk about,
01:03:41that this is,
01:03:42what Congressman Omar said,
01:03:44which is,
01:03:45we have to use all the power we have,
01:03:47where we have it.
01:03:48We have to use it in our moms,
01:03:50our synagogues,
01:03:51our churches,
01:03:52just like we are doing tonight,
01:03:54in our,
01:03:55all of our,
01:03:56every place you go.
01:03:57And we have to use them
01:03:59in our state halls,
01:04:00and our halls of Congress.
01:04:02And so,
01:04:03I know many of you,
01:04:04because I've seen you,
01:04:05who have been either at the Capitol,
01:04:07who have been at rallies,
01:04:09we have to keep doing that.
01:04:11Lisa Murkowski is responding
01:04:13to the public outcry.
01:04:17There were 43,000 people at the Capitol,
01:04:20but that's not all.
01:04:21There were thousands of people
01:04:23in small towns all across Minnesota.
01:04:29So,
01:04:30I want us to all commit,
01:04:33and there's a bunch of stuff
01:04:34you can do here,
01:04:35and everybody has a different superpower.
01:04:38Some people's superpowers
01:04:39is to call,
01:04:40to write,
01:04:41to email.
01:04:42Some of your superpowers
01:04:43are to be in the streets
01:04:44and lead us in the streets.
01:04:46Some of your superpowers
01:04:48may be to organize
01:04:50in a small,
01:04:51cohesive way people
01:04:52in your dining rooms.
01:04:53You may have relationships
01:04:55with folks
01:04:55across the state
01:04:57or across the aisle.
01:04:58But recognize
01:04:59that we are not powerless,
01:05:01and you all,
01:05:02and we,
01:05:03need to collectively
01:05:04use that power
01:05:05to fight for our democracy.
01:05:06And so,
01:05:12it is with that,
01:05:14that one,
01:05:14I remind you
01:05:15of your commitment
01:05:15to post on social media.
01:05:18Two,
01:05:18to continue to show up,
01:05:20show up for people.
01:05:22And if you all are here,
01:05:23there are 10,
01:05:24or 15,
01:05:25or 20 people
01:05:26you should bring with you
01:05:27to the next rally,
01:05:29to the next day on the hill,
01:05:30to the next town hall.
01:05:32And so,
01:05:33promise me
01:05:34that next time
01:05:35you'll show up
01:05:35you'll bring five friends.
01:05:42And we see you,
01:05:44and especially
01:05:45for our folks
01:05:45who've been impacted.
01:05:46I think I'm going to
01:05:47turn it over
01:05:48to Congresswoman Omar
01:05:49to close this up.
01:05:54Thank you,
01:05:55for your business agreement.
01:05:56It's clear
01:05:57we have a lot of work
01:05:58ahead of us,
01:05:59but we know
01:06:00that it will take
01:06:01each and every one of us
01:06:03working together
01:06:04to protect our democracy.
01:06:06As someone
01:06:07who survived
01:06:08the collapse
01:06:08of a country,
01:06:09I can tell you
01:06:11that this day
01:06:12couldn't be higher.
01:06:14But I will also
01:06:15tell you
01:06:16that I have hope.
01:06:18We have resolve.
01:06:20We will live
01:06:21up to the promise
01:06:22of our constitutional republic
01:06:24and the promise
01:06:25of our democracy.
01:06:29I want to thank
01:06:31my fellow legislators
01:06:33for joining us
01:06:34for this incredible
01:06:36power hall tonight.
01:06:41I want to thank
01:06:43our fierce leaders
01:06:45for coming
01:06:47and bravely sharing
01:06:48their stories
01:06:49and successively.
01:06:52I want to thank
01:06:53each one of you
01:06:54that asked the question
01:06:55for coming
01:06:58and engaging.
01:06:59I want to apologize
01:07:00for those
01:07:01that I've not gotten to.
01:07:03And again,
01:07:04thank all of you
01:07:05for joining us
01:07:07for tonight's town hall.
01:07:09I will see you
01:07:10at next month's town hall.
01:07:12Thanks again
01:07:13for being with us.
01:07:15APPLAUSE
01:07:15Thank you all.
01:07:23Thank you all.