U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum hosts townhall to call out DOGE cuts
Town hall held by DFL over concerns about Trump
A town hall was hosted by U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum and other Democrats over concerns about the Trump administration. FOX 9's Babs Santos has the story.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - On Saturday, U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum hosted a town hall in St. Paul, joined by Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, and DFL State Representatives Kaohly Her, Samakab Hussein, Liz Lee, María Isa Pérez-Vega, Dave Pinto, and Jay Xiong.
Democrats have significant concerns about President Donald Trump’s cuts to government funding during his second term in office.
McCollum says she fears there will ultimately be "illegal and unconstitutional" cuts to healthcare, research, diversity initiatives, welfare programs, public education, resources for the disabled, and more.
"[There’s] already been cuts to healthcare, there’s been cuts to transportation, and housing, and everything that the state legislature deals with," McCollum told FOX 9. "But the real big cuts, I think, are coming in the next couple of weeks in Washington, D.C."
"All I can do is raise my voice, [and] express the views and concern of my constituents," McCollum continued. "I’m here to listen today."
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan also appeared as a special guest at the town hall.
"Trump’s tariffs and cuts will be incredibly damaging to Minnesota and the real people who rely on funding for education, for healthcare, for transportation, and simply to live," Flanagan added.
Minnesota’s Republican Party responds
The other side:
GOP Party Chairman Alex Plechash sent FOX 9 this statement on the event:
"It’s no surprise that the out-of-touch DFL party — completely out of ideas — is hosting a town hall to talk about Donald Trump instead of addressing their own disastrous record in Minnesota. While our state is grappling with real challenges, DFL leadership would rather deflect blame and distract voters than take responsibility for their failures.
"Let’s talk about what Minnesotans really care about: an $18 billion surplus that was completely squandered, over $10 billion in new taxes slammed onto working families, gas tax hikes, and even new taxes on Amazon deliveries. Meanwhile, over half of Minnesota students are testing below grade level in reading and math, and our performance is now below the national average. On top of that, the state has been rocked by massive fraud scandals, and two DFL senators are under clouds of ethics investigations — including Senator Nicole Mitchell, who faces two felony charges.
"The DFL doesn’t want to answer for any of this — and that’s why these Soros-organized, DFL-staged events are carefully controlled to avoid tough questions from real Minnesotans.
"The people of Minnesota deserve leadership that’s focused on solving today’s problems, not staging political theater to hide from their own record."