By Michelle Griffith | Reporter
Good morning, Reformers.
Minnesota could be on the hook for as much as $250 million in its next budget to pay for a share of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, thanks to a provision in the Republican megalaw on tax cuts and spending passed a year ago.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act requires states to pay more for SNAP, which provides food assistance to low-income people and families. States with a higher rate of erroneous payments must pay a higher percentage of SNAP benefits in their state, Madison McVan reported.
Prior to President Trump signing the bill into law, states were not required to cover any share of the cost of SNAP benefits.
The move by the federal government places additional pressure on Minnesota’s state budget, because the state is already spending more money than it’s bringing in.
The new federal law uses a state’s payment error rate — a calculation of how often a SNAP recipient receives the incorrect amount of assistance — to determine how much the state government must pay to keep the program running.
Minnesota’s SNAP payment error rate jumped from nearly 9% in 2024 to more than 12% in 2025, according to numbers released by the USDA
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families said the agency is “focused on reducing our payment error rate.”
Read more about the changes to SNAP here.
More in the Reformer.
Dozens of people gather to rally in support of the 15 Minnesotans indicted for conspiracy to impede or injure a federal agent during their arraignment hearing Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
By Michelle Griffith and Ria Gupta
Fourteen Minnesota anti-ICE protesters pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges alleging they engaged in a conspiracy to impede or injure federal agents in Minneapolis during Trump’s immigration crackdown earlier this year.
Four of the defendants are facing additional charges, including interstate stalking, assault on a federal officer and destruction of federal property. Federal prosecutors earlier this month charged 15 protesters alleging they were members of a group called “Direct Action Minnesota” or “DAMN.” One defendant didn’t appear in court Wednesday because he’s in custody in Michigan based on separate federal charges.
Most of the hearing centered around the 20 terabytes of data federal prosecutors say they have in their possession. The majority of the data are Signal chats.
By Max Nesterak
More than 130 unionized doctors at Allina Health’s Mercy and Unity hospitals are threatening to strike after negotiations over the past two years failed to produce an agreement with the health system giant on wages, benefits and working conditions.
“I hope this wakes up Allina,” said Dr. Saul Singh during a virtual news conference on Wednesday. “We need to see change.”
The doctors voted by a 90% margin to authorize a strike but have not yet determined when or for how long. They would need to provide the health system with 10 days’ notice before walking off the job at the hospitals located in Coon Rapids and Fridley.
The strike vote sends a clear warning to Allina Health, one of the state’s largest health systems with $6 billion in revenue in 2025, that doctors are willing to disrupt operations at two of its largest hospitals in order to secure a first labor contract.
By Jennifer Schultz
The U.S. is on track to spend $6 trillion on health care this year and $9 trillion by 2034. Health policy experts have long known that high prices are the key drivers of health spending.
States can step in to figure out how to make healthcare more affordable, while at the same time trying to rescue rural and safety-net hospitals, Schultz writes.
A new report by North Star Policy Action highlights a variety of policies Minnesota can implement, including using reference-based pricing in the state’s employee health plan, banning anti-competitive contracting practices used by hospitals and increasing oversight of healthcare consolidations.
IN OTHER NEWS
Minnesota pardons sexual abuser who was set to be deported | New York Times
OH BY THE WAY
President Trump was in Medora, North Dakota, yesterday to preview the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.
The construction of the library was a big deal when I lived in North Dakota in 2020. It seemed like every month there was another announcement of a donor funding the construction of the library. Teddy Roosevelt famously said that he would have never become president if it wasn’t for the few years he spent in North Dakota hunting bison and ranching cattle, and North Dakotans have claimed him as their own ever since.
For people wanting to experience the kitschy tourist town of Medora, I would recommend getting the steak fondue while you’re there. It’s a “western-style fondue,” where the chefs stab the steaks onto a pitchfork and dunk them in barrels of oil, hence the “fondue.”
The outdoor venue overlooks the Badlands and gives you a great view of the rolling hills at dusk. I would say the steaks tasted average, but the experience was great.
That’s all from me. Have a great Thursday!
I took this picture of my steak fondue in 2020. I forgot to mention that it’s served on a metal school lunch tray!
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