Minnesota DFL lawmakers are introducing legislation to help the state's federal workers losing their jobs as a result of Trump administration cuts.
One measure will extend unemployment insurance benefits, another will provide a relocation bonus for laid-off veterans to move to Minnesota. An addition measure would create an action plan to help business owners deal with tariffs.
Dan Marshall owns "Mischief" toy store in St. Paul.
"We've been through the dot-com bubble burst, we've been through the Great Recession, we've been through COVID and I honestly can say that the anxiety caused by these spiking ridiculous tariffs that Trump has put in place over the last month has just spiked," says Marshall. "Millie and I are just crazy with anxiety right now."
Lawmakers say they've also been hearing from state agency heads and members of the state's Congressional delegation that their attempts to get answers at the federal level continue to be ignored.
"When you talk to businesses in our state like I do, one of the biggest challenges they face is finding enough workers, and there's no one I would rather hire than a veteran," DFL Representative Matt Norris (Blaine) says.
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court has cleared the way for President Donald Trump’s administration to fire thousands of probationary workers, halting a judge’s order requiring them to be reinstated.
A split panel for the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the government will probably win by showing the mass firings must be appealed through a separate employment process rather than fought out in federal court.
The decision in a case filed by nearly two dozen states in Maryland, which includes Minnesota, comes a day after the Supreme Court blocked a similar order from a judge in California.
The states could seek further court review as their lawsuit plays out.