Senate Democrats announced this week that their caucus has formed a new Select Subcommittee on “Federal Impacts on Minnesotans and Economic Stability.”

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, and Sen. Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville, who will serve as the chair of the committee, held a press conference announcing the new committee on Tuesday. They said the committee is intended to primarily respond to the budget bill passed by Congress, as well as general decisions made by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Senate Majority Leader Erin P. Murphy. (Courtesy of the Minnesota Senate)

“We don’t feel like we can wait until February to start trying to figure out what these impacts really look like, how Minnesotans are dealing with them,” Port said. “The SNAP changes are already in effect. Our farmers have been affected by … China no longer buying soybeans. It’s been a huge impact on Minnesota.”

The first meeting is set for Sept. 18, and hearings will continue every other week.

Port said the committee also plans to travel around the state to hear from Minnesotans. The committee will have five Democrats and four Republicans.

While cuts to Medicaid, social services and other areas drew opposition to the federal “Big, Beautiful Bill” earlier this year, others have applauded the tax cuts it included.

Sen. Carla Nelson. (Courtesy of the Minnesota Senate)

The Republican lead on the committee, Sen. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester, said in a statement that these are “important issues” and she will take the responsibility “very seriously,” but added that she believes Minnesota’s greatest challenges are from the state, not the federal government.

“We can, and should, carefully monitor federal decisions, but we cannot lose sight of the very real and severe consequences from decisions made by the Democrats with single-party control of government right here at home,” she said.

While subcommittees don’t usually hear formal legislation, Murphy said she is hoping the knowledge will inform future legislation when the 2026 session begins on Feb. 17.

“In order to understand what has been put into law by the Republican trifecta, along with Donald Trump, is to make sure that we are spending time reviewing and understanding what’s there, but more importantly, talking with the people of Minnesota about the impacts that we see and what they’re going to experience, so that we’re able not just to prepare for the next session, but for the budget years ahead,” she said.

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