00:00I want to note that the announcement today by Mr. Homan, we are cautiously optimistic, as we've said, and that
00:13this surge of untrained, aggressive federal agents are going to leave Minnesota.
00:25And I guess they'll go wherever they're going to go. But the fact of the matter is, they left us
00:31with deep damage, generational trauma. They left us with economic ruin, in some cases. They left us with many unanswered
00:40questions. Where are our children?
00:44Where and what is the process of the investigations into those that were responsible for the deaths of Renee and
00:54Alex?
00:55So, while the federal government may move on to whatever next thing they want to do, the state of Minnesota
01:03and our administration is unwaveringly focused on the recovery of what they did.
01:08And there will be many steps in this process, many answers that we still need to get and will pursue.
01:16But as we started earlier this week, one of the first things we can do and what we're focusing on
01:21today is, what can we start doing on the economic recovery?
01:25The damage that has been done to our economy, specifically to small business owners, and even more specifically to immigrant
01:34small business owners, which, for every other administration and for most of our history, is the epitome of the American
01:42dream.
01:43Come to this country with nothing and build something to be proud of, build something that creates jobs, build something
01:53that creates this incredible diversity and a food scene across this state that is second to none, to entrepreneurship, to
02:01the work that they've done.
02:03Meeting a few weeks ago, down at the Hmong Market, and a gentleman who came here and got a food
02:10stall, and three of his children are now medical doctors that went through American universities to become medical doctors to
02:18help make this state the best for health care.
02:20Those are stories we should be celebrating, not dangerous police chases through peaceful neighborhoods, not little boys in little backpacks
02:29being hauled away, and not mourning of parents and family for American and Minnesota citizens being killed on the streets.
02:39So, Minnesota, on behalf of not just this state, but the country, thank you.
02:48That same energy now needs to be directed towards recovery, to finding ways that people have done during these challenging
02:57months to go forward.
03:01So, I want to say, this damage is still being assessed, but we do know, and you're going to hear
03:08from some folks,
03:08you're going to hear from Henry, you'll hear from Commissioner Verlick about where we're at on the front end of
03:14this,
03:14and we're going to be proposing a reinstitution of our Small Business Emergency Fund.
03:20It's what we used very successfully during COVID in the recovery, in the economic recovery that we saw in Minnesota
03:26that outpaced most of the rest of the country.
03:29We're going to be proposing a first-time $10 million one-time targeted loans, forgivable loans,
03:36that we know, and I want to be very clear, is a very small piece of this,
03:41but what I am going to challenge as we get ready to start here in a few days, the legislative
03:47session,
03:47this legislative session needs to be about recovery of the damage that's been done to us.
03:52I am also asking our team, and I'm going to make appeals to our federal delegation,
03:56the federal government needs to pay for what they broke here.
04:00There are going to be accountability on the things that happened,
04:03but one of the things is the incredible and immense costs that were borne by the people of this state.
04:08The federal government needs to be responsible.
04:11You don't get to break things and then just leave without doing something about it,
04:15so we're going to be asking the federal delegation to be investing and doing the things necessary.
04:19We have been in contact with federal leadership as a negotiation is happening right now on DHS funding,
04:27and all of the things that we have an expectation, whether it be the investigations,
04:31whether it be going forward, no masks, because this, I got to tell you,
04:36one of the things that I'm in contact with a lot of my colleagues,
04:39both at the federal level with the Senate and the House, but especially governors,
04:46I don't want these folks showing up somewhere else and doing this.
04:49So the changes that need to be made, the investments that need to come back,
04:55they need to show, they being the federal government and they being this administration,
05:00they need to do more.
05:02But I'm not going to hold my breath that the federal government is going to do the right thing.
05:07What I am going to do is I'm going to bet on the people of this state,
05:11and when we come into this legislative session, an expectation is this should be a bipartisan effort
05:16to protect these businesses, to protect what we have in Minnesota,
05:20to make changes here to improve this state.
05:23That should be very easy, and I think we've seen just some of the data surrounding this.
05:30There's very few things in this state that are more unpopular than what just happened to us,
05:35and there's few things that are more popular than recovery and supporting small businesses.
05:41So, Minnesota, I know you've been through a lot.
05:43I know that we're still in the deep part of winter, but it's going to be 40 today here.
05:48The sun's going to be shining, probably a pretty good metaphor for spring is out there,
05:55summer over the horizon, but it's going to take a lot of work.
05:58So, the expectation is of myself and our administration and the elected leaders,
06:02we get busy in this legislative session and start repairing the damage from this,
06:06start putting in safeguards that it doesn't happen again.
06:08And I think using the momentum that we have to celebrate,
06:13Minnesota's reputation has been pretty well solidified out there
06:17of caring, gritty people who back down to nothing
06:21and do the right thing for their neighbors.
06:24And I think now we continue that same attitude into this legislative session
06:29and into this recovery to help the folks standing behind me and thousands of others
06:32to get back what they do best, creating jobs, creating opportunities,
06:38creating a good life, being able to see their children go off to school
06:42and then celebrate by, you know, watching a baseball game
06:45when things start up here this spring.
06:47We're not asking that much, but there's going to be work to do.
06:51You've got our pledge that we will do everything possible to make that happen.
06:55And today is a very small first step,
06:57but it is a concrete step that can make a difference.
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