A Minnesota House committee debates a bill this morning to give 167 million dollars in grants and loans to businesses and non-profits in riot-torn areas of the Twin Cities. Saint Paul Democrat Tim Mahoney warns if lawmakers don’t act “with some speed” then “people will become disillusioned, don’t think they count, don’t think they matter. They’ll pull up stakes and move to, whether it’s six blocks to another location or 60 miles to another town.”
Last week the Trump administration denied Governor Tim Walz’s request for federal disaster assistance. Minnesota Senate Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said, “I don’t know that FEMA has ever considered riots as a disaster.” But House Democratic Majority Leader Ryan Winkler said those who protected their homes, businesses and community assets “were not at fault. It was as though a tornado or… wildfire came through their neighborhoods.”