State Sen. Gary Dahms answers question on Minnesota legislative session, but refused to take questions related to the federal government or President Donald Trump. “I did not come here to debate Trump, I did not come here to debate federal issues,” he said.

NEW ULM –State Senator Gary Dahms (R-Redwoods Falls) made it clear he was not going to answer questions about President Donald Trump or any topic related to the federal government during Thursday’s legislative town hall held in New Ulm.

Dahms took part in a series of end-of-session town halls Thursday. Dahms typically holds a joint town hall with State House Representative Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska), but Torkelson was unable to attend because he is the co-chair of the Ways and Means committee in the State House and there is ongoing budget negotiation at the Capitol.

Dahms began the town hall with a summary of legislative issues impacting Minnesota. He said the senate formally adjourned on Monday but said the legislators would return for a special session to finish incomplete work.

Early in the question and answer session, Dahms was asked to comment on Medicaid cuts on the federal level being pushed by House Republicans.

“I did not come here to debate Trump, I did not come here to debate federal issues,” Dahms said. “I came here as a senator who represents you in St. Paul. I am here to talk about issues in Minnesota. I am not getting into the he said, she said on what is happening on the federal level. I am not going there.”

State Senator Gary Dahms talks about the end of session during the New Ulm’s legislator town hall Thursday.

Other audience members commented that what happens on the federal level does impact the state level.

Dahms again refused to talk about federal issues. He said if the audience wanted to talk about the federal level, they would need to talk with Rep. Brad Finstad.

“I didn’t come here to sit and bicker, and listen to all the challenges and all the charges being made when we don’t know how much is fact and not fact,” Dahms said. “If you have your hand up and you’re going to bring up Trump, then we won’t be talking.”

The audience pushed back, asking Dahms and other state Republican legislators to speak up to take it to the federal level.

Dahms again argued that if they wanted to have a voice at the federal level, they needed to speak with Congressman Finstad. Dahms said his focus was on the state and county level because he had no influence on the federal level.

Thursday’s legislative town hall with State Sen. Gary Dahms got off to a rough start, with Dahms refusing to take questions related to the federal government, telling audiences to contact Rep. Brad Finsta

“If you want to sit here and heckle me and talk about the federal level, it’s not going to happen,” he said.

Later in the meeting, David Nissen said to Dahms that many in attendance have tried to reach out to federal representatives like Congressman Finstad, but he has not been effective.

“It feels like a lot of us are coming here because we’re trying to get anyone to listen and we’re hoping you can also help,” Nissen said.

Dahms said he understood the frustration, but he cannot force Congress to act. He said people would need to keep trying to contacting their federal legislators.

On the special session, Dahms said there were 19 bills that needed to be completed. There were nine bills passed by both House and Senate and are on Gov. Tim Walz desks to be signed, but believed they will approved relatively soon.

One of the bills that is still open is Health and Human Services, which Dahms said there were serious issues.

“We have about $260 million in reduction to nursing homes, to assisted living and homes for the disabled,” he said. “They don’t have the wherewithal to take that kind of a cut.”

Dahms said the other problem was the health insurance for illegal immigrants. He said when health insurance for illegal immigrants was first approved, it was estimated 5,000 would enroll, costing Minnesota Care $260 million. However, around 17,700 have signed up for the program raising the cost to over $600 million.

Dahms commented that it was a strange coincidence the project cost for illegal immigration insurance was nearly the same as the reduction to nursing homes, assisted living and homes for the disabled.

“I think there is a coincidence there,” he said. “It’s an issue with the money being spent, but also an issue in the coverage.”

Dahms said the cost for nursing homes, assisted living and homes for the disabled would be shifted from the state to the counties.

Dahms disagreed with this shift. He believed the state should pick up that cost by cutting from the state budget. He believed that shifting the cost to the county would result in a tax increase in the county.

He said if the full shift to the county occurred, the average county property tax would go up between 10 and 12%, not accounting for inflation.

New Ulm Public Utilities Director Kris Manderfeld asked if the bonding bill was likely to be passed this year.

Dahms said it is possible to do a $700 million bonding bill and a $1.3 billion bonding bill next year. He believed the $700 million bill was likely to pass. He believed the things likely to be included in the bill were the items that impacted the most people.

Manderfeld specifically asked about New Ulm’s gravity sewer line.

Dahms said this project was his top priority in his district. He said the project was around for a few years and deserved to be in the bill. He was not sure if the project would receive a full grant or a partial grant and loan.

A question was asked about the possible elimination of aid to private and parochial schools.

Dahms said as of Thursday, there is no cut to private and parochial schools in the budget bill. He was against these cuts because the elimination of funds could cost the state more.

Dahms confirmed the agriculture bill was passed. He believed most of what was in the bill was good and would help farmers. He was supportive of loans for young farmers to buy equipment and land and tax credits for farmers who rent land to other farmers. There was additional funding for mental health coverage for farmers. Dahms later said he believed there needed to be additional mental health funding overall.

He believed the state needed to create more mental health beds to meet a growing mental health crisis.

Dahms was asked if the Stillwater prison was being closed down. Dahms confirmed it was the plan to close the prison. Over the next four years, the 1,400 prisoners will be shifted to the other three state prisons.

At the end of the town hall, Dahms thanked constituents for attending the town hall and said “There are going to be things we don’t agree on, but we can put those things aside and work on the things we do agree on.”