The Daily Digest
Do you remember when there were visions of an early end to the legislative session dancing in your heads?
There are $408 million reasons why that may not happen.
State budget officials say it's extremely unlikely the state will see federal Medicaid money by May 17th. That means the state budget gap will grow by $400 million since Gov. Pawlenty and House Democrats were relying on the funds to balance the budget. MPR and AP have stories.
Gov. Pawlenty and lawmakers have a few options.
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1) They could make additional cuts to fix the budget gap (likely but difficult).
2) They could leave a $408 million hole in the budget with the hopes the federal money comes through (unlikely).
3) They could raise taxes (extremely unlikely).
Democrats in the Minnesota House are already taking heat for their proposed cuts to Health and Human Services programs.
Groups are objecting to the cuts during committee testimony.
Hennepin County officially refuses to take part in the new GAMC program.
Race for the Governor
Tom Emmer and Marty Seifert, the top two Republican candidates for governor, will both appear on MPR's Midday this morning at 11.
On Tuesday, Emmer picked Annette Meeks as his running mate. She's a darling of conservative principles but has taken stands that could raise a few eyebrows among GOP delegates. For example, she's now running for a job that she wanted to eliminate in 1998. She also served on a stadium commission in 2004 that called for raising taxes without voter approval. MPR, AP, the Pi Press, Forum Communications and the Star Tribune have stories.
You can watch video of the Emmer/Meeks announcement here.
Democrats Mark Dayton and Margaret Anderson Kelliher square off over taxes. The fracas occurred after Dayton called for hiking income taxes on millionaires.
Congress
Goldman Sachs executives defend the company before a Congressional hearing.
While the financial overhaul debate intensifies, the amount of money being sent to politicians also increases.
DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar criticizes Wall St. in an op-ed.
President Obama urges bipartisanship on soaring deficits.
The New York Times says the financial reform issue could be a winner for Democrats.
DFL Sen. Al Franken calls for better Facebook protections.
Eric Holder may challenge Arizona's immigration law.
GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann declines to take a stand on the Arizona immigration law.
GOP Rep. Erik Paulsen wants to repeal the medical device tax.