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Minn. House leader Hortman says talks with House GOP are narrowing issues, hopes for deal this week
Summary
Leader Hortman told reporters that negotiations between House DFL and House GOP leaders have narrowed to a small set of issues and that she hopes for an agreement this week; a briefing attendee also called a federal funding pause "reckless and harmful," saying it underscores the need for lawmakers to return to the Capitol.
Leader Hortman said Wednesday that negotiations between the House GOP and the House DFL are making progress and that she hopes the two sides will reach a governing agreement this week.
"I do think that we're making progress. I tend to be a glass half full kind of person," Hortman said at a leadership press briefing, adding that negotiators had met earlier in the day and narrowed the outstanding issues. "Failure is not an option. So we'll keep meeting until we have an agreement, and we can get going. And my hope, it remains that that would happen this week."
The leader framed progress as the result of a pattern of exchanging offers and working with nonpartisan staff, and said the current negotiations are less complicated than resolving the state budget. Hortman said both sides have moved substantially from their initial positions during the current round of talks.
An attendee at the briefing described a recent federal funding pause as a separate problem that nevertheless increases the urgency for lawmakers to be back at the Capitol. That speaker characterized the federal pause as "reckless and harmful" and said it could affect public safety, veterans, schools and health care; Hortman said state leaders would take guidance from the executive branch as more information becomes available.
Reporters at the briefing asked whether developments at the federal level would hasten a deal; Hortman said the processes are mostly separate but that it would be useful to have a governing agreement so legislators could address federal impacts together. She also framed the timing in weeks of the legislative session: "The legislative session is 18 weeks long. So we are in week 3 of conflict. If we have resolution this week, we will have 6 weeks of GOP leadership, and then when we will have 9 weeks of shared governance." Hortman added that each additional day without an agreement reduces the number of days under GOP governance available later in the session.
Reporters pressed for specifics about the issues still blocking a deal; Hortman declined to disclose negotiation details, saying she wanted to "respect the integrity of the negotiating space." Reporters from WCTO and NPR pressed on timing and traction, and Hortman reiterated that while there have been "dark moments," the fact that leaders are meeting and narrowing the list of issues is significant.
No formal motions, votes, or official agreements were announced at the briefing. The exchange concluded after reporters' questions were answered.
