The Minnesota Legislature approved a budget during a one-day special session this week that leaders said reduced a projected multiyear structural imbalance while preserving core services, but the package included contested policy changes and drew criticism over closed-door negotiating practices.

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy and Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson described the deal on the Minnesota Senate’s program Senate Spotlight. Murphy said the negotiations cut a projected four‑year structural imbalance — which she said measured about $2,400,000,000 without inflation — by roughly half through a mix of spending reductions and new revenue. "We cut probably overall about $1,300,000,000, out of this budget, and we raised about $800,000,000 over 4 years," she said.

Why it matters: the package touches health care, education, human services and infrastructure funding that Minnesotans rely on. Murphy said the budget protects care for seniors, people with disabilities, public schools and health services, and includes investments in water, roads, bridges and state parks. Minority Leader Mark Johnson said he opposed parts of the bill and highlighted other figures, saying "our agencies grew by $770,000,000" for operating expenses and that nursing homes absorbed pay reductions he put at about $161,000,000.

Policy fights and MinnesotaCare repeal

Both leaders described hard compromises. Murphy said she honored a pledge that contributed to passage of a repeal of MinnesotaCare coverage for undocumented adults and called it "the most painful vote I've taken. I don't support it." Johnson characterized repeal as a Republican priority and defended it as saving state dollars, saying, "First of all, I mean, it clearly saves the state money." The transcript does not include a vote tally for the MinnesotaCare repeal; leaders discussed it as part of final negotiations.

Transparency and working groups

Both leaders also addressed criticism that the working groups used to negotiate the final package were less transparent than traditional conference committees. Murphy said more work should be conducted in public so Minnesotans can participate; Johnson said some members of his caucus expected to be included in working‑group talks and were shut out, calling the process closed at times.

Other priorities and next steps

Both leaders pointed to additional priorities for the 2026 session, including policy bills left behind during the budget fight and a potential bonding bill. Murphy said lawmakers could bond for roughly $1.1 billion next session and urged that bonding not be treated as a tool to extract unrelated concessions.

Votes at a glance

- Senate File 9 (legislative corrections bill): Passed in the Senate, recorded as "58 ayes and 1 nay" in the program description.
- House File 9 (omnibus tax bill): Passed by a narrow margin described on the program as "just 1 vote." The transcript does not provide a full roll‑call tally in the interview clips.

Where to find details

The Senate’s public website and journal entries include roll‑call votes and full text of the bills. The program directed viewers to senate.mn and the Senate media YouTube channel for full debate and vote records.

Ending note

Leaders described relief at finishing the session and urged constituents to stay engaged during the interim. Murphy and Johnson both said members would return to their districts and use the intervening months to build support on outstanding policy items before the February 2026 convening.