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IGR staff brief committee on special elections, possible special session and federal budget risks
Summary
City intergovernmental staff told the committee about upcoming state special elections, ongoing talks about a possible governor-called special session in response to a Minneapolis church shooting, and federal fiscal risks including rescission and potential shutdown scenarios.
Director Topinka and IGR staff briefed the Intergovernmental Relations Committee on Sept. 9 on state and federal developments that could affect Minneapolis policy and funding.
Topinka outlined several special elections this fall: a special election for House District 34B on Sept. 16 and two Senate special elections on Nov. 4 that will fill existing vacancies. He summarized the current partisan composition of the Minnesota House and Senate and said the Governor has indicated interest in calling a special session in response to the shootings at Annunciation Church; Topinka said legislative leaders and the Governor were meeting to discuss potential agendas that could include school security and mental‑health supports and that DFL legislators had publicly supported pursuing an assault‑weapons and high‑capacity magazine ban.
IGR staff then explained the FY2026 federal budget timeline. Lauren Olsen said the federal fiscal year ends Sept. 30 and Congress may pass an omnibus appropriations bill, a continuing resolution, or face a funding lapse. Olsen warned that the White House rescission process and use of so‑called "pocket rescissions" are active points of contention—she reported that about $9,000,000 in prior rescissions affected foreign aid and public broadcasting and said some officials contend pocket rescissions are illegal. Olsen also described allegations that the White House budget office has withheld or conditioned distribution of funds to agencies, creating uncertainty for city programs that rely on federal grants.
The committee paused the briefing when the meeting lost captioning and took a 10‑minute recess. Staff said they would continue monitoring developments about a potential special session and federal budget negotiations and would provide further updates to the committee.
