Good morning and happy Wednesday.
More than 214,000 Minnesotans who applied for pandemic bonus pay are facing denial. State officials say nearly 1.2 million people applied for the extra money the Legislature and governor set aside for those on the front lines during COVID-19. But because some made more money than allowed under the program, or couldn't prove their identity or that their work qualified, their applications could be denied. Some were also denied because they collected more in unemployment insurance than allowed under the law, and more than 47,000 applications were found to be duplicates. Those who were denied should have been notified by email Tuesday and have until the end of the month to appeal the denials. The payments are expected to go out later this year. Read more here.
The state canvassing board on Tuesday certified the results of last week’s primary and special election. Turnout was actually a little higher than previously estimated. From Secretary of State Steve Simon: The total number of voters for the primary election was 793,236. That means about 19 percent of eligible Minnesotans participated. This is higher than the 10-year average of primary voter participation, which is about 15 percent.
Federal money is still available for Minnesota homeowners who are behind on their mortgages because of the pandemic. State officials have increased the assistance cap for the HomeHelp-MN program from $35,000 to $50,000 and have eliminated an application deadline that was supposed to come Wednesday. Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho said Tuesday the state has paid out about $2 million so far. "We've heard from homeowners throughout the state, but we know that there are more homeowners who are behind than have applied for the program,” Ho said. “We think there are potentially as many as 25,000 income-eligible homeowners who are behind." In addition to past-due mortgage payments, homeowners may also use the money to pay housing-related expenses such as property insurance, condo fees, and mobile home park rent.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar visited a Bloomington manufacturer Tuesday to highlight benefits of a new federal law. MPR’s Mark Zdechlik reported Klobuchar said the CHIPS and Science law signed last week by President Joe Biden will help businesses in Minnesota that develop and manufacture computer chips. The law will spend more than $50 billion to subsidize the U.S. chip industry. Klobuchar joined Minnesota manufacturing executives at SkyWater Technology, where she called the new law a blockbuster that will add jobs and improve the economy. "Our percentage of the semiconductor manufacturing business right now in the U.S. is only 12 percent,” Klobuchar said. “It's down from 37 percent, which it was in the 1990s. And we know a lot of the semiconductors are made in Taiwan. But we also know that China is heavily investing in this area." Producing more chips domestically is important for economic and national security reasons, Klobuchar said.
Shortly after Klobuchar talked Biden signed another big bill–the one Democrats call the Inflation Reduction Act. Will the law actually reduce inflation? The Associated Press says maybe a bit at the margins over time. What will it do? Spend about $375 billion over the next 10 years to provide subsidies to encourage people to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cap prescription drug costs at $2,000 out-of-pocket annually for Medicare recipients, and help about 13 million Americans pay for health insurance by extending subsidies. It’s paid for by new taxes on large companies and stepped-up IRS enforcement of wealthy individuals and entities, with additional funds going to reduce the federal deficit. Some of Biden’s remarks at the signing ceremony sounded like a midterm election push. “Every single Republican in Congress voted against lowering prescription drug prices, against lowering healthcare costs, against a fairer tax system,” Biden said. “Every single Republican — every single one — voted against tackling the climate crisis, against lowering our energy costs, against creating good-paying jobs.” Klobuchar called the law “a historic win for American families,” noting that it will also allow Medicare to negotiate the price of some prescription drugs. Gov. Tim Walz called it “a big win for Minnesota.” “The Inflation Reduction Act will lower the price of prescription drugs and help Minnesota workers and families access affordable health care — something our administration has prioritized as families struggle with rising costs,” Walz said. Republican Party of Minnesota Chair David Hann had a different take: “President Biden and the Democrats lied when they promised not to raise taxes on the middle class,” Hann said in a statement. “We will hold Minnesota Democrats in Congress accountable for this massive tax hike this November.”
By now you’ve probably heard Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney lost her primary. It wasn’t close. Harriet Hageman, who was backed by former President Donald Trump, won by nearly 37 percentage points. NPR reports: It was an expected outcome for Cheney, who went from party star and heir to a conservative dynasty to a political outcast — marked by the moment she chose to break with the former president following his role in fomenting a mob to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Cheney's allies assert she could have easily won reelection if she had done what the vast majority of her GOP colleagues in Congress have done — stood in lock step with Trump. Instead, Cheney made the race entirely about her decision to stand up to the former president. | 