View this email as a web page

By Briana Bierschbach

Matthew Putney/The Associated Press

Good morning. We've got tariffs, miners, the return-to-office order and a James Beard Award for a Minnesota congresswoman to get to in today's newsletter. 

But first, we've devoted a fair amount of real estate in this space to the ongoing feud between Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Elon Musk, the tech billionaire who's become a conservative figurehead as a top Donald Trump adviser and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Walz has positioned himself nationally as a foil to Musk, regularly attacking the billionaire on social media and more recently in his town halls.

A quick recap: After Trump's inauguration, Walz said Musk performed a Nazi salute, which prompted Musk to threaten a lawsuit against the governor. During a recent town hall in Eau Claire, Wis., Walz celebrated the tanking of Tesla's stock as Musk cuts the federal workforce, which he then walked back because Minnesota owns more than 1 million Tesla shares in its pension fund. Walz admitted "this guy bugs me in a way that's probably unhealthy," and Musk responded by calling Walz a "jerk" in a nationally televised interview. 

Walz had been in the Badger State for a rally ahead of the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, which drew $20 million in spending from Musk. The Democrat-backed candidate won that race by 10 percentage points on Tuesday and reports Wednesday suggest Musk is on his way out of the Trump administration sooner than later. 

Walz seemed happy to comment on the situation yesterday following a meeting with legislative leaders, calling Musk a “menace” and saying “the oligarchs lost and democracy won” in Wisconsin. Later on MSNBC, Walz called Musk a “loser” and said “I am angry with this guy. I’m glad he’s irritated with me. He’s a bully.” Musk hasn't responded directly to Walz's comments, at least not yet. 

Back home, Walz is likely wincing at some comparisons from state workers of his new return-to-office mandate to Musk's DOGE. Walz has said he cares about state workers and is talking to them on how to implement their half-time return on June 1. But not all Democrats are aligning with the governor on the move. 

Yesterday, after a conversation with Walz and legislative leaders about the budget, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy was asked if she agreed with the decision. She said “that's a conversation for those workers with governor Walz," adding that the workforce is struggling with things like child care. 

Nadine Kottom-Dale, a spokeswoman for DFL State Auditor Julie Blaha, has also clarified that the return-to-work policy doesn't apply to their office and Blaha “remains committed to a hybrid but mostly remote work policy for her office, aligning with her belief in flexibility for employees while maintaining efficient services for Minnesotans.” Their office has been struggling like many with the ongoing workforce crunch. 

Walz addressed state workers this week at the AFSCME day on the hill and then immediately met with union leaders behind closed doors. The conversations about the policy seem to be ongoing as agencies work toward a May 1 date to have plans in place. 

Minesota lawmakers could extend unemployment benefits for more than 600 workers at Hibbing Taconite Co. in Hibbing and the Minorca Mine in Virginia who will be laid off, at least temporarily.

Allison Kite reports that supporters of a bill to extend those benefits say inflation and high interest rates have slowed car sales and, in turn, lowered demand for steel pellets produced at the facilities. At the same time, President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles. The car industry is likely to face continued disruption from tariffs. 

Laid off workers would get an additional 26 weeks of unemployment benefits under the proposal, which also wants to modify environmental laws governing mining. The legislation — sponsored by five Republicans in the Minnesota House — failed to pass out of committee Wednesday after Democrats objected to the environmental changes. Another bill, sponsored by DFL Rep. Pete Johnson of Duluth is expected to be considered in committee today that strips out those changes. Read more.

Walz had a live interview with Fox 9 this morning on his public event schedule.

Do you enjoy Hot Dish? Encourage your friends and family to sign up. You also can share it using the links below.

Just hours after Trump announced sweeping tariffs on dozens of U.S. trading partners, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution spearheaded by Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar that seeks to undo his 25% tariff on most imports from Canada. 

Four Republicans — Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; and former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. — joined Democrats in voting for the resolution. Sydney Kashiwagi reports that was enough to pass the measure despite Trump taking to Truth Social earlier in the week urging them to oppose it.

Klobuchar said that any tariffs on Canada would especially hurt neighboring Minnesota. “This resolution is about drawing a line in the sand and saying you cannot abuse your emergency powers to start an unjustified trade war,” she said. It’s unclear what’s next for the resolution and whether it will make it to the Republican-controlled U.S. House floor for a vote. Read more. 

And yes, you read that right: Minnesota U.S. Rep. Angie Craig is a James Beard award winner. The prestigious competition added the Impact Awards this year, which recognize “changemakers actively working to push for standards that create a more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable restaurant industry and food system for producers, workers, and consumers alike.”

Craig, who represents Minnesota’s Second Congressional District and is the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, is one of five honorees in this category.

Democrats in the Senate will hold a news conference to discuss their proposed bonding target for the year and a bill to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment will get its first hearing in the State Government Finance and Policy Committee this morning. It's Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Advocacy Day on the hill. Both chambers are on the floor this afternoon taking up a handful of bills. Check the full schedule for more.