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By Allison Kite

The Minnesota Star Tribune

Good morning, Dishers, and happy Earth Day! Let's get to the news. 

Democratic Congresswoman Betty McCollum called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a Minnesota native, to resign after revelations that he shared war plans in a second group chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal, my colleague Briana Bierschbach reports. 

McCollum serves as the ranking member of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. She had previously called for an investigation after it became public that Hegseth shared war plans for a strike in Yemen in another Signal group chat to which the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic was inadvertently added. 

The New York Times reported Monday that a second Signal group chat where Hegseth shared war plans included his wife and brother.

In a statement Monday, McCollum said Democrats had warned that Hegseth was "grossly unqualified to serve as Secretary of Defense."

“Now in office, it has become clear that not only is Secretary Hegseth completely incompetent," she said, "but his actions are jeopardizing the national security of the United States.”

Some Minnesota Republicans stood by Hegseth after the first Signal chat was revealed. No GOP members of Minnesota’s delegation reacted to the news on Monday.

Read more here on the latest Signal chat allegations and the reactions from Minnesota officials. 

Former Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn pleaded not guilty to federal charges stemming from his arrest last month in an underage prostitution sting, my colleague Sarah Nelson reports. Eichorn, a Republican from Grand Rapids, traveled from a halfway house in Duluth to appear in court briefly on Monday and enter his plea. 

Eichorn was arrested and charged in March after allegedly responding to an ad placed by officers and attempting to meet up with what he thought was a 17-year-old girl. According to prosecutors, Eichorn discussed rates for sex and the individual's age.

When Eichorn and the undercover officer arranged to meet, he was taken into custody. Police found two cellphones, a condom and about $130 in cash. He resigned from the Minnesota Senate the same week. 

Next week, Keri Heintzeman, a Republican, and Denise Slipy, a Democrat, will face off in a special election to fill Eichorn's seat. Read more.

More than 17,000 unauthorized immigrants have already enrolled in MinnesotaCare since January, blowing past initial state projections on how many people would participate in the program. Those numbers were presented Monday in a news conference by Republican legislators, who said they’ve been waiting months for the data from the Department of Human Services. 

Initial projections anticipated 5,784 enrollees in fiscal year 2026 and up to 7,741 in fiscal year 2029, according to Republicans. 

“This is an astounding surge that validates my concern that this change would incentivize illegal immigrants to come to Minnesota,” said Sen. Jordan Rasmusson at a news conference Monday, which my colleague Briana Bierschbach attended. 

The issue has become one of the main sticking points between House Republicans and Democrats in behind-closed-door negotiations on the budget. Without access to health care, Democrats have said immigrants end up in hospital emergency rooms, which ends up costing the state more. Health care and immigration groups, as well as the Minnesota Catholic Conference, have opposed removing coverage for unauthorized immigrants. 

“There are very few issues on which hospitals, doctors, nurses, religious organizations, labor unions and insurers agree and speak with one voice,” said Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy. “This proposal does financial harm, costing people more in the form of increased premiums and uncompensated care.”

Gov. Tim Walz will speak at the Minnesota State Patrol academy graduation at 11 a.m. and interview candidates for a vacancy in the Second Judicial District at 2 p.m.

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The Minnesota Senate Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct plans to meet at 11 a.m. to discuss Senate President Bobby Joe Champion's potential conflict of interest. Champion has come under scrutiny for seeking state funds for a legal client.

"Hell week" — aka the week lawmakers try to get budget legislation through its last committees — continues with the House Ways and Means Committee taking up several significant spending bills at 12:30 p.m.

There are rallies in the rotunda for education and friends of the Boundary Waters, and it's Craft Brewers Day at the Capitol, which probably pairs nicely with hell week.

This evening at a senior apartment complex, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar will give a news conference on protecting Social Security.

Minnesota House DFLers and Democratic U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum are hosting a town hall on federal funding cuts at Stillwater City Hall at 6:30.