A Fargo state lawmaker is calling on North Dakota legislators to hold a special hearing focused on state impacts from federal funding cuts.
“We are hearing from our citizens. We are hearing from our nursing homes. We are hearing from people on Medicaid. We are hearing from our farmers,” said Sen. Tim Mathern, a Democrat. “And they want to know what I know. And I don’t know what all is happening.”
Mathern, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he asked his committee leadership to hold a hearing about state impacts of [potential cuts to Medicaid](https://northdakotamonitor.com/2025/02/25/repub/democrats-blast-us-house-gop-budget-predicting-potential-cuts-to-medicaid/), firing of federal workers and other federal budget cuts.
He said he believes state agencies have the closest connection to their corresponding agencies in the federal government and would be able to relay what they are hearing about workforce issues and funding.
Sen. Brad Bekkedahl, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said legislative leaders will meet Thursday with Legislative Council senior fiscal staff to discuss a possible joint hearing with House Appropriations.
“It would be a little difficult to bring in every agency, and have every agency give us their views when most of us don’t know what’s going on in Washington, D.C., right now,” said Bekkedahl, R-Williston.
As state agencies discuss their budget proposals with appropriations committees, they’ll be able to bring up federal impacts they’re seeing, Bekkedahl said.
“It’s so early to tell with the new administration just getting started, whether or not it’s going to trickle down to the state level and affect us in any significant way,” said Rep. Don Vigesaa, R-Cooperstown, chair of House Appropriations.
He added the appropriations committees discuss funding sources with state agencies, but he expects more focused questions concerning federal funding going forward.
“One thing we’re always concerned about is when federal funding goes away, it’s expected that the state funding picks up the difference, or replaces the federal funding,” Vigesaa said. “And that’s something we never want to see happen because that could really get us down a path that would be unsustainable for us as a state to fund the federal programs.”
