Democrat lawmakers are attempting to penalize the growing number of Minnesota cities refusing to fly the new state flag after the old one was deemed 'racist.'
The previous flag, which featured a depiction of a Native American on horseback at the center of the seal, was replaced in 2024 with a new design that some critics say looks like the flag of Somalia.
Minnesota law does not require the state's cities to fly the flag, and a growing number of municipalities are voting to display the old emblem instead.
On Monday, a group of Minnesota House members from the Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party put forward a bill to slash funding by 10 percent to any city that does not fly the new flag.
'I've been a little bit irritated with some of the cities that are, I mean, in my mind, they're kind of manufacturing this culture war,' DFL Representative Mike Freiberg, one of the members who introduced the bill, told KSTP.
'We followed the process; the state legislature is in charge of adopting state symbols. Cities should be focused on real issues.'
The legislation was introduced on the same day that the Inver Grove Heights City Council approved a resolution to fly the old flag instead of the new one.
'While change can be inevitable, the public reaction to the new flag has thus far been overwhelmingly negative and underwhelmingly accepted, with many residents feeling a meaningful connection has been lost,' Inver Grove Heights Mayor Brenda Dietrich said.
Minnesota adopted a new flag in 2024 that some critics say looks like the flag of Somalia, and a growing number of cities are opting not to use it
The old flag, which featured a depiction of a Native American on horseback at the center of the seal, was replaced after some people claimed it was racists
On Monday, a group of Minnesota House members from the Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party, including Rep. Mike Freiberg, put forward a bill to slash funding by 10 percent to any city that does not fly the new flag
Other cities that have voted not to fly the new flag include Elk River, Champlin, Zumbrota, Crosslake and Plainview.
Speaker of the Minnesota House Lisa Demuth completely shut down the proposed legislation.
'Let me be clear - this Democrat bill has NO path forward in the Minnesota House of Representatives,' Demuth wrote on Facebook.
Crosslake Lake Mayor Jackson Purfeerst slammed the proposed bill as government overreach.
'Punishing local governments for exercising their right to choose, on something that is supposed to be voluntary, does not reflect Minnesota values. It is an overreach of power, plain and simple,' he wrote on Facebook.
'In Minnesota, local control, fiscal responsibility, and giving people a voice still matters, and they should be respected.
Champlin Mayor Ryan Sabas, whose city voted to fly the old flag in February, told Fox News that the proposed bill is 'ridiculous.'
'It's just an absolutely ridiculous bill that Democrats are signing on to because they're scared that this has gained traction,' he said.
Some critics argue the new flag resembles the flag of Somalia which features a white, five-point star on a light blue background
Mayors whose cities have voted to not use the new flag slammed the legislation as government overreach
Speaker of the Minnesota House Lisa Demuth completely shutdown the proposed legislation
'Not that it is, it has gained attraction. Every week there's another city or two or three that are passing the same resolution, that are moving forward, not staying silent anymore.
'The simple fact that they say they're going to withhold any kind of funding from a city is absolutely ridiculous. That's the people's money. That's the people's taxes.'
The previous flag design dates to 1893 and features a depiction of a Native American on horseback.
Some called the old design racists as the Native American was seen leaving with a white settler in the foreground.
The new design features a dark blue field approximating the shape of the state on the left with an eight-point star, which is said to represent the North Star. On the right it is light blue to signify the water in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Critics argues it also resembles the flag of Somalia which features a white, five-point star on a light blue background.
When the City of Elk River voted to use the old flag, Minnesota House Majority Whip Tom Emmer celebrated on social media.
'The City of Elk River has voted to restore Minnesota's old state flag, which is a much better representation of our state than woke Tim Walz's flag that resembles that of a certain East African country,' he wrote on X, referring to Somalia.
Walz was not directly involved in the flag's selection, but he did sign the legislation that created the State Emblem Redesign Commission which ultimately picked the design
Minnesota is home to more than 80,000 people of Somali origin, including Congresswoman Ilhan Omar
Walz was not directly involved in the flag's selection, but he did sign the legislation that created the State Emblem Redesign Commission which ultimately picked the design.
The artist who created the design, Andrew Prekker, said he drew inspiration from the state's history and culture.
'I looked at other US state flags for inspiration, but did not look at other countries or territories,' Prekker said. 'Any similarities people want to see are a coincidence.'
Minnesota is home to more than 80,000 people of Somali origin, including Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
Last year, Donald Trump said Somalis were 'completely taking over' Minnesota and accused the community of widespread fraud, which prompted the massive, unprecedented immigration enforcement operation.
Walz created a new centralized fraud investigation unit last January in response to the allegations; however, the state continued to be a magnet for fraud allegations from the Trump administration.