AND OF COURSE PLENTY OF POLITICS FOR YOU.

CATHY HAS THE NIGHT OFF, HERE TO HELP ME OUT, ALMANAC POLITICAL REPORTER MARY LAHAMMER.

>> Mary: THANK YOU, DOUBLE E. WE'VE ENTERED THE THIRD WEEK OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN WITH O END IN SIGHT.

HOW IS IT IMPACTING MINNESOTA AND WILL THINGS ET WORSE AS TIME GOES ON?

AHNA MINGE IS THE BUDGET DIRECTOR, SHE'S BEEN FOLLOWING THIS CLOSELY.

WE GOT A BRIEF FROM YOU EARLY ON IN THE SHUTDOWN, WHAT DO YOU KNOW, WHAT'S CHANGED, WHAT DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW AT THE BEGINNING?

>> EARLY IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER RIGHT AFTER THE, SORT OF THE FUNDING LAPSE ON OCTOBERR ANALYSIS AT THAT POINT ON THOSE PROGRAMS THAT WE KNEW WERE 100% FEDERALLY FUNDED THAT, OR SORT OF ALWAYS THOSE THAT ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE IMMEDIATELY IMPACTED.

AND SINCE THEN WE'VE BEEN WORKING -- WE HAVE A LIST OF THE 7 OR 800 FEDERAL GRANTS THAT THE STATE ADMINISTERS, AND WE'VE BEEN SORT OF LOOKING AT THEM LINE BY LINE TO UNDERSTAND WHERE DO WE HAVE FUNDING FROM A PREVIOUS APPROPRIATION.

>> Mary: ARE THERE SPECIFICS?

ARE THERE EXAMPLES OF THINGS YOU DIDN'T SEE A COUPLE WEEKSING AGO NOW YOU'RE SEEING?

>> ONE THING WE HAVE A LOT MORE CLARITY ON IS THE S.N.A.P.

>> Eric: FOOD STAMPS.

>> IT SERVES ABOUT 440,000 MINNESOTANS A MONTH AND, SO I WAS DOING THE MATH, I THINK THAT'S ABOUT 160, $170 PER PERSON PER MONTH.

>> Mary: YOU CAN DO THAT MATH ON THE FLY.

>> I DID NOT, I CALCULATED [ LAUGHTER ] I'M NOT THAT GOOD.

>> Mary: BUT YOU'RE THE STATE BUDGET DIRECTOR, BUT THIS IS A REAL IMPACT, THIS SOUNDS SIGNIFICANT FOR S.N.A.P.

>> IT'S A REAL IMPACT AND WE HAD FUNDING TO PROVIDE THOSE BENEFITS FOR FOLKS THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.

BUT WHAT HEARING NOW FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS THEY DON'T WANT US TO ISSUE BENEFITS THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER, THERE'S NOT ADEQUATE FUNDS.

SO WE ARE WORKING WITH ALL OF THE PARTNERS, IT'S A HUGE PROGRAM WITH A LOT OF FOLKS INVOLVED RUNNING IT AND WORKING TO PROVIDE THE NOTICE THAT WE NEED TO PEOPLE ABOUT THE WAY THAT THEY'LL BE IMPACTED.

>> Eric: A LOT OF MONEY SLOSHING AROUND IN STATE GOVERNMENT AND POTS OF MONEY, CAN YOU MOVE THINGS AROUND UNILATERALLY WITH AN EXECUTIVE ORDER?

, THE LEGISLATIVE ADVISORY COMMISSION FOR INSTANCE I THINK HAS A POT OF MONEY OR IS THAT WE'RE OUT OF LUCK UNLESS THE FEDS COME THROUGH >> YOU KNOW, THE LEGISLATURE PUTS STRINGS AROUND THE MONEY IT GIVES THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH TO SPEND SO THERE'S REALLY LIMITS TO THE FLEXIBILITY THAT WE HAVE.

THE SMALL POT OF MONEY THAT WE CAN GO TO THE LEGISLATIVE ADVISORY COMMISSION IS MUCH SMALLER, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A FEW MILLION DOLLARS.

AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A THING LIKE S.N.A.P.

IS $70 MILLION A MONTH, W.I.C.

IS LIKE $9 MILLION A MONTH, THESE ARE BIG PROGRAMS THAT WE JUST CAN'T BACKFILL.

AND I THINK AS FOLKS KNOW, THE STATE BUDGET, WE'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK, WE'RE IN A MUCH BETTER PLACE THAN WE WERE BEFORE THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION, BUT THAT'S THE RESULT OF A LOT OF HARD COMPROMISE AND WE IMPLY CAN'T BACKFILL BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S NOT ABLE TO REACH A BUDGET.

>> Mary: LET'S TALK ABOUT EMPLOYEES, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S ONE OF THE TOP EMPLOYERS.

I THINK STILL IN MINNESOTA.

18,000 IS WHAT YOU HAD SAID PREVIOUSLY, NON-POSTAL WORKERS.

IS THAT NUMBER THE SAME?

HAS IT CHANGED BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN PERMANENTLY LET GO PERHAPS, RIGHT, OR SOME BROUGHT BACK.

WHAT'S THE NUMBER NOW?

>> SO THE BEST NUMBER WE HAVE IS STILL THAT 18,000 OR ABOUT 30,000 IF YOU COUNT POSTAL WORKERS.

SO WE DON'T HAVE UP TO DATE OR LIKE REAL-TIME INFORMATION ABOUT THE NUMBER OF LAYOFFS AND FURLOUGHS IN THE STATE.

ALL WE KNOW THERE'S BEEN A FEW HUNDRED FOLKS WHO HAVE APPLIED FOR UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BUT THAT'S REALLY THE BEST INFORMATION WE HAVE ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW.

>> Eric: DOES THIS COMPLICATE THE NOVEMBER REVENUE FORECAST WHICH IS KIND OF THE DOCUMENT THAT THE LEGISLATURE STARTS WITH IN FEBRUARY?

>> YOU KNOW, IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WILL FACTOR INTO BROADER MACRO ECONOMIC PROJECTIONS AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE SOME ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT HOW LONG THIS WILL GO ON.

ONE THING THAT OUR ECONOMISTS ARE REALLY AWARE OF AND PAYING ATTENTION TO IS JUST ACCESS TO DATA.

WE RELY ON DATA PRODUCED BY FEDERAL AGENCIES TO DO THE FORECAST, SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE MONITORING CLOSELY.

BUT LUCKILY WE WERE ABLE TO GET DATA THROUGH SEPTEMBER AND WE USUALLY, USUALLY RELY ON OCTOBER DATA SO IT'S JUST ONE MONTH.

>> Mary: RELATED TO THAT I WAS WONDERING TOO WHAT MOODY'S CAME OUT WITH THIS WEEK AND SAID MINNESOTA WAS AT HIGH RISK OF RECESSION AND POINTED TO THE AGRICULTURE ECONOMIC, RELATED TO THE TARIFFS AND PERHAPS PUTTING YOU ON ALERT FOR THE FORECAST?

ARE WE GOING TO SEE A DOWNTURN BASED ON THAT SOME >> YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF WE WOULD AGREE WITH MOODY'S CHARACTERIZATION.

CERTAINLY WE'RE WATCHING, WE MONITOR AND RELEASE MONTHLY REVENUE REPORTS AND THE REPORT FOR THE FIRST UARTER OF THE STATE FISCAL YEAR OUR REVENUES ARE A LITTLE BIT BELOW OUR FORECAST.

MIRE MARE AGRICULTURE IN PARTICULAR TOO?

>> WE DON'T REPORT THAT LEVEL FOR THIS, IT WAS BY THE CORPORATE FRANCHISE TAX, PROBABLY A RESULT OF SOME OTHER FACTORS IN THE ECONOMY.

>> Mary: ALL RIGHT.