Minnesota’s unique Long COVID program retains funding following advocacy

Advocates pushed back against threatened funding cuts and won continued support for Long COVID work in the Minnesota legislature’s final 2026–27 budget.

Despite recent threats from some state legislators, funding for Minnesota’s leading Long COVID program remains in place. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will continue supporting Long COVID research, communications, and community grants for at least another two years.

Last month, this Long COVID program — which is unique across the U.S. in receiving funding directly from the state — came under fire during Minnesota’s budget process. Republicans in the state House proposed cutting all support for the program, as part of a broader effort to reduce health spending as the state faces a potential budget deficit.

Minnesota advocates pushed back on the proposed cuts, led by local myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) groups including #MEAction’s Minnesota chapter and Minnesota ME/CFS Alliance. People contacted their representatives and contributed public comments about the House budget: out of 44 people who submitted comments to the House Health Finance and Policy committee, 24 responded to the proposed Long COVID cuts, according to #MEAction.

“Advocacy works,” said Terri Wilder, chair of #MEAction’s Minnesota chapter, in an interview. “I’m really proud of all the people who showed up. I’m really proud of the people who wrote letters, who called their representatives.”

More than 375,000 people in Minnesota have been affected by Long COVID and related infection-associated chronic conditions (IACCs), according to MDH’s research. About two-thirds of those with Long COVID symptoms reported “difficulty with at least one daily activity” in a 2023 survey by the MDH program.

In the final 2026–27 budget, passed by both Minnesota’s House and Senate on Monday evening, funding for the MDH Long COVID program continues with zero cuts. That’s despite a $70 million reduction in the overall health and human services budget for the state.

The Long COVID program will continue research into how Long COVID impacts Minnesotans, public awareness efforts, convening healthcare providers, supporting projects run by community organizations, and more. #MEAction is among the community organizations that received a grant from MDH; its project seeks to improve home and community-based care for people with Long COVID, ME, and related diseases in Minnesota.

“We hope this news will be a glimmer of relief for those impacted by Long COVID and related conditions, as well as for everyone whose efforts are supported by this funding,” wrote program lead Kate Murray in an email sent to grantees and partners, shared with The Sick Times.

She noted that the program’s forthcoming work will include “an engaged, statewide strategic plan” for how to address IACCs in Minnesota and “support those most impacted.” Murray and her colleagues are “honored and humbled” to continue their work, she wrote.

“I am so grateful we were able to preserve the Minnesota Department of Health funding for Long COVID,” said state Senator Lindsey Port, who has Long COVID herself, in a statement to The Sick Times. “With the current cuts and uncertainty at the federal [level], strong programs through the states are more necessary than ever.”

Sen. Port added: “We still have much work to do to ensure every patient with Long COVID gets the care they need, and preserving funding in MN is an important step in that direction.”

State Representative Robert Bierman, co-chair of the House Health and Finance and Policy Committee, similarly expressed support for the program. “I am very pleased that our conference committee with the Minnesota Senate was able to drop the provision reducing the grant funding for Long COVID care and treatment,” he said in a statement. “The advocacy of testifiers and the many letters received was very beneficial in this effort.”

While MDH’s Long COVID program was primarily supported by state funding, this department and others had also used federal public health grants to support Long COVID research and communications. The Trump administration rescinded $11 billion in this public health funding in March, impacting Long COVID work at several state agencies. That funding cut is currently on hold thanks to a lawsuit that 23 states (including Minnesota) filed against the federal government, but its longer-term future is uncertain.

Trump administration actions are likely to continue hurting state and local government budgets across the U.S. Ben HsuBorger, program director for #MEAction’s Minnesota grant project, expressed concern that cuts to Medicaid funding could “create holes in the state budget,” potentially leading to further threats to the Long COVID program. “This is going to be a fight every step of the way,” he wrote in an email.

Still, in a political landscape full of threats for Long COVID and COVID-19 research and supports, the Minnesota program represents a win for advocates and a model for other states. In reflecting on the win, Wilder noted the importance of sharing personal stories about Long COVID, ME, and related diseases with policymakers, as well as the value of state-level organizing.

State chapters have been part of #MEAction since Jennifer Brea and Beth Mazur founded the organization, Wilder said: “Because they had this vision to set up these state chapters, it helped us meet the moment in Minnesota.”

Public comments about the proposed cuts emphasize that MDH is a leader in tackling Long COVID at the state level. “The MDH Long COVID Program creates a desperately needed network of knowledge, care, and commitment to solve what most other states, institutions, and practitioners continue to ignore,” wrote one commenter, who is a mother to a ten-year-old with Long COVID.

The Sick Times will continue following Long COVID-related news from the Trump administration. Send us tips at editors@thesicktimes.org, or reach out to Betsy on Signal @betsyladyzhets.25 or Miles at @milesgriffis.31.

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