Which reminds us that Minnesota is taking in far less in federal expenditures than it kicks out in federal taxes. A large part of this is that we have no military bases or major federal contractors, and also that we're a fairly prosperous state taking in a smaller share of safety net funding.There’s hardly a bus, a light rail car, road, bike path, or bridge in the Twin Cities that doesn't have his fingerprints on it. When the late Jim Oberstar was representing the 8th District and Sabo the 5th, the cash flow from Washington to Minnesota was at a level that likely will never be seen again.
It's probably also partially a result of Dem's being in the minority in the House (and probably stuck there for the foreseeable future), partially the general dysfunction of Washington, and partially the inevitable turnover of senior membership. But I'd argue that part of it is that the people who have replaced the Oberstars, Sabos, and Ventos have tended to be more interested in ideology than in effectively governing.
These days, if you took a clear-eyed look at who the most effective member of Minnesota's house delegation is, you'd probably have to tab Erik Paulsen.