Ben Whalen
whenbalen.bsky.social
Ben Whalen
@whenbalen.bsky.social
Organizer with ISAIAH/Faith in MN leading on affordable housing and zoning reform
Reposted by Ben Whalen
Minnesotans are known for three things:

❄️ Shoveling each other out in the snow
💜 Sticking with the Vikings through every season
🤝 Showing up for our neighbors when they’re under attack

📣 If you come for one of us, you come for all of us. That’s just who we are. #GreaterThanFear
December 6, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
My family has been without half our income for 40 days. It has been.. very hard.

We are willing to feel that pain so people can have health care next year, or to undo these illegal recissions.

We are not willing to have been put through this for NOTHING.
November 10, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
I will not support a deal that does nothing to make health care more affordable.

We are in a health care emergency. A simple one-year extension of these tax credits would cost less than Donald Trump’s $40 billion bailout for Argentina.

A vote for this bill is a mistake.
November 10, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
Dems backed Trump into a corner where he’s advocating for starving Americans and hemorrhaging support. If they vote to let him off the hook in exchange for nothing it’s a cataclysmic failure. I know people are in pain but insulating Republicans from political consequences is not the answer.
November 9, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
Shutting down the government is a big deal. People have been hurt in big ways as a result of the decision. To have that suffering be for nothing—to re-open the government without actually having protected people’s health insurance and economic well-being—is unconscionable.
November 9, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
The USDA has funding set aside to keep food assistance programs running during emergencies.

Trump just won’t release it.

440,000 Minnesotans - and millions more Americans - will pay the price.
October 28, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Proud to organize with Dottie to protect food assistance benefits in MN, no matter what the federal government does!
While Minnesotans are doing everything they can to get by, MAGA politicians are cutting food assistance — even before the shutdown. 😡

Dottie is one of 440,000 Minnesotans who count on #SNAP. Minnesota can and must be a #FullPlateState, where everyone eats & no one is left behind. 🍽️
October 22, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
Giant copy of the Constitution being carried down Pennsylvania Avenue.
October 18, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
🧵✨ Pause your doomscroll — Minnesota leaders are making big moves! 📣

In the past few days alone, 1,750+ ISAIAH and @faithinmn.org leaders came together across the state to shape our statewide agenda. ✊
October 15, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
🧵 Today at the MN State Capitol, U.S. Senator Tina Smith stood with 110 clergy leaders from across faith, race, and place to demand a federal budget that protects healthcare — not one that cuts Medicaid, the ACA, and SNAP just to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy.
September 25, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Joining 100 Minnesotan clergy leaders with @isaiahmn.org and our very own US Senator @smith.senate.gov this morning urging all our congresspeople to fight for our healthcare, our food assistance, our kids' education in federal budget negotiations!
September 25, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
hard to believe an elon musk product fell apart and exploded at the finish line
April 2, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Thank you Senator @lindseyportmn.bsky.social and Sen. Jim Carlson for joining @isaiahmn.org and #YesToHomes in Inver Grove Heights this morning! Dakota County residents are asking #mnleg to pass bills that allow more homes in more places and put an end to exclusionary zoning laws.
March 29, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
They'd like to think taxes exist in a vacuum, that our shared taxes disappear into the sky rather than funding the essential services that we need. We loved this moment from @athenahollins.bsky.social - setting the record straight.
March 5, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
🏡🎶🔊 “We wanna live in a home we can afford, a home we can afford, a home we can afford!” #mnleg

💯 Yes, yes we do. Contact your legislators and encourage them to say #YesToHomes today: bit.ly/4ieO6O
March 24, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
📺 Watch @fox9mn.bsky.social cover one of our recent #YesToHomes events! “The market is so vastly different than what I could afford,” said Hopkins resident Darcy Gabriel. #mnleg www.fox9.com/video/1613015
West metro leaders looking to tackle housing crisis
Minnesota lawmakers and community leaders are looking to make housing more affordable in the west Twin Cities metro. FOX 9's Babs Santos has the latest.
www.fox9.com
March 24, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
We were honored to be joined by State Reps Esther Agbaje, @cedrickfrazier.bsky.social, @repfreiberg.bsky.social, @mikehowardmn.bsky.social, @katiejonesmpls.bsky.social, @larrykraft.bsky.social, various local electeds, and partner orgs like @moreneighbors.org. #mnleg
March 24, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
🧵🏘️ West Metro ISAIAH leaders have been hosting powerful events to champion the #YesToHomes legislative agenda! Across Minnetonka, Minneapolis, New Hope, and Edina, hundreds of Minnesotans showed up to build a state where everyone — regardless of race or zip code — has affordable housing. #mnleg
March 24, 2025 at 6:34 PM
And here's the #YesToHomes crew from Edina, Hopkins, and St Louis Park, joined by the leadership of Rep @larrykraft.bsky.social: www.fox9.com/video/1613015. People all over the region this weekend speaking up in favor of more homes!
West metro leaders looking to tackle housing crisis
Minnesota lawmakers and community leaders are looking to make housing more affordable in the west Twin Cities metro. FOX 9's Babs Santos has the latest.
www.fox9.com
March 24, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
75% of Minnsotans support reducing public meetings for homes that meet building code and other standards and allowing city staff to simply approve homes. #YesToHomes agenda includes this is provision in most/all of the bills bc we know city staff are capable and trust their judgement. #MNleg
March 19, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
Minnesota voters strongly support the policies proposed by the #YesToHomes coalition this session. We know this because we've conducted new polling between February 28 and March 6, 2025, which is available here: moreneighbors.org/2025/03/18/p...
See this thread for toplines! #MNleg
March 19, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Back at it today - 80+ people gather in New Hope to say #YesToHomes with @isaiahmn.org and elected leaders Mayor Harmon of Golden Valley and MN Reps. @repfreiberg.bsky.social and @cedrickfrazier.bsky.social. We're calling on the whole #mnleg to allow more homes in more places this year!
March 23, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Reposted by Ben Whalen
We had a FULL house for our @ISAIAHmn.org “Raising our Voices for Raising More Roofs” at Our Saviour’s Lutheran. We heard stories about how the housing issue affects so many people. Reps K Jones, M Howard, & E Agbaje were excited to see so many people in a movement to say #YEStoHomes. 🏠. 👏 #mnleg
March 23, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Powerful afternoon with @isaiahmn.org, @moreneighbors.org, Rep. @katiejonesmpls.bsky.social, Rep. Michael Howard, and Rep. Esther Agbaje as a packed house said #YesToHomes for MN this year. Let's pass laws that allow more types of homes in more places across Minnesota!
March 22, 2025 at 10:03 PM
This is my main campaign for this year and could not have said it better than Senator Rasmusson last week. I'm calling on all of #mnleg to say #YestoHomes this year!
🏘️ “I think the aspiration ought to be that we allow Minnesotans to pick which communities they live in, not let communities pick which Minnesotans get to live there.” Well said Senator Rasmusson! 💯 #mnleg #YesToHomes
March 17, 2025 at 6:24 PM