Shameful End of Session & Budget "Deal"
The end of 2021 regular session without passing a budget, without any reforms to emergency powers but with a budget agreement announced by Gov. Tim Walz, Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, and House Speaker Melissa Hortman.
This was the least productive legislative session in memory and did nothing to rein in the tyrannical powers of our governor, in fact, the agreed upon deal seems to have ceded more, which is completely unacceptable. This is not the way our constitutional government is supposed to work.
House Democrats held important issues like PPP and Unemployment Insurance tax conformity hostage all session long for tax increases while our state has the largest budget surplus in memory. Tax increases were never going to happen and it's shameful for Democrats to hold up help for struggling businesses and workers for their insatiable desire to raise taxes.
The announced "deal" between the Governor, House Speaker, and Senate Majority Leader is a bad one. It doesn't address the Governor's emergency powers, it gives him a $500 million slush fund, and an essential line-item veto over policy-making. If the Governor doesn't like policy, he can veto the whole bill and we can start over. That's how our system works, not like this.
The deal is not good for Minnesotans and I pray to God my fellow legislators agree and we can work together for a better outcome before we are called back into special session in June. We can do better.
|
