STATEMENT REGARDING EXTENTION OF PEACETIME EMERGENCY DECLARATION

St. Paul – The members of the New House Republican Caucus (NHRC) released the following statement regarding Governor Tim Walz’s decision to extend the peacetime emergency declaration:  

                “Governor Walz’s decision to extend the peacetime emergency order is foolhardy, dictatorial, and self-centered. The emergency declaration is the mechanism which gives the governor the ability to issue his executive edicts. However, the governor knows that his executive orders no longer enjoy the consent of the governed. As such, the governor announced that the stay-at-home order will expire on schedule, and businesses will be permitted to operate in an extremely limited capacity. Clearly, the governor still believes he has the almighty authority to suspend our God-given rights. But instead of going full speed in the wrong direction, Governor Walz has now opted to go half-speed in the wrong direction. 

                Moreover, a majority of Minnesota legislators are complicit in allowing the governor to maintain total control. The legislature could cancel the peacetime emergency order and end the economic shutdown today. Our caucus has led the effort to stop this governor’s unconstitutional actions by moving to end his peacetime emergency declaration. Instead, every single member of the Democrat majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives has repeatedly voted to give up their election certificates and authority to the governor. Those legislators have brought shame upon themselves that the history books will record. They have surrendered their seats to the governor’s office, and Governor Walz seems to enjoy nothing more than accumulating power. 

                So far, the most impactful thing Governor Walz has done during his tenure as our state’s executive is create a devastating recession. Proportionally, Minnesota has suffered twice the amount of COVID-19 deaths and twice the amount of unemployment as free states. That is not a record which demonstrates leadership, thoughtfulness, or capability. In the interest of five and half million Minnesotans, it is time for Governor Walz to admit his huge failure and end his destructive shutdown in its entirety. We are beginning to hit the rocks and the ship is breaking up.” 

               The NHRC is led by Rep. Steve Drazkowski (Republican-Mazeppa). It includes Rep. Cal Bahr (Republican-East Bethel), Rep. Tim Miller (Republican-Prinsburg), and Rep. Jeremy Munson (Republican-Lake Crystal).

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