STATEMENT REGARDING THE GOVERNOR’S SHUTDOWN

St. Paul – Today, the members of the New House Republican Caucus made the following statement: 

“Governor Walz’s decision to close major portions of our society is ill-advised and extremely harmful. Make no mistake, this is nothing more than another unconstitutional shutdown of businesses and family activities. Instead of giving Minnesotans the tools to weather the current economic hardships, Governor Walz has unilaterally decided to put people out of work.  

The COVID-19 pandemic needs to be taken seriously. We need leaders who will make smart, reasoned decisions. Unfortunately, the Governor has not done that. Just a few weeks ago, Governor Walz said he wanted to deal with COVID-19 in a ‘surgical’ manner rather than use ‘blunt instruments.’ However, his actions today demonstrate that those were just more empty words. Today’s decision is nothing but a blunt instrument that will have a severely damaging impact. 

We know Minnesotans have the ability to safely run their businesses and responsibly live their lives. Governor Walz simply needs to get out of the way. People are tired of failed policy after failed policy from this Governor. The first shutdown imposed by Governor Walz was a total disaster. His pursuit of a second shutdown is a misguided effort which will harm Minnesota.” 

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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