ST. PAUL – With only days remaining in the 2021 legislative session, State Representative Greg Davids (R-Preston) said partisan games being played by the Minnesota House Democratic majority are standing in the way of a legislative compromise on a new state budget.
“It’s very irresponsible to prioritize politics over people,” Davids said. “Its time for the House majority to stop the games, put aside their political fantasies, and join the rest of us back in reality.”
Despite the Minnesota Senate stating it will not accept any tax increase this year, Davids said Minnesota House Democratic leadership refuses to budge from its insistence on billions in tax hikes that would raise taxes and fees on gasoline, license tabs, Main Street businesses, and middle-class Minnesotans. Davids reminds residents that Minnesota currently has a $1.6 billion budget surplus and billions of dollars more coming from Washington in federal relief.
Davids said Governor Walz’s emergency powers also continue to be used as a political football, as House Democrats refuse to support eliminating them and restoring the legislature as an equal branch of government.
“The governor said the Minnesota State Fair is going to be pretty close to normal this year,” Davids said. “So tens of thousands of people are going to show up for that, yet we’re still supposed to believe Minnesota is in a state of emergency?”
“The governor and House Democrats need to stop this nonsense,” Davids continued. “Republicans are ready to do what’s right for Minnesotans, and we want to pass a budget, eliminate the emergency powers, and end session on time. It would be nice if the Democrats would join us.”