Hello from the State Capitol,
Welcome to the 18th day of the Democrat shutdown of the Minnesota House.
Last week the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled the House could not operate without 68 people in attendance. Republicans only have 67. House Democrats currently have 66 and are refusing to show up for work because they don’t want to deal with a Republican majority.
Since session began on January 14, Republicans have been in St. Paul trying to move forward. Democrats are clearly impeding the work needed by the State of Minnesota and its citizens.
But staying away from the Capitol hasn’t stopped House Democrats from collecting their paychecks. You’ve now thrown away more than $170,000 on lawmakers who have yet to show up for work, and that total grows by roughly $10,000 with each passing day.
As we wait for the Democrat shutdown to end, House Republicans are crafting and refining bills and receiving updates from their respective committees. We are doing what we can with what we have, but it could be mid-March before Democrats decide it’s time to return.
IMPLICATIONS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S ORDERS
As many of you know, one of the first moves President Trump made was to issue an executive order that begins to dismantle the controversial diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts that have been implemented across the country.
The reality is this is likely going to cause a collision between the Democrats who passed DEI funding in Minnesota versus the communities who want to support Trump’s intentions in the State of Minnesota.
Have a good weekend,
Steve