Minnesota Senate Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka says about the pleasant “surprise” in the state’s latest economic forecast: “Right now we have a surplus and we don’t need to raise taxes, period. We don’t need to do that, and we do need to tighten our belt” because of continued COVID uncertainty. House Democratic Majority Leader Ryan Winkler responds, “A blanket across-the-board anti-tax message just makes sure that people who are already doing well, people who are rich, people who are well-connected, are gonna be served first.”
House Republican Minority Leader Kurt Daudt responds it’s “naive and ignorant” to say anyone is doing well in the pandemic. “Are there people who haven’t been hurt by this? Certainly there are, but there are others who have been hurt incredibly bad.” Daudt says some businesses won’t make it through the pandemic.