There’s speculation that Minnesota Senate Republicans could oust Governor Tim Walz’s commerce commissioner, Steve Kelley, because he’s challenging the controversial Enbridge Line 3 pipeline in court. Majority Leader Paul Gazelka is not commenting on what Senate Republicans might do, but does say “this [Line 3] was a very big deal — a bipartisan big deal — that we actually thought was going to be done, that is now going the opposite direction. The jobs aren’t there, the promises weren’t kept, and so now we’re gonna re-evaluate.”
Senate Republicans have hinted they might remove other Walz cabinet members unless the governor relinquishes his COVID emergency powers. Democratic Representative Frank Hornstein says, “To play politics on the peacetime emergency is so reckless and irresponsible, and to hold up a bonding bill… which we could have passed in May.”
The bonding bill is also deadlocked over an argument about the governor’s COVID emergency powers.