Republicans say, with COVID-198 pushing the state budget into a 2.4-billion-dollar deficit, Minnesota government must do some serious belt-tightening. Governor Tim Walz responds the state needs to take a “very conservative approach”, but cautions lawmakers, “It’s in times like this that you can make an austerity mistake and cut the very things that will grow that economy, and then you end up staying at the bottom of that trough for a longer period of time.”
Walz continues pushing for a bonding bill for state public works projects. House Republican Minority Leader Kurt Daudt says a bonding bill won’t move forward unless the governor relinquishes his emergency executive authority because he’s overstepped its bounds. But Walz said Tuesday it’s “more than likely” he’ll extend that emergency authority.