Today Gov. Tim Walz announced his 2021 budget proposal, which calls for $52.4 billion in spending and more than $1.6 billion in new taxes. It represents a spending increase of $4.4 billion from the previous budget.

Sen. Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) issued the following statement in response.

“The governor and I likely share many of the same goals, like closing the budget gap, reviving our economic engines, and ensuring a great education for every student. But the governor’s $1.6 Billion in tax increases misses the mark. The federal government has already sent billions of dollars to Minnesota for Covid response and recovery. Instead of increasing taxes, we must look to responsible effective spending to protect critical services like roads, bridges, high-quality education, patient-centered healthcare. I look forward to working with the governor to reach our shared objectives without increasing tax burdens on hard-working pandemic stressed Minnesotans.”