Friends and neighbors,

Governor Walz unveiled his budget proposal recently, and his attempt to balance the budget completely fails to resonate with the vast majority of Minnesotans who want their leaders to provide relief from inflation and the $10 billion in new state taxes and fees. His proposal not only increases taxes and fees (while he falsely claims it’s a ‘tax cut’), but it blames the state’s looming $5 billion deficit on special education costs and disability services. I think we can all agree this proposal misses the mark and completely disregards the massive increase in spending that happened under total Democrat control.  

 

As we enter a new budget year, we have the opportunity to put Minnesotans first, provide real relief to help fight the high cost of living, strengthen families, empower parents, and crack down on rampant fraud. You can count on me to fight for your social and economic priorities.  

 

One of those priorities is permitting reform. Reforms are needed across all industries when it comes to the permitting process in Minnesota. Instead of only implementing reform for Democrat pet projects and special interests, like we saw the last two years, it’s important that we cut red tape across all industries, including mining and nuclear, and unleash innovation in our state.  

 

Now that the Senate’s power-sharing agreement is in place, I’ll be co-chair of the environment committee, and I plan to put permitting reform in the spotlight this year. Conversations about scheduling a hearing focused on permitting reform are ongoing, so stay tuned and don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions.