Governor Walz’s new budget proposal takes Minnesota in the wrong direction. His plan includes devastating cuts to nursing homes and long-term care facilities, a choice that will hurt vulnerable Minnesotans the most.
According to the Long-Term Care Imperative, these cuts hit close to home. In our area alone, facilities stand to lose over $5 million in funding:
- Benedictine Living Community of St. Peter: $1,349,515
- The Emeralds at Faribault: $1,104,275
- Whispering Creek in Janesville: $759,994
- Koda Living Community in Owatonna: $1,550,406
- Lakeshore Rehabilitation Center in Waseca: $905,294
These are the places that care for our parents, grandparents, and neighbors. They’re already struggling, and these cuts will only make things worse.
That’s what makes this so frustrating. Just two years ago, Republicans fought hard to pass a $300 million nursing home rescue package to keep these facilities afloat. Nursing homes were in crisis, and that funding helped prevent closures and kept care available for families across the state. It gave struggling facilities a much-needed lifeline. Now, the governor’s budget threatens to undo that progress and put these facilities right back on the brink.
Remember: this situation was completely avoidable. When Democrats and Gov. Walz took full control of state government in 2023, Minnesota had an $18 billion surplus. But instead of giving taxpayers relief, Governor Walz and legislative Democrats spent every penny of the surplus – and more. They increased state spending by a staggering 40% and piled on $10 billion in new taxes. Now Minnesota faces a $6 billion deficit.
Many Republicans, including me, warned this would happen. We spoke out repeatedly, saying their spending was reckless and unsustainable. They refused to listen. Now here we are, dealing with the mess they left behind.
Meanwhile, Governor Walz is off pretending he’s still on the campaign trail, more focused on stirring up fear about Washington politics than fixing the problems he helped create here at home. Families are already facing tough choices about how to care for aging parents and loved ones. Gov. Walz’s cuts to vulnerable Minnesotans will only make those decisions harder.