Senate Republicans have unveiled a plan to cut at least $600 million in wasteful or unnecessary spending identified in the state budget. Republican leaders emphasized that these funds could be better used to support essential services and reduce the financial burden on Minnesota families.

“It’s time to clean up our state’s budget mess and cut programs that don’t put Minnesotans first. Taxpayers deserve responsible, efficient spending on programs that improve their lives—not wasteful policies that benefit special interests exploiting the system,” said Senator Andrew Lang (R-Olivia).

Republicans pointed to several key areas where spending reductions could immediately save taxpayers money, starting with transportation projects, particularly commuter and light rail expansions, which could cut nearly $250 million in unnecessary expenses.

The first proposal was to undo an earmark of $21 million to fund a public option health care plan that has yet to be passed. Next on the list of wasteful spending were expensive benefits that provide undocumented non-citizens with free health care, college, and even some tax credits, to the tune of up to $378 million.

Beyond cutting wasteful spending, Senate Republicans introduced a series of good government proposals aimed at preventing future budget mismanagement and strengthening accountability in state spending. The group believes $600 million is just the beginning of available savings by cutting waste.

“Democrats have increased government spending by 40%, making waste and inefficiency far too common,” said Sen. Lang. “To balance the budget and restore fiscal responsibility, we need to eliminate wasteful spending and cut unnecessary, redundant programs that fail to deliver real value to hardworking Minnesotans.”