“I am disappointed to see the Governor’s priorities do not seem to be on the people of Minnesota, and instead the focus is on increased taxing and spending.” Senator Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove) said, “If we are expecting families to make sacrifices to survive this pandemic, I don’t see why we hold the government to the same standard.”

On Tuesday, Governor Walz announced his biennial budget for 2022-23. “After the year that Minnesota citizens have had, there was optimism to work together to create a stronger, more unified state for our constituents without shifting the financial burden to them,” Senator Limmer said.

Minnesota is entering 2021 with a $1.3 billion budget deficit. The Senate has been pushing to cut 5% from most state agencies, excluding Veterans Affairs and the Direct Care and Treatment sector of MDH, through their administrative and operational budgets. The Governor’s budget proposal is more interested in taxing and spending, with a 10% increase to their spending.

Under this budget proposal, Minnesota would have the third highest income tax in the nation, after California and Hawaii.