ST. PAUL, MN – The following is a statement from Governor Mark Dayton.
“The House budget targets show a Republican Caucus focused solely on their own political futures, instead of Minnesota’s future. They invest too little in preK-12 education and nothing in higher education. They shamefully propose nothing to reduce racial disparities. Their bonding target of $600 million is even less than the $800 million they cited previously, and it would severely short-change such urgent needs as college and university campus improvements and drinking water treatment projects.
“Reportedly, they intend to spend this biennium’s entire $900 million surplus on tax giveaways and one-time transportation funding. I await their details on which tax beneficiaries they consider more important than the needs of our children and college students. I also keep waiting for their reliably funded, long-term solution to our state’s deteriorating highways, roads, and bridges and inadequate public transit systems.
“I also want to make it clear that I will not consider their grabbing money from agency and program budgets, which they passed and I signed into law last year. If there is anything constructive they wish to do for our state’s growing needs, it must come from real money, not from grabs and gimmicks.”
