St. Paul, Minn. – As the Minnesota House of Representatives takes up its final omnibus budget bill, the people of Minnesota now have a clear picture of Republican priorities for the future of this state. In response to the totality of their budget package, State Representative Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul) released the following statement:
“The House Republican budget is a combination of uninspired, short-term thinking and mean-spirited attacks on working families and our future. It doesn't address any of Minnesota's needs. The budget is loaded with special interest tax cuts that destroy our surplus and mortgage our future for years to come.
“Our state budget is a statement of our principles. We had an opportunity to use our state surplus to make much needed investments in Minnesota’s families, business owners, and local communities. Instead, this budget is a statement of the Republicans’ partisan political priorities. They made no attempt to think beyond the next election or prepare our state for the challenges to come. The budget lacks ambition, doesn't even glance in the direction of Minnesota's future opportunities and necessities, and wholly ignores Minnesota’s future needs in favor of political games and handouts. It is nothing but Band-Aids where stitches are needed and gimmicks that reek of the worst of Washington politics.
“And the tax bill—which features a tax cut to Big Tobacco that no Minnesotan has asked for and vouchers that rob our public schools—is simply an admission that the leadership cannot think beyond Election Day or push themselves to get real work done for our state.
“I can only hope that Governor Dayton never allows this budget to become law.”
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