Minnesota Management and Budget announced today that the State of Minnesota is once again returning to budget deficits of hundreds of millions of dollars.
“I am so frustrated that, after working so hard to responsibly balance our state budget, irresponsible decisions by the current Republican legislative leadership have once again sent us right back into deficit,” said Rep. Paul Thissen. “Responsibly balancing a budget is not the most glamorous work for elected officials, but it’s the most important. Everything else you want to achieve for Minnesotans falls away without it. You’re forced to respond to crises instead of planning for the future. And that’s bad for every Minnesotan.”
When Representative Thissen served as Speaker of the House, the State of Minnesota crafted a structurally balanced budget for the first time in a decade. Under his leadership, the legislature balanced a multibillion budget deficit, paid back the $2 billion that the state borrowed from Minnesota schools, and started the state on the path toward a robust rainy day fund for emergencies. The legislature also prudently left several hundred million dollars on the bottom line for the future. At the same time, Minnesota started all-day kindergarten for every student, froze college tuitions, started the broadband grant program, and insured hundreds of thousands more Minnesotans.
“It breaks my heart to see the hard work of the last few years undone with an irresponsible tax cut imposed by the Republicans,” Thissen stated. “During my six years as leader of the House DFL, we prevented the Republicans from passing a tax bill that simply shifts benefits to their well-connected donors. The wisdom of those efforts is now all too clear.”