NHRC VOTES AGAINST NEW SPENDING

St. Paul – Today, the members of the New House Republican Caucus (NHRC) voted against a proposal that would create a new account to spend $35 million on local governments and public safety. The members of the New House Republican Caucus made the following statement:  

“We voted against this measure because we do not believe you can spend your way out of a leadership problem. This $35 million spending account is nothing more than an attempt to subsidize failed leadership at the top of Minnesota state government and Minneapolis city government. 

The elected officials in Minnesota and Minneapolis have not kept people safe. This is not due to a lack of money. Instead, incompetent leaders and harmful policies have led to destroyed businesses and devastated cities. The people who run Minneapolis have chosen to prioritize parks over public safety. If state government created a new $35 million fund for Minneapolis to use, then we would just be enabling bad decisions. 

Additionally, the federal government has decided to send vast amounts of money across the country. Democrats in Washington D.C. sent over $800 million to our state’s metro area for many purposes, including police protection. Minnesota taxpayers should not be forced to spend even more of their money on a new riot fund for the Twin Cities. Republicans should not be trying to outspend Democrats. 

Simply throwing more money at a problem will not fix it. We need better leaders, not more money.”

Rep. Steve Drazkowski (Republican-Mazeppa), Rep. Tim Miller (Republican-Prinsburg), Rep. Cal Bahr (Republican-East Bethel), Rep. Jeremy Munson (Republican-Lake Crystal), and Rep. Erik Mortensen (Republican-Shakopee) are members of the New House Republican Caucus.