Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Earlier this month, the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 to voice an objection to resettling refugees in their county. The vote occurred due to an executive order from the Trump Administration that was meant to give counties a voice in the decision-making process for the federal refugee resettlement program.
As you can imagine, the vote made headlines statewide as many in the media criticized Beltrami County for its decision.
No criticism received as much attention as House Majority Leader, Representative Ryan Winkler’s. In a series of tweets the night of the vote, the Golden Valley Democrat threatened to withhold state aid from Beltrami County as retribution for the Commission’s vote.
I was shocked when I learned of Majority Leader Winkler’s tweet. His response, threatening to cut off state funding because Beltrami County didn’t vote the way he wanted, is just the latest example of Metro Democrats trying to tell folks in Greater Minnesota what is best for them and their communities.
No matter what your personal opinion of the Beltrami County vote may be, I think we can all agree that elected officials should not threaten duly elected county commissioners for supporting policies that they disagree with.
As always, I urge you to contact me if you have any legislative questions, concerns, or ideas. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-4229 or via email at rep.glenn.gruenhagen@house.mn.
Thanks and have a good weekend,
Glenn