The 2022 Legislative Session
The 2022 regular session of the Minnesota Legislature begins on Monday, January 31st. As you can imagine, there are many issues that we will be dealing with in the months ahead. Runaway inflation has put a strain on our economy, and Democrats are still trying to enforce their crazy COVID regulations wherever they can. As your legislator, I want you to know where I stand on the major issues of this new session.
First, the State of Minnesota has a projected budget surplus of $7.7 billion. This is the largest surplus in state history, and it represents the gross over-taxation of Minnesota citizens. Currently, Governor Tim Walz and the Democrats are proposing to increase government spending and send $1 billion in bonus pay to frontline workers. For those who haven’t been watching these Democrats closely, this “bonus pay” scheme is just a way to send your taxpayer money to Democrat interest groups and unions.
These Democrats have their priorities all screwed up. Conversely, I believe that the entirety of the $7.7 billion surplus should be given back to the people. We need to totally eliminate oppressive taxes and make sure more people can keep more of their money. All $7.7 billion is your money anyway. We have no mandate or reason to do anything with it other than give it back to you. That is my goal, and I will vote to make that happen.
Additionally, Governor Walz has put forward a $2 billion bonding bill to fund all kinds of infrastructure across Minnesota. While there are necessary roads, bridges, and wastewater projects that need to be dealt with, he seems to forget that the federal government recently passed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill. Because of this federal legislation, Minnesota is set to receive over $5 billion from the federal government for all kinds of infrastructure projects.
This begs the question, why does Governor Walz want to borrow $2 billion when we are already receiving so much infrastructure money? Simply put, Governor Walz is a progressive radical who wants nothing more than to take your money, spend your money, and borrow more money. It’s a failed economic theory, and it’s failed leadership.
I will do everything I can to stop Governor Walz’s big-spending, pro-government agenda.
Fraud in Minneapolis
Last week, the FBI raided the offices of a nonprofit organization called “Feeding Our Future” after a monthslong fraud investigation. This organization has multiple offices in and around the Minneapolis metro area and claims to feed thousands of hungry children. As a matter of fact, Feeding Our Future received over $230 million from federal programs that seek to end childhood hunger.
In truth, the FBI reported that almost none of that money was used to feed hungry children. Instead, Feeding Our Future and the criminals involved spent that money on luxury cars, real estate, lavish vacations, and property in Kenya. As far as fraud goes, it doesn’t get much more criminal than this.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Minneapolis is full of corruption and fraud. This example is just the latest instance of how bad things have gotten. Unfortunately, no elected officials will take any responsibility. Democrats like Keith Ellison, Ilhan Omar, Mohamud Noor, Hodan Hassan, Esther Agbaje, Sydney Jordan, and Frank Hornstein are not outraged at all by the corruption in their city. They just turn a blind eye.
I refuse to turn a blind eye. As many of you know, I have worked to root out crime and corruption during my time in the Minnesota Legislature. I believe we need to crush crime with overwhelming force. No more free passes. I will be introducing legislation this session to fight the wave of illegality that is overtaking Minnesota’s largest city.
To learn more about this topic, please see my press conference on the subject here.
Additionally, my press release on the subject can be found here.
Steve Drazkowski