St. Paul – Today, the Walz Administration announced that Minnesota state government is projected to have a budget deficit of $1.273 billion for the next two-year budget cycle. Rep. Cal Bahr (Republican-East Bethel) made the following statement:
“Minnesota’s economy has been decimated by unconstitutional shutdowns and ridiculous economic policies. The decisions made by Governor Walz led directly to the creation of this $1.273 billion budget deficit. The budget deficit will only increase as long as the Governor keeps our economy shut down. Day by day, businesses collapse and economic activity slows. Clearly, we need to change course and let Minnesotans get back to work. That is the only way to prevent further economic calamity.
Nevertheless, state government is constitutionally required to balance the budget. As such, we will need to eliminate the $1.273 billion budget deficit in the 2021 legislative session. In my view, the only logical way to balance the budget without harming the economy is to make budget cuts. I know many Democrats will be calling for tax increase after tax increase. However, Minnesotans are already overtaxed. If the people of Minnesota can tighten their budgets to get through tough times, then government can surely do the same.”
The complete economic forecast will be published on Thursday, December 3rd.
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