“This is about saying no to any deal,” Walz said. Walz accuses Miller of moving the goal posts and “admiring the problem” as Republicans hope high inflation will give them an advantage in the elections. On Wednesday, Miller returned to the position that Republicans want $8.4 billion in permanent tax cuts. Walz, Miller and Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman continued negotiations aiming for a special session but those talks fell apart last week. However, Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a deal on the details, leaving the state’s historic surplus largely unspent before they adjourned. The deal also left $4 billion unspent in case of any future disruptions to the state economy.
Senate Republicans passed a package of tax cuts earlier this year totaling $8.4 billion over three years, which House Democrats balked at saying the state needed to make more investments in education, health care, public safety and infrastructure.Ī month later, legislative leaders and Walz signed a deal on a budget framework, agreeing to $4 billion in tax cuts and $4 billion in spending. While Miller repeated the line multiple times that Republicans are “open to any ideas to put more money back in the pockets of hardworking Minnesotans,” he said they want permanent tax cuts, not one-time rebate checks. Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, blasted the idea during a virtual news conference on Wednesday, calling the proposal a “desperate attempt by the governor to distract voters from his record of higher taxes.” The governorship and all legislative seats will be on the ballot this November.ĭemocratic legislators have since warmed to the idea as inflation surpasses a 40-year high and negotiations have stalled with Republicans on other priorities, including permanent tax cuts and spending increases for schools, nursing homes and infrastructure. The idea revives an earlier pitch by the governor for “Walz checks,” which failed to garner much enthusiasm from his own Democratic allies in the Legislature and which Republicans called an election-year gimmick. Individuals earning less than $165,000 would receive $1,000 and couples earning less than $275,000 would receive $2,000. Under Walz’s proposal, the state would rebate about $4 billion of the budget surplus to taxpayers. The state is sitting on about a $7 billion budget surplus. “It is absolutely unconscionable not to do this,” Walz said during a Wednesday news conference. Tim Walz called on Republicans to return to the Capitol to sign off on sending $1,000 checks to Minnesotans as the rising price of gas, food and everything else eats away at people’s paychecks.
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