Senator Julia Coleman (R-Chanhassen) released the following statement in response to Governor Walz’s reopening plan: 

“The changes Governor Walz is promising are simply not good enough or soon enough. The endgame for his emergency powers has consistently moved further and further out of reach. When we needed to stop the spread, Minnesotans buckled down at home, many losing their jobs. Families struggled to stay afloat while working with children at home. Women left the workforce in waves, putting them at a disadvantage for future employment opportunities. Minnesotans have proven to be resilient and ready to put in the work for the greater good of our state. 

“What Governor Walz is doing is not for the good of the state as a whole. Vaccines have been widely available for our seniors, at-risk Minnesotans, and even younger people now for weeks. The Legislature, especially Senate Republicans, have passed bills to safely bring normalcy back to Minnesota with bipartisan support. Walz’s one-man rule is clearly unnecessary and will only damage our state by setting this precedent. 

“As long as Walz holds onto his emergency powers, he is essentially cutting out the Legislature and has free reign over the entire state. We have a Constitutionally required job to do at the Capitol, which is to work together to balance the budget. Walz is deliberately holding Minnesota hostage in order to avoid the split Legislature and pass an aggressive budget that will raise taxes and generally hurt our state.”