Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday announced the details of his state budget proposal. The $49 billion proposal is a 9% increase from the last budget, and sets Minnesota on a path to government-run health care. State Senator Jason Rarick (R-Pine City) issued the following statement:

“I appreciate the governor’s budget offer, but this proposal is too harmful to working people and doesn’t align with the simple budget principles we laid out last week. We can’t increase spending at such unsustainable levels. We can’t ask Minnesotans to pay nearly twice as much in gas taxes, we can’t ask them to pay higher tab fees, and we certainly can’t reinstitute a sick tax that makes them pay more when they get sick. The governor has a long way to go before I’ll be on board.”

Watch the Republican response to the Governor’s budget.

Facts about the governor’s budget:

• Increases state spending by 9% in one budget cycle, from $45,549 in 2018-19 (November 2018 forecast, page 12) to 49,471 in 2020-21 (Walz budget documents).
• Increases taxes on every Minnesotan by over $3 Billion:
  • $1.3 billion gas tax increase
  • $991 million sick tax increase
  • $848 million in FY 2020-21 through selective Minnesota tax conformity to the federal tax bill
  • $74 million tax increase by clawing back bipartisan tax relief from 2017
• Ends permanent, bipartisan funding for roads and bridges (via sales taxes on auto parts). Replaces it by almost doubling the gas tax, a revenue source that declines each year starting in 2020. (MNDOT Transportation Funds Forecast November 2018, page 9)