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State Senator Mary Jo McGuire District 66 23 State Office Bldg. 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55155-1206 Telephone (651) 296-5537 Use Mail Form |
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| Sen. Mary Jo McGuire Upset with Government Shutdown | ||||||||||||
Sen. Mary Jo McGuire, DFL-St. Paul, expressed her frustration with the lack of a budget deal between Gov. Dayton and the Republican-led Legislature since the government shutdown over a week ago. Due to the June 30 budget deadline, only essential services will continue during the budget impasse, which has caused over 20,000 state workers to be laid off, the closure of state parks, and the idling of critical road construction projects across Minnesota, among many other services. Sen. McGuire recently stated, “Throughout the regular session, I hoped that an equitable and prudent solution could be reached before the legislature came to this point, but compromise hasn’t prevailed.”
Despite the shutdown causing a one percent spike in unemployment, further discussions between the governor and Republican leaders have been unsuccessful. At issue is solving the $5 billion budget deficit through additional cuts and revenue. Gov. Dayton has offered seven proposals, including a plan to ask Minnesotans making over a million dollars a year to pay their fair share in taxes–affecting only 7,700 residents–that Republicans rejected along with every previous proposal. His most recent proposal to increase cigarette taxes was also rejected. The GOP all-cuts budget would be devastating and includes the loss of health care coverage for 140,000 Minnesotans, the largest ever reduction in funding for higher education at $411 million, and over $1 billion in property tax increases due to the loss of local aid to cities and counties.
Sen. McGuire said, “The middle-class should not be forced to bear the entire burden of the budget shortfall. A fair solution will include asking the rich to pay their fair share and ensure Minnesota remains a state that values investment in education, health care, and public safety.”
Gov. Dayton continues to reject Republican demands–to criminalize women’s reproductive decisions, create vouchers to siphon money from public schools, and restrict stem cell research–that have persistently mired negotiations.
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