Click on picture to watch video interview with Rep. Ryan Winkler
Representative Ryan Winkler (DFL Golden Valley/St. Louis Park) says both Republicans and Democrats need to make changes to avoid future “very irresponsible” budgets like the one that will be passed during tonight’s special session. He said those changes will only happen if the public demand them.
Representative Winkler said the public needs to “demand that Republicans get off their tax obstructionism and they need to demand that Democrats maintain spending discipline even when we do raise revenues so we are investing in the right things for the state’s future.”
He says most DFL members will be voting against a “very irresponsible” budget. He says the only thing good about it is state government will reopen and people will go back to work. He says the real harm this budget will do is over the long term as Minnesota descends into “financial chaos”
Politically he says Republicans will be worse off because they are the ones borrowing 1.4 billion dollars and “putting the state into a fiscal train wreck situation”.
Representative Winkler says there are a lot of important progressive goals that Minnesota needs to accomplish and “this budget really undermines our ability to do any of those.”
“People need to be aware of how bad our state finances are. They need to get informed. They need to demand that Republicans get off their tax obstructionism and they need to demand that Democrats maintain spending discipline even when we do raise revenues so we are investing in the right things for the state’s future.”
More video: Representative Winkler floor speech about Republican borrowing bill.
