Martha Njolomole

3 weeks ago | americanexperiment.org | Martha Njolomole

Yesterday, Governor Tim Walz delivered his seventh State of the State Address. During one part of his speech, he notably emphasized Minnesota’s generous welfare system as a point of pride. For everyone else, it’s really this simple: Right now, we’re the most generous state in the nation when it comes to these programs and services – and we should be proud of that. This is largely true. Minnesota’s welfare system has historically been one of the most generous in the country.

3 weeks ago | americanexperiment.org | Martha Njolomole

The rising cost of fiscal irresponsibility is unsustainable. State lawmakers have a duty to taxpayers to set responsible budgets. The normalization of spending increases and tax hikes as the panacea for every societal concern that has characterized the DFL-controlled legislature in recent years has undermined that duty, eroding fiscal discipline.

3 weeks ago | americanexperiment.org | Martha Njolomole

As discussions on what to do about the budget deficit continue, more proposals for (new) tax hikes are appearing. This should be concerning. Not only will tax hikes raise costs for Minnesotans, but they won’t address Minnesota’s budget problem, which as I have written before, extends beyond the $6 billion deficit. According to Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB), the state budget started flashing red at the end of the 2023 legislative session, when spending rose to exceed revenues.

4 weeks ago | americanexperiment.org | Martha Njolomole

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated stay-at-home, social distancing, and cleaning orders dealt a heavy blow to the childcare industry. Family childcare providers, for instance, saw rising costs due to new cleaning and distancing requirements, while revenues declined due lower enrollment. While the federal and Minnesota state government provided money to compensate for these increased costs, numerous providers left the industry, and many others were left struggling.

1 month ago | americanexperiment.org | Martha Njolomole

The Legislature is currently on break for the Easter week. Meetings will resume next week Monday, at which point discussions on the budget will continue. While the session adjourns on May 19th, by law, legislators have until June 30th to pass a budget. The good news is, work on the budget has already started. The Governor, Cenate, and House have all released budget proposals, suggesting spending cuts. Unfortunately, as American Experiment noted, these proposals do not balance the budget.