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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We’re now in the final two weeks of the legislative session, and things are moving quickly. The pressure we’re under is real—and it's clear that the 23-day Democrat boycott at the beginning of session stole a lot of valuable time from us. That delay has left us with a compressed timeline. Despite that, I’m committed to staying focused and doing everything I can to ensure we deliver meaningful results for Minnesotans. No matter how long it takes, I remain committed to fighting for what we all need: greater accountability, fiscal responsibility, and NO new taxes.
A Quick Update
This week, the House passed several major budget bills, including Human Services, Energy, Labor, and Environment. While these bills are the result of weeks of work and negotiation, the reality is that a tied legislature has produced watered-down compromises that don’t go far enough to address our state’s fiscal challenges. Many of the bills that passed will shift significant financial burdens onto counties, forcing local governments to either cut services or raise taxes. Negotiations between GOP and DFL co-chairs took a lot of effort, but unfortunately the bills fall short of what Minnesotans need. Because of these circumstances, taxpayers will feel the consequences.
Throughout the budgeting process, we've remained focused on our core priorities, including: making life more affordable, cracking down on fraud and waste, and building a stable future for Minnesotans. Fiscal responsibility is more important than ever, especially with the $6 billion deficit created by the Democrats’ reckless spending last session. That gap caused by their $18 billion spending spree needs to be addressed now, not pushed off to future sessions or put on taxpayers. These bills are a step forward, but we still have work to do to bring spending back in line with reality and protect the long-term health of our state budget.
Rallying Against Mandates
I had the opportunity to speak at a rally organized by constituents from our district who are deeply concerned about the growing number of unfunded mandates being pushed down to our counties. These mandates are not just a nuisance. They are creating real financial strain on local governments that are already working hard to serve residents with limited resources. When the state imposes new requirements without providing the funding to support them, counties are left with two bad options: cut services or raise local taxes to cover the gap. That is not acceptable.
Our counties deserve better. They are on the front lines of delivering essential services, including public health, infrastructure, law enforcement, and social programs. Burdening them with additional responsibilities without the resources to carry them out sets them up to fail and unfairly shifts the cost to local taxpayers. These policies are harmful, and they must be addressed.
I will continue to stand with our counties and push back against these unfunded mandates. If the state creates a new obligation, it should come with the funding to implement it. Supporting local governments is not a partisan issue. It is about protecting the people who rely on county services every day.
Shoutouts
Shoutout to Park Rapids May 'Student of the Month' Aimee Richards. Aimee demonstrates academic excellence, determination, and hard work. Congratulations Aimee!
Shoutout also to our Pine River-Backus 'Educators of Excellence' award recipients! Mr. Hirschey, Mrs. Sawyer, and Mr. Tungseth were the award winners this year. Thank you for your commitment to our students.
And congratulations to 7 Park Rapids students who advanced to the National Business Professionals of America (BPA) competition. These star students headed to Orlando this week to compete, and I wish them the best of luck!
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