Minnesota government shutdown nears an end, but at what cost?
The Minnesota governor and legislative Republicans say they have a deal to end a government shutdown that began on July 1. But budget experts say the deal is fiscally 'unustainable.'
Gov. Mark Dayton (D) speaks to the media in St. Paul, Minn. Dayton and top Republicans struck a deal Thursday to end a budget impasse that prompted a state government shutdown.
Leslye Davis/The Star Tribune/AP
Chicago
The longest state government shutdown in US history appears to be moving toward a conclusion in Minnesota.
Gov. Mark Dayton (D) and the Republican leaders in his state agreed to work late Friday to hammer out a budget deal that addresses a $5 billion deficit by restructuring the state’s financing instead of raising taxes or cutting spending.
Both parties plan to generate $1.4 billion by delaying school payment to the state’s K-12 public schools and borrowing against future tobacco settlement revenue. Budget experts likened the deal to kicking the can down the road.
A special session vote in the House and Senate is expected as early as Monday. If approved, the shutdown will end. More than 22,000 state workers have been furloughed since the shutdown went into effect July 1.
The deal struck between the governor and state Republicans Thursday allows both sides to declare victory, albeit one that is not as strong as each hoped. Republicans forced Governor Dayton to give up his signature campaign promise to raise income tax on the wealthiest in the state, and Dayton can now say he saved thousands of state jobs that Republicans wanted on the chopping block.
