Politics & Government
Shutdown Showdown: Weekend of Talks Has Leaders Feeling a Little Better in St. Paul
After a dark week of trading punches via the media, the Republican leadership and Gov. Mark Dayton held talks Friday and Saturday in efforts to avoid a shutdown.
This weekend was an eventful one in the ongoing struggle to prevent an all-out government shutdown of Minnesota state services.
Gov. Mark Dayton met with the Republican leadership extensively on Saturday and, according to Session Daily, reached consensus on a number of issues including state government finance, K-12 education, transportation, public safety, jobs and economic development.
But while it appears progress is being made, there is still cause for concern after Sunday talks ended just 60 minutes into discussion and both Dayton and lawmakers avoided the media, Forbes reported.
The parties are searching for common ground in their proposed state budgets, which differ by $1.8 billion. Dayton is hoping to tax the highest-earning 2 percent of Minnesotans, while the Republican leadership is staunchly opposed to any new taxation.
Elsewhere in Minnesota, the looming shutdown has left construction crews across the state working overtime to ensure road safety by finishing projects that would otherwise have been completed after July 1.
Finance & Commerce reported that MnDOT has given the green light for crews to work “longer-than-usual workdays and unscheduled weekend work to make sure road projects are (prepared) in the event of a shutdown.”
MnDOT is just one of many state departments hoping to avoid an expensive long-term shutdown.
MPR News reported that a state government shutdown could cost millions of dollars in lost productivity, delays and financial penalties. Here is a comprehensive list of costs associated with the shutdown.
In local news, Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch (R, Buffalo) called Friday's talks "productive," but stuck to a "silence" code when it came to the weekend meetings, and has not talked with media about those proceedings.
Last week, Koch was on a media tour with local news on Republican talking points, this week the story has been much different, with the Republican leadership making its only media appearnce thus far with Gov. Dayton at their side.