A budget forecast of minnesota in the decreases initiates the leg game of the legislator

The pinch of the minnesota budget is even tighter now and the resulting finger is as clear as possible.

An economic forecast published Thursday shows that state officials have less money to work to establish the budget next two years, the main task of a legislative session approaching halfway. Legislators also have a greater deficit in worrying about the road if they do not make large cuts or do not find new sources of income.

This is before finance officials consider only the funding for the financing of the potential federal budget.

Minnesota finance officials say that legislators have $ 456 million in addition to money at their disposal, which is considerably decreasing compared to a previous estimate just a few months ago and is not much soft in the context of a budget that will exceed $ 66 billion.

Worse still: a potential future deficit has become even greater at nearly $ 6 billion.

Erin Campbell, the Minnesota management and budget commissioner, said this is the uncertainty about the impact of possible federal changes that could slide state allowances. This, she suggested, should lead to caution.

About a third of the overall state budget is supported by federal money.

“It’s a huge sum of money,” said Campbell. “If federal action meant that we would lose these resources, the impact of the state budget could really be devastating.”

It was clear who was ready to blame for the drop in forecasts compared to a published last fall.

“The only thing that has changed since November is Donald Trump’s chaos to the economy,” Governor Tim Walz told Governor.

“Donald Trump destroys our economy,” said Melissa Hortman, the head of the house of the house.

“Trump, (Elon) Musk and the Republicans in the Congress had to withdraw their heads from their asses,” said Erin Murphy, head of the majority of the DFL Senate.

Budget managers also noted that prices in the event of a White House exit could potentially hit the state economy.

“We had three changes in 24 hours at the prices,” said Walz. “I do not know if we all get used to madness being the norm now, but it is not normal behavior.”

The Republicans said that it was the Democrats who obtained the budget in this situation.

“They throw Trump’s Boogeyman and all,” said the head of the Senate minority Mark Johnson. “It’s almost like a small chicken right now, running by saying that the sky is falling. But with regard to state problems, they become ostriches and put their heads in the sand. »»

The republican president of the room, Lisa Demuth, said that it was a deviation to blame Trump, who has been in office for less than two months. She said the Democrats put Minnesota on a reckless course.

“The position in which the Democrats of the State of Minnesota have pushed us is unsustainable. This is what we are going to focus first, “she said. “We are now considering a deficit of $ 6 billion. It was a wave of irresponsible spending, and now we have to understand this. »»