ST. PAUL, Minn. — The abrupt agreement on a budget deal to end Minnesota’s government shutdown, in which Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton dropped his call for new taxes and Republicans agreed to spend more than they wanted, has some people wondering why it had to happen at all.
They point to the fact that the deal stemmed from a proposal Republicans made on the eve of the shutdown — before 22,000 state workers were laid off, road construction was halted, state parks and two racetracks were closed, and some services for the vulnerable were suspended. The shutdown created myriad inconveniences, even threatening to push some popular brands of beer out of bars and liquor stores.
“What are we paying these people for if they can’t do their job?” asked Crystal Morales, an Iraq war veteran forced to move her wedding because a military chapel in a state park was closed. “It should never come to a shutdown, never. People should never lose their jobs because politicians can’t do theirs.”
No deal happened until Thursday, 14 days into the shutdown, when Dayton conceded to Republicans on their core issue of no new taxes and gave up the idea of raising income taxes on the top earners. And after months of insisting they wouldn’t agree to higher spending, Republicans ceded ground.
If the details fall into place, lawmakers could be back at the Capitol as early as Monday to start erasing a $5 billion deficit and turning the state government’s lights back on.
On Minnesota Public Radio, one of the first questions for Dayton was whether the deal could have been reached without a shutdown. “What’s done is done,” he said.
