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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A standoff over taxes and spending sent
Minnesota hurtling Thursday toward a midnight government shutdown
that could force thousands of layoffs, bring road projects to a
standstill and close state parks to campers just before the Fourth
of July weekend.
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As the deadline drew ever closer without a resolution, people
rushed to get driver’s and fishing licenses, and park officials
began warning campers to pack their gear and leave.
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The showdown was something of a small-stage version of the drama
taking shape in Washington between President Barack Obama and the
Republicans over taxes and the debt ceiling.
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Though nearly all states are having severe budget problems this
year, Minnesota stood alone on the brink of a shutdown, thanks to
Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton’s determination to raise taxes on
high-earners to close a $5 billion deficit and the Republican
Legislature’s refusal to go along.
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Negotiations between Dayton and legislative leaders were fitful,
starting and stopping with no outward signs of progress, and
details were scant, since the two sides agreed to what they
jokingly called “the cone of silence.”
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A shutdown would halt non-emergency road construction, shut the
state zoo and Capitol, and stop child-care assistance for the poor.
More than 40 state boards and agencies would go dark. Critical
services, including the State Patrol, prisons, disaster response
and federally funded health, welfare and food stamp programs, would
not be affected.
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State park officials told campers to strike their tents well before
the deadline, even though there was still a chance of a deal. They
said it would be too difficult to herd campers out in the middle of
the night if talks failed.
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In Afton State Park, near St. Paul, Rick Miller of Elko-New Market
pushed up a camping trip with his 7-year-old son, Jack, to beat the
shutdown. Miller originally hoped they could spend Thursday and
Friday nights in the park on the picturesque St. Croix River, but
he booked a campsite for Wednesday night.
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“With the shutdown we decided we better come and get it in,” he
said. “We don’t know how long it will be before we can get back
into a state park.” He added: “It’s too bad they can’t just get the
job done.”
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Dayton is Minnesota’s first Democratic governor in 20 years, and
Republicans are running the entire Legislature for the first time
in 38 years.
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The governor has proposed raising taxes on couples earning more
than $300,000 and individuals making more than $180,000. In an echo
of the debate in Washington, Republicans have opposed any new
taxes, arguing instead that the state should rely on spending cuts,
including deeper reductions in health and welfare than Dayton is
willing to accept.
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Some GOP moderates have talked of breaking the impasse with other
means of raising revenue, such as eliminating tax breaks or
authorizing a casino. Dayton has said he is open to such
ideas.
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Both sides could avert a shutdown by holding an immediate special
session to pass a “lights on” budget bill that would keep the state
running while the budget talks continue.
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Some rank-and-file Republican lawmakers said they were starting to
feel the pressure.
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First-term Rep. Mike LeMieu said his constituents were about evenly
split between the Republican line on spending and Dayton’s tax
push. He said the fallout could come in next year’s legislative
elections.
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“I personally think the Republicans will probably be more damaged
than the governor,” he said. “The fact is that we’re all up for
re-election again next year, and he’s not up for three
years.”
