Minnesota House Republicans are playing hardball. This session is supposed to be a bonding bill year. However, House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt said his GOP peers would block the bills unless Walz ends the emergency powers he's using to close schools and businesses to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ending the emergency early would be "reckless," said DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman. “It's disappointing to see the minority leader threaten to block much-needed investments in local jobs and projects in our communities,” she said. “Governor Walz and his administration have served the people of Minnesota well during this crisis, and his thoughtfulness is why Minnesotans overwhelmingly approve of his actions.” A Walz spokesperson said the governor is working across the aisle in responding to the coronavirus.
Collin Peterson's challenger is officially decided. Republicans have chosen former Lt. Gov. Michelle Fischbach to take on the longtime DFLer representing Minnesota's 7th Congressional District.
And in the 2nd District ... Republicans endorsed Tyler Kistner to take on first-term Democratic Rep. Angie Craig.
"Devastatingly worrisome" protests, as the White House coronavirus coordinator calls them, are continuing across the nation. Dr. Debora Birx told Fox News Sunday that the "liberate" demonstrations are personally concerning to her: "If they go home and infect their grandmother or their grandfather ... they will feel guilty for the rest of our lives,” she said on “Fox News Sunday.” “So we need to protect each other at the same time we’re voicing our discontent.”
Assault rifles and confederate flags joined the Minnesota version of the protest over the weekend. MPR News photographer Evan Frost was there,
And an update from Washington ... Via NPR: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in a rare joint statement on Saturday, declined an offer from the White House to make rapid COVID-19 tests available for Congress. 'Congress is grateful for the Administration's generous offer to deploy rapid COVID-19 testing capabilities to Capitol Hill, but we respectfully decline the offer at this time," Pelosi and McConnell said. 'Our country's testing capacities are continuing to scale up nationwide and Congress wants to keep directing resources to the front-line facilities where they can do the most good the most quickly.'"
