ST. PAUL, Minn. — On Thursday, Governor Tim Walz called on legislators to resolve an ongoing power struggle that has characterized the opening week of Minnesota’s 2025 legislative session. He expressed his support for the House Democrats’ decision to boycott legislative activities in order to prevent Republicans from exercising their majority authority.
Currently, House Republicans maintain a narrow majority of 67-66 until a special election fills an unoccupied seat on January 28. The Democrats boycotted the proceedings since the session began on Tuesday, asserting that according to state constitutional requirements, a quorum necessitates the presence of 68 members, thereby halting any legislative business.
During a press conference where he introduced his two-year budget proposal, Walz emphasized the need for lawmakers to collaborate on a power-sharing arrangement, stating, “Just work together on a power-sharing agreement. That’s the way it’s going to end up. And I think that can work out really well.”
In contrast, House Republicans maintain that their presence of 67 members is adequate due to the vacant seat. In light of the absence of Democrat lawmakers, they have proceeded to elect their leader as the speaker and establish committee chairs along with other leadership roles. The legality of these actions will be reviewed next Thursday during oral arguments in state Supreme Court.
Walz expressed optimism that the upcoming special election in a district traditionally supportive of Democrats would result in an equal 67-67 split in the House, urging Republicans to halt their confrontational approach. “I would encourage them, don’t go down this road,” he stated to journalists. “You’re not going to win in court. You’re not going to win in a court of public opinion. We got a split Legislature. That is acknowledged. Just go with that. You’re not going to overturn an election.”
The primary focus of the legislative session is to approve a balanced budget for the next two years, set to take effect on July 1, necessitating cooperation across party lines. Both parties agree that the House cannot advance legislation without achieving 68 votes in alignment with their procedural rules, indicating that cooperation will eventually become essential.
Walz’s proposed budget totals $65.9 billion, featuring a slight reduction in the sales tax from 6.875% to 6.8%, which would translate to a savings of 7.5 cents on a $100 purchase. This reduction in revenue would be counterbalanced by extending the sales tax to certain previously untaxed services and eliminating various loopholes. The proposal also aims to moderate the expansion of programs that cater to seniors and students with special needs, while implementing strategies to combat fraud in government operations without introducing major new initiatives.
Walz remarked, “You’ve got an opportunity here to shrink state spending, to cut taxes, to bring fairness to the system. I’m not adding any additional programs or anything; I’m bringing efficiencies to it. This is pretty uncontroversial.”
House Republican leader Lisa Demuth from Cold Spring criticized the governor’s budget proposal, asserting that Republicans will oppose any tax increases or cuts that may adversely affect seniors residing in nursing facilities and indicated that the GOP plans to continue its resistance.
“I unfortunately have not heard directly from him at all,” Demuth stated after a brief session exclusively for Republicans. “If he wanted to encourage the other House members to actually come to work … it would be much appreciated.”
Last month, Demuth and House Democrat leader Melissa Hortman managed to largely finalize a power-sharing arrangement, but this arrangement collapsed following a judicial ruling concerning a Democratic member’s residency. This legal decision allowed Republicans to take possession of the slim majority.
Hortman reiterated her proposal to Demuth on Thursday, suggesting that Republicans acknowledge their majority through February 3 — the date when the original power-sharing agreement would resume. This offer requires Republicans to agree not to attempt to unseat another Democrat who won by a slim margin of 14 votes.
“The path you have chosen and the situation currently unfolding in the Minnesota House is deeply concerning,” Hortman noted in her communication to Demuth. She added, “We owe a duty to the state to continue to work together to achieve a resolution of our differences.”
