politics

A change already in the works

However much Republicans complain, the fact is that a gas-tax increase has quietly been in the works for much of the summer.

Pawlenty on Tuesday said he had been talking with key legislators since June about increasing the gas tax in exchange for lowering some other tax. That would have increased transportation funding without raising the overall tax burden.

Since the collapse, Pawlenty has shelved any notion of an exchange, saying simply that "I'm probably the biggest proponent against taxes, but we have an extraordinary crisis situation.

"The bottom line is, all of us -- here in Minnesota, Republicans, Democrats, nationally -- know and have known for years that we need more resources," he said, "Someone needs to break the logjam."