Dayton lobs criticism at GOP budget approach

By Brad Schrade

Gov. Mark Dayton voiced his opposition today to the Republican-controlled Legislature's push to trim $1 billion from the state budget before he even submits a budget proposal next month.

He said "I will not agree to any piecemeal approach to this" when asked about a bill that Republicans will bring to the House for a vote today. But he stopped short of saying he would veto the bill if it got to his desk, saying "I'm not going to use that language until I see what transpires."

The DFL governor leaned on rhetoric of his predecessor Republican Tim Pawlenty, who was critical when a DFL-controlled legislature tried a similar approach in the past.

"I would agree with him," Dayton said. "This needs to be a complete solution. They'll have two, two and a half months after I submit my budget to do all of this and present one package that addresses the entire $6.2 billion shortfall. Anything that is just a piece of that is the wrong approach."

The governor made his comments after speaking at a gathering of newspaper editors and publishers from across the state at the annual convention of the Minnesota Newspaper Association.

He told the audience that he opposes a Republican proposal to repeal the state's system of gun background checks and permits that passed a committee on Wednesday.

Dayton said he is a gun owner and supports Second Amendment right to bear arms. But he also said there's a public safety need that is met by requiring background checks.

"I think what Minnesota has today is a reasonable balance between the two," Dayton said. "I don't support additional restrictions, except opposing the gun show loophole so that all sellers of firearms are subjected to the same requirements as licensed dealers."

Dayton said he's focused on tackling the state's fiscal problems and presenting a balanced budget on Feb. 15 that closes the $6.2 billion projected shortfall for the two-year budget cycle that begins July 1.

Although, he didn't mention Republicans by name, he took a backhanded dig at their proposal to balance the budget without raising taxes.

"I can assure it's going to be very, very painful across the spectrum of everything the state does," he said. "Those who believe it' simple and easy I look forward to them being engaged in this process and hope they can share the magic wand that they evidently possess with the rest of us."

In some programs those are the vast majority of the recipients for those programs, he said.

"Once you get past the mythology you get to some very, very hard realities," he said.