Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk offered a sharp rebuke of the House Republican budget targets unveiled this week that would offer $2 billion in unspecified tax relief and mostly hold the line on spending.
"It's really not a place we're gonna start negotiating. I think they've gotta get a little more serious with the budget proposal before we're gonna actually start trading nickels back and forth," said Bakk, DFL-Cook.
Senate DFL budget targets will be released Friday at 9 a.m.
Bakk reiterated that the Senate would spend more than the House GOP proposal, but less than the budget plan of Gov. Mark Dayton, while putting more money in reserve than either.
Bakk said DFL Senators have received emails from health care and education groups this week, worried the House budget targets would slow spending below inflation and require program cuts.
"The governor raised a lot of expectations of the advocacy groups, so some of them are gonna be a bit disappointed, but I expect they're gonna feel better than they felt when the House targets came out," Bakk said.
