Minnesota Republicans set their sights on cutting costs and improving government efficiency

A budget forecast released last week said that if current tax and spending policies continue, Minnesota will have a $5 billion budget deficit in just a few years.

By Luke Sprinkel, Alpha News – December 12, 2024

Republican legislators in the Minnesota House of Representatives are seeking information from state agencies in the hopes of cutting costs and improving government efficiency.

Specifically, House Republicans began sending letters to various state government agencies requesting detailed information about agency staff and work-from-home policies. In total, the letters were sent to the 25 members of Gov. Tim Walz’s cabinet.

“House Republicans are bringing accountability back to state government,” said Speaker-desginate Lisa Demuth, the leader of the House Republicans. “Our chairs will be seeking detailed information on ways state agencies can reduce overall spending, operate more efficiently, bring employees back to the office, and ways the administration can partner with House Republicans to lower the state’s projected budget deficit.”

Last week, Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) released a budget forecast which indicated that if current tax and spending policies continue, Minnesota will have a $5 billion budget deficit in just a few years. The Minnesota Constitution requires the state to have a balanced budget.

Therefore, the state will need to either raise taxes or cut spending in the coming years in order to balance the budget.

In turn, Republicans are seeking ways to tackle the impending budget deficit. Following the 2024 elections, the House is tied with 67 Republicans and 67 Democrats. However, two ongoing election contest lawsuits may change the balance of power in favor of the GOP when the Minnesota Legislature convenes in January.

Despite the two election challenges, state legislators are preparing for a tied chamber. Under a power-sharing agreement recently struck between the two parties, every committee in the chamber will have both a Republican and Democrat co-chair. Additionally, every committee will have an equal number of Republicans and Democrats.

According to a statement from the House GOP, the letters seeking information from the 25 state agencies were sent by the corresponding Republican committee co-chairs.

On Monday, the incoming GOP co-chair of the House State Government Finance Committee, Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia, sent his letter to the Minnesota Department of Administration.

In his letter to Commissioner Tamar Gronvall, Nash requested information about full-time employee positions that have been unfilled, the department’s work-from-home policies, statistics regarding how many employees work from home, and information about agency jobs relating to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

Other cabinet-level state agencies that will receive letters with similar questions include the Department of Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Human Rights, the Department of Revenue, the Department of Health, and many others.

Republicans are expecting responses to their letters by Jan. 6.

This effort comes as President-elect Donald Trump has tapped businessmen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a “Department of Government Efficiency” at the federal level, which will seek to “dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.”