2 weeks Ago By Caroline Cummings
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in his State of the State address on Wednesday called on the divided legislature to work together in the crucial final weeks of the session and issued a sharp rebuke of President Trump, as the former Democratic vice presidential nominee weighs what comes next in his political career. In his 22-minute speech in the House chamber, Walz acknowledged the stark reality facing lawmakers this year: The budget must include cuts to stave off a potential $6 billion deficit in the future.
He made an appeal for unity across party lines to get that state spending plan done and drew a contrast between their work in St. Paul to what's happening in Washington, which he described as "chaos" at Mr. Trump's own direction.
He condemned Mr. Trump for his tariffs and push to slash federal spending through his administration's Department of Government Efficiency , spearheaded by Elon Musk. "This isn't servant leadership.
It's not any kind of leadership at all," Walz said "It's small. It's weak. It's petty.
It takes the awesome power of the federal government and turns it into a crude weapon, wielded by a man who wants to be a king." The governor is constitutionally required to give an address to lawmakers each session and Wednesday's speech was his first State of the State in wake of his defeat on the Democratic presidential ticket last November. It also comes as he continues a national tour to GOP-led Congressional districts, where he has hosted town halls in the last month to highlight people's frustrations with the Trump administration.
Walz will soon decide if he will run for a third term as governor or seek another office — he hasn't closed the door on a potential presidential bid of his own. Meanwhile, Republican leaders after the speech criticized Walz for finger-pointing at Washington when there's real work ahead in Saint Paul and a fast-approaching deadline to get it done. "It was really unfortunate that while there was maybe not quite an olive branch, but maybe, a few buds of an olive tree given by the governor, most of it was overshadowed by a quite frankly angry rant about Donald Trump," said Rep.
Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, the Republican leader. This story will be updated. Caroline Cummings is an Emmy-winning reporter with a passion for covering politics, public policy and government.
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