South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem took aim at Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for coronavirus restrictions in his state and the subsequent economic fallout, encouraging Minnesotans to move west.
“@GovTimWalz shut down Minnesota’s economy. Now, he’s facing $1.3 BILLION in budget shortfalls and is recommending huge tax increases to make ends meet,” she tweeted Tuesday.
“REMINDER TO MINNESOTANS: South Dakota Means Business,” she added, accompanied by a video that she posted in July urging people to move to her state, where businesses weren’t restricted by coronavirus lockdowns.
.@GovTimWalz shut down Minnesota’s economy. Now, he’s facing $1.3 BILLION in budget shortfalls and is recommending huge tax increases to make ends meet.
REMINDER TO MINNESOTANS: South Dakota Means Business ? https://t.co/jWqVbThZP3
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) January 26, 2021
The projected budget deficit in Minnesota for 2022 and 2023 sits at $1.3 billion. On Tuesday, Walz introduced a $52.4 billion state budget on Tuesday that would raise taxes on families earning more than $1 million a year.
“This is a starting point. This is a budget that reflects Minnesota’s sense that those who COVID hit the hardest we need to help,” Walz said. “It asks folks to pay their fair share.”
Under Minnesota’s safety plan, workers are required to work from home if possible. Restaurants are also open with 50% capacity and gyms at 25% capacity.
Noem, meanwhile, has been repeatedly denounced by Democratic leaders and the media for refusing to shut South Dakota down amid the pandemic. She has remained steadfast that keeping the economy open while ensuring hospitals aren’t overwhelmed has been the best plan of action.
Last week, Noem touted that the unemployment rate in South Dakota had dropped to a level lower than before the coronavirus pandemic began, and she previously said that South Dakota has “perhaps the strongest economy in the country” because she refused lockdown measures.
“NEWS: South Dakota’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.0% in December,” she said on Twitter last Friday. “That’s lower than it was BEFORE the pandemic.”
