Interim Update
Friends,
Two recent developments in Minnesota have once again shown what happens when government grows beyond its proper role and those in power lose sight of whom they are supposed to serve.
Another Costly Government Program
Minnesota’s new Paid Leave program has already paid out nearly $600 million during its first six months. This new government program is funded by a payroll tax taken directly from Minnesota workers and the businesses that employ them.
Families should be able to care for a newborn child or a loved one facing a serious illness. But Democrats used those legitimate needs as an excuse to build another massive state bureaucracy, impose another permanent tax, and place another costly mandate on employers.
This comes after state government increased taxes by roughly $11 billion and allowed billions more to be lost through fraud, waste, and mismanagement. Now the same administration that failed to protect the money already entrusted to it is demanding more from every paycheck.
Minnesotans work hard for what they earn. Government should not treat their paychecks as an endless source of revenue, especially when state leaders have repeatedly demonstrated that they cannot be trusted to manage existing programs responsibly.
Mercy Must Never Become an Excuse for Injustice
Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison recently used their positions on the Minnesota Board of Pardons to pardon a man convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old child.
I believe in repentance, forgiveness, and the power to redeem even the most broken life. But forgiveness does not eliminate consequences, and mercy does not require government to abandon justice or place innocent people at risk.
The first responsibility of government is to punish wrongdoing and protect those who cannot protect themselves. Pardoning someone convicted of such a heinous crime was a perversion of that responsibility.
Federal officials subsequently deported him. Their actions proved that it really is that simple. We do not have to tolerate this kind of criminality. We do not have to spend years and countless taxpayer dollars debating whether a violent criminal who has no legal right to remain in this country should be removed.
What is most astonishing is that Minnesota’s Democrat leaders made releasing this man from the consequences of his conviction a priority. Their rank-and-file members have offered no meaningful objection, no demand for accountability, and no indication that their party has crossed a line.
There should be some actions so far outside the bounds of justice and common sense that every elected official is willing to speak against them. Apparently, this was not one of those moments for Minnesota Democrats.
The Work Ahead
We made important progress this year by delivering property tax relief and reducing vehicle tab fees, but that work must continue. Minnesotans are still being asked to surrender far too much of what they rightfully earn to a government that has repeatedly failed to protect their tax dollars.
Our goal should be simple: government must demand less from its citizens, and citizens must demand more from their government.
That means building on the relief we delivered by pursuing broader tax reductions, downsizing our bloated state government, eliminating fraud, and ensuring that every dollar collected is used responsibly. It also means continuing to defend the liberties given to us by God and secured by our Constitution.
Government is not our provider, our savior, or the source of our rights. Its purpose is to uphold justice, protect liberty, and serve the people faithfully. That is the standard I will continue fighting to restore at the Capitol.
Notice
This will be my final legislative email for the summer. Under House election-year communication rules, members can’t continue sending official, unsolicited updates after the 60-day post-session deadline, and those emails won’t resume until after Election Day.
That deadline won’t change the work. My office remains available, and I’ll keep fighting to rein in government, stop fraud, lower the burden on families, and defend the liberties we’ve been entrusted to preserve.
Please continue to reach out whenever I or my staff can be of service.
In service,
Rep. Ben Davis