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Politics Friday
Brian Bakst and Matt Alvarez

Politics Friday: A divided Legislature and the work to craft a new state budget

a group of lawmakers
A divided house responds to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's plans for a gun control bill during the State of the State address, Wednesday in the house chambers of the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn
Aaron Lavinsky/AP

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The Legislature has spent much of this week passing elements of a new two-year state budget. 

They're working off a base of the current $52 billion budget and looking to add the $17.5 billion surplus to it. The House and Senate plans do not line up perfectly, and conference committees will have to work out the differences. 

MPR News guest host Brian Bakst talks about the state budget under construction at the Capitol with two leading DFL lawmakers who have their eyes on the big picture and a Republican who says the pace of spending is unsustainable.  

Later in the hour, a recap of the governor’s State of the State speech and look at the busy week ahead.  

Guests:  

  • Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville 

  • Rep. Liz Olson, DFL-Duluth 

  • Rep. Anne Neu Brindley, R-North Branch   

  • Dana Ferguson is a politics reporter for MPR News. 

  • Peter Callaghan is a state government reporter for the MinnPost. 

Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS. 

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.