If the fair is normal, Why won’t Gov. Walz give up emergency powers?

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz recently told business leaders in a meeting that he expects the State Fair to be relatively “normal” this year. After being cancelled last year due to Coronavirus concerns, this is great news for Minnesotans who look forward to attending the fair and its activities each year. Prior to the pandemic, over 2.1 million people attended the fair in 2019, and many expect the turnout to be greater than in previous years following a year of restrictions and regulations brought about by the pandemic.

Republicans, however, are not pleased with this announcement. According to House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, who tweeted, “If the State Fair is on, the emergency is over, and the emergency powers need to end.” Lawmakers throughout the state are publicly agreeing with Daudt’s sentiments regarding the Fair and an end to the Governor’s emergency powers. If Governor Walz can tout a normal fair experience for millions of Minnesota residents, then why is he less forthcoming about an agreement regarding his emergency powers coming to an end?

While Walz commends the state over its vaccination efforts and case numbers continue to decrease after a third statewide surge, many lawmakers are concerned that Walz is refusing to abdicate his powers, so that he can dictate where the $2.6 billion in federal aid is allocated. It appears that Walz isn’t as concerned about how Minnesota residents fare against new Covid variants as he claims, but rather he is unwilling to surrender the unlimited influence he has experienced over the past fourteen months.