GOP Lawmakers: Dayton's $42B Budget Too Big

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Republicans say Gov. Mark Dayton's proposed $42 billion budget is too large.

House Speaker Kurt Daudt declined Tuesday to put a number on how much smaller the state's two-year budget should be. But he and other top Republican lawmakers say they're disappointed the governor wants to increase state spending without tackling troublesome programs like MNsure.

Dayton laid out his budget vision Tuesday. His plan focuses on education, pumping much of the state's projected $1 billion surplus into pre-kindergarten classes and other programs.

Daudt says the governor should direct more leftover cash to tax relief for Minnesota residents. Republicans who control the House will unveil their own budget framework after the state issues a revised economic forecast in late February.

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