No Deal As Shutdown Deadline Rolls Closer

The political arena in Minnesota Wednesday was filled with potential, plans and posturing but ostensibly little progress closing the $1.8 billion gap that separates Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP lawmakers from a budget deal.   

At around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday the parties concluded what, by all accounts, was their final round of budget negotiations without an agreement.

According to Michael Brodkorb, executive assistant to the majority caucus, the governor left the Capitol and there were no more meetings between the parties scheduled for the night.  

This with just more than 27 hours to go before a government shutdown.  

According to tweets from Star Tribune political reporter Rachel Stassen-Berger, House Majority Leader Matt Dean (R, District 52B) has said the parties are “very very close on many issues” and that it would be “difficult to explain a government shutdown.”

Moreover, Deputy Senate Majority Leader Geoff Michel (R-Edina) told Stassen-Berger after the meeting that the parties have made progress on “almost every deal.”    

Lawmakers and the governor met Wednesday morning from 9-10:30 a.m. and quietly adjourned before slipping out a back door without offering a statement or status update.

Meetings at 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. finished much the same way.

MinnPost reported that unless a late-night deal is made, Republican legislators are planning to “march on St. Paul” Thursday morning to demonstrate to the public their willingness to work.

On Wednesday, Ramsey County Judge Kathleen Gearin ruled that correctional facilities, nursing homes, public safety, and payment of medical services are all "core functions" of government, and must be funded during a shutdown. State aid to schools and local governments will also continue to be funded during the shutdown. However, money for any non-emergency road and bridge repair work would be suspended, along with funds for race horse inspectors, state-run childcare financial assistance programs, and others. Gearin's full ruling can be seen in

Dayton responded to Judge Gearin’s ruling by saying that she reached an appropriate conclusion, it was reported on the political blog Politics in Minnesota.

“It appears that her order arrived at the same middle ground as my administration, and essentially agreed with my list of critical services that must continue,” Dayton said in a statement.