North Dakota Democratic-NPL Legislative Leaders Respond to Burgum’s State of the State

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 23, 2024

DICKINSON, ND — Today, Governor Burgum gave the State of the State address. This comes after dropping out of the race for U.S. President and announcing that he would not be running in the 2024 ND gubernatorial race.

Senate Minority Leader Kathy Hogan said, “North Dakotans are demanding more than just another income tax cut. They want real solutions to the workforce crisis, the childcare crisis, the housing crisis, and the mental health crisis—all of which have gone unsolved on Republicans’ watch. Democrats have been beating the drum for more investments in each of these areas for years. But the outgoing administration’s focus on the things that will really improve the lives of everyday North Dakotans was too little and too late. North Dakotans also want to see our state supporting public employees, public education, and fully-funded school lunches, and I don’t think we saw that in this speech.”

House Minority Leader Zac Ista remarked, “The Governor should have used his final State of the State Address to bring North Dakota together. Instead, he recycled the same stale talking points that didn’t work for him on the presidential campaign trail. The truth is this: the Biden Administration has invested billions of federal dollars into North Dakota’s infrastructure, housing, and broadband internet. Inflation is down. Unemployment is down. Gas prices are down. Consumer confidence, wages, and the stock market are up. And under Joe Biden, America is producing more oil than any country in history. It’s time for the Governor to reboot his language to match reality.”

CONTACT:
Laura Dronen
Communications Director
(701) 566-0616
laura.dronen@demnpl.com