Democratic-NPL Lawmakers Respond to State of the State Address

In response to Governor Burgum’s State of the State address, North Dakota Democratic-NPL lawmakers made the following statement:

House Minority Leader Josh Boschee said, “While we agree that North Dakota has a great opportunity at this moment, we are disappointed that the Governor spent more time cheerleading CEOs than addressing the increasing issues North Dakotans face including our childcare crisis, food and housing insecurity, and access to affordable healthcare.”

Senator Tim Mathern remarked, “When we have significant resources available to us, it is our duty to help improve the quality of life for all North Dakotans. While there are certain areas where we will be able to work with the governor, I’m concerned about his attack on North Dakota’s strong family farming laws. 76% of North Dakotans voted to protect family farmers. ‘Farm freedom’ is a misnomer.”

Boschee continued, “The governor’s flat-tax is a giveaway to the wealthy. The benefit to the top 2.5% of the richest North Dakotans is 25 times greater than it is to the bottom 62%. This doesn’t address the real tax concern—property tax relief—which North Dakotans have been demanding for years.”