Op-ed: Rep. Michelle Fischbach: Tim Walz is bad for Minnesota and bad for America
I’ve been a proud Minnesotan my whole life. It’s where I chose to raise my children, and I’ve been honored to serve the people of our great state in several roles. Minnesota has a storied tradition of political engagement, and while we haven’t always agreed on everything, we are able to work together to put our state first.
But in 2019, Gov. Tim Walz took office, and that all changed. Under his watch, we witnessed Minneapolis burn. Minnesota is now an “abortion sanctuary” state. Walz enacted drastic and impossible goals for green energy. Perhaps most impressively, he blew through a $19 billion dollar surplus in just one legislative session, while simultaneously raising taxes.
One of the most concerning causes he’s championed is his welcome mat policy for illegal immigrants. In Walz’s Minnesota, illegal immigrants have been handed free healthcare, free tuition, and driving licenses. These handouts have made Minnesota a top destination for illegal immigrants entering our country, which is how we wound up with an Al-Shabaab affiliated terrorist on the terrorist watch list living in Minnesota until his arrest earlier this year.
As Walz continues to hand out driving licenses to illegal immigrants, Republicans have sounded the alarms on the risk this poses to the security of our elections. In the House of Representatives, we passed H.R. 8281, the SAVE Act, to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Without these safeguards, the millions of illegal immigrants in the United States could wind up voting in our elections with Walz in charge.
I’m also deeply concerned about many of his social agenda items. Abortion is now legal in Minnesota at any stage of a pregnancy. He signed a bill to repeal protections for a baby born alive after a failed abortion. Despite his $19 billion spending spree, one of the few spending cuts Minnesota Democrats made was $3 million for Positive Alternatives grants, a program which provides pregnant women and their babies with the resources they need as they adjust to parenthood.
Minnesota is also now a “sanctuary state” for child-sex changes. Children can travel to Minnesota for hormone therapy or other “care,” and Minnesota courts and officials are prohibited from complying with any legal action related to a child’s procedure done here, even if it’s a crime in the child’s state of residence. Minnesota can also now take temporary jurisdiction in child custody cases in another state if one parent wants a child to obtain any sex-change related services in Minnesota. This is a blatant disregard for parental rights and states’ rights, and it charts an incredibly dangerous course for children in this country.
Looking at Walz’s track record of extremism, I understand why Kamala Harris was drawn to him as her running mate. They share the view that government is the solution to every problem, that abortion should be celebrated at any stage, and they both live in an environmental fantasy land. Without any experience or respect on the world stage, together they’ll continue to destroy America’s global reputation. Vice President Harris truly found her match in Governor Walz.
Frankly, I barely recognize my home state anymore. If Governor Walz can do this amount of damage to our state in just a few years, I shudder to think what he might do to our country in the same time frame.
Rep. Michelle Fischbach represents the 7th District of Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was previously the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota and President of the Minnesota Senate, where she served for over 20 years.
