DFL’ers turned avian flu into political issue

To the Editor:
The Legislature has a strong bipartisan tradition of coming together to help Minnesotans impacted by disasters. Whether it’s flooding, storms, or any other issue, we have a long history of putting politics aside, and helping Minnesotans in need.
That’s why I was so disappointed that Senate Democrats chose to put politics before the farmers being impacted by the recent avian flu outbreak. The Senate could have put a bill on the governor's desk on Tuesday afternoon, but instead chose to load up the avian flu response bill with an unrelated issue, a break from past tradition. Responding to disasters like the avian flu outbreak impacting dozens of farmers in counties across the state is one area where both parties typically refrain from slipping in unrelated provisions or adding amendments.
The House acted in good faith on Monday, unanimously passing an avian flu response bill to help health officials respond to the avian flu crisis. Senate Democrats decided playing politics was more important, and have delayed this funding until the bill returns from conference committee.
Our farmers, state health officials, and Minnesotans deserve better than the political games being played by Senate Democrats. I hope we can pass a clean avian flu response bill as soon as possible to help address this crisis.
State Rep.
Glenn Gruenhagen
District 18B