Gov. Walz Announces Plan To Give $1,000 Checks To Minnesotans

TWIN CITIES, MN — Gov. Tim Walz and House Speaker Melissa Hortman Wednesday announced a plan to give half of the state’s $4 billion surplus back to Minnesotans in direct checks.

Under the plan, single tax filers earning up to $164,000 would receive a payment of $1,000. A married couple who file jointly and earn up to $273,470 would receive a payment of $2,000.

More than 2.7 million Minnesota households would receive a check under the proposal, according to Walz's office. The plan expanded on the governor's previous "Walz checks" proposal.

"This is the right thing to do for Minnesotans as we see household costs rise," Walz said in a news release.

Meanwhile, Hortman said, "Last week, Senate Republicans walked away from negotiations, and while that was disappointing and frustrating, it does not change the fact that Minnesotans are hurting, and we need to take action to help them."

Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman David Hann called the plan "a desperate attempt to buy voters with taxpayer dollars."

"The time to deliver relief was during the session, and neither Walz nor Hortman ever considered bills to cut taxes for hard-working Minnesotans. On their watch, Minnesota remains one of the highest taxed states in the country," Hann said.