Saint Paul – As DFL legislators plans to travel the state on Tuesday to defend their failed leadership and inability to pass a balanced budget, Governor Tim Pawlenty and members of his cabinet will be working in the morning to finish the job left undone by DFL legislators.

“The basic responsibility of the legislature is to responsibly pass a balanced budget and the DFL failed,” Governor Pawlenty said. “They spent $34 billion when they only had $31 billion available. But politics as usual around this place is over. We’re not going to have a special session or a state government shutdown. Tough decisions are ahead, but those decisions need to be made if we are going to get through this difficult economic time and build towards a better future.”

Governor Pawlenty also said, “The session was a victory for Minnesota taxpayers because DFL efforts to raise just about every tax on the books were defeated. DFL plans to increase income taxes, sales taxes, remove the property tax cap, create a new Internet download tax, eliminate deductions for mortgage interest, charitable giving and even organ donation were deeply misguided.”