Dayton says lawmakers shouldn’t understimate his resolve

Governor Mark Dayton says Republican legislative leaders are underestimating his resolve if they think he'll back off his plan to raise taxes on Minnesota's top earners. There are less than three weeks left in the legislative session, and Dayton and legislative leaders aren't close to reaching agreement on a plan to erase a $5 billion budget deficit.

Dayton said there's enough time to reach a deal but worries that Republicans aren't going to budge on their opposition to tax increases. He said Minnesotans want them to compromise.

"They want us to work out our differences," Dayton said. "If they're going to just wait me out, standing on their 20 yard line with an all cuts budget that they can't even produce yet themselves then they're being extremely unreasonable and extremely irrational and they're wrong about me..."

GOP legislative leaders say Dayton should start negotiating with them now. They also say they think there's enough time to reach agreement on a budget plan.

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