The federal government has declined to make the US taxpayer pay for the aftermath of the recent riots in Minneapolis.
Rioting prompted by the death of George Floyd cost the Twin Cities an estimated $500,000,000 and damaged over 1,500 buildings per Governor Tim Walz. While critics have been left wondering if Minnesota’s mostly Democrat leadership failed to properly respond to the violence, Walz penned a letter on June 2 to President Donald Trump asking for money to fund cleanup efforts. The federal government denied this request, Friday.
Walz’s letter explained how much it will cost to rebuild from the riots and bemoaned how under his own administration, Minnesota saw “a negative swing of nearly $4 billion” as the state’s $1.5 billion surplus was evaporated— leaving in its place a $2.4 billion projected deficit.
Amidst this financial hardship, the Minnesota Governor asked for $16,000,000 from FEMA and implored the president invoke the Stafford Act to declare the riots in Minneapolis a major disaster. This categorization would bring with it a wide array of federal benefits, requiring taxpayers from around the nation to pay for what happened in Minneapolis.
While Walz himself did not address the fed’s denial of his request, a spokesman did deliver some remarks, Friday.
“The Governor is disappointed that the federal government declined his request for financial support,” spokesman Teddy Tschann said, per local media. “As we navigate one of the most difficult periods in our state’s history, we look for support from our federal government to help us through.”
Shortly after Walz asked for the now denied assistance, another Minnesota leader instead asked for an investigation into the response to the riots.
Republican Congressman Tom Emmer wrote a letter to the president on July 9 highlighting how “there has been no federal analysis of the actions that were— or were not— taken by local and state officials to prevent one of the most destructive episodes of civil unrest in our nation’s history.”
“I ask that your Administration undertake a thorough and concurrent review of my state’s response the the violence,” Emmer wrote, apparently suggesting some wrongdoing on the part of Minnesota officials.
Kyle Hooten
Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.
