ST PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Senate adjourned its special session late Wednesday morning without any of the anticipated confirmation votes for two members of Gov. Tim Walz's cabinet.
The vote to adjourn passed 46-18.
The Republican-controlled chamber was originally expected to vote Wednesday on the fates of Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho and Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Sarah Strommen.
During his speech on the Senate floor, Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said Commissioner Ho and Commissioner Strommen don't need to worry about their job status moving forward.
According to KARE 11's John Croman, unlike with federal cabinet members, Minnesota commissioners start working before they’re confirmed. The Minnesota Senate has the option of using the confirmation process as a job performance review. Some Republicans were reportedly upset with Commissioner Ho because they didn't think she's gotten rental assistance out soon enough.
The Minnesota House had already adjourned its special session last week, but GOP leaders in the Senate chose to continue into this week to hold hearings on Walz cabinet members.
The adjournment comes one day after Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner Laura Bishop resigned. The governor's office said they were informed Bishop's appointment would not be confirmed by the Senate.
“I am extremely disappointed in the Republicans in the Senate who are choosing to use taxpayer dollars to play partisan games and try to politicize an agency charged with protecting Minnesotans from pollution because they refuse to acknowledge the science of climate change," Gov. Walz said in a statement on Tuesday.
Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka released a video Tuesday listing a number of reasons Republicans weren't happy with Bishop, including her agency's clean cars emission rules, and joining a lawsuit to tighten mercury standards in taconite mining.
"Number one, she joined a lawsuit with the state of Michigan to sue the taconite industry, which frankly could dramatically hurt the taconite industry up North," Gazelka said. "I don't think the steelworkers up there thought that was a good idea."
