Walz aims to fix ‘Pillen budget crisis’ as one of her gubernatorial priorities

Lynne Walz, Democratic candidate for governor, has outlined her major platform pillars as the general election approaches.

In an announcement Wednesday, Walz said her “Commitment to Nebraskans” prioritizes:

• Addressing the “Pillen budget crisis"
• Fixing the state’s “broken tax system”
• Growing the state’s businesses and communities
• Growing agriculture
• Supporting Nebraskans
• “Restoring good governance”

Walz said this was the first of three announcements that will outline her platform. She said the second phase will be released “in the next couple of weeks.”

“I’m excited to share the first part of my Commitment to Nebraskans,” Walz said in the announcement. “Over the next few weeks you’ll hear more from me and my campaign. Nebraskans are ready for leadership committed to fiscal responsibility, transparency, accountability, and common-sense solutions.”

She published her goals and a letter to Nebraskans on her campaign website. In the letter, she said she’s found that Nebraskans “have more in common than the issues that divide us” during her time hosting town halls and roundtables across the state.

Walz wrote that the state is “ready for leadership that will unite neighbors, not pit them against each other.” She said she also wants to prioritize growing the economy and finding “meaningful tax relief for everyone, not just the wealthiest individuals and corporations.”

In her Wednesday announcement, she took direct aim at the state’s growing and recurring budget hole. Earlier this month, following a fourth month of lower-than-expected tax receipts, Gov. Jim Pillen issued an order to his cabinet and state agencies to continue to reduce spending. He implemented a hiring freeze; reduced the amount of money state agencies will receive each month by at least 5%; and directed agency leaders to submit a plan on how they will prioritize more “fiscal restraint.”

The Nebraska Legislature has faced several sessions now where lawmakers have had to cut state spending because of budget shortfalls. After lawmakers passed steep income and corporate tax rates, the state has continued to collect a decreasing amount of tax revenue.

“We’ve lost focus on community and economic development to grow our state,” Walz said. “Our farmers and ranchers are facing one of the worst financial situations we’ve seen in decades. And, in the last four years, we’ve gone from a $1.2 billion surplus to a $750 million deficit that continues to grow every month.”

Walz also outlined several actions she would take on her first day as Nebraska’s governor, if elected. She said she would sign an executive order that would “immediately legalize medical marijuana for consumption with a doctor’s prescription.” She would hire an independent auditor to “investigate waste, fraud and abuse of power by the state government.” And she said she would call for the Legislature to immediately pass an emergency bill to restore the Veterans Aid Fund.

A spokesperson for Pillen's campaign said in a statement that Pillen is a "proven common-sense leader with a record of results - historic tax cuts, protecting our farmers and natural resources, investing more money than ever before in K-12 education, and ending corporate welfare for Big Tech data centers.

"Liberal Lynne Walz’s record - boys in girls’ sports, opposing property tax relief for homeowners, and giving handouts to Big Tech data centers - is wrong for Nebraska,” he wrote.

Pillen called Walz's platform "political hogwash" during a meeting with reporters on Wednesday.

"I would call that somebody that doesn't have a clue what the facts are, doesn't have any ability to study and really learn what's going on and just trying to grab headlines," Pillen said.