Liberal Dream: Walz Signs Free College Tuition, Free Meals for Kids, 100% Renewable Energy

Before he was selected as Kamala Harris’ vice presidential running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minnesota) signed legislation reflecting the left’s priorities.

Waltz, 60, has been governor of the North Star State since 2019 and has served in Congress for more than a decade. Waltz’s economic agenda as governor included free tuition for low-income students at public colleges, a transition to 100% renewable energy, paid medical and family leave, free school meals for students and more.

Those in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party were quick to praise Harris’ choice of Walz as vice president. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), one of the most liberal lawmakers in the country, publicly pressed Harris to choose him and praised the choice as a victory for the working class.

“He is a former public school teacher, football coach and a staunch supporter of labor unions,” Sanders said on social media. “As governor, he worked for working families in Minnesota. As vice president, he will work for working families across the U.S..”

“Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) praised Harris’ selection and noted that Walz “signed into law universal school meals, paid family and medical leave, marijuana legalization, and reproductive rights protections.”

One of Walz’s accomplishments was ensuring that Minnesota students whose parents earn less than $80,000 a year could attend public colleges and universities for free. Subsidizing education has been a Democratic goal and will likely be Walz’s feather in his cap in appealing to the party’s base.

Republicans will point out, however, that the legislation does not include a citizenship requirement and that illegal immigrants can apply for and receive the same state grant as long as they meet income requirements.

Ryan Young, senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said: Washington Examiner that Walz has had “significant expenses” on his record both in the House of Representatives and as governor.

“One of the things he benefited from in Minnesota was that he was fighting a divided legislature, so he tried to push through some big spending increases, a big income tax increase, and he probably got less than half of what he wanted because the legislature blocked a lot of his initiatives,” Young said. “So spending control advocates should expect more than anything to see divided government.”

Republicans are already seizing on Walz’s selection over Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) for calling the Harris-Walz ticket too far left. Steven Cheung, Trump’s campaign communications director, said the selection “cements the Democratic ticket as the most dangerously liberal in American history.”

Former Arizona Republican Senator John McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain, said Walz is not a centrist and that “it would be hard to find a more radical, progressive vice presidential candidate.”

Despite praise from liberals, some Democrats say Walz shouldn’t be described as too left-wing.

‘Tim Walz is great,’ former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on MSNBC Good morning, Joe. “She had a lot of good choices. Tim Walz, I know him very well. He served in the House of Representatives. It’s so unrealistic to describe him as a leftist. He’s just not — he’s right in the middle. He’s a Democrat from the heart of America.”

On tax policy, Carl Davis, research director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said Walz has generally favored lower taxes for lower-income workers. That reflects the Biden administration’s efforts at the federal level not to raise taxes on lower- and middle-class families while trying to raise taxes on the very wealthy.

“What we’ve seen in Minnesota over the last few years is that taxes have gone down significantly for working-class families, and there’s been a slight increase in taxes for profitable corporations and individuals with large capital gains incomes at the top of the income ladder,” Davis said. Washington Examiner.

He said that overall, Minnesota’s tax code is “moderately progressive.”

“Minnesota stands out in this regard because it has some of the most progressive codes in the country, but that doesn’t mean it’s deeply progressive,” Davis added.

Walz also receives high marks from environmentalists and those concerned about climate change.

Last year, Walz signed legislation that required Minnesota utilities to transition off fossil fuels and achieve 100% net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. It is one of the most ambitious timeline-based transition plans in the United States, according to the Clean Energy States Alliance.

“The people of Minnesota are not going to wait any longer. They made it clear with their votes… They made it clear with their votes that they expect movement on climate change, and it’s happening today,” Walz said at the time.

He also campaigned in 2022 on a goal to have 20% of cars on Minnesota roads be electric by 2030. Under his leadership, Minnesota adopted stricter limits on auto emissions.

In March 2023, Walz signed legislation that would provide free breakfasts and lunches to students at participating schools statewide — regardless of their parents’ income. Only eight states in the country provide free meals to students regardless of income.

On trade policy, Walz, while in Congress, opposed trade agreements and favored protecting U.S. manufacturing. Young said Walz is generally “a little skeptical about trade.”

“He likes to put a lot of environmental and non-trade policy provisions into trade agreements, essentially filling them with wish-list policies,” Young said. “That’s become the norm since (the 1992 North American Free Trade Agreement) and even more so in recent years.”

Republicans also seized on Walz’s recent comments during the Harris campaign, where he mentioned socialism.

“And number one, never shy away from our progressive values,” he said in a phone call with supporters. “One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborhood. Just get the damn job done.”

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Despite his fans on the liberal left of the Democratic Party, some centrists also praised him. Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV), known for occasionally voting with Republicans, said he was a unifying choice.

“I can’t think of anyone better than Governor Walz to help bring our country together and restore balance to the Democratic Party,” Manchin said. “Governor Walz is the real deal.”