Wardlow, Daley to talk to constituents at Eagan's July 4th Funfest

Rep. Doug Wardlow (R-District 38B) said Friday that he’s disappointed in the state government shutdown, but that Republicans should have seen signs of the impending event earlier.

“I don’t understand why we had to shut down the government,” Wardlow said.

Wardlow, who will be in Eagan this weekend talking with constituents at the Eagan’s July 4th Funfest, said he hopes that a “robust, wide-ranging” discussion about government can take place -- about what it is for, how big it should be and how it should function, he said.

“Now it’s up to (Gov. Mark Dayton) to call a special session,” Wardlow said.

Sen. Ted Daley (R-District 38), who will also be at the Funfest this weekend, expressed simliar thoughts. He said Republicans did their due diligence to pass a budget, and he had felt hopeful that both sides could solve their differences. But Daley also said he accepts responsibility for the impasse.

"No one wants a government shutdown," he said.

Dayton told MPR News on Friday that budget negotiations between himself and GOP lawmakers need a “breather.”

The governor said he is willing to listen to proposals and even meet with Republican leaders over the weekend but if no offers were made he would “reach out” to them sometime on Tuesday.

The governor met with DFL leaders around 9 a.m Friday but details of the talks are being kept strictly confidential. According to KSTP-TV, Dayton has been in his office all day working on a compromise deal.

After weeks of intense negotiations, capped by closed-door sessions through the waning minutes of June 30, Dayton and Republican lawmakers failed to agree on an operating budget for the 2011-13 biennium.

The proposed budgets from the governor and GOP lawmakers remain separated by $1.4 billion.

Keep up with more local coverage of the government shutdown .