Governor Walz says he's almost at a loss for words after Republican leaders in the Minnesota House called for the Mayo Clinic in Rochester to roll back their vaccine mandate.
Their message included a threat of the Mayo losing funding that would alleviate health care workforce shortages.
"I've been doing this for a long time, this is one I don't understand," said Walz, appearing on the Sheletta Show with WCCO's Sheletta Brundidge on Saturday.
"This is beyond the pale, the audacity of legislators threatening the Mayo Clinic," he said.
Walz said it's not the place of state government to dictate the policies of a private business.
"The Mayo Clinic... knows a little bit more about infectious disease control than a few legislators," he said.
In the request signed by 37 House Republicans, the lawmakers claimed Mayo's vaccine mandate risks worsening health care shortages.
Officials with the Mayo Clinic say they have a moral imperative to require vaccinations of its workforce.