(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s governor is taking a wait-and-see approach to the new state budget, which is softer than his stance just last week.
Gov. Tony Evers was on UPFRONT on Milwaukee TV over the weekend, and walked back his promise to veto the budget of Republicans tax cuts, and the plan to trim $32 million from the University of Wisconsin’s budget.
“I’m not going to predict whether it’s going to come this time in that fashion to begin with,” the governor said. “The fact of the matter is, there’s lots of time left of the budget has not been concluded.”
The budget-writing Joint Finance Committee last week set the stage for the final budget votes, expected this week, by approving a $4.4 billion tax cut package, and the final UW budget.
Evers last week said he wouldn’t sign either of those pieces of the new spending plan.
“I want a middle class tax cut. I don’t want it a tax cut that is primarily for the wealthy in the state of Wisconsin. And I believe the University of Wisconsin system should be well funded. And now we have a situation where, you know, at least that $32 million is is retained. And and so a lot of moving parts and I’m not backing off where my belief system is. And we’ll just see what happens,” Evers added.
He said he is not abandoning his previous threats, but did try to walk a finer line.
“I’m not going to get into what I’m going to veto or something or not feel something, because I believe at the end of the day, we’ll be in a good position,” the governor said.
Evers did say he will not veto the entire two-year spending plan.
“I think it would mess it up,” Evers said. “The fact of the matter is we passed the legislation making that happen, but the money is obviously part of the budget so we will see. As you know, I also have partial veto authority, and that is always something we are going to be looking at.”
Lawmakers return to the Capitol Tuesday. The new state budget is due to the governor by the end of the month.
