(The Center Square) – Wisconsin Republican legislative leadership on Wednesday echoed what has been said since Gov. Tony Evers’ budget was released, saying it unnecessarily increases taxes while spending the state into a deficit.
“That’s irresponsible,” said Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg.
Senate Assistant Minority Leader Jeff Smith, however, said an increase in spending is warranted because of a potential 28% decrease in federal funding to the state by the White House actually happen.
“I think we have to be prepared,” Smith added during a Legislative Leadership Roundtable on the second day of the Wisconsin Counties Association Legislative Conference.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he believes much of the addition funding from the state’s projected $4.3 billion surplus has already been committed due to changes in Medicaid rates initiated by Evers.
“We are the ones who have to actually be serious about a document that is going to become law as opposed to putting a bunch of crap in a budget and saying it’s all of my priorities for the state,” Vos said.
Smith said that, after the budget, the Legislature was able to work together on solutions for shared revenue, alcohol reform and funding a renovation for American Family Field for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Vos added that any spending done with the projected surplus should be one-time funding on projects such as replacing the Green Bay Correctional Institution in Allouez, not on starting programs that we require recurring spending or pay increases.
Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer said that a priority in the new budget should be K-12 education funding.
LeMahieu said that the state needs to be responsible about spending after finishing the 2023 fiscal year with $7 billion in surplus before the last budget and looking at a projected $4.3 billion surplus at the end of this fiscal year.
“We have a $4 billion surplus because we’re taxing too much,” LeMahieu said.
Vos said that bipartisanship should start with the state’s Democrats supporting initiatives such as shared revenue or any budget over the past 20 years. He also pointed to a school standards bill, approved 55-44 in the Assembly on a party line, that would reset the K-12 school report card standards of 2019-20, makes grades 3-8 standards the same as those set by the National Assessment of Education Progress and would make the high school testing standards the same as those from 2021-22.
“No matter what is proposed by the Republicans, they are an automatic no,” Vos said.
