As expected, Governor Tony Evers wants to spend a lot more money in Wisconsin’s new state budget.
The governor delivered his budget address to lawmakers last night, and proposed a nearly 104 billion-dollar spending plan. That’s more than 20 billion larger than the current state budget. The governor wants to spend more on everything from public schools, to a new paid-family-leave plan for Wisconsin, and he wants to expand Medicaid in the state. Governor Evers says his new budget will ‘invest’ in Wisconsin. The governor did not, however, mention his plan to spend 300 million-dollars on maintenance at American Family Field.
We’ll show you different sides so you can decide. Across the aisle, the Republicans who control the state legislature, and who will actually write the new state budget, say just about everything in Governor Evers’ proposed budget is not going to happen.
Republicans last night criticized the governor for wanting to spend so much, and expand or create a wave of new programs. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says the governor is proposing a 24 percent increase in spending. He called that ‘unrealistic,’ and says the Republican budget will be ‘dramatically different.’
In other response, Wisconsin’s largest business group says Governor Evers wants to punish manufacturers with his new state budget. Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce criticized the governor’s budget speech last night. WMC’s Kurt Bauer said the governor is looking to raise costs for manufacturers in the state, something he says will make Wisconsin less competitive.
The governor last night suggested eliminating the personal property tax that businesses don’t like, but he also suggested new regulations that WMC says would make it tougher on companies to make things here in the state.
