Contact: Melanie Conklin
608-260-2409

Madison, Wisconsin — Today’s release of the quarterly jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that under Gov. Scott Walker, Wisconsin has been among the bottom half of states on job creation for six straight years.

The job numbers Walker has cited as the “gold standard” show that Wisconsin has lagged behind the nation on jobs ever since Walker implemented his first budget and opened the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC).

“Six years of Republican budgets and priorities have stalled our Wisconsin economy,” said Martha Laning, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “Continually being below average on job numbers is a clear result of pursuing partisan priorities that are out-of-step with Wisconsin values.”

report by the Center for American Progress recently found that Wisconsin faces a job deficit of more than 100,000 jobs. If Wisconsin simply kept pace with the national rate of job growth, taxpayers would not be forced to spend $3 billion to lure a foreign company here.

“Walker’s personal ambitions have put Wisconsin behind on jobs,” said Laning. “These numbers show that Walker’s neglect of our state continues to affect Wisconsinites’ lives, whether it’s in our underfunded schools, on crumbling roads or when they desperately need a job.”

In an effort to hide his deep jobs deficit, crumbling infrastructure and harm he has done to satisfy his right-wing extremist supporters, Walker recently announced a plan to spend $7 million of taxpayer dollars to persuade out-of-state workers to relocate to Wisconsin and take Wisconsin jobs. This comes following Walker’s massive $3 billion taxpayer giveaway to foreign corporation Foxconn, to locate close to the Illinois border.

“It is crazy to have Wisconsin taxpayers spend our hard-earned money to create jobs for out-of-state workers and more money to lure them here,” Laning said. “This is billions of dollars we could be putting toward our roads, broadband and classrooms had Walker focused on our state and not driven people away with his extremism and neglect. Wisconsin taxpayers should not have to spend $7 million on ads in an attempt to hide Walker’s neglect.

“Walker can’t erase seven years of bad history and broken promises. He has had plenty of time  to show that he’s working for Wisconsin, and ultimately his seven-year record proves that he is not.”

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