Contact: Courtney Beyer, courtneyb@wisdems.org
MADISON — Howard Marklein’s latest re-election ad makes several glaring omissions from his time in the legislature. A quick look behind the curtains makes the facts clear: Howard Marklein voted to give billions of taxpayer dollars to a foreign corporation while shorting priorities for hardworking Wisconsinites.
CLAIM: Howard Marklein “kept [his] word to look after your tax dollars”
REALITY: Marklein voted to give $4.5 billion of taxpayer money to Foxconn, a Chinese corporation with a history of broken promises. This $4.5 billion giveaway is the largest state taxpayer handout to a foreign corporation in U.S. history. Under the best-case scenario, it will be at least 25 years until Wisconsin taxpayers could potentially break even on their investment, if at all.
CLAIM: “We’ll be spending more on things that matter here at home: education…”
REALITY: One of Marklein’s first acts in public office was to vote to slash $800 million in funding for Wisconsin’s classrooms. Seven years later, funding for public education remains below what it was in 2009. Wisconsin spends about $1,000 less per pupil than before Marklein took office and ranks below six other Midwest states.
CLAIM: “We’ll be spending more on things that matter here at home:…transportation”
REALITY: As part of Republicans’ $4.5 billion taxpayer giveaway to Foxconn, Marklein voted to divert $90 million in funding for local road projects to Foxconn. Thanks to the neglect of Republicans like Marklein, the financial burden of Wisconsin’s crumbling roads has fallen to Wisconsin taxpayers — local government “wheel taxes” have nearly tripled, and Wisconsinites in some parts of the state are paying upwards of $2,100 on car repairs because of the poor conditions of Wisconsin’s roads.
The facts couldn’t be clearer: Howard Marklein has neglected and short changed Wisconsin priorities while doling out billions of taxpayer dollars to a foreign corporation.