Contact: Bryan Kennedy – (414) 517-3864
Gubernatorial candidate and attorney calls the deal “costly, corrupt, and unconstitutional”
(Madison) – Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Matt Flynn today made the following statement outlining his strategy to stop the disastrous Foxconn deal.
“Over the past two months I have held five public hearings on the disastrous Foxconn deal and had hundreds of conversations with voters across Wisconsin about it.
“Two things are clear. First, the people of Wisconsin do not want this deal. They don’t want to be on the hook for a $4.5 billion giveaway to a foreign corporation.
“Second, Wisconsin will not be able to move Forward again with the financial burden of the Foxconn deal weighing us down. This giveaway will have an adverse impact on the state budget for at least 15 years. That $4.5 billion is desperately needed for property tax relief, education, health care, and road repairs across the state.
“Outside experts also realize how bad this deal is. In November, Moody’s downgraded Racine County’s general obligation bonds because of the part their taxpayers are being forced to take in the Foxconn agreement.
“I have heard the concerns loud and clear. As Governor of Wisconsin, on my first day in office, I will start the process to kill the deal. I will bring litigation to rescind the Foxconn contract on the grounds, among others, that it exempts Foxconn from three laws that bind every other individual and corporation in the state:
- Foxconn will be exempted from completing environmental impact statements, which are required of any similar building project.
- Foxconn will not face oversight from any federal, state, or local agency to guarantee it complies with our wetlands protection laws.
- Foxconn will be allowed to bypass the jurisdiction of state appellate courts, allowing it to appeal circuit court decisions directly to the corporate-friendly State Supreme Court.
“A state contract cannot legally exempt specific individuals or corporations from following the law.
“I will also challenge the agreement on the grounds that the state is unconstitutionally using its eminent domain powers to benefit Foxconn.
“During my conversations across the state, I have heard from Native American leaders that they are willing to assert their treaty rights to overturn the Foxconn deal, and as governor, I will discuss with them ways we can join those efforts.
“Additionally, I will discuss with the Attorney General of Illinois joining her suit against the EPA.
“Democrats in the gubernatorial race and the State Legislature say they are opposed to the Foxconn deal, but so far nobody else has outlined a strategy to stop it. I am proud to be the one who has.
“As I have said before, Foxconn is welcome to build its factory in Wisconsin and create jobs here, but not under the terms of Scott Walker’s costly, corrupt, and unconstitutional deal. As governor, I will not allow Foxconn to take our tax dollars or circumvent the laws everyone else has to follow.”
