Contact: Logan Vidal
logan.vidal@legis.wisconsin.gov, (804) 350-5112
Fitchburg – In response to news that Foxconn no longer plans to build LCD screens at the Foxconn site in Racine, Rep. Anderson released the following statement:
“When the Foxconn project was announced, I was deeply skeptical of Scott Walker’s plan to shell out a record amount of taxpayer dollars to a foreign corporation. And once we learned how Wisconsinites would be on the hook for over $4 Billion dollars with only minimal accountability standards, I was outraged.
Even more concerning was that the WEDC was given carte blanche to oversee the deal. This is an agency with an abysmal track record on holding corporations accountable including an instance where they allowed state funds to be used to pay for the lease on a Maserati for a failing business. Now they are tasked with managing a multibillion dollar deal that imperils the entire state budget for decades to come? That means our schools, our roads, and health care for countless Wisconsinites is now at risk. We should be very concerned.
Especially now, after Foxconn’s recent statements, pointing to a significant scale back in the project. Wisconsin Republicans should have known better. Foxconn has broken its promises in Pennsylvania, Brazil, China, and now here in Wisconsin. Everywhere they’ve gone, they have exploited taxpayers to line their pockets. Governor Walker, in search of a moonshot for his gubernatorial campaign, sold the farm to Foxconn while selling Wisconsinites a bill of goods.
Republicans like Speaker Robin Vos treated those of us who raised concerns about Foxconn with derision and dismissed us as out of touch. It’s time we take seriously those who opposed this national race to the bottom where corporations pit state against state. We spoke truth to power in order to protect Wisconsin taxpayers and I hope more people listen the next time some corporation offers the impossible for the unreasonable.”
