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January 30, 2019 Rep. Chris Taylor, 608-266-5342
Evidence never supported Foxconn’s big promises
MADISON – Today, after months of statements scaling back their plans, Reuters reports that Foxconn Technology Group is abandoning manufacturing LCD panels at its 20-million square foot Wisconsin campus. Despite pie in the sky promises of 13,000 jobs, Foxconn failed to meet its hiring goal in 2018 and has jettisoned plans to create 5,200 jobs by 2020. This follows a global Foxconn pattern—failing to fulfill promises or abandoning plans completely all over the world, including Vietnam, India, Brazil, and Pennsylvania. In response, Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison) issued the following statement:
“Despite warnings from Democratic legislators, Robin Vos and Republican leaders recklessly pushed through a Foxconn scheme that lacked rigorous, independent economic analysis. Republican policy makers were willing to throw billions of taxpayer dollars at a corporation with a history of failing to deliver on too-good-to-be-true promises with little more than a wink and a nod, when we urged them to invest in home-grown small businesses and Wisconsin communities. Once again, instead of putting the people of Wisconsin first, Rep. Vos and his cohorts put their own political agenda first to distract from their failed agenda in an election year.
The results of the Foxconn debacle are devastating for the people of Wisconsin, who were promised many things in exchange for their hard earned tax dollars that will never be delivered. Thankfully, we now have a Governor whose first priority is the people of this state, rather than his own political career.”