MADISON – Assembly Representative Jacobson (D-Oregon) voted today against the 2023-2025 State Budget.
“I was incredibly disappointed, but not surprised, when over 500 Wisconsin-supporting measures were stripped from the Governor’s budget; programs that were meant to grow our families, communities, workforce, environment, healthcare, and much more. The end result: trading the support of kids and families for expensive tax cuts to the wealthiest people in our state.
“There are certainly some bright spots in this budget. I am glad to see that with our historic surplus, we are raising wages for public defenders and state employees; increasing funding for schools, communities, housing, and town roads; all while offering some tax relief to Wisconsinites.
“But, there are also clouds overshadowing those bright spots. So many initiatives that are important to Wisconsin’s current and future well-being, such as the Child Care Counts program, Medicaid expansion, and the Office of School Safety, were destroyed. And under some misguided idea of the meanings of diversity, equity, and inclusion, over $30 million dollars was cut from UW System funding.
“The budget that sits before us today neglects many people in Wisconsin. It neglects the priorities of most Wisconsinites. The goal of developing our state budget is to address and meet the needs of Wisconsinites; tonight that goal was forgotten by my colleagues in the name of partisan politics.”
