MADISON, Wis. — Despite a historic $7 billion surplus, Republican politicians on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee today rejected more than 540 budget provisions advanced by Governor Evers to address the challenges and priorities of Wisconsin’s working families.
Here are a few of the key priorities Republican politicians in Madison stripped from Governor Evers’ budget: 10 Percent Income Tax
- Cut For Wisconsin’s Middle Class. Governor Evers’ budget built on his success delivering billions in tax relief for Wisconsin’s working families and small businesses by cutting taxes by 10 percent for single filers making $100,000 or less and married-joint filers making $150,000 or less.
- Bolster Wisconsin’s Workforce. Rather than loosen Wisconsin’s child labor laws as the GOP has proposed, Governor Evers’ budget addressed Wisconsin’s workforce challenges the right way—investing $500 million into programs to bring new workers to our state, invest in new infrastructure and meet the challenges of a 21st century economy.
- Fully Expanding Medicaid. The decades-long Republican refusal to fully expand Medicaid has made Wisconsin a national outlier. Expanding Medicaid would extend coverage to nearly 90,000 Wisconsinites while generating $1.6 billion in savings thanks to enhanced federal investments.
- Paid Family & Medical Leave. More than 70 percent of Wisconsinites support providing family leave for new parents. Governor Evers’ budget would have provided 12 weeks of leave for new parents to bond with their babies, as well as medical leave for those dealing with unexpected illnesses or family emergencies.
- Cap Insulin Costs At $35 A Month. Governor Evers’ budget took broad action to lower prescription drug prices, increase transparency and protect consumers by capping copays on insulin at $35 a month, as well as increase transparency in the drug supply chain and pharmaceutical industry.
- More Than $270 Million To Address Student Mental Health. Governor Evers’ budget invested in student mental health to ensure every school district has a full-time mental health professional on staff to help address Wisconsin’s youth mental health crisis.
- Universal School Breakfast. Governor Evers’ budget helped our kids stay focused on their studies by funding a healthy breakfast and lunch for every student, regardless of income.
- $300 Million For Lead Pipe Replacement And Remediation. Governor Evers’ budget continued the work of replacing lead pipes and laterals across Wisconsin. Despite research showing Wisconsin kids suffer from lead poisoning at double the national rate, Republican politicians in Madison have repeatedly obstructed efforts to address this crisis.
- More Than $100 Million To Get PFAS Out Of Our Drinking Water. Governor Evers’ budget proposed taking a three-pronged approach to confront PFAS and get these chemicals out of our water, including increased testing, sampling, and statewide monitoring.
