Madison, WI – Today, the Wisconsin Legislature finalized the 2025-27 State Budget. Rep. Allen released the following statement:
“As a legislator committed to fiscal responsibility and the well-being of Wisconsinites, I could not support this state budget. It fails to uphold our principles of limited government, prudent spending, and prioritizing core government functions.
“This budget increases spending by over 12%—an unsustainable hike most Wisconsin families could not afford in their own budgets. Our state faces a housing affordability crisis and this budget makes matters worse with property taxes projected to rise 4.9% and 9% over the next two years. These increases will hit young families and seniors the hardest, making homeownership and financial stability elusive.
“Worse, the budget exploits an obscure federal law to boost hospital assessments, enriching hospitals and pulling in millions of dollars in federal reimbursements. This gimmick inflates our budget while adding to the federal debt—a reckless and irresponsible move that contradicts our commitment to fiscal prudence. Even with this influx, the budget leaves a $1.2 billion structural deficit.
“Public safety, the core function of government, is shortchanged. Rarely in government do we have a workload analysis like we do in the case of state prosecutors. Despite clear evidence from the analysis showing our District Attorney’s offices need more prosecutors to keep our communities safe, this budget funds only 80% of the necessary workforce and leaves Waukesha County as one of a handful of counties to be significantly understaffed.
“Allocating less than 2% of general program revenue (GPR) to public safety while claiming it’s a priority is indefensible. Our Assistant District Attorneys are on the front line, and underfunding them undermines the safety of every Wisconsinite.
“Some may try to paint a silver lining into this budget, but we all know that a lining is no good if it is full of holes.
“The Governor and Legislature should have done better for Wisconsin.”
