MADISON, WI – State Rep. Dave Armstrong (R-Rice Lake) joined his legislative colleagues on the evening of February 18 to hear Governor Tony Evers’ 2025-2027 state budget address.
“While Governor Evers talks a good game about wanting to cut taxes, make no mistake that Wisconsin would not be in the strong fiscal position it’s in if not for legislative Republicans consistently standing up to the Governor in past sessions and crafting budgets that fund Wisconsin priorities without burdening Wisconsin families.
“My legislative colleagues and I recognize that a large portion Wisconsin’s current budget surplus is one-time money, and it would be irresponsible to use those funds for new or ongoing programs that will leave Wisconsin taxpayers on the hook down the road.
“There are certainly some broad issue areas Governor Evers mentioned on which Democrats and Republicans should be able to agree. For example, I found some of his proposed insurance reforms interesting. However, the devil is in the details, as is often the case with the Governor’s budget proposals. The Governor also doesn’t get the consensus process off to a great start by larding his budget with liberal nonstarters, and he continues to include nonfiscal policy items that, regardless of merit, should not be in a budget document and should instead be introduced as standalone legislation where they can be properly vetted by the appropriate legislative committees.
“All that said, I look forward into digging into the Governor’s proposals, collecting feedback from residents of the 67th Assembly District, and working with my fellow legislators to create a budget that truly represents Wisconsin interests. The Governor’s budget address is only the first step.”
