MADISON, Wis. — On May 8th, the Republican majority on the Joint Finance committee removed 612 items from the proposed state budget. These items included funding for veterans, childcare, and Medicaid.
Representative Randy Udell (D-Fitchburg) released the following statement:
“Today, Wisconsin Republicans have demonstrated that they do not hear the feedback or priorities of Wisconsin residents. Legislators like myself have been attending budget listening sessions since early April to gather community feedback. And nobody – nobody – asked me to oppose clean water grants, childcare relief, or medical support for the elderly.
“Programs meticulously developed with stakeholders and agencies have been gutted. A migrant seasonal farm work program? Gone. Systemic reforms to lower prescription drug prices? Gone. Bare-minimum childcare stabilization needed to protect 87,000 childcare slots across the state? You guessed it, gone.
“Wisconsin’s government has a $3 billion surplus from tax revenue, yet legislative Republicans would rather send school districts to referendum than invest in our hard-working communities. It is ridiculous. This is your hard-earned money, withheld against the will and the good of the people.”
