State Sen. Kelda Roys, a member of the Legislature’s budget-writing committee, says Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed 20% spending increase is not only responsible but needed.
“I would go as far as to say, let’s look at the context here,” the Madison Dem said on WISN’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “This budget helps repair some of the damage done by 15 years of Republican incompetence and financial mismanagement, debasing our tax structure and underfunding our most critical public services like K-12 schools and the universities.”
Roys said Dems, who are in the minority both in the Legislature and on the Joint Finance Committee, will work to tout Evers’ proposal through the budget-writing process. His plan includes a new tax bracket and tax increase for the wealthiest Wisconsinites.
“We need to have public services,” Roys said. “If we just cut taxes for everybody, including the wealthiest, who have, by the way, already enjoyed many years of far reduced taxes, then we don’t have the money to keep our public schools open.”
Roys said Dems won’t back a stand-alone tax cut bill that Republicans may propose ahead of passing the budget.
“It’s like everything that they see is a nail,” Roys said. “They’ve got one tool. It is tax breaks for the wealthiest, and to do that outside of the context of the state budget would be incredibly irresponsible, and I would not support that.”
State Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, says he wants lawmakers to consider using some of the state’s projected $4.3 billion state surplus to pay for a major prison reform package spurred by Evers’ budget plan.
“We don’t know what the governor is thinking as far as funding this,” Wanggaard, chair of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, told “UpFront.” “We have a 4 point, almost $5 billion surplus that is sitting there, and those dollars should go back to, I think, to the taxpayer, and I think that’ll happen if they use some of that one-time money to maybe fund the prison project.”
Evers’ plan would close Green Bay Correctional Institution by 2029, modernize Waupun and convert Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake into adult facilities.
“We’re still going through those details, and a lot of the details for this prison reformation isn’t detailed in that process of how do you do it, what the strategy is going to be on how you get there,” Wanggaard said. “How do you close Green Bay? There’s a couple thousand prisoners there. They got to go someplace, and turning the spigot on and just letting people out early, that is not going to fly. That is definitely dead.
“It’s not a bad idea to get more people into the community, but looking at the governor’s plan, as we went through it and looked at it, it looks at cutting in half that supervision time that they’d be supervised,” Wanggaard added. “Well, that’s not going to happen.”
Tom Barrett, the former U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg and former Milwaukee mayor, says he isn’t ruling out another role in politics but won’t run for governor if Evers doesn’t seek reelection.
“I think that ship has sailed,” the former gubernatorial candidate told “UpFront.” “That’s what my gut tells me, but I think he’s doing a great job. I hope he runs again.”
Barrett served in Luxembourg during the Biden administration and is revealing details about how concerned European leaders were about Biden’s age before he dropped out of the race last summer.
“A year ago, prior to when he left the race, there was certainly that concern,” Barrett said. “There was a feeling that his heart was in the right place, that he wanted to maintain this strong relationship, but there was a lot of concern about whether physically he was up to the job.”
“I did not watch the debate,” Barrett added. “I haven’t watched the debate because I just had concerns. Now I will say that the interactions that I had with him during my time as ambassador, which were few, two or three, he was sharp as a tack, so clearly there was something going on there.”
Barrett also criticized the first month of the Trump administration.
“I have to say, and this might sound caustic to some, it almost appears as though President Trump in eight weeks wants to destroy the goodwill that took us 80 years to build,” Barrett said referring to the post World War II period. “There is a huge concern right now in Europe as to what this long-term deep, deep, deep friendship between the United States and the European Union will become if instead of wanting to look to the European Union as an ally, President Trump wants to look to Russia or North Korea or wherever. So I’d be lying if I didn’t say there’s huge concern there right now.”
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