Assembly Speaker Robin Vos during a Madison event yesterday said “all tax cuts are good,” but knocked Tony Evers’ approach, saying the Dem guv’s budget would actually raise costs for Wisconsinites.
In announcing his budget, Evers focused on some $2 billion in tax relief, from efforts to hold down local property taxes to exempting residential energy from the sales tax. But Vos told a WisPolitics luncheon yesterday the spending hikes in the budget will lead to a net increase in the tax burden for Wisconsinites. The Rochester Republican added that the GOP majority intends to send a plan to Evers in advance of the budget that will use the surplus to actually reduce taxes.
While he didn’t lay out a specific plan, Vos said he’ll push for cuts that “people can actually feel.” Vos said that could include exempting retirement income from taxes, an idea he pushed last session. Vos didn’t rule out a tax rebate, before adding it was his “last option, but again all tax cuts are good.”
“There is no bad tax cut,” Vos said. “There’s some that are better than others. So I don’t think there’s any tax cuts that I couldn’t support, but I think there are some that are smarter, right, that have a better impact on the economy.”
Vos told reporters after the luncheon that he was meeting with Senate GOP leaders to discuss a plan.
Vos said he wouldn’t raise taxes for anyone, rejecting Evers’ proposal to raise the top tax bracket to 9.8% on income of more than $1 million for married couples and single filers. The state’s top bracket is now 7.65% and kicks in at $420,420 for married joint filers and $315,310 for individual filers.
The state is projected to finish the current fiscal year June 30 with a $4.3 billion surplus. Vos emphasized that it could be used for “one time things, or potentially, help to smooth over some of the other spending increases.”
An Evers’ spokesperson pointed to a statement the guv released Monday knocking Republicans for their opposition to his plan with a dig at Vos for saying previously “all tax cuts are good.”
“It defies logic that Republicans would oppose my plan while having no comprehensive plan of their own to help lower costs for folks across our state,” Evers said. “Wisconsinites have made it loud and clear they need a little extra breathing room in their household budgets, so I’ll be making the case for my plan to folks and families across our state, and I urge Republicans to support my comprehensive plan to lower costs and cut taxes for working families.”
Vos said it was a mistake for Evers’ to introduce his corrections proposal without first negotiating with GOP lawmakers.
Ahead of his budget, Evers called for a $535.5 million plan that would expand earned early release, revamp Waupun’s prison to focus on job training and close Green Bay’s facility by 2029. The plan calls for adding more positions to increase the number of prisoners who can access an existing earned release program for those who have substance abuse problems. The guv also wants to expand earned early release to include job training, patterning the proposal after a plan the Assembly approved last session.
While introducing his plan, Evers stressed it would be for non-violent offenders within 48 months of being released. His proposal would increase the capacity of the program from 2,600 to 6,000 over the biennium.
Vos said many Republicans support closing Green Bay, but don’t like the idea of letting prisoners out early. Still, Vos acknowledged that Wisconsin prisons are overcrowded and something must be done about it, though he didn’t say what his proposal would be.
Vos also said he supports job training for prisoners, but Evers’ plan for a “vocational village” at Waupun is “utopian” and he wants to work on something more realistic in line with current programs. He added that he hopes to learn more about this before Republicans put together their proposal.
Vos also:
- Praised Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s cost-cutting measures in the federal government, saying that he and the president are now “tight.” Following his 2020 loss, Trump repeatedly called on Vos to overturn Wisconsin’s election results despite multiple legal opinions that it wasn’t possible. Trump then backed Vos’ 2022 primary opponent as the speaker survived that race by 260 votes.
- Said he is happy Wisconsin hasn’t been “borrowing money” from the federal government for health care. Wisconsin is one of 10 states that did not take the federal Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, and House Republicans were set to vote on a budget resolution tonight that critics have said would lead to cuts in the program. “Thank goodness Wisconsin never expanded Medicaid,” Vos said.
- Again criticized legislation seeking to expand to 12 months Medicaid coverage for postpartum women. The state now covers 60 days, and a Senate Health Committee last week unanimously signed off on the bill, which cleared that chamber 32-1 last session. In his budget address, Evers declared, “One legislator should not be able to single-handedly obstruct a bill that’s supported by a super majority.” Vos yesterday said the bill wasn’t needed when it’s helping a category of people that already have Medicaid coverage.
- Said challenger Brittany Kinser is “definitely the best candidate on the ballot” in her race against state Superintendent Jill Underly. Vos praised Kinser’s support for school choice and willingness to work with the Legislature. Vos added that he doesn’t think he has ever met with Underly, which he said is not the “wisest” way to work with the Legislature.
- Said he hopes the state Supreme Court goes back to “normal” with a conservative majority. He argued that the current court is upending the balance of power in the state because Evers is using the court to change the rules. “So my hope is that people in Wisconsin see that putting all the power in the hands of the executive is bad for our republic, is bad for our state,” Vos said.
- Said there is “room for compromise” in Universities of Wisconsin funding. He said the GOP Legislature would likely, for example, give more money to UW if faculty had a heavier teaching load. “If we’re going to invest in the university, where is the money actually going to go?” Vos said. “Is it going to feed the administrative bloat we have seen over the last two decades? Or is it going to feed into making
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