Shut Down WEDC and Move Real Reforms Forward
“The Republican WEDC experiment is an outright failure.”
MADISON – Yesterday, it was reported that Governor Walker’s troubled job creation agency, WEDC, has illegally awarded over $21 million in tax credits since its creation in 2011. In response, Rep. Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point) released the following statement:
“The Republican WEDC experiment is an outright failure. WEDC has been marred by corruption for years, and now it’s come to light that the agency has illegally given away over $21 million in taxpayer money. No more excuses – it’s time to shut WEDC down.
“Legislative Democrats have repeatedly attempted to pass transparency and accountability measures for WEDC, all of which have been rejected by legislative Republicans. However, no amount of rebranding or reforms can fix an agency that is so deeply flawed to its core. There is little to no evidence that WEDC has done anything other than mismanage taxpayer money and act as a personal piggy bank for Walker’s campaign contributors. It’s clear that WEDC is beyond repair.
“With lagging job growth and massive layoffs across the state, we need real economic development reform. I support Rep. Barca and Sen. Lassa’s legislation to create the Department of Economic Opportunity and the Badger Innovation Corporation. I hope Republicans will join us and help create job security and opportunities for hard-working people to succeed.
“We also must crack down on the waste, fraud, and abuse of Wisconsin families’ tax dollars. I have authored legislation with Sen. Hansen and Rep. Taylor to make corporate welfare fraud a felony and create a waste, fraud and abuse hotline for economic development assistance fraud. I call on my Republican colleagues to move our legislation forward and act swiftly on real job creation and economic development. As we head into the holidays, the workers of our state deserve to know that the legislature is working for them, not flushing their hard-earned tax dollars down the drain.”
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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