In A Single Vote, Republicans Strip More Than 600 Items From Evers’ Budget

Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, pictured in 2023, co-chairs the Legislature’s powerful budget committee. Amena Saleh/Wisconsin Watch

Republicans took their first step toward rewriting Wisconsin’s state budget Thursday, eliminating with a single vote more than 600 ideas proposed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

The move by the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee has become routine as a matter of practice in Wisconsin, where Republicans have run the Legislature during Evers’ entire tenure as governor. But Thursday’s vote was still dramatic in scope, leaving a budget far different than the one Evers introduced to lawmakers in February.

The list of provisions rejected by Republicans included some cornerstones of the governor’s budget. The list included Evers’ proposal to create a $442 million state-funded Child Care Counts program to replace a federal subsidy expiring in June. Without state help, Democrats have argued, some child care centers could close, and parents will either have to pay higher rates or elect not to work.

“These are choices that we shouldn’t have to make,” said Sen. LaTonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee. “But we are, and as of today, we have nothing in place.”

In all, Republicans eliminated 612 budget provisions introduced by Evers, topping the 545 they pulled from the budget two years ago.

GOP lawmakers said their approach was a response to Evers introducing unrealistic budgets. Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, noted the governor’s budget would have grown overall spending by more than 20 percent, grown the state workforce by 1,300 positions and increased taxes by $3.2 billion.

“When I’ve talked to my constituents about the process, they are totally supportive of us not starting from this inflated budget,” Marklein said.

While Republicans could still, in theory, revive some of these proposals, many are likely dead for this legislative session. For example, this is the fourth budget in a row that Evers has proposed expanding Medicaid to qualify for increased federal funding. Each time, Republicans have rejected him.

Evers has also used the budget on multiple occasions to call for the full legalization of recreational marijuana. That was among items Republicans pulled from this budget, and while GOP leaders have said they’re working on a more limited medical marijuana bill, they’ve had a hard time finding consensus.

There are new additions to the cuts. Evers’ latest budget proposed spending $13 million in state funds on an Office of Violence Prevention. Evers created the office in January to respond to gun violence following the Abundant Life Christian School shooting in Madison.

“We all know that gun safety measures are supported by about 80 percent of Wisconsin voters, yet we’re cutting the Office of Violence Prevention,” said Rep. Deb Andraca, D-Whitefish Bay.

Even after Thursday’s vote, major pieces of the budget remain undecided. Republicans and Evers have met to discuss tax cuts. And Republicans have yet to say how much they plan to spend on education, which Evers put front-and-center in his own budget.

“So just because we didn’t accept one idea on how to accomplish a goal … doesn’t mean that when we build this budget over the next couple of months, we won’t impact those areas in positive and significant ways,” said Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, in a media briefing before the vote.

Republicans will now begin the process of crafting the budget piece by piece in the finance committee. The full Assembly and Senate have to agree on an identical version of the budget before it’s sent to Evers, who can use his partial veto pen to make changes.

On day 1 of votes, Wisconsin Republicans cut over 600 items from Gov. Tony Evers’ budget was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.