Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address Highlighting 2025-27 Budget Investments to Bolster the State’s Workforce

Audio File of Radio Address.

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered his weekly radio address urging continued statewide investments that build upon the Evers Administration’s efforts over the past six years to address the state’s generational workforce challenges and build a workforce prepared to meet the needs of a 21st-century economy by making smart, strategic investments in key sectors.

Throughout the week, Gov. Evers and Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary Amy Pechacek have been traveling across the state, highlighting Gov. Evers’ 2025-27 Executive Budget investments and their work to build on the forward momentum of Wisconsin’s workforce success during 2024 the Year of the Worker.

Last week, the state’s Republican-controlled budget committee voted to gut more than 600 proposals from the governor’s 2025-27 budget, including several workforce-related proposals. The governor’s 2025-27 budget would have built upon his administration’s work to support the state’s workforce. Instead, last week Republicans voted to gut:

• Efforts to reduce barriers to work and expand job training opportunities by reestablishing the successful Workforce Innovation Grant Program;
• Grants to local organizations to address local workforce needs and barriers to work;
• Investments in the state’s Registered Apprenticeship Program and Fast Forward workforce training opportunities for in-demand fields, including artificial intelligence, teacher apprenticeships, and green jobs training; and
• Supports to connect workers to jobs, including the highly successful Worker Connection Pilot Program and Youth-to-Registered Apprenticeship supports; and
• Proposals to restore collective bargaining rights and prevailing wage protections, repeal right to work, and bolster protections relating to wage theft, worker misclassification, and project labor agreements.

The governor’s budget would have also provided most private sector workers in Wisconsin with paid family and medical leave for eight weeks and expanded eligibility to ensure parents and families had the flexibility to meet their personal, family members’, or kids’ needs—a proposal that over 70 percent of Wisconsinites support.

Hey there, folks. Governor Tony Evers here.

I declared 2024 the Year of the Worker in Wisconsin because I want addressing the workforce challenges that plagued our state for generations to be a top priority.

And the results speak for themselves.

We had historically low unemployment and eight consecutive months of record-high employment.

We also saw record-high enrollment in both our Registered and Youth Apprenticeship programs and launched the state’s first-ever Teacher Apprenticeship Program.

We had a heck of a year in 2024, but just because the Year of the Worker is over doesn’t mean that we’re going to slow down in 2025.

That’s why I put forth a budget that made bold investments to bolster our workforce and ensure Wisconsin’s prosperity can continue into the future.

Unfortunately, while employers are still struggling to find workers and our state continues to see generational workforce shortages, Republican lawmakers gut my budget plans to bolster our workforce in key industries.

Republican members of the state’s budget committee voted to gut:

• Grants to local organizations to address local workforce needs and barriers to work;
• Investments in our state’s Registered Apprenticeship Program and Fast Forward workforce training opportunities, including AI and teaching; and
• Supports to connect workers to jobs, including the highly successful Worker Connection Pilot Program and Youth-to-Registered Apprenticeship supports.

And they gut key plans to support working parents, like providing paid family and medical leave and investing in child care to make it more affordable and accessible.

The most frustrating part for me as governor is that Republicans consistently reject basic, commonsense proposals that can help kids, families, and Wisconsinites across our state.

And they have yet to offer any real or meaningful plans of their own to address the pressing issues facing our state.

From axing middle-class tax cuts and property tax relief to stripping out investments to clean up our water and feed hungry kids, Republicans gutted over 600 proposals from our budget.

Republicans need to get serious about getting things done.

Thank you.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.