Senator Habush Sinykin Statement on the Special Session
MADISON, WI — Yesterday the Wisconsin State Senate convened in a Special Session to vote on a deal negotiated between Governor Evers and Republican leaders to spend the state’s surplus dollars, which would have resulted in a $2.9 billion deficit by the end of the 2027-29 budget cycle. Senator Habush Sinykin (D-Whitefish Bay) voted against the proposal and released the following statement:
“This deal was negotiated between Governor Evers and legislative Republican leaders, with Senate Democrats and the public receiving merely two and a half days to vet nearly $2 billion in taxpayer spending—a patently inadequate amount of time to fully assess the deal’s potential long-term impacts on our state’s economy and fiscal standing. As a Wisconsin business owner for over 30 years, this raised an immediate red flag.
“Further, what we know is that Wisconsin families are facing a real affordability crisis, with rising costs for gas, groceries, housing, child care, and property taxes, while our public schools have been underfunded for two decades. And yet, this deal failed to address the underlying drivers or causes of the affordability challenges facing most Wisconsinites. For one, the proposed tax rebates would have excluded more than 1 million Wisconsinites, including seniors on Social Security and low-income families.
“I voted no because this proposed deal wasn’t the right vehicle, not because I oppose its goals. I support increasing special education funding, fixing the school funding formula, and delivering meaningful property tax relief—and I voted for eliminating tax on overtime pay this session.
“Above all, as a fiscally responsible person, what concerned me most was that this deal put Wisconsin on track to experience a nearly $3 billion deficit at a time when we are facing increasingly uncertain economic conditions at the national and state level.
“Since the State Senate adjourned in March, I have been calling for the Legislature to return to address urgent unfinished business: to prevent the termination of both Child Care Counts funding and the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, to pass guardrails on data centers, increase special education funding, and deliver meaningful property tax relief. I remain committed to advancing these priorities.
“While it is very difficult to say no to initiatives that I care deeply about, we cannot continue treating the symptoms of Wisconsin’s affordability and school funding challenges while ignoring their underlying causes. Wisconsin needs thoughtful, long-term structural solutions that support our public schools and communities and make our state more affordable and economically competitive for years to come.”
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.
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