MADISON – Today, the Republican majority on the Joint Finance Committee voted to strip hundreds of crucial provisions from Governor Tony Evers’s 2023-2025 state budget proposal. Republicans passed a motion on party lines to return the budget to the “base budget” – or the 2021-2023 budget. Republicans also passed a motion that removed 545 of Governor Evers’s proposals from further consideration in this session’s budget process, including: BadgerCare expansion, property tax relief for veterans and seniors, marijuana legalization, school-based mental health programs, common-sense gun safety measures, PFAS standards, paid family and medical leave provisions, and more.
After the Joint Finance Committee’s vote, Senator Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) released the following statement:
“Our state has a more than $7 billion surplus and a crucial opportunity to invest in the people of Wisconsin. Removing hundreds of budget items in one motion is irresponsible and shameful. Each of these items deserves discussion and debate in the Joint Finance Committee. I am deeply disappointed that legislative Republicans are preventing Wisconsin residents from having their voices heard.
“Just last night, I joined other legislative Democrats and Wisconsinites for a virtual budget listening session. I heard directly from people all over the state about the importance of ensuring that healthcare and child care are affordable and accessible for all Wisconsinites, investing in our schools and students, and supporting local governments and communities.
“Our state budget must reflect our values and priorities. A majority of Wisconsinites support expanding BadgerCare, funding school-based mental health programs, passing common-sense gun safety measures, and legalizing marijuana. By stripping the Governor’s budget proposal back to base budget and by removing policies like this from future consideration, legislative Republicans are ignoring the will of the people of our state and silencing their voices. We should be discussing these policies in committee and on the floor. The people of Wisconsin deserve better. My Democratic colleagues and I will continue to fight for issues that matter to the people of our state.”
