Wisconsin Republicans Are Failing The “WI Smell Test”

A whole lot of Wisconsinites are cheesed off over how the state budget is coming together.

Here’s the deal:

The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee — made up of the senators and representatives who will write a state budget bill — recently held four, day-long public hearings across Wisconsin.

The overwhelming amount of public comments supported funding for programs that have bipartisan support, but are not likely to be included by majority Republicans in the final bill.

In response, a coalition of groups sponsored a lobbying day at the Capitol to remind lawmakers of what they should be supporting and to ask Gov. Tony Evers to veto the full budget bill if the GOP version fails to provide adequate support for things like public schools, health care, child care, and more.

“Stop playing political games” — that’s the message Heather DuBois Bourenane delivered to the Wisconsin Legislature on our radio show this week.

DuBois Bourenane spoke to us after a few hundred citizen-lobbyists roamed the state Capitol on Tuesday with messages of support for public schools, health care, child care, and other priorities that were repeatedly mentioned during last month’s public hearings before the Joint Finance Committee.

A coalition of groups organized the event, centered on a request of Gov. Tony Evers: If the Republican version of a state budget bill doesn’t adequately fund these important public services, veto the entire budget bill instead of trying to fix it with partial vetoes.

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