Following is a statement from Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Martha Laning on the Assembly passing the budget early this morning and sending it to Scott Walker for his signature.
“Wisconsin’s budget is supposed to invest in policies that work to grow a stronger middle class that creates fairness and economic opportunity for all.
“The first and only consideration for every one of the $73 billion spent in this budget should be ‘How will this help people in Wisconsin and make our state a better place?’ Instead, this budget put Scott Walker’s presidential campaign and even a Republican legislator’s vacation to Mexico ahead of investing in Wisconsin’s middle class.
“But as bad as the ‘crap budget’ was when the Republican legislature got it, they made it even worse with a last minute sneak attack that further guts local control and drives down wages and standards for Wisconsin workers.
“Democrats in the Assembly and the Senate stood ready to work with their Republican colleagues to improve this incredibly difficult budget in a way that fixes the self-inflicted $2.2 billion deficit without heaping the burden on our middle class. Even though Republicans voted down every single one of the dozens of solutions Democrats offered, I’m grateful that Democrats in the legislature represented their constituents and our shared values by fighting for family-supporting jobs, public education, healthcare, and good, clean government.
“The budget is now with the governor, who has the mightiest veto powers in the country. Scott Walker could, if he wanted to, fix this budget and make it work for Wisconsin. Unfortunately, this disastrous budget is exactly what he wanted as he prepares to officially launch his presidential campaign on Monday – it’s full of massive giveaways to his special interest supporters at the expense of Wisconsin families and rams through a wishlist of non-fiscal conservative policies.”
