FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 24th, 2023 

Contact: Senator Robert Cowles: (608) 266-0484 

Sen. Cowles Response to the State of the State Address

MADISON– Senator Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay) released the following statement in response to the Governor’s State of the State Address delivered this evening: 

“While some of the initiatives the Governor discussed tonight have long been bipartisan goals, I’m concerned by the long-term funding ambitions he appears to have with the state surplus. The current projected surplus of more than $6 billion may be very sizable, but we still do not know how much new money we could expect to see on an ongoing basis. More than likely, the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau will find that it’s a mix between ongoing funding and one-time money, but the question is how much of each. Committing funds from a surplus that includes one-time money to an ongoing expenditure is a risky move that I’ve seen play out before, and it often ends poorly for both state government and its taxpayers. While there are investments across Wisconsin that deserve to be made in the 2023-25 State Budget, the best investment the Legislature and the Governor can make is in fiscal prudence, both for future budget cycles and for future generations.”

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