% >> GOVERNOR EVERS CITED
% REPUBLICAN PUSHBACK AS HIS
% REASON FOR ABANDONING STATEWIDE
% GUIDELINES FOR REOPENING
% WISCONSIN.
% FOR REACTION, WE TALKED TO
% ASSEMBLY REPUBLICAN MAJORITY
% LEADER JIM STEINEKE.
% HE JOINED US EARLY THIS
% AFTERNOON.
% REPRESENTATIVE STEINEKE,
% THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
% >> ABSOLUTELY,
% THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
% >> DID THE MAJORITY REPUBLICANS
% IN WISCONSIN GET WHAT
% THEY WANTED WHEN GOVERNOR
% EVERS WITHDREW HIS CORONAVIRUS
% RULE PLAN?
% >> NO, I MEAN, I THINK WHAT WE
% WANTED ALL ALONG WAS THE
% ABILITY TO SIT DOWN AND CRAFT A
% PLAN TOGETHER AND UNFORTUNATELY
% AFTER THE SUPREME COURT CASE,
% THE GOVERNOR, IN OUR INITIAL
% CONVERSATION, PRETTY MUCH SAID
% THAT HE WAS PLANNING ON
% REINTRODUCING THE RULE AS HE HAS
% HAD IT BEFORE, WITHOUT REALLY
% GIVING US ANY INDICATION
% HE WAS GOING TO NEGOTIATE
% WITH US AND I THINK THAT'S KIND
% OF WHERE THINGS BROKE DOWN
% AND THAT'S WHERE-- WHY WE ENDED
% UP WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
% >> SO, IS THE STATUS QUO RIGHT
% NOW WITH COUNTIES IMPOSING
% THEIR OWN ORDERS OR NOT
% HOW THE MANAGEMENT OF THE
% PANDEMIC SHOULD PROCEED
% IN YOUR MIND?
% >> I THINK REALLY IT'S OUR BEST
% OPTION RIGHT NOW GIVEN THE FACT
% THAT THE ADMINISTRATION ISN'T
% REALLY WILLING TO WORK ON
% A MORE REGIONAL PLAN.
% SO HAVING THE LOCAL HEALTH
% DEPARTMENTS, WHO HAVE ALL OF THE
% SAME TOOLS THAT THE STATE DOES,
% HAVING THEM DO IT IN AREAS
% WHERE THERE ARE GREATER IMPACTS
% TO THE VIRUS THAN SOME OTHER
% AREAS, I THINK, DOES MAKE SOME
% SENSE AND WE'VE ARE ALSO SAID
% TO THE COUNTIES THAT IF THEY
% NEED ANY ADDITIONAL TOOLS OR IF
% THERE'S GAPS IN WHAT THEY'RE
% ABLE TO DO, THAT THEY NEED TO BE
% ABLE TO DO MORE WE'D BE HAPPY TO
% TALK TO THEM ABOUT THAT.
% >> SO AT THIS POINT, IT DOESN'T
% SEEM AS THOUGH THE LEGISLATURE
% WILL TAKE UP ANY KIND OF RULES?
% >> NO, I MEAN AGAIN WHAT WE'RE--
% WHAT WE UNDERSTAND IS THE COUNTY
% AND LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS
% HAVE THE TOOLS NECESSARY.
% THEY'RE-- THEY DEAL WITH
% INFECTIOUS DISEASES ON A REGULAR
% BASIS, MUCH LESS COVERED AND
% MUCH LESS OF A AN IMPACT THAN
% THE CORONAVIRUS IS, BUT THEY DO
% HAVE THE TOOLS AT THEIR
% DISPOSAL, AND ESPECIALLY IN A
% SITUATION LIKE THIS WHERE THE
% THE HOTSPOTS ARE LOCALIZED IN
% THIS STATE, I THINK IT'S A
% REASONABLE WAY TO ATTACK THIS.
% >> IT SEEMS FAIR TO SAY THAT THE
% COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE
% MAJORITY REPUBLICANS IN THE
% LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR ARE
% STRAINED, WITH YOUR LETTER
% SAYING THAT GOVERNOR EVERS WAS
% IGNORING NURSING HOMES COMING
% THE SAME TIME THAT HE ALLOCATED
% $100 MILLION DOLLARS TO THEM.
% WHAT IS GOING ON?
% >> YEAH, SO THAT WAS--
% THE LETTER WENT OUT BEFORE THEY
% MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
% I'M A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.
% NOW, THE FACT IS THAT 100
% MILLION DOLLARS, IT'S A STEP
% IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION SO I'M
% APPRECIATIVE AND I KNOW THE
% NURSING HOMES ARE THANKFUL
% TO GOVERNOR EVERS FOR PROVIDING
% THAT THROUGH THE CARES ACT,
% BUT THE FACT IS, IT IS A MUCH
% LARGER PROBLEM IN NURSING HOMES.
% 40% OF THE DEATHS COME FROM
% NURSING HOMES.
% ONLY 5% OF THE FEDERAL MONEY
% WENT TOWARDS THEM.
% THEY'RE GONNA NEED MUCH MORE
% INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE, AND
% I JUST WISH THE ADMINISTRATION
% HAD TALKED TO THEM ABOUT
% THEIR NEEDS BEFORE ANNOUNCING
% THE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.
% >> WELL, WILL THE MAJORITY
% LEGISLATURE DRAFT MEASURES TO
% SPEND ANY STATE MONEY FOR NEEDS
% OF THE PEOPLE LIKE THOSE NEEDS.
% EARLIER, YOU HAD SAID THAT YOU
% WANTED TO KIND OF WAIT AND SEE
% WHAT WAS COMING IN
% FROM THE FEDS.
% WELL, WE NOW KNOW THAT.
% >> YEP, SO THE TRUTH IS AND
% MOST PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE DON'T--
% THE STATE DOESN'T
% HAVE ANY MONEY..
% WE HAD AN 800 MILLION DOLLAR
% SURPLUS BEFORE THE VIRUS STRUCK.
% THAT'S ALL BUT BEEN WIPED AWAY.
% GOING FORWARD, WE'RE PROBABLY
% LOOKING AT DEFICITS.
% SO WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO
% SPEND MONEY THAT WE DON'T HAVE
% LIKE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOES
% SO WE HAVE TO BE REALLY FISCALLY
% CONSERVATIVE HERE GOING FORWARD
% TO MAKE SURE THAT
% WE'RE DOING THE RIGHT THINGS
% BECAUSE COME JANUARY 1ST, IF
% THERE ARE NO CHANGES, WE'RE
% PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE
% CUTS TO THE BUDGET SO WE JUST
% SIMPLY DON'T HAVE STATE MONEY
% TO SPEND RIGHT NOW.
% >> WHAT IS YOUR POSITION AS TO
% WHETHER OR NOT YOU WOULD LIKE
% FEDERAL MONEY TO COME INTO
% STATE GOVERNMENT COFFERS?
% >> YEAH, SO THE FEDERAL
% GOVERNMENT ALREADY GAVE
% WISCONSIN ABOUT TWO BILLION
% DOLLARS THROUGH THE INITIAL
% ROUND OF THE CARES ACT.
% THAT WAS A LARGE SUM OF MONEY
% AND I THINK AN IMPORTANT STEP.
% WHAT THEY DO GOING FORWARD,
% I'M NOT SURE THAT'S SOMETHING
% THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO THEN
% NEGOTIATE BUT WE'LL HAVE TO SEE.
% BUT RIGHT NOW I THINK WE HAVE TO
% UTILIZE THAT TWO BILLION DOLLARS
% IN A WAY THAT ASSUMES THAT
% WE WON'T BE GETTING MORE
% FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
% >> WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THOUGH
% FEDERAL MONEY COMING IN?
% >> ANY ADDITIONAL FEDERAL
% LEGISLATION THAT GOES
% DIRECTLY TO STATE GOVERNMENT,
% LIKE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS.
% AS LONG AS IT IS DEALING
% STRICTLY WITH DOLLARS
% GOING FOR COVID RELIEF,
% SO WE'RE NOT PAYING FOR
% THE MISTAKES OF STATE
% GOVERNMENTS OVER THE COURSE
% OF A NUMBER OF YEARS
% AND BAD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES.
% BUT IF WE'RE IF WE'RE TALKING
% ABOUT JUST MONEY TO HELP
% SUPPORT THE RELIEF EFFORTS FOR
% THE COVID-19 CRISIS, I'M ALL IN
% FAVOR OF THAT, BUT I'M NOT IN
% FAVOR OF PROPPING UP GOVERNMENTS
% WHO MADE BAD MISTAKES IN THE
% PAST.
% >> ALL RIGHT MAJORITY LEADER,
% JIM STEINEKE, THANKS VERY MUCH
% FOR BEING HERE.
% >> ABSOLUTELY, THANK YOU.