>> WHAT A YEAR IT'S BEEN.
AND WHAT WILL THE NEW YEAR
BRING?
THE WORLD OF POLITICS AND POLICY
IN 2020 BECAME INEXTRICABLY
LINKED TO THE HEALTH AND WELFARE
OF PEOPLE STRICKEN BY COVID-19.
WISCONSIN HAS WEATHERED MORE
THAN ITS SHARE OF HARDSHIP AND
CONTENTION.
TONIGHT WE SPEAK WITH GOVERNOR
TONY EVERS TO LOOK AHEAD TO 2021
AND TAKE A LOOK BACK.
AND, GOVERNOR, THANKS ONCE AGAIN
FOR JOINING US.
>> THANKS, FREDERICA.
GOOD TO BE BACK.
>> AT THE HELM OF STATE RESPONSE
TO COVID-19 OVER THE LAST YEAR,
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT
THAT'S BEEN LIKE AS CHIEF
EXECUTIVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN?
>> YEAH.
IT'S BEEN AN HONOR AND, FRANKLY,
GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WE
DEALT WITH, THE PANDEMIC ITSELF
AND THEN THE POLITICAL
ATMOSPHERE AROUND IT AND THE
DEFEATS WE HAD IN THE SUPREME
COURT, I AM REALLY PROUD OF THE
PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN.
YOU KNOW, IT WASN'T EASY.
IT SHOWED THE RESILIENCE OF THE
PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, I'M SO PLEASED THAT
OUR ADMINISTRATION WORKED 24/7
TO GET FEDERAL MONEY OUT TO
PEOPLE THAT WERE STRUGGLING ALL
ACROSS THE STATE, SMALL BUSINESS
OWNERS, FARMERS.
NATIONAL GUARD WORKED -- YOU
KNOW, THEY BECAME JUST
INVALUABLE PARTNERS.
AND YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS
AND NEIGHBORS FROM THE GUARD AND
FROM YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
THOSE PEOPLE DESERVE OUR --
ALWAYS OUR THANKS.
AND SO IT WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY
YEAR.
I WAS PROUD OF THE RESILIENCE
THAT WE'VE SEEN.
AND OUR ABILITY UNDER REALLY
DIFFICULT SITUATIONS AS A
GOVERNMENT, AS A STATE
GOVERNMENT, TO MOVE BEYOND,
FRANKLY, THE MISTAKES THAT THE
SUPREME COURT MADE IN OUR
INABILITY TO MITIGATE LIKE OTHER
GOVERNORS COULD DO TO GET THE
CONTACT TRACING DONE, GET THE
THINGS IN THE FIELD AROUND
TESTING, PPE, ALL THOSE THINGS.
WE DID AN AMAZING JOB AND I'M SO
THANKFUL FOR ALL THE PEOPLE IN
THE STATE AND IN STATE
GOVERNMENT THAT DID THAT GREAT
WORK.
>> ANYTHING YOU WOULD HAVE DONE
DIFFERENTLY?
>> CERTAINLY THIS LAST YEAR AS
IT RELATES TO THE PANDEMIC, YOU
KNOW, LIKE I SAID, I WISH WE HAD
MORE ABILITY TO MITIGATE LIKE
OTHER GOVERNORS HAD.
AND FRANKLY I THINK THAT
INABILITY ACTUALLY DID COST US
LIVES AND NUMBERS OF PEOPLE THAT
GOT THE DISEASE.
BUT I'M DISAPPOINTED THAT WE
WERE UNABLE TO CONVINCE THE
LEGISLATURE TO COME IN AND TALK
ABOUT POLICING AND
ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY
IN THAT SPECIAL SESSION.
THAT WAS REALLY NEEDED.
IT WAS NEEDED TO SEND A MESSAGE
TO THE STATE THAT THIS IS
IMPORTANT WORK.
AND, FRANKLY, EVEN BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC, ON THE AG SPECIAL
SESSION WE GOT NO HELP THERE.
THOSE ARE DISAPPOINTMENTS AND
HOPEFULLY WE CAN CORRECT THOSE
GOING FORWARD.
>> NOW, DIRECT AID TO STATE AND
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WAS LEFT OUT
OF THE LATEST COVID STIMULUS
PACKAGE OUT OF WASHINGTON.
YOU'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THAT
NEED OVER THE MONTHS.
HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT DIRECT AID
TO GOVERNMENTS?
>> IT'S CRITICAL.
AND I'LL PINCH HIT HERE FOR OUR
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.
OBVIOUSLY AT THE STATE
GOVERNMENT, THE REVENUES THAT WE
WOULD NORMALLY GET ARE NOT
THERE.
BUT AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, IT'S
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
I DON'T CARE THE SMALLEST COUNTY
OR THE MOST POPULATED COUNTY.
THEY HAD COSTS THAT THEY NEVER
EXPECTED TO HAVE.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S THE ONLY
WAY THAT THEY CAN BE MADE WHOLE.
SO I KNOW THAT PRESIDENT-ELECT
BIDEN KNOWS THESE THINGS AND
HE'LL BE PUSHING FOR THAT IN THE
NEXT STIMULUS PACKAGE.
>> NOW, ANY NEW FUNDS FROM THE
FEDS FOR THINGS LIKE COVID
VACCINES WILL HELP BUFFER THE
TOUGHEST STATE BUDGET SINCE
2011.
HOW ACCURATE IS THAT DESCRIPTION
OF THE STATE BUDGE?
>> IT'S DIFFICULT.
I'M HOPEFUL WE CAN WORK ON
PRIORITIES THAT WERE ALWAYS MY
PRIORITIES AND FRANKLY THE
PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN AND THAT'S
MAKING SURE HEALTH CARE IS AS
BUOYANT AS POSSIBLE, MAKING SURE
WE HAVE A GREAT EDUCATION
SYSTEM, MAKE SURE WE HAVE GOOD
ROADS AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE
INCLUDING BROADBAND.
THE WORLD DIDN'T END WITH
COVID-19.
WE STILL HAVE LOTS OF NEEDS IN
THIS STATE AND WE WILL -- WE'LL
PUSH HARD TO ADDRESS THOSE IN A
REALLY FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE WAY.
>> CAN YOU AND REPUBLICAN
LEADERS POSSIBLY FIND A WAY TO
WORK TOGETHER ON A DIFFICULT
BUDGET AND COVID RESPONSE?
>> I HOPE SO.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE
HAVE TO COME TO SOME AGREEMENT.
LAST TIME, IT TOOK THE -- WE PUT
OUR PROPOSAL OUT THERE, THEY HAD
THEIR PROPOSAL, AND EVENTUALLY
IT ENDED UP SOMEPLACE IN BETWEEN
BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT THEY HAD
TO AGREE TO SOME OF THE THINGS
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IN THE
EDUCATION AND SO ON.
SO REGARDLESS, WE'RE GOING TO
HAVE TO HAVE A BUDGET AND WE
WILL HAVE A BUDGET NO MATTER HOW
WE NEGOTIATE OR, FRANKLY, DON'T
NEGOTIATE.
AND I'M HOPEFUL.
WE WILL GET THERE.
I'M AN OPTIMIST ABOUT THESE
THINGS AND BOTH THE LEADER --
BOTH LEADERS IN THE SENATE AND
THE ASSEMBLY UNDERSTAND THAT WE
HAVE TO HAVE GOOD GOVERNMENT IN
ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD AND WE
HAVE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE
PEOPLE TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO WE'LL -- THERE WILL BE
BATTLES.
THERE WILL BE SHOTS SHOT ACROSS
THE BOW ALL THE TIME.
I UNDERSTAND THE POLITICS OF IT.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE
HAVE TO HAVE A BUDGET.
>> ALL RIGHT.
GOVERNOR TONY EVERS, THANK YOU
VERY MUCH.
>>