OF THE AISLE AND HEAD TO
OSHKOSH.
THAT'S WHERE WE ARE JOINED BY
ASSEMBLY MINORITY LEADER
DEMOCRAT GORDON HINTZ.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> HAPPY TO BE HERE.
>> YOU SAID THE REPUBLICAN BILLS
TO TAKE CONTROL OF HOW TO SPEND
SOME $2.7 BILLION OF THE
STIMULUS MONEY IS DESIGNED TO,
QUOTE, SCORE POLITICAL POINTS.
HOW SO?
>> WELL, FIRST OFF, I THINK
GOVERNOR EVERS HAS DONE A
TREMENDOUS JOB, A NONPOLITICAL
JOB, TRYING TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS
OF OUR STATE, BOTH DURING THE
HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC, COMING
OUT OF THE PANDEMIC AND BY
INTRODUCING A BUDGET THAT REALLY
TRIES TO TURN THE CORNER BOTH ON
THE PUBLIC HEALTH SIDE AND THE
ECONOMY.
AND WITH THE AMERICAN RESCUE
PLAN ACT, WE EXPECT MORE OF THE
SAME.
IT'S THAT KIND OF DISCRETION
THAT I THINK WE NEED WHERE WE
DON'T NEED THE MICROMANAGING AND
POLITICIZING EACH OF THESE
DECISIONS.
LEGISLATIVE REPUBLICANS REFUSE
TO ACT FOR THE LAST NINE MONTHS
HEADING UP INTO THIS SYTION SESSION
STARTING AND A WEEK AGO
INTRODUCED THESE BILLS THAT WHEN
YOU LOOK AT THEIR TRACK RECORD
SINCE GOVERNOR EVERS HAS BEEN
ELECTED, THEIR PRIORITY SEEMS TO
BE TO TRY TO THWART, SUE, STOP,
MAKE THE GOVERNOR LOOK BAD.
I DON'T THINK THE PUBLIC HAS ANY
APPETITE FOR THIS AT A TIME WHEN
WE SHOULD BE MANAGING THE
CRISIS.
>> WHAT ABOUT THE ARGUMENT THAT
REPUBLICAN BUDGET WRITERS NEED
TO KNOW WHERE THIS MONEY CAN BE
PLUGGED IN AS THEY TRY TO
RECRAFT THE BUDGET?
>> WELL, I MEAN, I THINK A LOT
OF US HAVE THOSE QUESTIONS AS
WELL, BUT REMEMBER SOME OF THE
REPUBLICAN ATTEMPTS THAT WERE
INTRODUCED MAY NOT ACTUALLY BE
COMPLIANT WITH WHAT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT IS ASKING FOR IN
TERMS OF WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO
ALLOW.
THIS IS ONE-TIME MONEY.
I THINK THE GOVERNOR IS SLOAFLY
RELEASING VERY DELIBERATE
CONSIDERATIONS ON WHAT CAN BEST
HELP ADDRESS COVID AND BUILD
BACK OUR ECONOMY.
THE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF $100
MILLION FOR THE ECONOMY IS
SOMETHING.
I THINK THERE WILL BE
DISCUSSIONS ABOUT
INFRASTRUCTURE, BROADBAND, SOME
OF THOSE THINGS.
I THINK WE WILL KNOW A LOT THAT
PRIOR TO THE DELIBERATIONS THE
FINANCE COMMITTEEMENT BUT I
DON'T THINK THAT'S WHAT WAS
GOING ON WITH THE PROPOSAL BY
THE REPUBLICANS.
THIS WAS JUST SORT OF MORE OF
THE SAME, TRYING TO COME AT
GOVERNOR EVERS POE LITALLY.
>> WOULDN'T THIS REQUIRE WORKING
ACROSS THE IEFL
ACROSS THE AISLE AS WISCONSIN
TRIES TO RECOVER?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
ONE OF THE MOMENTS WE HAD WAS
LAST APRIL WHERE WE HAD A NEAR
UNANIMOUS COVID PACKAGE THAT WE
WERVEGD HARD ON TOGETHER, SIGNED
INTO LAW BY GOVERNOR EVERS.
I THINK THERE WAS HOPE OVER THE
LAST YEAR THAT THAT WOULD
SOMEWHAT CONTINUE.
AND I THINK IT'S POSSIBLE NOW.
AND THAT'S WHAT I MEAN.
IF THERE ARE IDEAS OR QUESTIONS
OR SUGGESTIONS, WHY REACH OUT TO
THE ADMINISTRATION OR THE
AGENCIES.
BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO
UNDERSTAND JUST LIKE THE CARES
ACT RESOURCES LAST YEAR, YOU
KNOW, YOU WANT TO HAVE SOME
FLEXIBILITY AS WE HOPE WHERE
WE'RE GOING TO BE IN A FEW
MONTHS.
WE DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW.
SO TYING UP THOSE RESOURCES
ISN'T NECESSARILY THE BEST IDEA.
IT'S NOT PRUDENT.
BUT WE'LL HAVE TO SEE HOW IT
IMPACTS THE BUDGET OVERALL.
>> THERE ARE SOME SHARED
INTERESTS BETWEEN THE GOP AND
GOVERNOR EVERS, NAMELY, SPENDING
MONEY ON BROADBAND, SMALL
BUSINESSES AND TOURISM.
BUT WHEN GOVERNOR EVERS VETOES
THE REPUBLICAN BILLS, AS HE HAS
AS MUCH AS PROMISED, HOW DOES
THAT SET HIM UP FOR CRITICISM
FOR REJECTING THAT SPENDING?
>> WELL, ON THE BILLS THAT HAVE
BEEN INTRODUCED, THEY HAVEN'T
EXACTLY BEEN INTRODUCED WITH THE
GOVERNOR'S INPUT AND THERE'S
ALWAYS BEEN A CLEAR POISON PILL.
THAT'S A PART OF ALL OF THESE
THINGS.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO REPEAL THE
MASK MANDATE, IF YOU'RE GOING TO
INTRODUCE OVERSIGHT WHERE YOU
CAN MICROMANAGEMENT THE
GOVERNOR'S SPENDING DECISIONS,
THOSE ARE PROBABLY THINGS THAT
ARE PRETTY CLEAR THE GOVERNOR IS
NOT GOING TO SIGN, WHICH I THINK
MAKES IT CLEAR THAT THIS IS MORE
POLITICAL.
THERE ARE AREAS OF AGREEMENT.
I MENTIONED BROADBAND,
TRANSPORTATION, INFRASTRUCTURE.
GIVEN THAT A LOT OF THE FEDERAL
MONEY IS ONE-TIME, I THINK WE
REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT ARE
THE THINGS THAT WE CAN REALLY
CATCH UP ON.
THE GOVERNOR HAS MADE A PRIORITY
OF LEAD PIPE REPLACEMENT,
GROUNDWATER, A LOT OF THINGS
THAT IMPACT COMMUNITIES
THROUGHOUT THE STATE THAT WE
COULD MAKE SIGNIFICANT HEADWAY
ON.
AND A BUDGET THAT I THINK HAS
THE RESOURCES TO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE AS PROPOSED BY
GOVERNOR EVERS.
SO I THINK WE'RE OPEN.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE GOT TO LET GO
OF THE FACT THAT GOVERNOR EVERS
IS GOVERNOR.
IF ANY OF THEM WANTS TO BE
GOVERNOR, THEY CAN RUN.
>> RIGHT.
WE LEAVE IT THERE.