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.