Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Advertisements
Advertisements

Walker pushes Barrett for economic plans

Republican legislators are calling on Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to release specific details about his plans for the state budget so voters can compare his plans to Gov. Scott Walker’s record over his last year in office.

Joint Finance Committee Co-Chairs Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, and Rep. Robin
Vos, R-Burlington, sent a letter to Barrett Thursday asking for the specifics of his plan to
balance the state’s budget, fund public education and provide medical care for the poor.

The letter includes a number of provisions in Walker’s budget, including a $1.2 billion
investment in Medicaid and education reforms that “have helped save more than a billion dollars
for taxpayers.”

Advertisements

The legislators asked Barrett what he would do differently and to provide specific details.

“Walker has made tough choices and has been open to criticism from Mayor Barrett,” Vos
said in a conference call with the media. “It’s time now in the campaign, with less than four weeks to go, to say how they want the next two years to be spent.”

Vos said Barrett has only provided details on his wind energy and clean jobs reforms. He said while this is a sector of Wisconsin’s economy, it is only a small section of the larger budget picture.

When asked if he thought Walker’s campaign provided similar details on his budget plans when
running in 2010, Vos said Walker was clear in his last campaign about his budget intentions and
plans for collective bargaining when asked about them.

Walker’s campaign also released a statement Thursday calling on Barrett to respond to the
letter and explain what he would have done to balance a $3.6 billion budget deficit.

“It’s been about 41 days since Barrett started campaigning, and yet he hasn’t offered his plans for
education or health care funding,” Walker’s campaign spokesperson Ciara Matthews said in the conference call. “We, along with Rep. Vos and Sen. Darling, are asking Barrett to come clean with specifics to
Wisconsin’s budget.”

Barrett’s campaign released a statement Thursday calling the letter a “transparent stunt to duck”
accountability on Walker’s own budget. The statement also said Walker chose to balance the budget
by raising taxes on senior citizens and making “the deepest cuts in education in state history.”

Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Graeme Zielinski said Walker did not answer
similar budget questions when running against Barrett in the 2010 election.

“He didn’t answer any questions on the budget or a jobs plan,” Zielinski said. “He answers very few questions
from the press. He didn’t talk about collective bargaining and education funding.”

While Barrett’s campaign website stresses the importance of creating jobs, protecting the environment and reinvesting in education, it does not include a detailed budget plan or any scheduled intentions to release one.

Barrett has previously vowed to call a special session to restore collective bargaining rights of public employee union workers. However, Barrett has declined requests from unions to promise to veto any budget that does not restore these rights.

The two candidates will have a chance to debate the budget and the collective bargaining reforms at the two scheduled statewide televised debates May 25 and May 31.

Advertisements
Leave a Comment
Donate to The Badger Herald

Your donation will support the student journalists of University of Wisconsin-Madison. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Badger Herald

Comments (0)

All The Badger Herald Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *