Gov. Tony Evers announced the 2025-2027 biennial budget Feb. 18, outlining legislative priorities for the next two years, according to a press release.
“The budget I’m proposing balances our priorities of investing in our kids and needs that have been long neglected while providing real and sustainable tax relief and saving where we can,” Evers said at the beginning of his address. “So, let’s get to work.”
Evers dubbed 2025 the “Year of the Kid” during his State of the State address in January, according to previous reporting by The Badger Herald. Significant initiatives are outlined in the budget with a focus on mental health resources, special education funding and creating the “Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids” program, which would fully fund school breakfast and lunches for all K-12 students in Wisconsin, according to the Budget in Brief.
Related to the “Year of the Kid,” Evers emphasized the dangers of lead and contaminants in water across the state, with plans to invest over $300 million to get rid of lead and PFAS in drinking water.
Addressing the Universities of Wisconsin, Evers pledged for the largest two-year increase in funding in the state’s history — outlined in the budget as a 25.7% increase amounting to $1,692,868,500, up $346,235,900 from 2025 numbers — according to the Statewide Budget and Position Summaries.
This funding would go toward the governor’s priorities of increasing affordability, preserving accessibility, developing talent and ensuring quality, among the fifteen things listed in specific Universities of Wisconsin recommendations.
Evers also announced support for the agricultural industry in the wake of the new administration’s tariffs, with programs created across the state to improve rural roads and infrastructure to support the industry.
A new incentive for local governments to freeze property taxes is also included in the budget, contributing to Evers’ goal of lowering costs for middle-class families across Wisconsin.
“My plan will provide nearly $2 billion in tax relief through efforts to lower property taxes, eliminate the sales tax on several everyday expenses, and cut income taxes for middle-class Wisconsinites, including homeowners, renters, veterans, and seniors,” Evers said in his address.
Another focus during the address was healthcare, with the suggestion to start auditing insurance companies for denied healthcare claims, extending postpartum coverage under BadgerCare, expanding coverage requirements for insurance companies and banning pre-approval for in-patient mental health care.
Evers ended the address with a call for bipartisan support, focusing on improving children’s lives across Wisconsin and implementing practical approaches to problems facing the legislature.
“With so much happening in Washington that’s reckless and partisan, in Wisconsin, we must continue our work to be reasonable and pragmatic,” Evers said. “The needless chaos caused by the federal government in recent weeks has already made preparing a state budget that much more difficult.”