WISCONSIN — State budget talks hit another standstill on Thursday.

The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee meeting on the budget that was scheduled for this afternoon was canceled.

What You Need To Know

  • The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee meeting on the budget that was scheduled for this afternoon was canceled

  • Republican leaders in the Senate and Assembly both said chats with Gov. Tony Evers had resumed this week, with negotiations “in good faith”

  • Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said discussions are now heading "in a direction that taxpayers cannot afford"

  • Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, said she doesn’t see a way forward without Democrats’ support

Republican leaders in the Senate and Assembly both said chats with Gov. Tony Evers had resumed this week, with negotiations “in good faith.”

“However, these discussions are heading in a direction that taxpayers cannot afford,” Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu.

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Assembly Finance Co-Chair Mark Born in a joint statement said conversations have been productive “towards a budget that cuts taxes, puts more money into K-12 schools to stave off higher property taxes, and funds childcare and the university system in exchange for meaningful reforms.”

But they said, “Assembly Republicans will not pass a budget that doesn’t have a guarantee from Gov. Evers of tax relief in it.”

Prior to the cancellation, Democrats in the Joint Committee on Finance held an event focused on child care funding, visiting a center that closed after funding was removed from the budget.

Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, said she doesn’t see a way forward with the budget without Democrats’ support.

“They do need us,” said Roys following the news of the cancellation. “I don’t see a path for them to get to 17 in the Senate without engaging with Democrats.”

“Ultimately, the Senate needs to decide whether they were elected to govern and get things done or not,” said Evers’ press secretary Britt Cudaback on X.

Budget negotiations broke down earlier this month, too. Evers confirmed that efforts to reach a compromise had failed, “and no one gets everything they want.”

Vos and Born said that they are currently on a trajectory to “have a more conservative growth rate” than the budget passed two years ago.

“We hope Senate Republicans will come back to the table to finish fighting for these reforms and complete the budget on time,” they said in a statement.

The new budget is tentatively slated to be in place by July 1. If it’s not, current funding levels will remain in place until that new budget is signed into law.

Related Stories