Last night, Governor Evers again attempted to shift responsibility to the Republican-led Legislature for challenges that stem from decisions made by his own administration. Wisconsin families are struggling with rising costs, in part because of the governor’s use of his veto to lock in property tax increase authority for the next 400 years.

While the governor tries to frame this massive property tax increase as a solution to education challenges, the reality is that he has repeatedly vetoed commonsense legislation authored by Assembly Republicans to address those very issues. That includes legislation to support voluntary school consolidation and provide grants to make consolidation feasible amid our declining student population.

During his address, the governor also attempted to claim credit for the historical Agricultural Road Improvement Program (ARIP), legislation I was proud to co-author, advocate for, and secure funding for in both last session’s state biennial budget and this session’s budget. I worked closely with Rep. Travis Tranel (R-Cuba City) and Senator Marklein (R-Spring Green) to allocate $150 million in 2023-25 and another $150 million in 2025-27 to strengthen and improve our rural roads for farmers and agricultural communities across our state.

It is important to note that without Assembly Republican authored legislation, the governor would have no bills to sign, no initiatives to advance, and no progress to show.

We have a $2.4 billion surplus because of a stronger than expected economy and over-taxing hardworking Wisconsinites. Legislative Republicans have offered the governor a responsible, commonsense plan that invests in key priorities, including income tax rebates, special education funding, a school tax credit, and disaster relief. I urge the governor to accept our proposal to deliver meaningful tax relief and make strategic investments for Wisconsin families.