MADISON – Despite bipartisan calls for action, longtime WEDC board member, Senator Rick Gudex (R–Fond Du Lac), is standing by the $21 million in misappropriated tax dollars from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC).

"It isn’t surprising that Sen. Gudex doesn’t see a problem at WEDC because he is part of the problem. Time and time again he has failed to accept responsibility for his role as a WEDC board member,” said SSDC Executive Director Matt Ullsvik. “His inaction and unwillingness to lead has once again cost Wisconsin taxpayers millions while out-of-state corporations reap the rewards."

This week, it was reported that Gov. Walker’s scandal-plagued jobs agency broke the law when it awarded $21 million more in taxpayer funding to corporations than it was legally authorized.

When asked for comment by the Wisconsin State Journal on this latest example of WEDC dysfunction, Sen. Gudex’s office responded that “…he’s not certain there is a problem that needs to be resolved…”

WEDC has been caught ignoring state law and its own policies before. A scathing report from the Legislative Audit Bureau early this year found that WEDC gave out loans without conducting financial reviews of the companies applying and often failed to verify any job creation took place.

Furthermore, another news report this week noted the most recent example of WEDC’s failure to track job creation. Johnson Controls announced it would be laying off 277 people after WEDC awarded the company $1 million in tax credits to create 266 jobs.