New deal saves Wisconsin taxpayers $2.77 Billion.

WASHINGTON, DC - Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers this week successfully negotiated an agreement between the state and Foxconn, saving taxpayers $2.77 billion. The new agreement also maintains accountability measures requiring job creation to receive incentives and protects hundreds of millions of dollars in local and state infrastructure investments made in support of the project. The previous deal, agreed to by the Walker-Kleefisch administration, had delivered bloated tax breaks to Foxconn on the backs of Wisconsin taxpayers.

On the 2018 campaign trail, Gov. Evers had promised to work with Foxconn to negotiate a better deal that worked for Wisconsin. The new deal marks the fulfillment of that campaign promise. 

Read more about Gov. Evers’ landmark deal below:

Associated Press: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers clawing back Foxconn state tax breaks
Foxconn Technology Group, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, has reached a new deal with reduced tax breaks for its scaled-back manufacturing facility in southeast Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers and the company announced on Monday.

Wisconsin Public Radio: Evers, Foxconn Reach New Agreement Lowering Burden On Taxpayers
Foxconn Technology Group has reached a new deal, with reduced tax incentives, for its scaled back project in Racine County, Gov. Tony Evers and the company announced Monday.
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Wisconsin has denied the technology manufacturing giant any consideration of tax credits because there's no activity in Mount Pleasant resembling any of the detailed production included in the original $3 billion contract with the state.
In a statement, Evers said it has been his goal to "find an agreement that works for Wisconsin taxpayers while providing the support Foxconn needs to be successful here in our state." 

Wisconsin State Journal: State, Foxconn say new deal reached for southeast Wisconsin manufacturing plant with fewer tax credits
After more than a year of negotiations, state and Foxconn Technology Group officials say they have reached a new agreement regarding the Taiwan-based company’s manufacturing plant near Racine that would provide Foxconn fewer state tax credits than originally agreed upon.

WBAY: Evers announces renegotiated Foxconn contract, saves taxpayers $2.77 billion
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has announced a contract between the Wisconsin Economic Development (WEDC) and Foxconn has been renegotiated.
According to Evers’ office, the renegotiations will save Wisconsin taxpayers a total of $2.77 billion compared to the previous contract.
Under the new contract amendment, which Evers says was approved by the WEDC Board of Directors on Tuesday, Foxconn will be eligible to receive up to $80 million total in performance-based tax credits during the course of six years.

Channel 3000: Speaker Vos shares excitement for Foxconn deal with Wisconsin
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos released a statement Tuesday in response to the amended agreement between Foxconn Technology Group and the state.
Under the new contract, Foxconn will be eligible for up to $80 million in state tax incentives. Gov. Tony Evers shared details of the new contract Tuesday.
Vos approved of the agreement and expressed excitement toward the company’s continued growth in Mount Pleasant.

MADISON - Rep. Hintz issued the following statement on Tuesday’s verdict against Derek Chauvin:

“George Floyd should be alive today. I am encouraged that the jury found Derek Chauvin guilty, but their finding does not bring George Floyd back. It does not erase the loss for those who knew him, and the trauma for those for whom his death hits close to home.

“Today’s verdict must be followed by systemic change across our nation as we work for justice. As an elected official, I will continue listening to the Wisconsinites who are speaking out about their lived experiences in our state and I will continue working to reform the systems that perpetuate violence against people of color.

Today, in a new legislative session, I again urge my colleagues to take action to address the systemic inequities that permeate our state and undermine confidence in our criminal justice system. These problems have not gone away, and leaders at all levels have a duty to respond. We must make change happen.”

MADISON-- Tuesday, Sen. Melissa Agard (D-Madison) shared the following statement regarding the jury’s guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin who was charged with murder in George Floyd’s death:

“Last year, the world witnessed the terrible murder of George Floyd. George Floyd’s murder was a senseless, brutal act of police violence against a Black man, the jury made the right decision in convicting Derek Chauvin with this murder. Regardless of the decision by the jury, George Floyd should be alive today-- no decision will provide true justice for Mr. Floyd.

“The overwhelming evidence was clear: George Floyd died due to Chauvin’s despicable actions. This was not a case of over policing, but blatant murder of a Black man in Minneapolis. Today, I am thinking of George Floyd’s family and friends and the greater Minneapolis area as we join them in continuing to heal from this reprehensible act of grave injustice.

“The murder of George Floyd is a symptom of a larger problem in America: Racism and discrimination continues to permeate every aspect of our society, and this epidemic is far, far from over. I am glad that the jury made the right decision today, and I hope that we continue to make steps towards justice and equity for our Black and Brown communities. We must continue to be determined in our efforts to dismantle racist systems and work towards national reforms and broad structural changes. This cannot be a talking point, we must do the hard and sometimes uncomfortable work to dismantle systemic racism in our country. We have a long road of real work ahead of us to ensure that no other families continue to endure this violence.”

MADISON -- Once again, Gov. Tony Evers has cleaned up a mess left by the Walker-Kleefisch administration. This week Gov. Evers announced a deal with tech giant Foxconn and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) regarding the company’s project in Mount Pleasant, saving $2.77 billion in taxpayer dollars and undoing some of the damage caused by the original deal reached by Walker and Kleefisch.

When it was first signed by the Walker-Kleefisch administration, the Foxconn deal was the “the largest government handout to a foreign company ever given in America.” This expensive project, which the Republican administration said would cost $3 billion, alarmed experts on the left and the right, who did not think the state would be able to recoup its investment. Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch called the deal “transformational.” Indeed it was - the Walker-Kleefisch administration failed to deliver on its promises, proving disastrous for Wisconsinites:

• The Walker-Kleefisch administration misled the public about the price of the deal. While they initially said the deal would cost $3 billion, a nonpartisan analysis found months later that the Foxconn plant would actually cost the public up to $4.5 billion - nearly 50 percent more than the original figure. Even by conservative estimates, the project was estimated to cost $1,774 per household in Wisconsin.
• The manufacturing campus was never built even though localities spent millions on land for the project. Three years after the deal was struck, the promised 20-million-square-foot manufacturing campus never materialized, but state and local governments had spent as much as $400 million on the project, “largely on land and infrastructure Foxconn will likely never need.”
• Foxconn fell far short of its jobs promises. Under the deal, the company’s goal was to have 2,080 full-time jobs by the end of 2019, but, even after it engaged in last-minute hiring gimmicks, Foxconn only reached 13 percent of its jobs goal.
• The Walker-Kleefisch deal hindered economic growth. A 2020 study by the Mercatus Center, a free market think tank funded by the Koch brothers, found that the Foxconn deal will be bad for economic growth. The study concluded that if the state pays the company the heavy government subsidies it agreed upon, it would come at a cost of $20 billion in growth in Wisconsin.

State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has falsely claimed that Foxconn was successful in meeting the goals set by Walker and Kleefisch and that the state hasn’t paid any money to the company. Although Wisconsin has not yet given Foxconn any tax subsidies, a state estimate showed the Foxconn project has already cost Wisconsin taxpayers nearly $400 million.

“Governor Evers understands the importance of protecting taxpayer dollars and supporting Wisconsin’s economic development. We’re thankful that his leadership has finally fixed Scott Walker and Rebecca Kleefisch’s disastrous deal with Foxconn,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Executive Director Nellie Sires. “Gov. Evers has secured an agreement that saves Wisconsin taxpayers billions and will keep the state’s economy moving forward as it recovers from the pandemic. Thanks to the governor’s leadership, Wisconsin is going to bounce back better than it was before.”

MADISON -- In response to Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos adding an anti-vaccine meme to his Facebook profile picture, WisDems spokesperson Joe Oslund issued the following statement:

“It is disappointing and embarrassing, yet not at all surprising, that Speaker Robin Vos is now spreading doubts about vaccines on Facebook. At every turn, Speaker Vos has sought to sabotage our state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this latest erratic behavior is further evidence that nothing is off limits when it comes to Speaker Vos’s political games.

“The safe and highly effective COVID vaccines being distributed today through Wisconsin’s nationally-leading vaccination drive are how we end this pandemic, fully reopen our economy and get our lives back. Speaker Vos ought to be doing everything he can to encourage folks to get vaccinated, so we can put the suffering of the last year behind us. Failing that, Speaker Vos should simply get out of the way and allow Gov. Evers to continue demonstrating the strong leadership that has already put nearly 4 million doses in arms.”

OSHKOSH - Rep. Hintz issued the following statement Monday:

“I am encouraged by the announcement of an agreement between the WEDC and Foxconn, and I look forward to getting answers to questions at tomorrow's meeting. I share Governor Evers' goal of having a realistic and accountable contract that can lead to new jobs and protect taxpayers going forward. State and local taxpayers have already spent over a billion dollars on a project with little to show more than three years later. It is my hope that any new contract brings better transparency and clarity from Foxconn going forward."

Gallagher believes taxpayer dollars would be better spent buying Greenland than fixing Wisconsin infrastructure, say Democrats.

“Methinks [...] that you could buy Greenland, for that money [...] you could certainly install pull up bars in every airport in America, thereby solving the health crisis in America.”

MADISON -- On The Dispatch’s Remnant podcast yesterday, Rep. Mike Gallagher brushed off the problems faced by struggling Wisconsinites, calling the American Jobs Plan “insane” and joking that taxpayer dollars would be better spent annexing Greenland and putting pull-up bars in every airport [13:38].

The infrastructure bill Gallagher thinks is “insane” includes desperately needed funding to fix highways, roads, and bridges; deliver clean drinking water and high-speed broadband to everyone; upgrade veterans’ hospitals; invest in child care and elder care; revitalize manufacturing; and create good paying jobs.

Poll after poll after poll finds that the overwhelming majority of Americans — including Republicans — support these common sense investments. Yet Gallagher smugly mocks them with lame jokes about Greenland and pull-up bars — managing to also dismiss America’s health care challenges in the process. [13:30]

“This is why Democrats won in 2020 - out of touch Republicans like Mike Gallagher just don’t understand the problems facing American families today. What’s completely ‘insane’ is Gallagher minimizing the challenges facing Wisconsinites,” said DPW Rapid Response Director Kayla Anderson. “Maybe instead of making fun of the infrastructure bill, he should come up with some actual policy ideas of his own - pull-up bars in airports don’t count.”

Madison - Representative Shelia Stubbs, Chair of the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus, today announced her endorsement of Alex Lasry to be Wisconsin’s next U.S. Senator.

“Alex Lasry is the person that we need in the U.S. Senate to be a voice for all Wisconsinites, regardless of their background or where they live in our state,” said Rep. Stubbs. “Alex has continually demonstrated his commitment to advancing equity, and I know he will work every day in Washington to do just that. He is the person that I trust to represent us in the United States Senate, and I’m proud to endorse his candidacy.”

“Rep. Stubbs has been a transformational leader, not just for Madison and Dane County, but for all of Wisconsin,” said Lasry. “I’m honored to have her support and look forward to working with her to make real change people all across our state.”

In 2018, Shelia Stubbs became the first African American to represent Dane County in the Wisconsin State Legislature. In 2020, she was elected Chair of the Wisconsin Legislative Black caucus. She has also served on the Dane County Board since 2006.

The Democratic Primary Election for the United States Senate will be held Tuesday, August 9th, 2022. For more information about Alex Lasry’s campaign, visit www.alexlasry.com.

MADISON -- Tuesday, Gov. Evers announced his administration successfully reached a deal with the federal government to preserve $70 million per month in federal food aid funding for Wisconsin families.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Executive Director Nellie Sires issued the following statement:

“Thank you to Gov. Evers for reinstating supplemental food assistance and preventing yet another disaster at the hands of Wisconsin Republicans. The far-right Supreme Court’s reckless ruling threatened millions of dollars in federal food assistance every month for more than 400,000 families. The ripple effects of this ruling could have devastated our communities and taken a major toll on the food industry - the last thing Wisconsin needs as it recovers from the health and financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Once again, Gov. Evers has cleaned up a mess created by Wisconsin Republicans. The Governor’s quick action ensures low-income families can continue receiving the assistance they need to put food on the table. Now, it’s time for the state legislature to pass Gov. Evers’ Badger Bounceback agenda to shore up food security and to ensure our state can bounce back to better than it was before the pandemic.”

MADISON -- Tuesday, the Biden administration released fact sheets showing the importance of increased infrastructure investments in each state. During his first term, Gov. Tony Evers has made great strides in improving Wisconsin’s infrastructure - investing $465 million in state transportation and $54 million in broadband expansion, the largest investment in state history.

While Gov. Evers has made tremendous progress, there is still work to be done. President Biden’s American Jobs Plan would have a massive impact on the country, and includes billions of dollars to repair roads and bridges, modernize public transportation, ensure every community has access to clean drinking water, and expand access to broadband, among other things.

On top of President Biden’s proposed plan, Gov. Evers has proposed historic investments in infrastructure in his Badger Bounceback agenda. The governor’s 2021-23 budget once again proposes the largest state investment in broadband access in state history, putting nearly $150 million toward expanding broadband infrastructure in underserved areas and $40 million toward helping low-income Wisconsinites afford internet services. Gov. Evers’ budget also includes investments to fix our roads, improve public transit, and ensure infrastructure equity and accessibility.

Read more about the infrastructure needs of Wisconsin and the American Jobs Plan below.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Biden administration touts American Jobs Plan's benefits for Wisconsin

As part of its pitch for passing infrastructure legislation dubbed The American Jobs Plan, the Biden administration on Monday pushed out a state-by-state case for the impact the measure could have.

Biden touts his plan as one that would rebuild aging roads and bridges, help provide clean water and create more clean energy for Wisconsin residents and people across the United States.

In total, the American Jobs Plan would provide a sweeping $2 trillion for infrastructure and jobs across the country, highlighting causes Biden campaigned on, such as providing more aid to caregivers.

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The plan pegs Wisconsin as a state with "outsized potential" for clean energy innovation, including carbon capture and sequestration and geothermal energy generation.

Rural broadband is touted as a key area the plan addresses by making it easier for local governments and member-owned cooperatives to build and operate networks in competition with companies like AT&T, Frontier Communications and CenturyLink.

The Biden plan could bring about $4 million into the state for broadband projects, in addition to the $200 million proposed in Gov. Tony Evers' biennial budget.

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Patch: Biden's American Jobs Plan Highlights Wisconsin's Needs

A state-by-state breakdown on how President Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan would revitalize the nation's aging infrastructure and bring millions of new jobs was released by the White House on Monday.

The $2 trillion plan aims to tackle the miles of bridges and roads across the country that are in need of repair, as well as to increase housing affordability and access to broadband internet, ensure clean drinking water for communities and revamp the country's energy grid.

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WMTV: Wisconsin infrastructure has plenty of room to improve, White House finds

A White House report touting the Biden Administration’s multi-trillion dollar infrastructure program finds Wisconsin lacking in multiple areas and promotes how the plan could help.

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When it comes to transportation, the White House report estimates the average Wisconsinite’s commute time has increased by nearly three percent and they are paying more than $500 extra in car repairs because of road conditions. Those who rely on public transportation, a disproportionate number of whom were classified as non-White, spend over 62% longer on their commutes.

Just under 200 bridges and nearly 2,000 miles of highway were judged to be in poor condition.

Wisconsin also lacks affordable housing, the report claims. It states 327,000 renters in the state are rent-burdened, which the federal government defines as spending more than 30% of income on rent.

The report also includes estimates for how much the state will need to protect itself from extreme severe weather events, to keep its drinking water safe, and to increase broadband coverage.

It also cites how President Joe Biden’s plan will provide care to older adults and people with disabilities. Finally, it notes over $800 million is needed for school maintenance in Wisconsin and points out more than half of residents live in a child care desert.

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Green Bay Press Gazette: How Green Bay-area leaders dream of spending infrastructure money from Biden's plan

People would see parks, shops and new apartments along the Fox River instead of unsightly coal piles, cross a new bridge south of De Pere to reach the interstate and ride trains to the Titletown District and Milwaukee.

That's if Congress approves President Joe Biden's sweeping $2 trillion American Jobs Plan.

And it depends on whether the final version of the infrastructure bill allows cities and counties to spend the federal money on those kinds of projects.

Those ideas are merely the dreams of greater Green Bay leaders until all of that happens, the money is allocated and elected officials agree on how to spend it.

Biden's proposal focuses on traditional infrastructure needs as well as expanding broadband internet access, raising the wages of care workers and revitalizing manufacturing.

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