Joint Finance Committee begins 2025 state budget process

MADISON (WKOW) — The Wisconsin Joint Committee on Finance met for the first time Thursday at the State Capitol to discuss Gov. Tony Evers’ 2025-2027 biennial budget. 

Thirteen out of the 16 members of the state legislature’s Joint Finance Committee (JFC) attended the first meeting. 

The committee has a total of 13 Republicans and three Democrats. 

Republicans voted to reject 612 proposed recommendations made by Evers back in February during his biennial budget proposal. 

That means getting rid of more than 50% of Evers’ proposed budget. 

Some of the items include stripping Medicaid expansion, funding for the Child Care Counts Stabilization Payment program and gun control and safety measures. 

Democrats say taking these things out of the state budget would be detrimental to Wisconsinites. 

All of them spoke up to the 10 Republicans present in disapproval. 

“That seems to be a national thing at this point, that what legislative Republicans, national Republicans, what the president wants to do is cut the things that benefit the middle class and the people still working their way into the middle class,” Rep. Tip McGuire (D-Kenosha) said in an interview after the committee adjourned. “Instead, do everything they can to favor the very wealthy.” 

Republicans make up the majority of the JFC.

They say they are still willing to make adjustments and weigh all their options that will best benefit the people. 

“This idea that the door is closed, on all these things is pretty ridiculous,” Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) said. “But I look forward to the process again, starting from base and to make reasonable investments that our constituents want and that they can afford.”

Evers responded to Republicans slashing the majority of his budget, saying that it goes against helping young people. 

“In 2025 the Year of the Kid in Wisconsin, I introduced the most pro-kid budget of any governor in our state’s history, because I believe doing what’s best for our kids is what’s best for our state. But, today, Republican lawmakers are gutting my budget that did what’s best for our kids and the folks, families, and communities that raise them,” said Evers. 

The JFC will continue to meet until the end of June. Once the committee finishes its work, the budget still needs to be approved by the assembly and senate, and signed by Evers.