Press Release: Gov. Evers Blasts Tom Tiffany and Lawmakers for Tanking School Funding, Property Tax Relief, Direct Payments to Wisconsinites

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 05/13/2026 09:57 PM CDT
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 13, 2026
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers Blasts Tom Tiffany and Lawmakers for Tanking School Funding, Property Tax Relief, Direct Payments to Wisconsinites
 
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers tonight blasted Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) and Republican and Democratic members of the Wisconsin State Legislature who tanked the bipartisan plan the governor and Republican leaders spent months working on to use a portion of the state’s readily available state surplus to invest in Wisconsin’s kids and K-12 schools, provide property tax relief statewide, and help working families afford rising costs.

The proposal, announced by Gov. Evers, Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester), and Wisconsin State Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg), earlier this week, after months of collaboration and negotiation, would have invested over $600 million in Wisconsin’s K-12 schools, including providing the largest increase to the state’s special education reimbursement rate in state history to attain 50 percent as well as investing over $300 million in general school aids; provided tens of millions of dollars in statewide property tax relief through Wisconsin Technical College System aid; made direct payments to Wisconsin’s working families who are struggling to keep up with rising costs; and eliminated state income tax on tipped and overtime income.

Instead, multiple lawmakers helped tank the bipartisan bill—some purportedly after phone calls with Congressman Tiffany—insisting that the state’s multi-billion-dollar surplus should not be used today and should instead sit in Madison until next year. Because the bipartisan bill failed:
  • K-12 schools across Wisconsin will no longer receive a boost of over $600 million, which would’ve helped schools across the state avoid budget cuts and shortfalls during this current school year, despite the Wisconsin State Legislature having rejected $7 billion for K-12 schools over the last four state budgets Gov. Evers proposed;
  • Wisconsinites will see $0 in property tax relief, and members of the Wisconsin State Legislature have now opposed repeated plans offered by Gov. Evers to respond to rising property taxes across the state, even as Wisconsinites continue to go to referendum at record-high numbers to keep their school doors open and lights on;
  • Working Wisconsinites across our state will continue to pay $400 million in state income taxes on their tipped wages and overtime income over the next two years; and
  • $850 million will not be returned to Wisconsin taxpayers, and three million Wisconsinites will no longer get help making ends meet and won’t receive a direct refund of a portion of the state’s multi-billion-dollar surplus, even as war, tariffs, and inflation are causing prices to go up on everything from gas to groceries.
Gov. Evers blasted Congressman Tiffany, who purportedly made phone calls to help tank the deal, as well as the small group of Republican and Democratic lawmakers who tanked the bipartisan proposal, which then failed to pass:

“Wisconsin’s kids and schools aren’t going to get the investments they desperately need this year because Tom Tiffany and a few Republican and Democratic lawmakers chose to blow up a bipartisan plan to invest in our K-12 schools, lower property taxes, and help working families afford rising costs, all because they’d rather do what’s best for the next election than what’s right for the people of our state.

“So many Wisconsinites feel left behind, frustrated, and disillusioned by politics these days because they think a lot of politicians in the Capitol are only here to serve themselves.

“And, today, they’re right.”
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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