No debate, no hearings, just no, no, no

Wisconsin’s democratic governor and the Republican-controlled Legislature are so far apart on just about every issue, Gov. Tony Evers could offer 500 ideas, and lawmakers would say no to each and every one of them. In fact, that’s what happened this week, when once again our lawmakers ripped up the state budget Evers proposed, just as they have in past sessions. With one single vote, Republicans who control the legislature eliminated 545 proposals that were contained in the Governor’s budget proposal. They include things like creating a paid family leave program, the legalization of marijuana and the expansion of Medicaid. With one vote, and with no debate, lawmakers pulled all these items from the budget and will start creating their own budget document. Not only was there no public hearing on any single one of these issues, there will be no more debate about them. Under procedural rule, democrats are prevented from even bringing these items up for debate again as part of the budget discussion. That includes the tax cuts Evers proposed, a cap on insulin co-pay, and money to promote mental health in our schools, ideas popular among voters. We should be debating all these issues, and holding separate votes on each, not wiping out 500 ideas with one single vote.