Though Speaker Vos (R-Rochester) expressed his hope that Governor Evers’ wants to find common ground with Legislative Republicans to solve Wisconsin’s most pressing issues, Republican response to Gov. Evers’ proposals was pointed. Speaker Vos said, “What we heard tonight was Gov. Evers’ longest State of the State address and it was chock full of liberal wishes, empty promises and a whole lot of things that are not going to happen in Wisconsin.” Assembly Majority Leader August (R-Walworth) added, “The things the governor talked about tonight, every single thing that he talked about, was a new government program, new government spending. I really am at a loss for words at how ridiculous the things he talked about were tonight.”
The Speaker outlined the primary objective for legislative Republicans this session, cutting taxes. Specifically, he mentioned cutting taxes for Wisconsin retirees, holding the line on property taxes, and providing tax relief for young families. With the largest one-time surplus in state history, Speaker Vos relayed his disappointment with Governor Evers’ focus on new spending and would rather that money was returned to the taxpayers. The Speaker said the only reason the surplus currently exists is because Governor Evers vetoed previous Republican tax cuts.
Speaker Vos then outlined Republican plans to increase academic standards and accountability in K-12 schools. He noted that Wisconsin is facing a reading crisis in schools districts both large and small and that only 48% of Wisconsin students are reading at grade level. He said that according to the Department of Public Instruction, 37% of students were proficient in English in 2022 and that number only increased to 39% in 2023. Speaker Vos then criticized DPI for lowering academic standards to artificially inflate student scores. He laid out Republican plans to require the Forward Exam to be aligned with the National Assessment of Educational Standards to bring academic standards back to baseline and allow parents to compare the past with the present.
Finally, Speaker Vos expressed support of Presidents Trump’s efforts to fix the country’s immigration system. He announced Republican plans to require all law enforcement to cooperate with immigration authorities and deport those who have committed a serious crime and are being held in Wisconsin jails and prisons.
He believes the ideas he outlined in the rebuttal are common sense and that everyone should be able to rally around fighting inflation, ensuring better educational outcomes for Wisconsin students, and punishing violent criminals.