Gov. Evers likely to veto bill that would cut unemployment benefits by $300 each week

MIDDLETON - Democratic Gov. Tony Evers likely will veto Republican-backed legislation to cut unemployment benefits by $300 a week.

"I would be less than honest if I didn't say I was strongly considering vetoing it, but I haven't decided," Evers told reporters at a news conference Wednesday. 

His comments came a day after Republicans who control the Legislature announced they would take up legislation as early as next month to stop paying the unemployed $300 a week in benefits that Congress has made available during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The additional federal aid has boosted the maximum unemployment benefit in Wisconsin from $370 a week to $670 a week. 

Opponents of the federal assistance say the extra help has hurt efforts to get people back to work. Republicans in more than 20 other states are also peeling back the benefits.

Evers questioned their logic. He noted the state's unemployment rate — 3.8% as of March — is about the same as it was before the coronavirus pandemic. Employers struggled to find workers then and likely would continue to do so if the additional benefits were pulled back, Evers argued. 

Hours after Evers spoke to reporters, a legislative panel put back into effect a rule that will require the unemployed to look for work to qualify for benefits. The rule is part of their broader efforts to get people back to work. 

Evers expressed frustration with the move.

"It's not a surprise, but at the end of the day this whole pushback against poor people and people that are struggling during this pandemic, I have trouble understanding," he said. 

State officials suspended the rule requiring work searches last year because of the pandemic. Since then, the economy has started to rebound, unemployment claims have dropped and businesses have clamored for help finding workers.

The rule on work searches was slated to go back into effect July 10. On Wednesday, the Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules voted 6-4 to restore the rule effective Sunday, about seven weeks early. All Republicans voted for the measure and all Democrats against it.

"It's not onerous to ask people to look for work when they're on (unemployment insurance)," Republican Rep. Adam Neylon of Pewaukee said.

With the change, the unemployed will have to perform four activities related to searching for work each week to obtain their benefits — as was the case before the pandemic.