Wisconsin recently saw the passage of a controversial funding bill that addresses the state's $3.6 billion budget deficit. Today, a House Committee called Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) to discuss his approach to crafting the budget bill.
Along with Gov. Peter Shumlin (D-VT), Committee members and Walker studied what difficult choices individual states must make regarding state and municipal debt.
In a hearing titled “State and Municipal Debt: Tough Choices Ahead,” Committee members looked into states across the nation on how their government officials can tackle debt while increasing employment in the region.
House Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) explained his reasoning for holding the hearing, “rather than kick the can down the road in Wisconsin, Governor Walker’s actions to cut spending and address over-compensation of public employees are putting his state government in a stronger financial position.”
Gov. Walker’s testimony today follows a battle earlier this year over a bill that included a measure that limits unionized public workers’ capacity to bargain collectively. The law has recently been suspended while legal challenges pass through the Wisconsin courts.