MADISON, Wis. — Republican leaders in the Wisconsin State Legislature are accusing Gov. Tony Evers of playing political games after he vetoed a coronavirus bill they passed Friday afternoon.
Evers rejected the bill quickly after it was passed, saying it didn’t do enough to address the pandemic in the state and it abandoned a previously agreed-upon compromise with Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu.
“Wisconsinites know a compromise when they see one, and this isn’t it,” Evers said in a statement signaling his veto.
In response, LeMahieu and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos issued a joint statement Friday afternoon, criticizing the decision to veto the legislation.
“It appears Governor Evers cares more about his own power than the people of Wisconsin,” the statement said. “The legislature passed a Coronavirus Relief Bill that provides the state more than $100 million to fight the virus and ensures that Wisconsinites have access to necessary medications, vaccines and COVID-19 tests.”
Evers indicated he would sign the bill he agreed on with Sen. LeMahieu last month, but Vos and the Assembly rejected that proposal because it, among other things, cut out Assembly provisions that would have banned employers from requiring employees to get a vaccine and limit the ability of local health departments to shut down businesses.
The bill passed by the Legislature Friday also included an amendment that would ensure Wisconsin would still receive federal food assistance benefits if the State Supreme Court throws out the governor’s emergency order. Under current law, an emergency order needs to be in effect for Wisconsin to receive $50 million per month in SNAP benefits.
With the veto, Wisconsin could lose those benefits if the Court rules against the governor.
“It is sad that Gov. Evers is playing games at the expense of disadvantaged people by putting $50 million in food assistance benefits in jeopardy should the court eliminate the unlawful public health emergency,” Vos and LeMahieu said in their joint statement.
While announcing the veto, Gov. Evers called on the Legislature to pass the Senate’s version of the bill as soon as possible to avoid any further delay in getting COVID relief to the state.
“Wisconsinites don’t care about political points or who gets the credit. They just want to know that their family, their business, and their neighbors are going to be okay as we continue to fight this virus,” Evers said.
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