Doyle: GOP repair bill "a sham," but talks are productive
Gov. Jim Doyle derided the budget repair bill passed by Assembly Republicans last night as "a sham" and "fiscally irresponsible," but also emphasized the he and Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch have "good open lines of communication."
"We are way ahead in understanding what an agreement might be and what a package might look like," Doyle, comparing the repair bill process to last year's full-scale budget battle, said in a press conference today.
Doyle said the Republican proposal, which calls $250 million in additional cuts to state government but does not name what areas to cut, would mean slashing K-12 schools and university funding, and basic health care services offered by the state like SeniorCare, Doyle said.
"Obviously the level of cuts they propose are extremely harmful to state government, and extremely harmful to the services people rely on," he said.
Doyle also blasted the proposal to push off some school aids payments into the next fiscal year. While Doyle was reluctant to say anything is off the bargaining table as negotiations continue, "that's about as close to getting off the table as you can be for me," he said.
Listen to audio of the press conference here.
Labels: Budget_Repair_Bill, Doyle
