APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Wisconsin Republicans secured a supermajority in the state Senate on Tuesday, giving them the necessary votes and ability to impeach statewide officials, including the Governor and newly elected State Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz.
Governor Tony Evers isn’t concerned about impeachment and is instead focused on the biennial budget.
Governor Evers, alongside Elmer Moore, the executive director of WHEDA or the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, presented a $50,000 check to COTS in Appleton Thursday afternoon. The funds will help COTS, an organization that provides transitional housing and programs for the homeless, upgrade its decades old HVAC system in one of its many shelters.
According to Governor Evers, “We’ve been going across the state talking about housing, affordable housing, housing that serves people that are troubled and struggling in society and we’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’ve got some really extraordinary people working this industry now and right here is a good example.”
April is fair housing month so stops like the one in Appleton are not only showcasing programs like COTS, but they’re also an opportunity for the Governor to highlight why funding for programs like these are beneficial – which could be instrumental in the current biennial budget process.
“Right now everybody is working on a budget and we have a budget that really will help our folks that work and transitional work and also affordable housing so it’s just a matter of making sure that we get these things through, but I don’t think the election is necessarily going to be playing out in the legislature,” add Governor Evers.
Republican State Senator Rob Cowles of Allouez says just because his party has secured a supermajority in the Senate, doesn’t mean they’ll use it for impeachment. Cowles says, “There are no plans to go after anybody at this point, that I’m aware of. And I would not advocate it unless there was something really serious like a felony.”
Like the Governor, Cowles is focused on the budget and working with legislators on both sides of the aisle, recognizing the importance of compromising. He adds, “If you don’t talk to people you may not get what you want. So, these discussions with the Governor and what they can live with on things, that’s how you move the ball forward maybe 50% or 70% rather than a 100% of what you really want. That’s life in politics and otherwise.”
