Controversy has hit Wisconsin in recent days thanks to outgoing Gov. Scott Walker, once a rising Republican star who ran for president against Donald Trump for a very brief period, and his attempts to grab power from the new incoming Democrat, Governor-elect Tony Evers.
Walker signed a much-criticized bill to limit the powers of the governor to end lawsuits, including the one Walker sponsored challenging the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Reuters reports that:
‘Democrats said the legislation and a similar set of pending measures in Michigan undermine the results of the Nov. 6 elections, when they captured the governorship in both states for the first time in eight years. The efforts take a page out of the playbook of North Carolina Republicans, who two years ago acted to limit the power of the incoming Democratic governor.’
Full statement from @Tony4WI on unprecedented attack by @scottwalker, Vos and the GOP. pic.twitter.com/FwD2e3dgu1
— One Wisconsin Now (@onewisconsinnow) December 14, 2018
Walker insisted that the Democrats were simply being hysterical and that he needed to ensure a balance of power between state branches, although that unsurprisingly didn’t seem very important to him during his terms.
‘Republicans in both Wisconsin and Michigan, who will maintain their legislative majorities next year, have defended the moves as good-faith efforts to ensure that the legislative and executive branches remain equals.’
And less than five minutes after Democratic Gov.-elect Tony Evers released his official statement, his political operation released a fundraising pitch. They knew this was coming. pic.twitter.com/VpqeawSfWc
— Daniel Strauss (@DanielStrauss4) December 14, 2018
In a press conference on Friday, Evers gave his take on opposition to the bill.
‘Wisconsinites deserve a government that works for them, and they deserve their officials to be willing to set aside partisanship.’
One Wisconsin Now, with the backing of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, is suing Walker over the new laws.
Eric Holder: "This is a shameful attack on our democracy by politicians who will do anything to hold onto power."
— Daniel Strauss (@DanielStrauss4) December 14, 2018
The bills would deny Evers the right to make good on his promise to the people of Wisconsin to improve access to the healthcare system.
‘The Wisconsin bills, which passed the legislature on Dec. 5 largely along party lines, will limit the governor’s ability to pass administrative rules and block him from killing a work requirement for Medicaid recipients.
‘The legislation also allows lawmakers, rather than the attorney general, to decide whether to withdraw the state from lawsuits. That will prevent Evers and the incoming Democratic attorney general, Josh Kaul, from fulfilling a campaign promise to end Wisconsin’s challenge to the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.’
Featured image via Flickr by Gage Skidmore under a Creative Commons license
