Gov. Evers Slams Senate Republicans for Continued Efforts to Obstruct the Peaceful Transfer of Power
State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 10/17/2023 01:47 PM CDT
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers slammed Republicans in the Wisconsin State Senate, who voted today to baselessly fire seven of the governor’s appointees, respectively, to the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board, Wisconsin Elections Commission, Wisconsin Medical Examining Board, and the Governor’s Council on Domestic Abuse. “This is insanity, and this is an issue of democracy—Republicans have to stop doing this,” said Gov. Evers. “These are good people they’re voting down today. These Wisconsinites are educators, healthcare professionals, survivors of domestic violence, advocates, and conservationists. And I don’t care if you’re a Republican, a Democrat, or otherwise, these Wisconsinites are completely qualified to do the job they’ve been asked to do, and they are volunteering their time, talent, and expertise without pay to serve their neighbors and our state. Harassing them, belittling them, and publicly firing them just because Republicans have decided that’s the way they want politics to work these days, well, that’s just plain wrong.
“Whether it was firing our agricultural secretary in the midst of a statewide dairy crisis, threatening to fire our state’s health secretary in the throes of a pandemic, colluding with appointees to stay beyond their terms, attempting to illegally fire our state’s elections administrator, or now, firing exceptionally qualified citizen appointees, Republicans have a complete disregard for our democracy, the basic functions of our government, and hardworking Wisconsinites who volunteered to serve. Republicans’ behavior is wrong for Wisconsin, and it’s wrong for democracy,” Gov. Evers concluded. Unfortunately, Republicans’ refusal to confirm Gov. Evers’ appointments represents a continued escalation of efforts by Wisconsin Republicans in recent years to upend basic functions of democracy, obstruct the peaceful and respectful transfer of power, and threaten, intimidate, and even baselessly fire individuals who may not share their political beliefs or who dare to publicly disagree with them.
Wisconsin Republicans have consistently refused to confirm Gov. Evers’ appointees, leaving them unconfirmed for months—even years—without any regard for individuals’ professional experience and background, including public members of various boards and commissions volunteering their personal time, experience, and expertise to serve the state of Wisconsin and previously received bipartisan support. In 2019, in an unprecedented move, Senate Republicans voted to fire Gov. Evers’ cabinet appointment to lead the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) in the midst of a statewide dairy crisis—and despite widespread support from farmers and agricultural stakeholders—after he criticized Republicans for not releasing critical mental health funding for farmers. According to reporting by WisPolitics.com in 2019, records dating back to 1987 indicated that no gubernatorial cabinet nominee had been rejected by the Wisconsin State Senate, making Republicans’ move at the time completely unprecedented in modern Wisconsin history. In 2020, Republicans refused to confirm and even threatened to fire the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to data compiled by the governor’s office and the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau, at the start of Gov. Evers’ second term, nearly 180 individuals appointed by the governor to lead state agencies and serve on various boards and commissions had not been confirmed. Gov. Evers today also announced immediate successors to fill these critical roles on the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board, Wisconsin Elections Commission, Wisconsin Medical Examining Board, and the Governor’s Council on Domestic Abuse, respectively, to ensure there is no disruption or delay in the ongoing work of these important bodies.
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIGOV/bulletins/376472d
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