June 19, 2023 at 12:28 p.m.
Vos, Evers square off on UW funding
Diversity, equity, and inclusion staff, programming in crosshairs
Gov. Tony Evers blasted the proposal, saying he would veto the budget if it contained such cuts, but then Vos (R-Rochester) doubled down, saying Assembly Republicans were "rock solid" in favor of the cuts and that they could amount to even more.
The Joint Finance Committee postponed a vote on the UW System budget in the wake of the proposal. That vote is now scheduled to take place this week.
"I hope we have the ability to eliminate that spending," Vos told the Associated Press last week. "The university should have already chosen to redirect it to something that is more productive and more broadly supported. I want the university to grow and succeed, but if they are obsessed with spending all the scarce dollars that they have on programs that are clearly divisive and offer little public good, I don't know why we'd want to support that."
Evers was clear in his opposition.
"Make no mistake, speaker Vos and Republicans' short-sighted move to gut our UW System by tens of millions of dollars is about one thing-Republicans' decade-long war on higher education institutions in our state," Evers said. "It's clear Republicans have no real or meaningful solutions to address our state's longstanding workforce challenges, and that includes making the necessary investments to educate and retain talented students across our state."
Evers said the cuts would be disastrous for the UW System, almost certainly causing cuts to campuses and critical programs statewide, and that they would only hurt students, the state's economy, and the state's workforce in the process.
Over in the Senate, Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) called on his colleagues on the JFC to stand with Assembly Republicans in supporting the cuts, and he, too, suggested the cuts should be steeper than the $32 million already proposed.
"I support Speaker Vos's efforts to end taxpayer funding of DEI indoctrination in the UW System," Nass said. "I have made it known to the Senate Republican members of the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) that they should not only support Vos's proposal but look for ways to expand the level of cuts to wasteful spending in the UW System."
Nass pointed out that the UW System receives about $1 billion annually from taxpayers to fund its operations.
"The level of wasteful spending within the UW System has been repeatedly identified for many years and now the growing negative consequences to the state from radical indoctrination on our campuses can no longer be ignored," he said.
Nass said the only power the legislature has to fight that radical indoctrination is the power of the purse string.
"The only action of the legislature that brings fear to the hearts of DEI socialists running our public university system is cutting their funding," he said. "Change will only occur in the UW System when Republicans stop blindly funding them in the hopes they might like us someday."
Democrats: Cuts are offensive, counterproductive
Besides Evers, other Democrats derided the proposal, saying it made no sense.
"There is no logic to Robin Vos's decision to cut $32 million from UW Systems' funding," Rep. Lisa Neubauer (D-Racine) said. "Targeting UW for DEI positions and initiatives is offensive and will have far-reaching and detrimental effects for our state."
Neubauer said Fortune 500 companies, major organizations across the country, and even the Republican National Committee's host committee have all embraced diversity, equity, and inclusion programming.
"It is simply wrong for legislative Republicans to specifically target the UW System's funding for DEI," she said. "Without the proper funding and resources, we cannot expect our world-class universities to keep up with schools elsewhere. By cutting funding for the UW System, Robin Vos and legislative Republicans are putting the well-being of our state at risk. The Republican-led vilification of the UW System is extremely disappointing and must end."
State Sen. Melissa Agard (D-Madison), the Senate Democratic leader, said the proposal shows that Republicans aren't being serious about creating an attractive state that people want to live in.
"Republican actions to cut funding from the UW System for their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives is small-minded, wrongheaded, and counterproductive to our state's efforts to recruit and retain our future workforce," Agard said. "The positive impact of DEI programs is not a partisan issue. The RNC Host Committee has focused on DEI, and WMC [Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce] found in a survey that Wisconsin is perceived as being intolerant."
Agard said it was time for Vos and legislative Republicans to drop the culture wars and work in the best interest of Wisconsin.
"Unfortunately, today's actions continue to show that they are not serious about creating a Wisconsin where people want to live, work, and play," she said.
What's more, Agard said, the UW System is a vital part of the state's economy, generating $15 billion annually in economic impact.
"Beyond the impact it has on student lives, it fulfills an integral role in our schools, cultural organizations, non-profits, and more," she said. "The recent actions by my Republican colleagues to withhold approval of a new College of Engineering building on UW-Madison campus, coupled with the funding cuts we are anticipating today, is irresponsible. We can and should do more to support the UW System and its positive impact in our state."
Agard was referring to the GOP's rejection several weeks ago of funding for a new UW-Madison engineering building, the UW's top priority. Overall, JFC Republicans whittled down Ever's building projects by about a third from what he requested, to $2.4 billion from $3.8 billion.
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