After unveiling support for a new child tax credit for Wisconsin families, Gov. Scott Walker must now convince state Republicans to back the historically Democratic policy proposal.
One of the key components of his “Ambitious Agenda,” Walker announced a push to implement a new social program, one that would give $100 from the state annually to families for each child under 18 living at home.
“We are getting positive things done for the people of Wisconsin,” Walker said in a press release. “The conservative reforms we’ve implemented have paid off, so I want to keep my promise to put our budget surplus back into the hands of hardworking taxpayers.”
Despite support from the governor, the plan would involve spending $122 million annually on a social program — a legislative avenue that state Republicans have almost universally opposed in the past.
In fact, a bill to create a state child tax credit already exists in the state Legislature, authored by Democrats, and it has been wholly ignored by Republican leaders to date, though that plan would spend significantly more in hopes of easing the financial burden of rising childcare costs.
Unsurprisingly, some of the governor’s closest allies and supporters are still skeptical of such a policy.
“I love Scott Walker & the reforms he and the WI conservatives have done, but this idea to give a
Though several members of the Republican leadership have announced varying levels of support for the idea, its embrace by the rank-and-file remains to be seen.
