We take a deep dive into the huge breaking news that Speaker Robin Vos and Republican leaders walked away from state budget negotiations with Governor Tony Evers on Wednesday. Ratcheting up the battle, Republicans taunted the Governor by predicting he would sign a partisan budget that under funds his priorities. We talk about how this decision provides a new opportunity for Evers to re-engage the public about what is at stake in the budget battle and how their engagement in the fight is critical to winning on key public priorities.

We and our allies continue to encourage people to call Governor Evers (1-608-266-1212) and urge him to veto any state budget that fails to meet key public priorities: properly funded public schools, expand BadgerCare, fund child care, and no new prisons. Contact your State Legislators today and tell them to reject any state budget that fails to meet these minimum standards.

We review a new UW-Extension study finding rising housing costs are prompting many to forgo or delay medical care, and we discuss the significant implications of these findings.

We close with an update on the federal budget battle where Senator Ron Johnson has positioned himself on center stage in the developing budget drama. Johnson, who recently called Medicaid recipients “grifters,” publicly opposes the House budget because it does not cut enough from Medicaid, SNAP, and other critical public programs.