MADISON, Wis. — When the new biennium begins in January, Senate Republicans in Wisconsin will maintain their majority but with four fewer members.
For Assistant Majority Leader Dan Feyen (R-Fond du Lac) that means getting the members of his party on the same page, as he told Spectrum News 1 Political Anchor Anthony DaBruzzi in an interview, which you can watch above.
Republicans had previously enjoyed a 22-member supermajority in the Senate, but come January, the caucus will be down to 18 members, which is still a significant majority.
“We're going to have to work tighter together as a close-knit caucus, I think, and I think we're willing to do that,” Feyen explained. “Losing the supermajority, you brought up, it's not the biggest deal in the world, because we were never able to override any vetoes anyway, because the Assembly never had that. So, if the Assembly had it and we had it, we'd be talking a different ball game. But that never came to fruition. So, it was good to come back with a majority, and we look to keep fighting and working for Wisconsinites throughout the state.”
As lawmakers prepare to craft the next state budget in 2025, they will have a projected $4 billion surplus to work with. For Republicans, cutting taxes remains their top priority and Feyen is optimistic Democrats will agree to some reduction.
“We all saw the ads. I mean, nobody didn't see an ad in the state of Wisconsin, and the Democrat candidates were all talking about how they want to cut taxes,” Feyen said. “Well, now's your time to do it. Work with us to cut taxes. So, I'm looking forward to getting that done.”
Energy policy and education funding will also be addressed in the new year, according to Feyen, who admits the latter could be one of the more challenging parts of the budget.
Even so, Feyen expects the budget to provide the biggest opportunity for compromise.
“As of right now, today, I would say the budget is probably going to be that one big area,” Feyen added.
When asked if the budget will be passed on time, Feyen is less optimistic.
“The million-dollar question, does the budget get passed on time? I think this time around might be a little tougher,” Feyen said.
When lawmakers return to the floor in January, Feyen doesn’t expect they will need to pick up where they left off.
“I don't see any big, missed opportunities hanging out there, except for getting a tax cut done,” Feyen said. “It is something that we all talked about on the campaign trail; is the missed opportunity to get that tax cut across the finish line, to help Wisconsinites out there who are dealing with rising costs due to inflation. It's really hitting those families in my district and throughout Wisconsin, so any way we can help, I think that was a lost opportunity, and tax cuts are one way to do that.”