Tim Muth, senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Wisconsin, said that during a hearing in computer engineering student Krish Lal Isserdasani's case that “the government's lawyer was unable to say that it wouldn't happen again." UW-Madison Engineering Hall. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

University of Wisconsin international students’ visa terminations are being reversed by the Trump administration after many judges across the country blocked the actions, including in Wisconsin.

Dozens of UW students were part of a group of thousands of international students in the U.S. who had their visas abruptly cancelled without notice from the federal government and without a chance to challenge the decision. 

According to a Politico report Friday, the Trump administration said in federal court it was reversing course and reinstating visas for many international students and alumni. A Justice Department attorney said, according to the report, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is “developing a policy that will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations, and that the records for students “will remain active or shall be reactivated if not currently active, and ICE will not modify the record solely based on the [National Crime Information Center] finding that resulted in the recent SEVIS record termination.” The attorney also emphasized that ICE still has the authority to terminate a SEVIS record for other reasons.

The American Immigration Law Association estimates there were about 4,700 affected students across the country. 

UW-Madison said in a statement Monday that each of the 27 cancellations for its international students and alumni were reversed as of late afternoon Saturday, and that affected students and alumni will be able to continue their studies or post-graduation training at UW-Madison as a result.

Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said in the statement that she was “relieved and grateful” for the development. 

“This situation was deeply troubling, upended lives and created both fear and harm,” Mnookin said. “I want to personally thank the many members of our community, along with local, state and federal officials, who worked to assist our students.”

Reported reversals started Thursday and continued through the weekend, according to UW-Madison, and similar to the cancellations, there was no explanation for the records being restored.

The institution said that it has notified the students of the most recent change to their records and that International Student Services and International Faculty and Staff Services are continuing to provide information, resources and support.

“We are pleased to see that all of our affected students and alumni have had their SEVIS records returned to active status, as it has been a difficult period for all involved,” UW- Madison International Division Dean Frances Vavrus said in a statement. “We will continue to follow this evolving situation closely throughout the summer and upcoming academic year.”

Universities of Wisconsin spokesperson Mark Pitsch said in an email that there have been “a number of reversals at our universities” and that the situation remains “fluid.”

Reversals come after judges in cases across at least 23 states had issued emergency orders temporarily blocking the government’s action including in Wisconsin.

In one case, Krish Lal Isserdasani, a 21-year-old computer engineering senior from India, had his SEVIS record terminated less than a month before he was scheduled to graduate from UW-Madison. His case had noted that Isserdasani and his family have spent about $240,000 on his education at UW-Madison and he could lose $17,500 on the current semester’s tuition and would be responsible for four months of rent despite not being able to stay in the country. Isserdasani had also reported a significant psychological impact, including “difficulty in sleeping and fear that he will be placed in immediate detention and deportation.” U.S. District Judge William Conley had temporarily blocked his visa cancellation. 

In another case last week, Conley said that the government had wrongly cancelled Yue “Alison” Yang, a UW-Madison student from China, and granted her protection from deportation. 

Despite the step back by the Trump administration, the ACLU of Wisconsin is calling for injunctive relief from federal courts. The ACLU of Wisconsin filed an amicus curiae brief in two cases challenging the revocations, including Isserdasani’s case and a case recently brought by three anonymous international UW-Madison students, saying the issue isn’t “moot.”

Tim Muth, senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Wisconsin, said that “resorting to the courts is continuing to be an important check on actions that this administration is taking without regard to the human consequences on persons like the student in this case.”

In an amicus curiae brief, Muth wrote that the reversal offers “little protection” for plaintiffs and urged the Court to issue a ruling that “declaring such terminations, without due process and without compliance with applicable law and regulation, to be illegal.”

“It is clear that the recent pivot by the federal government should not moot these 100+ cases pending around the country since they are clearly able to be reversed immediately after dismissal of suits challenging them, and the present likelihood of irreparable injury to the Plaintiffs remains a going concern,” Muth wrote in the amicus curiae.

Muth told the Wisconsin Examiner that the reversals are a sign of the Trump administration’s “losing record” in these cases, but said it’s difficult to trust the Trump administration on immigration matters. 

“It’s not as if the Department of Homeland Security issued a press release or a formal statement announcing a change in policy,” Muth said. “What we had were a couple of attorneys in a couple of different cases saying the government is reactivating student status in SEVIS… Nothing official… has come out from the government. No statement of ‘Oh, we made a mistake on these 4,700 students, and we’re going to correct it. We’re so sorry.’” 

Muth said that during a hearing Monday in Isserdasani’s case Conley asked the government’s lawyer if she was authorized to say that a termination of Isserdasani SEVIS status wouldn’t happen again under the “new policy that supposedly they are developing.” 

“The government’s lawyer was unable to say that it wouldn’t happen again,” Muth said. “That is why the ACLU and… lawyers for international students around the country are saying there continues to be the need for courts to step in until there’s some legally binding correction made by the government.”

Muth said the law is “pretty clear” about when international students can lose their status. Those cases include when someone is no longer a full time student, when someone is engaging in employment that isn’t authorized by the law, lying to ICE or committing a crime of violence. He said things like traffic citations or an arrest for a charge that has been dismissed (as in the case of Isserdasani) are not authorized reasons for terminating somebody’s F1 visa status. 

“It is not something that can just be done unilaterally because the government has decided it wants to have fewer international students,” Muth said. 

The brief notes that students were provided with “vague boilerplate reasons” for their visa termination. In Isserdasani’s case, he received an email that said he was “otherwise failing to maintain status” and that he was “identified in criminal records check and/or has had their VISA revoked.” It states that the reasoning does not satisfy due process requirements because it doesn’t describe a student’s circumstances and students are not provided with the opportunity to defend themselves. 

In the brief, Muth also notes the recent case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland resident who was erroneously deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration, saying that the visa cancellations for international students are part of a larger pattern of the Trump administration ignoring the due process rights — which includes being entitled to notice and the opportunity to be heard — of noncitizens. 

“The due process protections of the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution are protections, not just for U.S. citizens, but they are protections for everyone residing in this country — that right not to be arbitrarily arrested, detained, kicked out of the country,” Muth said. 

Muth said he didn’t know what new policy the Trump administration could be developing.

“If they’re talking about coming up with a policy that would allow them to terminate SEVIS records in that situation, I think they would be violating the existing law set up by Congress,” Muth said. “People are entitled to what they didn’t get here, which is, if you’re going to terminate my status, tell me why, and give me a chance to object if what you are doing is contrary to law or contrary to what the facts are.”

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Bascom Hall, University of Wisconsin-Madison. (Ron Cogswell | used by permission of the photographer)

With the 100th day of President Donald Trump’s second term in office approaching, University of Wisconsin-Madison professors and staff met Thursday to take stock of the growing threats to higher education and U.S. democracy and to discuss collective action to push back. 

UW-Madison professor Mark Copelevitch said the threats to higher education are “unprecedented because it’s happening in America” yet compared the current moment to a movie that historians and experts have seen “over and over again.” 

Copelovitch described the current U.S. system of government as competitive authoritarianism. He said comparisons for what is happening today don’t have to go back to 1930s Germany — recent examples are  Viktor Orban in Hungary and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey. 

“Universities are centers of independent ideas and dissent. Professors are attacked by populist and nationalist leaders as being the radical elite,” Copelovitch said.

University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty, including Copelovitch and other professors were gathered for panels organized by the Public Representation Organization of the Faculty Senate (PROFS) and the Academic Staff Professionals Representation Organization (ASPRO) to discuss shared challenges and the prospects for collective action to defend higher education.

UW-Madison is facing an array of challenges to its operations due to the federal government as over $12 million in research grants to UW-Madison have been cut and caps on indirect cost reimbursements for research grants at 15% represent another significant cut to research funds, and dozens of students across UW campuses and other schools had their visas cancelled. Copelovitch said it is part of a greater attempt to exert influence over the shape of universities across the country.

“What’s happening at Madison [is] terrible and horrible and has real world consequences specifically here,” Copelovitch said. “But again, it is part of a broader pattern that is affecting all the universities across the country. So far, most universities have treated the problems as institution-specific symptoms… That is the big challenge right now. How do you get dozens, if not hundreds of institutions, to start acting collectively to push back against this?”

The panelists said one of the big challenges that universities face is explaining to the public how their budgets work and the impacts of potential cuts.

UW-Madison Veterinary Medicine Research Administration Director Jenny Dahlberg said one lost grant will be “much more broad reaching” than some imagine. “This is an entire generation of scientists that no longer will have opportunities to conduct research. That is alarming,” she said. 

Dahlberg said faculty and staff need to find a way to protect their ability to speak freely about research and to train the next generation. 

Copelovitch said universities will have to communicate to the public about their budgets and recent attacks on academic freedom, and explain that if those things continue it “ultimately means that the universities that people think they’re going to send their kids to eventually are just not going to exist in that format.”

Don Moynihan, a University of Michigan professor and previously a UW-Madison faculty member, said conversations about whether universities are too reliant on federal funding miss the point. He said that investments into research at universities were part of a deal between universities and the government created at the end of World War II. 

“If you will help us with our goals of building out research infrastructure, we will ensure a steady flow of resources into that research infrastructure,” Moynihan said. “Now, we have one of those partners basically withdrawing from the partnership and not just withdrawing from the partnership, but also trying to dictate what the other party does, even though they’re bringing less resources to the table and that activity violated that contract.” 

Moynihan said there’s no way to manage the budget holes that could be created by cuts and that it’s not really feasible that the private sector could fill to gap.

“You’re going to accept or live with a much smaller campus that does much less research…  and that story will be true across lots of other research areas,” Moynihan said. 

Moynihan said the Trump’s administration’s letter to Harvard University, which demanded changes to its administration, student admissions process and called for audits into “DEI” across the campus, lays out a “full menu” of administration priorities. The administration said it would also be cutting over $2 billion in federal grants to the school. 

Moynihan said that it’s clear that individual universities making side deals won’t be a viable strategy. 

“Without collective action, there is not going to be any effective pushback against this administration,” Moynihan said.

Copelovitch said that he has been “heartened” to see the pushback in the last few weeks. UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin signed a letter together with hundreds of other higher education leaders to speak against the “unprecedented government overreach” and the “political interference now endangering American higher education.”  

Copelovitch said discussions about universities banding together, including a recent proposal that  Big Ten schools form a NATO-like agreement, will also be key. 

“No chancellor or provost is going to stick their neck out and lead the fray. Harvard is doing it a little bit, and Harvard can afford to do it, but leaders of any individual public institution are not going to do that, so there’s a need to speak collectively,” Copelovitch said. 

“Fragility” of U.S. democracy

The upheaval in U.S. institutions has gone beyond higher education, and at a separate event, titled “The Fragility and Performance of Democracy in the U.S.” hosted by the Elections Research Center on Thursday afternoon, focused on analyzing Trump’s attacks on the U.S. administrative state and the consolidation of executive power .

UW-Madison professor and director of the Elections Research Center Barry Burden said he didn’t think “any of us imagined we would see the kind of chaos that we’ve experienced these first 100 days,” but said the second Trump administration “has been so massively disruptive” and is “pushing the limits of what a democratic system can handle.” 

“It is doing things that previously seemed illegal, impossible, unimaginable or unconstitutional, and they’re happening daily and often with people who are not really part of the government or part of his party — people like Elon Musk and others — being brought in to do the hatchet work on federal agencies,” Burden said. 

Burden said that Trump is showing warning signs of a “personalized” president, which is often a warning sign for democracies. 

“We’ve seen in other countries where a fairly elected leader, and [Trump] is a fairly elected leader, can nonetheless abuse the government against their enemies and make it a kind of weapon — whether it’s using the IRS for political purposes, or threatening judges or intimidating universities or journalists,” Burden said. “All of those things are using his power as president to get parts of society to bow to him and serve his interests.” 

Burden said the protests being held across the country at state Capitols, in small cities and towns — including in Wisconsin — in recent weeks are a sign that civil society is starting to rise up in opposition. 

“We’ve seen the public come back out of its hiding,” Burden said. He added that unpopularity amongst the public and public resistance — along with accountability by the courts and the media — are what has been essential in resisting autocrats in eastern Europe and Latin America as well. “It’s all hands on deck, really, to stop a democratic government from sliding away.”

Burden said that people need to understand their place in upholding democracy.

“Democracy needs people to keep it flourishing,” Burden said. “It doesn’t operate on its own. We often think of it as a kind of system. You write a constitution, and it exists, and it’s in place, and it will just continue. That’s not how it works. It has to be sustained and tended to and protected. It takes a whole bunch of different actors. It takes the public being vigilant. It takes journalists, media outlets holding government accountable, and transmitting what’s happening. … and it takes political parties to govern themselves and keep bad elements out of government.”

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Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and UW-Madison Jennifer Mnookin told lawmakers that the DEI practices throughout the system are constantly evolving.

President of the Dane County NAACP chapter Greg Jones was the only member of the public to testify at a Joint Audit Committee hearing Tuesday on two recent audits into the diversity, equity and inclusion practices of state agencies and the Universities of Wisconsin. His message to lawmakers was simple: listen to individuals’ stories about the impact of diversity, equity and inclusion programs and stay away from politicized attacks on DEI. 

“If the question is about whether DEI is functioning or not, whether it’s effective or not, then do it — assess it, examine it and make the case, but don’t let the politicized environment we now face become an issue of concern,” Jones said. 

Jones told lawmakers on the committee about his own experience working in what was then known as the American Ethnic Coordinate office at UW-Eau Claire many years ago. His responsibilities in that “first iteration for the stuff called DEI, belonging and so forth” was ensuring that African-American, Native American, Hispanic American and white students were comfortable on campus. 

“It caused me to do a lot of different things. I worked with them to facilitate transportation back home to Kenosha, Racine when they lost a family member, helped them get that money from the financial aid office, advocated for them with English teachers who wouldn’t accept Black English as a… method of communication in the class, even when writing poetry, short stories, or any other literary form,” Jones said. 

Jones added that these efforts helped students succeed in school and were designed to accomplish similar goals to the many DEI initiatives across UW campuses today. 

“They’re trying to do the same thing: make those students, who don’t live in those communities, are not from those communities, who don’t relate culturally, racially, ethnically, economically to members of that community, [feel] comfortable.”

Jones’ comments came after four hours of back and forth between the leaders of the state Department of Administration (DOA) and the University of Wisconsin system, who defended their DEI practices, and lawmakers on the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Republicans on the committee pressed the leaders on the results of recent audits and criticized DEI efforts saying they are “racist” and do not benefit the state.

Republican lawmakers launched the audits into DEI practices last year after getting concessions from the UW system on cutting back DEI in 2023. The lawmakers then expressed their intent to continue targeting and trying to eliminate diversity programs. 

The audit results, which were released earlier this month, come as Republican lawmakers have felt emboldened by a U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended consideration of race in admission processes and as the Trump administration has made targeting and eliminating DEI efforts, especially in K-12 and higher education, one of its top priorities. According to a recent poll by Pew Reseach Center, 54% of Americans disapprove of the Trump administration’s actions to end DEI in the federal government, while 44% approve. 

Committee co-chair Sen. Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto) opened the hearing on the audits by attacking diversity, equity and inclusion, saying that it “abandons the pursuit of a colorblind society” and demands “stereotyping.” He said the audits “expose the waste and unconstitutionality of rebranded discrimination based on immutable characteristics.”

Wimberger added he would be seeking information from leaders on how the practices would be “abandoned” or how each DEI initiative “satisfies a compelling government interest and is narrowly tailored to accomplish that interest.”

The DOA audit focused on actions that have been taken in accordance with Executive Order 59, which Gov. Tony Evers signed in 2019 to instruct state agencies to create equity and inclusion plans. Auditors analyzed how much is spent by agencies for DEI activities, including for staffing, and reviewed reported outcomes resulting from DEI activities.

The audit found that none of the 24 state agencies tracked the amount they were spending on DEI, though the audit attempts to estimate some of the costs. According to the audit in 2023-24, agencies spent $2.16 million for salary costs for positions with job duties pertaining to DEI, $705,300 for salary costs for time spent attending diversity, equity, and inclusion training required by the executive order, $444,300 on costs for completing certain actions listed in equity and inclusion action plans and $200,200 for salary costs for time spent attending meetings of DEI committees.

It also found that agencies did not consistently document that they had corrected issues of noncompliance that DOA had identified, and that DOA did not consistently require agencies to take corrective action. The audit recommended that DOA improve its monitoring efforts and ensure that it comply with the executive order and other statutory and administrative rules related to affirmative action. 

The UW audit found that UW institutions planned DEI activities and programs mostly at an institutional level, and not across the board. There is no system wide definition of DEI and implementation of DEI activities were left up to the decision of each institution.

The UW audit similarly found that spending related to DEI was not specifically tracked across the system. According to the audit during the 2023-24 fiscal year, there were $40,221,000 in costs for UW offices with duties pertaining to DEI, $12,484,900 in estimated salary costs for positions with duties related to DEI and $7,911,900 in working on certain diversity, equity, and inclusion activities listed in selected strategic plans and diversity, equity, and inclusion plans.

Republicans expressed contempt for DEI related programs and practices repeatedly throughout the hearing.

Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) said at one point that he was “encouraged by the lack of implementation” of Evers’ executive order.

“The programs are disgusting. It’s racist,” Kapenga said. 

Democrats on the committee rejected Republicans’ characterizations of DEI — defending the practices and also seeking to understand the cost of the audit itself, which took 10 months to complete and included extensive interviews by the LAB of the agencies and UW institutions to compile the information included.

Rep. Sequanna Taylor (D-Milwaukee) said that DEI practices are not meant to be racist. 

“It is meant to be a step … so that we ensure everyone is successful in their learning opportunities,” Taylor said. 

Sen. Melissa Ratcliff (D-Cottage Grove) asked LAB how much money was spent preparing the report.

State Auditor Joe Chrisman said the LAB spent about $423,000.

DOA says practices help recruit new state employees 

In her testimony, DOA Secretary-designee Kathy Blumenfield said that her agency’s  DEI practices have been beneficial for recruiting and retaining employees. 

Blumenfield also reminded lawmakers that a year ago when lawmakers were launching the audit she told them it would be hard because the work of DEI “isn’t done exclusively by one agency, nor is it a program staffed by specific employees with policies and procedures.” She brought up concerns about the methodology of the audit, saying that the audit likely overstated costs.

One example, Blumenfield said, was in relation to town hall events that were hosted by the Department of Workforce Development. The audit lists the events as costing $165,400 in 2023-24, however, Blumenfield said DEI wasn’t the main focus. 

“The content of these meetings included a wide variety of other topics unrelated to [the executive order]… Only 12% of the town hall meeting could be associated with [the executive order], which would equate to a cost of only $19,800 — reducing [the agency’s] total estimated cost by 86%,” Blumenfield said. 

Blumenfield also said that many of the activities and positions that were covered in the audit existed in previous administrations and were already required by state law — before the Evers executive order. 

Blumenfield said she thinks DEI practices have been beneficial to the state and that “luckily” the audit didn’t opine on whether DEI was good or bad. 

“This was very, very difficult and very, very challenging,” Blumenfield said, adding that she sees the audit as actually “telling us to lean in more to this work.” 

“If you look at the actual recommendations out of the audit, it’s saying do more in this space,” Blumenfield continued. 

Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) said he is concerned with whether the audit finds the agency  complies with the law and DEI programs are a good use of state resources. He said he couldn’t “wrap my head around” why the state needs DEI to recruit candidates. 

Blumenfield said that DOA is complying with the law and that the agency is trying to explore ways, including nontraditional ones, to ensure the workforce represents the people of Wisconsin better.

“What you just said there is super important because you didn’t say we want our applicants [to be] a little more diverse,” Born said. “You said you want the workforce… How do you make it look more like the state if you’re not hiring people based on race … gender or whatever?”

DOA legislative advisor Cara Connors responded that outreach is important. 

“Historically, you had folks who didn’t even apply to state jobs,” Connors said. She added that outreach was “not because we need to put a thumb on the scale in the hiring process and look at race. It was that we needed to get these people to apply to jobs in the first place.”

One example they used to illustrate the point is outreach to female engineers. 

“Female engineers are really hard to come by. [The Public Service Commission] has a really hard time just retaining and recruiting engineers, so they’ve sent their female engineers to the career fairs and all of a sudden they’re attracting more female engineers,” Blumenfield said. “This isn’t rocket science.”

In response to a question from Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown), Blumenfield clarified that there are no quotas for these programs. 

“If I’m at a career fair and I’m a woman and I don’t see anyone that looks like me, you know, I might not be as excited to apply with that organization as if I see someone that I can see myself in,” Blumenfield said. 

Knodl asked whether there are any engineer positions currently open.

“Are there male engineers available to fill those spots? Are you keeping them open for female engineers?” Knodl asked.

“No we don’t do that,” Connors responded. Blumenfield asked if he knew any engineers, and Knodl said his son is an engineer.

Wimberger argued that by implementing DEI programs, people are presuming things about people based on “immutable characteristics.” 

“Respectfully, Senator, I think this committee is conflating this idea of what DEI is with what’s actually happening at the state agencies,” Connor said. “What’s happening at the state agencies is what the secretary is describing. It’s this effort to recruit and retain talent in line with [several factors].” She used the example of the American with Disabilities Act, noting that it’s an anti-discrimination law.

“If I’m building a building, and I have multiple floors, I have to have an elevator, I have to have ramps,” Connors said. 

“If I wanted to help people with disabilities, would I build a ramp?” Wimberger asked. 

“If you want them to access your building,” Connors said. 

“Not if their disability isn’t related to mobility,” Wimberger shot back.

Sen. Melissa Ratcliff asked about the time the agencies spent complying with the audit.  

Blumenfield said they spent over 600 hours — or more than 75 eight-hour work days.

“That took us, actually, away from the work that we were doing to try and achieve a lot of the outcomes,” Blumenfield said.

UW leaders say DEI efforts focused on student success

Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and UW-Madison Jennifer Mnookin told lawmakers that the DEI practices throughout the system are constantly evolving and are  important to student success. 

Rothman said he has come to think of DEI as “a broad concept that includes differences in political ideology and religious beliefs, first generation status, disabled status, veteran status, in addition to those who would come from historically underrepresented groups” and that UW’s  focus is “on each individual student as an individual to ensure their success as a student and to ensure that they leave our universities with enhanced level of cultural competency.” 

Wimberger asked about whether UW-Madison has scholarships that consider race.

 

Mnookin said that while it was considered as a “modest” factor in admissions before the U.S. Supreme Court decision, that is no longer the case. She added that the U.S. Supreme Court decision does not directly speak to scholarships and that there are a few exceptions to this at UW-Madison because of some state statutes.

“Nobody is getting a scholarship from UW Madison on the basis of the racial preference,” Mnookin said. “We also are no longer accepting new scholarships from donors that call out identity characteristics in that way.”  

Some Republican lawmakers also asked about LaVar J. Charlteston, the UW-Madison chief diversity officer who was demoted from his position due to financial concerns including “highly atypical and excessive spending across multiple dimensions — from bonuses to compensation adjustments to travel, supplies and furnishings.” Wimberger asked if UW would fill the position he left vacant. 

Mnookin said she has a new part-time advisor, but it is not the same. 

“It is not at all the same role that Dr. Charlteston had,” Mnookin said. “We were trying to think about what does pluralism look like? How do we create a culture where conversations across our differences, no matter your identity or no matter your beliefs, are something that is happening?”

Mnookin said they are also working on implementing new financial controls with consultation from Deloitte to help prevent further occurrences like this.

“I don’t begrudge you for doing that,” Wimberger said. 

Rep. Robert Wittke (R-Caledonia), who expressed concerns about the variety of DEI definitions on campus, asked Rothman what the system is going to do to work on setting a standard across campuses.

“There was the sense coming out of the audit that we didn’t have a sense of what’s going on. I don’t think that’s a fair characterization,” Rothman said.

During the hearing, Rothman commended Mnookin for her work, particularly naming the Deliberation Dinners she has hosted, which are an opportunity for students to participate in conversations about controversial issues. Mnookin said it is part of their work to make people feel included on campus.

“Part of what we are trying to create — and, Senator, I acknowledge that we have further work to do — is a place where, whatever your background or your identity you can feel comfortable sharing perspectives,” Mnookin said.

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Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and UW-Madison Jennifer Mnookin told lawmakers that the DEI practices throughout the system are constantly evolving.

President of the Dane County NAACP chapter Greg Jones was the only member of the public to testify at a Joint Audit Committee hearing Tuesday on two recent audits into the diversity, equity and inclusion practices of state agencies and the Universities of Wisconsin. His message to lawmakers was simple: listen to individuals’ stories about the impact of diversity, equity and inclusion programs and stay away from politicized attacks on DEI. 

“If the question is about whether DEI is functioning or not, whether it’s effective or not, then do it — assess it, examine it and make the case, but don’t let the politicized environment we now face become an issue of concern,” Jones said. 

Jones told lawmakers on the committee about his own experience working in what was then known as the American Ethnic Coordinate office at UW-Eau Claire many years ago. His responsibilities in that “first iteration for the stuff called DEI, belonging and so forth” was ensuring that African-American, Native American, Hispanic American and white students were comfortable on campus. 

“It caused me to do a lot of different things. I worked with them to facilitate transportation back home to Kenosha, Racine when they lost a family member, helped them get that money from the financial aid office, advocated for them with English teachers who wouldn’t accept Black English as a… method of communication in the class, even when writing poetry, short stories, or any other literary form,” Jones said. 

Jones added that these efforts helped students succeed in school and were designed to accomplish similar goals to the many DEI initiatives across UW campuses today. 

“They’re trying to do the same thing: make those students, who don’t live in those communities, are not from those communities, who don’t relate culturally, racially, ethnically, economically to members of that community, [feel] comfortable.”

Jones’ comments came after four hours of back and forth between the leaders of the state Department of Administration (DOA) and the University of Wisconsin system, who defended their DEI practices, and lawmakers on the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Republicans on the committee pressed the leaders on the results of recent audits and criticized DEI efforts saying they are “racist” and do not benefit the state.

Republican lawmakers launched the audits into DEI practices last year after getting concessions from the UW system on cutting back DEI in 2023. The lawmakers then expressed their intent to continue targeting and trying to eliminate diversity programs. 

The audit results, which were released earlier this month, come as Republican lawmakers have felt emboldened by a U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended consideration of race in admission processes and as the Trump administration has made targeting and eliminating DEI efforts, especially in K-12 and higher education, one of its top priorities. According to a recent poll by Pew Reseach Center, 54% of Americans disapprove of the Trump administration’s actions to end DEI in the federal government, while 44% approve. 

Committee co-chair Sen. Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto) opened the hearing on the audits by attacking diversity, equity and inclusion, saying that it “abandons the pursuit of a colorblind society” and demands “stereotyping.” He said the audits “expose the waste and unconstitutionality of rebranded discrimination based on immutable characteristics.”

Wimberger added he would be seeking information from leaders on how the practices would be “abandoned” or how each DEI initiative “satisfies a compelling government interest and is narrowly tailored to accomplish that interest.”

The DOA audit focused on actions that have been taken in accordance with Executive Order 59, which Gov. Tony Evers signed in 2019 to instruct state agencies to create equity and inclusion plans. Auditors analyzed how much is spent by agencies for DEI activities, including for staffing, and reviewed reported outcomes resulting from DEI activities.

The audit found that none of the 24 state agencies tracked the amount they were spending on DEI, though the audit attempts to estimate some of the costs. According to the audit in 2023-24, agencies spent $2.16 million for salary costs for positions with job duties pertaining to DEI, $705,300 for salary costs for time spent attending diversity, equity, and inclusion training required by the executive order, $444,300 on costs for completing certain actions listed in equity and inclusion action plans and $200,200 for salary costs for time spent attending meetings of DEI committees.

It also found that agencies did not consistently document that they had corrected issues of noncompliance that DOA had identified, and that DOA did not consistently require agencies to take corrective action. The audit recommended that DOA improve its monitoring efforts and ensure that it comply with the executive order and other statutory and administrative rules related to affirmative action. 

The UW audit found that UW institutions planned DEI activities and programs mostly at an institutional level, and not across the board. There is no system wide definition of DEI and implementation of DEI activities were left up to the decision of each institution.

The UW audit similarly found that spending related to DEI was not specifically tracked across the system. According to the audit during the 2023-24 fiscal year, there were $40,221,000 in costs for UW offices with duties pertaining to DEI, $12,484,900 in estimated salary costs for positions with duties related to DEI and $7,911,900 in working on certain diversity, equity, and inclusion activities listed in selected strategic plans and diversity, equity, and inclusion plans.

Republicans expressed contempt for DEI related programs and practices repeatedly throughout the hearing.

Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) said at one point that he was “encouraged by the lack of implementation” of Evers’ executive order.

“The programs are disgusting. It’s racist,” Kapenga said. 

Democrats on the committee rejected Republicans’ characterizations of DEI — defending the practices and also seeking to understand the cost of the audit itself, which took 10 months to complete and included extensive interviews by the LAB of the agencies and UW institutions to compile the information included.

Rep. Sequanna Taylor (D-Milwaukee) said that DEI practices are not meant to be racist. 

“It is meant to be a step … so that we ensure everyone is successful in their learning opportunities,” Taylor said. 

Sen. Melissa Ratcliff (D-Cottage Grove) asked LAB how much money was spent preparing the report.

State Auditor Joe Chrisman said the LAB spent about $423,000.

DOA says practices help recruit new state employees 

In her testimony, DOA Secretary-designee Kathy Blumenfield said that her agency’s  DEI practices have been beneficial for recruiting and retaining employees. 

Blumenfield also reminded lawmakers that a year ago when lawmakers were launching the audit she told them it would be hard because the work of DEI “isn’t done exclusively by one agency, nor is it a program staffed by specific employees with policies and procedures.” She brought up concerns about the methodology of the audit, saying that the audit likely overstated costs.

One example, Blumenfield said, was in relation to town hall events that were hosted by the Department of Workforce Development. The audit lists the events as costing $165,400 in 2023-24, however, Blumenfield said DEI wasn’t the main focus. 

“The content of these meetings included a wide variety of other topics unrelated to [the executive order]… Only 12% of the town hall meeting could be associated with [the executive order], which would equate to a cost of only $19,800 — reducing [the agency’s] total estimated cost by 86%,” Blumenfield said. 

Blumenfield also said that many of the activities and positions that were covered in the audit existed in previous administrations and were already required by state law — before the Evers executive order. 

Blumenfield said she thinks DEI practices have been beneficial to the state and that “luckily” the audit didn’t opine on whether DEI was good or bad. 

“This was very, very difficult and very, very challenging,” Blumenfield said, adding that she sees the audit as actually “telling us to lean in more to this work.” 

“If you look at the actual recommendations out of the audit, it’s saying do more in this space,” Blumenfield continued. 

Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) said he is concerned with whether the audit finds the agency  complies with the law and DEI programs are a good use of state resources. He said he couldn’t “wrap my head around” why the state needs DEI to recruit candidates. 

Blumenfield said that DOA is complying with the law and that the agency is trying to explore ways, including nontraditional ones, to ensure the workforce represents the people of Wisconsin better.

“What you just said there is super important because you didn’t say we want our applicants [to be] a little more diverse,” Born said. “You said you want the workforce… How do you make it look more like the state if you’re not hiring people based on race … gender or whatever?”

DOA legislative advisor Cara Connors responded that outreach is important. 

“Historically, you had folks who didn’t even apply to state jobs,” Connors said. She added that outreach was “not because we need to put a thumb on the scale in the hiring process and look at race. It was that we needed to get these people to apply to jobs in the first place.”

One example they used to illustrate the point is outreach to female engineers. 

“Female engineers are really hard to come by. [The Public Service Commission] has a really hard time just retaining and recruiting engineers, so they’ve sent their female engineers to the career fairs and all of a sudden they’re attracting more female engineers,” Blumenfield said. “This isn’t rocket science.”

In response to a question from Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown), Blumenfield clarified that there are no quotas for these programs. 

“If I’m at a career fair and I’m a woman and I don’t see anyone that looks like me, you know, I might not be as excited to apply with that organization as if I see someone that I can see myself in,” Blumenfield said. 

Knodl asked whether there are any engineer positions currently open.

“Are there male engineers available to fill those spots? Are you keeping them open for female engineers?” Knodl asked.

“No we don’t do that,” Connors responded. Blumenfield asked if he knew any engineers, and Knodl said his son is an engineer.

Wimberger argued that by implementing DEI programs, people are presuming things about people based on “immutable characteristics.” 

“Respectfully, Senator, I think this committee is conflating this idea of what DEI is with what’s actually happening at the state agencies,” Connor said. “What’s happening at the state agencies is what the secretary is describing. It’s this effort to recruit and retain talent in line with [several factors].” She used the example of the American with Disabilities Act, noting that it’s an anti-discrimination law.

“If I’m building a building, and I have multiple floors, I have to have an elevator, I have to have ramps,” Connors said. 

“If I wanted to help people with disabilities, would I build a ramp?” Wimberger asked. 

“If you want them to access your building,” Connors said. 

“Not if their disability isn’t related to mobility,” Wimberger shot back.

Sen. Melissa Ratcliff asked about the time the agencies spent complying with the audit.  

Blumenfield said they spent over 600 hours — or more than 75 eight-hour work days.

“That took us, actually, away from the work that we were doing to try and achieve a lot of the outcomes,” Blumenfield said.

UW leaders say DEI efforts focused on student success

Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and UW-Madison Jennifer Mnookin told lawmakers that the DEI practices throughout the system are constantly evolving and are  important to student success. 

Rothman said he has come to think of DEI as “a broad concept that includes differences in political ideology and religious beliefs, first generation status, disabled status, veteran status, in addition to those who would come from historically underrepresented groups” and that UW’s  focus is “on each individual student as an individual to ensure their success as a student and to ensure that they leave our universities with enhanced level of cultural competency.” 

Wimberger asked about whether UW-Madison has scholarships that consider race.

 

Mnookin said that while it was considered as a “modest” factor in admissions before the U.S. Supreme Court decision, that is no longer the case. She added that the U.S. Supreme Court decision does not directly speak to scholarships and that there are a few exceptions to this at UW-Madison because of some state statutes.

“Nobody is getting a scholarship from UW Madison on the basis of the racial preference,” Mnookin said. “We also are no longer accepting new scholarships from donors that call out identity characteristics in that way.”  

Some Republican lawmakers also asked about LaVar J. Charlteston, the UW-Madison chief diversity officer who was demoted from his position due to financial concerns including “highly atypical and excessive spending across multiple dimensions — from bonuses to compensation adjustments to travel, supplies and furnishings.” Wimberger asked if UW would fill the position he left vacant. 

Mnookin said she has a new part-time advisor, but it is not the same. 

“It is not at all the same role that Dr. Charlteston had,” Mnookin said. “We were trying to think about what does pluralism look like? How do we create a culture where conversations across our differences, no matter your identity or no matter your beliefs, are something that is happening?”

Mnookin said they are also working on implementing new financial controls with consultation from Deloitte to help prevent further occurrences like this.

“I don’t begrudge you for doing that,” Wimberger said. 

Rep. Robert Wittke (R-Caledonia), who expressed concerns about the variety of DEI definitions on campus, asked Rothman what the system is going to do to work on setting a standard across campuses.

“There was the sense coming out of the audit that we didn’t have a sense of what’s going on. I don’t think that’s a fair characterization,” Rothman said.

During the hearing, Rothman commended Mnookin for her work, particularly naming the Deliberation Dinners she has hosted, which are an opportunity for students to participate in conversations about controversial issues. Mnookin said it is part of their work to make people feel included on campus.

“Part of what we are trying to create — and, Senator, I acknowledge that we have further work to do — is a place where, whatever your background or your identity you can feel comfortable sharing perspectives,” Mnookin said.

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Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) said extending postpartum Medicaid coverage is morally and fiscally “the right thing to do” for Wisconsin. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

The Wisconsin Senate passed a bill to expand access to health care for postpartum mothers on Tuesday, while Assembly Republicans passed bills to further restrict and implement obstacles to accessing unemployment benefits for Wisconsinites.

The Senate for a second time since the last session passed a bill that would extend Medicaid coverage for postpartum mothers in Wisconsin from 60 days to a full year after childbirth. The measure received almost unanimous support, passing 32-1 with Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) casting the only ‘no’ vote. 

Bill author Sen. Jesse James (R-Thorp) said at a press conference that Wisconsin has a responsibility to support mothers and babies. 

Pregnant women in Wisconsin can currently receive Medicaid coverage if they have an annual income of up to 306% of the federal poverty level, however, they risk losing their coverage 60 days after giving birth. Newborns already receive a year of coverage in Wisconsin. 

The bill received an outpouring of support from members of the public during a bill hearing. This included, James noted, support from mothers who dealt with heart failure, preeclampsia and other health issues.  

“That’s why we’re here today,” James said. “Those moms are why we’re here today — their stories of life-threatening heart conditions, postpartum complications and the postpartum depression… Let’s give them the care they need.” 

Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) said it is morally and fiscally “the right thing to do” for Wisconsin. 

According to a fiscal estimate by the Department of Health Services, the policy would cost $18.5 million in all funds including $7.3 million in general purpose revenue. If Wisconsin joined other states that have accepted the full federal Medicaid expansion, the cost for the postpartum coverage would be reduced to $15.1 million in all funds including $5.2 million in general purpose revenue.

Wisconsin is one of only two states in the country that haven’t opted to expand Medicaid coverage for postpartum moms, and despite bipartisan support, because of opposition from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester), the bill continues to face challenges in becoming law. 

“Why is Wisconsin fighting for last place?” Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin (D-Whitefish Bay) asked during floor debate.

Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) said he was glad that the proposal was being voted on again, but also said it is “odd” that lawmakers were speaking about extending the benefit in a national political environment where the federal Medicaid program as a whole is under threat.

“I would hope that we could take that initial step beyond [this bill] …  to do our best to ensure that Medicaid overall is protected,” Larson said. “If the feds decide to set fire to Medicaid, as has been happening with other areas of government, there is no way that other states can make up for it.” 

Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) noted on the floor that the Senate also passed the bill last session 32-1, and the Assembly is the reason that it was unsuccessful. 

Assembly Speaker Vos was one of the major obstacles to the advancement of the bill in the Assembly last session, and he continues to oppose the bill, having termed it an expansion of “welfare.”

“[Assembly Republicans] sat on it and did nothing and since that time, women and babies have been hurt because they haven’t received the care that they need,” Hesselbein said. “I’m very hopeful after our action again today that we could talk to the Republicans in the state Assembly and get this done.”

Felzkowski told lawmakers to remember that it can take more than one legislative session for a bill to pass and expressed confidence that the Assembly will eventually come around. 

“Sometimes it takes two or three [sessions], sometimes it takes four. We’ll get the Assembly there,” Felzkowski said during the floor session. “I promise.” 

When asked about the bill during a press conference Tuesday, Vos didn’t commit to bringing it up for a vote, saying that his caucus hasn’t discussed it yet, but he said he hasn’t changed his own position.

“My position has been fairly clear from the very beginning. I’ve never supported an expansion of welfare. I can’t imagine that I would ever support one,” Vos said. “But we have to talk about it as a caucus.”

Over 70% of the Assembly are co-sponsors on the bill, including 28 Republicans — who represent over half of the Assembly Republican caucus — and 44 Democrats. It needs a simple majority of 50 votes to pass.

New restrictions, requirements on unemployment insurance 

While the Senate sought to expand the public health care benefits for Wisconsin mothers, Assembly Republicans took action to restrict benefits for Wisconsinites who lose their jobs, passing a slate of bills that would restrict and implement more obstacles to receiving unemployment insurance.

People in Wisconsin are eligible to receive unemployment insurance if they were laid off and must be able, available and actively looking for work and willing to accept suitable work. The state Department of Workforce Development determines the weekly benefit. In Wisconsin, the minimum weekly benefit in Wisconsin is $54 while the maximum benefit is $370 per week.

Vos said the bills ensure that “all the folks who are in Wisconsin, who are able-bodied” and “living off the system wrongly” are “doing their due diligence to find a job as opposed to living off the system.”

Democratic lawmakers slammed the bills, saying they were wrongly seeking to make it more difficult to access public benefits at a time when Wisconsinites may need them more than ever given recent upheaval in the federal government under the Trump administration. 

“While Trump is starting trade wars, pushing the economy off the ledge and laying off droves of federal workers, legislative Republicans are doing nothing to push back,” Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) said. “In fact, they’ve decided that the best use of our time here today on the floor is to make it harder for Wisconsinites to receive their earned benefits in a very chaotic time.”

Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-Milwaukee), speaking against the bills lawmakers were taking up, said it appeared to be “kick folks while they’re down day” in the Assembly. He said unemployment insurance is a “Wisconsin idea” — noting that Wisconsin was the first state in the country to establish an Unemployment Compensation program — and that the program provides protections for businesses and employees.

“Employers pay into UI and their employees get access to unemployment insurance by working for them, and when someone is laid off or a deeply unfunny billionaire with a chainsaw fires them or a business goes out of business because of deeply unfunny tariffs then the employee… gets a little bit back to help them survive until they get another” job, Clancy said.  

Republican lawmakers defended the bills as making the unemployment programs better for employers and those seeking the benefits. 

One bill — AB 164 — would change Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance program by renaming it the “reemployment assistance” program and expanding requirements for receiving the help. It would also require claimants make “direct” contact with potential employers as a part of their four required work searches weekly — or risk their benefits. The bill passed 53-42.

Rep. Benjamin Franklin said the bill requirements are “not a burden.” 

“It is an opportunity,” Rep. Ben Franklin (R-De Pere) said during floor debate. “Making real connections with hiring managers increases the odds of finding work that aligns with one’s experience, goals and skills.”

Vos said the proposals are “common sense” and accused Democrats of trying to keep people out of work.

“There are people all over the state of Wisconsin who are lying to us, lying to themselves and getting the benefit of the resources that the state of Wisconsin have when there is a job ready and waiting for them to take it,” Vos said. “Why would you want to support people who are scamming a system?”

Lawmakers also passed AB 165, which would ban local governments from using tax money to create guaranteed income programs without a work or training requirement, in a 53-42 party-line vote.

A handful of Wisconsin cities have explored pilot guaranteed income programs, including Madison, Milwaukee and Wausau. Clancy said people benefiting from local guaranteed income programs were being misrepresented by Republicans. 

“Giving cash to people in poverty helps them not to be in poverty,” Clancy said. “As it turns out, most people already know what they need and they make remarkably astute decisions about how to spend these benefits to help themselves and their families by meeting their most urgent needs.” 

Clancy said that in Milwaukee some beneficiaries have used the program to help pay rent, buy a vehicle to help them get to work and to take time off in preparation for the birth of a baby.

AB 167, which would expand the definition of employee misconduct used to deny an unemployment insurance claim and a worker’s compensation claim, passed 53-42.

Under the bill the definition of misconduct would include the unauthorized possession of an employer’s property or theft, unauthorized distribution of an employer’s confidential information, use of an employer’s credit card or other financial instrument for an unauthorized purpose and the violation of a company’s social media policy or absenteeism policy. The bill would also require the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) to conduct random audits of half of the work searches reported by people claiming unemployment benefits. 

Rep. Tip McGuire (D-Kenosha), speaking against the bill, said Republicans will have to “wake up to the reality that there is chaos and confusion in Washington D.C.” at some point. 

“It will hurt working families in Wisconsin and… one of the things that they’re going to need if a recession comes and they are out of work and they are laid off are these unemployment benefits,” McGuire said. “Making it easier to restrict them from those benefits is bad. It’s bad for our economy. It’s bad for our working families. It’s bad for the people of the state.” 

Bill author Rep. Duke Tucker (R-Grantsburg) said that everyone should “strive for efficient and effective government programs” and said the bill would help ensure the unemployment insurance program is “healthy.” 

“Unemployment insurance is for those who lost their job through no fault of their own. What better way can we ensure the possibility of increased benefits [than] by having a solvent fund that’s well managed?” Tucker asked. He added there is no “ill intent” with the bill. 

Evers has previously vetoed bills similar to the unemployment changes and the guaranteed income ban.

Other related bills passed by the Assembly include:

• AB 162 would require state agencies to compile metrics on training and workforce development programs, including the unemployment rates and median earnings of participants six months after they graduate from a program. It passed 53-42.
• AB 168 would allow felony fraud claims related to unemployment to be prosecuted up to eight years after a crime was committed, extending the current statute of limitations of six years. It would also require the DWD to provide information about unemployment — including providing training materials for employers and claimants and expanding its call center hours — and to implement “identity-proofing” measures for unemployment. The bill passed 53-42.
• AB 169 would allow an employer to report to DWD an unemployment recipient who  declines or fails to show up to a job interview or declines a job offer. This would be used to determine benefits. The bill passed 53-42.

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Madison Public Library Director Tana Elias said advocacy on behalf of libraries by Wisconsin residents and other stakeholders is essential right now. The Madison Public Library is in the process of collecting physical notes from patrons to be mailed to lawmakers. (Photo courtesy of Madison Public Library)

Threatened federal funding cuts are causing uncertainty for the future of Wisconsin libraries and the programs they provide to the public, especially for those serving rural areas — and libraries are pushing Wisconsinites to talk to their lawmakers.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March to downsize and begin the process of eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an agency responsible for providing funding to states, including over $266.7 million last year. In 2024, Wisconsin received $3.23 million from the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grants to States program, which is the largest source of federal funding support for library services in the country. 

Northern Waters Library Services Director Katherine Elchert called IMLS the “backbone” of American libraries. While the cuts could affect all libraries, Elchert said the cut would be a “direct blow” to rural libraries, including those in her system.

Elchert’s system is one of 15 public library systems across Wisconsin. It’s made up of 27 libraries in the northern part of Wisconsin and is one of the smaller population size library systems, but the largest geographical systems. It is expected to get $64,064 in federal funding — or 8% of its total funding —  from the federal government in 2025, according to DPI. 

“Most [of my libraries] are quite small and the loss of this funding will impact every single library in my system….” Elchert said, adding that patrons might not immediately recognize the impact of cuts. “It’s not like the institute is providing money so your libraries can buy books. It’s more providing large, big picture collaborations,” she said. 

Some of those collaborative programs that could be affected include interlibrary loans, a mechanism for Wisconsin libraries to share information, books and resources across the state, WISCAT, the state’s resource sharing platform, and Badgerlink, an online library that gives people access to online databases and educational resources. 

Ben Miller, library services director for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, said his team is made up of about 20 people, 16 of them funded through federal dollars. They are responsible for providing support to local libraries, including supporting collaborative programs and ensuring they work. Miller said that Wisconsin has had more than 15 million materials moved between libraries each year with the Interlibrary Loan programs and WISCAT.

“If we lost federal funding, we would be down to a skeleton of a skeleton crew of three folks,” Miller said. 

Badgerlink is funded with state dollars, Miller said, but the staff at DPI is responsible for negotiating contracts and ensuring there is access to Wisconsin residents. 

“Our team of people make that happen, and without this federal funding, that state money would pay for content that no one can access,” Miller said. 

The agency has also worked to make WISCAT more accessible.

“We pay for the platform, we staff it… we manage it, and we have folks that help with those referrals,” Miller said. “It allows us to cast requests outside of the state even, so you could get a book from Florida into Wisconsin if that is what you need.” 

The DPI also distributes federal funds in the form of grants that allow libraries to pilot programs that could become part of regular services in the future. 

A recent example, Miller said, is the JobPod Initiative in Brown County, which has helped provide resources including digital literacy training and technology skills to Wisconsinites seeking a job through their public libraries. 

Another example of a successful program is the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium, widely known as Libby, which provides people across the state with access to e-books and audiobooks.

“We provided money, found out people loved it, slowly stepped ourselves off, and then the library systems just went nuts and started buying books and things and now we have, like, the second most checkouts in the nation in Wisconsin,” Miller said. “We were able to stand that up, using this federal money to test the concept, and say, like, ‘Hey, this thing, this works. Let’s do it,’ and then they can incorporate it into their budgets.”

Miller said that his team is looking at the potential scenarios and working to provide service until they find out they aren’t funded. 

The last time the agency got communication from the IMLS, Miller said, was after the executive order, but before the appointment of Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith E. Sonderling to serve as acting director of IMLS on March 20. 

In that communication, Miller said, the federal government notified the agency that it should expect payment on April 22. Tuesday, he said, will be the next milestone. Some states, including California and Washington state, have already received notification that their Grants to States funding has been pulled.

Wisconsin’s library agency hasn’t had any communication with the federal government lately, though it has been monitoring for anything new. Miller said the program officer assigned to Wisconsin was part of the staff put on administrative leave in March. 

Typically, Miller said, he would be preparing to finalize the budget and preparing to put out grant applications, but he said his agency will be proceeding with caution, even if the state does get the funding on Tuesday.

“We’re holding back until we have a better picture of the future… We have questions about how this will look,” Miller said. “All of this funding is contingent on the Museum and Library Services Act of 2018, which comes up for renewal this October, and so even if we get this money next week, we’re going to be really gun shy about putting that out until we know the future of IMLS as an institution and Grants to States moving forward.”

Miller said that the agency is also waiting to see what comes from a multi-state lawsuit launched by 20 states, including Wisconsin, challenging the Trump administration’s cuts to the IMLS and arguing that it violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act. 

Elchert said the programs funded with federal money and the work of the state supporting those programs are important for broadening the collections available to libraries “particularly in those rural areas that don’t have the space or the budget to have those large collections that, say, Madison does.” 

Elchert noted that South Dakota recently announced it is suspending its interlibrary loan service in light of the federal cuts.

“My library system could not provide all of these resources. It’d be — I don’t even know how much it would cost to try and it just wouldn’t happen to be frank,” Elchert said. “So everybody is losing access to all of these larger resources that connect Wisconsin to the larger world.”

Elchert noted that the federal cuts are also affecting tribal libraries, which had their federal funds cut a couple of weeks ago. There are two, the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University Community Library and the Ben Guthrie Lac Du Flambeau Public Library, in her system.

The cuts would hit Wisconsin’s urban libraries as well.

“Ironically, this [executive order] is supposed to eliminate government inefficiency, but this is an incredibly efficient system to offer these services statewide and have them run at the state level with federal funds or any funds for that matter,” said Tana Elias, director of the Madison Public Library.

Elias said that if the funding isn’t awarded there will likely be a “scramble” in July to figure out what programs could be stopped initially and over time.

“It may be that we have to go back to the vendor and renegotiate a contract or renegotiate a reduction in service that we can afford in the meantime, while we wait for all of this to play out,” Elias said. “It’s a lot of uncertainty.”

According to a joint statement from Madison Public Library and Madison Children’s Museum, IMLS has awarded an average of 18 grants per year to Wisconsin museums, libraries and other institutions over the last 15 years — totaling nearly $70 million dollars over that span.

The Madison library was also notified that one of its recent grants that helped support the Observation Deck, a program that was being used to measure and illustrate the impact of library programming and support librarians in improving it, was canceled. She said the library had spent about half of the $240,000 awarded before it was canceled. 

“It’s a reduction,” Elias said. “But we have a plan to continue and wrap up that project with the funding that we have now.” That plan includes not moving forward with a second grant request and paying for service directly so the platform can continue to be used. “We won’t be able to expand it and offer it for other public libraries to use,” she said.

Elias added that she was concerned that the cuts could limit professional opportunities for library staff. Currently, she said many of those opportunities become available through DPI at little to no cost. She said professional training and ensuring staff have support will be even more important if public services shrink in other areas. 

“Library funding is being targeted. Humanities funding is being targeted. Arts funding is coming. We all know that education funding is being targeted as more of those funds slip away from us… as all of those safety nets shrink and fray, people will be coming to libraries more and more,” Elias said. “I think it’s even more important that we continue to have strong funding for libraries, because they’re kind of a safety net for a lot of people.” 

Elias said advocacy on behalf of libraries by Wisconsin residents and other stakeholders is essential right now. The Madison Public Library is in the process of collecting physical notes from patrons to be mailed to lawmakers. 

The Wisconsin Public Library Consortium, which includes all of the public library systems in the state, has put together a webpage to inform residents about and encourage them to lobby their lawmakers for funding.

“It does make a difference. Legislators do listen to their constituents, and I think because we are working on a statewide campaign across the whole state, we’ll hit both those Republican and Democratic legislators… I think having bipartisan support is really important,” Elias said. 

Elchert of the Northern Waters system said that librarians are “scrappy” and everyone is working to help the community.

“It’s important that patrons know that their library services will be impacted if these cuts go through,” Elchert said. “It’s not a matter of will it be felt, but how badly will it be felt.”

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State Superintendent Jill Underly said "Washington, D.C. should not dictate how schools educate their kids." Underly pictured with Madison La Follette High School Principal Mathew Thompson and Madison Public School District Superintendent Joe Gothard in the hallway at La Follette in September 2024. (Photo by Ruth Conniff/Wisconsin Examiner)

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction rejected the Trump administration’s request to certify compliance with a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion in K-12 public schools. 

State Superintendent Jill Underly said in a statement that Wisconsin schools are following the law. 

“We’ve put that into writing to the USDE,” Underly said. “We believe in local control in Wisconsin and trusting our local leaders – superintendents, principals, educators – who work together with parents and families every day to support students. They know their communities best. Washington, D.C. should not dictate how schools educate their kids.” 

The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter earlier this month to state agencies across the country requesting that agencies check with local school districts to ensure they don’t have diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. 

The federal administration is trying to apply the U.S. Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision, which said race-based programs in higher education violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, to K-12 education. The administration said state agencies needed to ensure compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Supreme Court decision. 

Wisconsin is one of several states, mostly led by Democrats, that have pushed back on the request. The Trump administration, which has been targeting diversity efforts in K-12 schools as well as in higher education and other sectors, has threatened that it could pull funding from states that don’t comply with the request.

Wisconsin schools receive $841.9 million from the federal government, making up about 8% of the total funding for schools across the state. Funding from the Department of Education makes up $568.2 million of that, and according to DPI, this is equivalent to 6,106 educator jobs. 

According to the letter, DPI provided the Department of Education with copies of previous certifications of compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

The agency said that its repeated requests for additional information about the new certification request went unanswered. In an April 9 letter, DPI asked for clarification on why the federal government was requesting another certification and asked the Department of Education to answer questions including whether the requested certification seeks to enforce any requirement beyond what is required by federal law and regulation and what legal authority the Education Department is using to make the request a condition of federal aid. 

“If the certified assurances are insufficient to meet the conditions of federal funding imposed by USDE, please articulate the basis in law for imposing these conditions, as well as an explanation as to why these assurances do not fulfill those requirements,” DPI General Counsel Benjamin Jones wrote to the Department of Education.

Underly said the new certification is a way for the federal government to “directly control the decisions in our schools by conditioning federal dollars. This is a serious concern – not just for the DPI, but for anyone who believes in lawful, transparent government.”

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Gov. Tony Evers after signing the 2023-25 budget bill with 51 partial vetoes on July 5, 2023. (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner)

A split Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Friday that Gov. Tony Evers’ partial veto in the last state budget extending school funding increases for an additional 400 years was within his constitutional powers. 

The executive partial veto powers granted in the Wisconsin State Constitution are uniquely expansive, though they have been limited in the past through Supreme Court decisions and constitutional amendments passed by the Legislature and approved by voters.

In the 2023-25 state budget bill, Evers used his partial veto power striking two digits and a dash from the years to extend the annual increases through 2425, saying the action would help provide ongoing financial support to schools. The initial bill had included a $325 increase to schools’ revenue limits for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years.

Justice Jill Karofsky wrote in a majority opinion that the partial veto was within the power given to Evers in the state constitution, which says “appropriation bills may be approved in whole or in part by the governor.”

“We uphold the 2023 partial vetoes, and in doing so we are acutely aware that a 400-year modification is both significant and attention-grabbing,” Karofsky wrote. “However, our constitution does not limit the governor’s partial veto power based on how much or how little the partial vetoes change policy, even when that change is considerable.”

The case challenging the partial veto was brought by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce on behalf of two Wisconsin taxpayers, Jeffery A. LeMieux, a retired professor, and David T. DeValk, a Fox Valley substitute teacher — arguing that the action was unconstitutional and undemocratic. 

WMC Executive Vice President of Government Relations Scott Manley said they were disappointed by the ruling, and that Evers “exceeded his authority at the expense of taxpayers, and now our great-great-great-great-grandchildren will still be paying the price for his reckless disregard for the law.”

Karofsky laid out several options that lawmakers could take if they want to address the issue further, including by addressing it in a future budget — such as the 2025-27 budget that is being worked on now, by passing a constitutional amendment or by drafting bills separate from appropriation bills to avoid the governor’s partial veto or trying to anticipate how the power might be used. 

Lawmakers have introduced a couple of proposed constitutional amendments. One, which passed last session, would bar the governor from using the veto power to create or increase any tax or fee. Another introduced in January would replace current language that says a partial veto may “not create a new word by rejecting individual letters in the words of the enrolled bill, and may not create a new sentence by combining parts of 2 or more sentences” to say the governor may “only reject one or more entire bill sections.” 

Those proposals have to pass in two consecutive sessions of the Legislature before they could go to voters for ratification. 

Karofsky wrote that the Court “takes no position regarding these measures. We merely outline them to illustrate legislative alternatives to the action before us.”

The three conservative justices on the Court slammed the majority opinion, saying that by upholding the veto the Court has given the executive the power to make law separately from legislators.

“How does a bill become a law?” Justice Brian Hagedorn wrote in the dissenting opinion. “According to the majority, one option looks like this: The legislature passes a bill in both houses and sends it to the governor. The governor then takes the collection of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks he receives from the legislature, crosses out whatever he pleases, and — presto! — out comes a new law never considered or passed by the legislature at all. And there you have it — a governor who can propose and enact law all on his own.” 

Hagedorn wrote that the majority’s opinion makes “a mockery of our constitutional order. This is a mess of this court’s making, and it is long past time for us to fix it.” 

In an opinion concurring with the majority, Justice Rebecca Dallet said the precedent set forth in other cases before the court have “emphasized that a partial veto may affirmatively change the policy of the original bill.” Dallet said that she is “open to revisiting” that, but “this case is not a ‘clear opportunity’ to do so.”

“Petitioners do not ask us to overturn any of our prior decisions, let alone reimagine completely our approach,” Dallet wrote. 

Republican leaders and Evers react to decision, upcoming budget

Republican leaders were critical of the decision, saying that the Court had granted the governor unchecked power and that the decision would lead to tax increases for Wisconsinites.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said that the decision was evidence of the Court being partisan and “should worry every Wisconsinite.” 

“Is any Wisconsin citizen surprised that the liberals on the Wisconsin Supreme Court are now a rubber stamp for liberal ally Tony Evers?” Vos asked. “The liberal Justices’ decision itself describes the effects of this decision as ‘significant and attention-grabbing.’ Modest words for a tortured reading of our Constitution that will hurt Wisconsin taxpayers for hundreds of years to come, all in the name of supporting their ally in the Governor’s office.”

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) said that the Court “proved again that they will rule based on partisanship and politics rather than the rule of law” and that the veto was “an unprecedented overreach that will impact generations of Wisconsin taxpayers.”

Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) said that the state cannot afford to provide money for the increases, calling it “wildly unrealistic” and “fiscally unsustainable,” and that increases would be felt by property taxpayers. 

The partial veto applied to increases to schools’ revenue limits, meaning that school districts will have more leeway to bring in funds through property taxes or state funds. The partial veto did not allocate additional state dollars for the increases, though lawmakers could decide to provide state funds for the increases. The partial veto also did not automatically mean school districts would raise taxes, though they would have the option.

Wisconsin has limited school districts’ ability to raise funds through property taxes since 1993. Schools originally received regular adjustments to their limits on an inflationary basis, but that was eliminated in 2009 and since then increases have relied on lawmakers or school districts going to taxpayers for permission to increase taxes.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s via property taxes or income taxes, this money is going to come out of the pockets of Wisconsinites from Tomahawk to Racine,” Felzkowski said. She called on Evers to “come to the table to find a solution to this problem that he created, otherwise average Wisconsinites will be forced to take on the financial burden that he has put on them.” 

Evers said in a statement that schools deserve “sustainable, dependable, and spendable state support and investment” and said the decision was great news.  

“For over a decade, the Legislature has failed to meet that important obligation. Importantly, this decision does not mean our work is done — far from it,” Evers said. “Today’s decision only further underscores the urgent need for Republican lawmakers to approve the K-12 investments I’ve proposed to ensure our kids and our schools have the resources they need now and into the future.”

Evers has called for an additional $3 billion in investments for the state’s K-12 schools, funded with the state’s $4 billion budget surplus. Lawmakers have said the decision would be influential in the shape of education funding in the 2025-27 state budget. 

Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Jill Underly echoed Evers’ sentiment, calling the decision a win.

“The broader need remains: real, usable investments in our schools. That means fair special education reimbursement, meeting the mental health needs of our kids, stronger support for our educators, and access to nutritious school meals at no cost for every child,” Underly said. “These priorities must be reflected in the upcoming state budget. Without meaningful investment and an aid commitment from our Legislature, the burden continues to fall on local property taxpayers.”

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Jay O. Rothman, president of the University of Wisconsin System, speaks during the UW Board of Regents meeting hosted at Union South at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on Feb. 9, 2023. (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)

Federal funding cuts and national culture war politics cast a long shadow over a state legislative committee hearing Thursday as Wisconsin’s higher education leaders asked lawmakers for additional investments in the next state budget — warning that disinvestment by the state could damage  public universities’, private nonprofit schools’ and technical colleges’ ability to serve students and the state. 

Lawmakers working on the 2025-27 state budget are gathering feedback from agency heads and members of the public just as higher education institutions across the country are facing an onslaught of threats from the Trump administration. 

As Republican lawmakers on the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee grilled Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and other higher education leaders on their budget goals, they appeared skeptical about providing additional funding. They pointed to current levels of spending and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which state Republicans have demanded be cut from the UW. Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, expressed concerns about federal cuts to research and recent targeting of international students whose visas have been revoked. 

Rothman defends $855 million budget request

Rothman asked lawmakers whether the state is going to let its public universities “atrophy.” If not, he said,  new investments need to be made. The UW system has requested an additional $855 million, with the support of  Gov. Tony Evers, in the upcoming budget. 

The money  would be used to keep college affordable and accessible for Wisconsinites,  invest in retaining talented staff and support innovation, Rothman said. He told lawmakers the money would help UW maintain its two-year campuses and avoid raising tuition.

“We are at a state that without additional support from the state, student successes that we are seeing across our universities are at risk,” Rothman said. He noted that the state’s investment in the system has not kept up with inflation, and the money would put Wisconsin at the median nationwide. This would be up from Wisconsin’s current position of 43rd out of 50 when it comes to state investment in public universities.

This is not the first time Rothman has testified to lawmakers about the system’s request, having addressed lawmakers on the Joint Finance Committee, which is in charge of writing the budget on April 1.

Committee Chair Rep. Dave Murphy (R-Greenville) asked Rothman where he thought the money would come from.

“That is a challenge for the Legislature… This is an investment in the future of the state. We are returning $23 for every dollar that is invested in the Universities of Wisconsin,” Rothman said, citing a number that comes from a 2018 study.

Murphy told Rothman that he was “leery” of that number.

“If we’re increasing the money to the university by $855 million, are you telling me that I can expect $20 billion?” Murphy asked.

Rothman pointed out that lawmakers and their constituents have benefited from the existence of UW schools.

“At this table, you represent districts that have 9,000 students currently in school at the Universities of Wisconsin… More than half of you have attended one of our universities and hopefully you have benefitted from that,” Rothman said.

Murphy attended UW-Fox Valley from 1972 to 1974, according to his legislative biography. The school was merged with UW-Fond du Lac and UW-Oshkosh in 2018, and is now known as UW Oshkosh-Fox Cities. That campus is set to close in June.

Trump administration threats hanging over college campuses across the nation were central to the discussion over whether lawmakers should provide universities additional state funding.

Rep. Amanda Nedweski (R-Pleasant Prairie) brought up diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at UW institutions. An audit released last week found campuses haven’t been tracking their spending on these efforts. The audit was part of Republican lawmakers’ ongoing targeting of DEI, and comes as the Trump administration has also ramped up efforts to try to eliminate diversity programs in education. 

Republican lawmakers used staff pay and capital projects funding during the last legislative cycle as a negotiating tool with the UW system to get concessions on DEI efforts, including a reduction in positions focused on DEI. 

“We’re trying to see more of an effort to see in money savings, and I know there’s been reductions in positions, but there’s also been requests to add more,” Nedweski said. “We had a deal on DEI. Would you say that the UW system kept up their end of the deal?”

“Yes,” Rothman said.

“I wouldn’t say that’s what the audit says,” Nedweski said. 

Rothman responded that the UW has gone above and beyond the terms of  the deal, having reduced staffing by 43 positions even though the agreed upon deadline won’t arrive until December 2026. 

“We were on our way when the [Legislative Audit Bureau] did its field work in May of 2024,” Rothman said. “Since that time, we have made significant progress, and we are in compliance with the agreement as it relates to the positions. We’ve exceeded what we said we were going to do.” 

Nedweski said she was concerned about being able to measure the outcomes of the investments in DEI programs. 

“We now have a pattern within the UW system and our other state agencies where taxpayers are making investments in things like employees teleworking without knowing if there’s productivity. We’ve heard repeatedly from the UW system that we don’t really know their actual impact,” Nedweski said. 

Rothman noted that nearly 36,000 students graduate with degrees from Universities of Wisconsin schools each year. 

“I think that is an extraordinary [return-on-investment] for our state,” Rothman said. 

Murphy asked Rothman about a letter from the Trump administration sent to over 60 schools, including UW-Madison, warning that they could face consequences if they don’t address “antisemitism” on campus. UW-Madison is one of many schools where students joined encampment protests against the war in Gaza last spring. The Trump administration has said the university didn’t properly protect Jewish students.

“How do we control this antisemitism problem on our campuses?” Murphy asked. 

Before Rothman answered the question, Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) interjected, asking what the topic had to do with the budget. 

Murphy shot back that, as chair of the committee, he could ask what he wanted. 

“If you think this isn’t a budgetary issue, I think you should talk to Columbia University and see what they would say about that,” Murphy said. Columbia became a target of the Trump administration after large student protests there and has had over $400 million in federal funding, mostly for medical and other scientific research, terminated, despite agreeing to police student protesters and place the department of Middle East, South Asian and African Studies under scrutiny.

Rothman said the UW system is navigating First Amendment issues and being inclusive, but that the UW has done a lot of work to ensure that all students, including Jewish students, those with conservative beliefs, veterans, those who are disabled, “feel they are part of the campus community.”

Democrats on the committee expressed concerns about federal cuts to research funding, potential threats to Pell Grants and student loans and the targeting of international students. 

Emerson asked about the impact of federal cuts to research. The Trump administration has been targeting funding for higher education institutions across the country, including cutting over $12 million in research funding to UW-Madison. The flagship campus has laid off six employees so far.

Rothman said he is deeply concerned about the federal cuts. UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee are both tier one research institutions and the federal government invests about $1 billion annually in UW schools for research, Rothman said. 

“It’s not like we can start five years from now, six years from now… These research engines were built over generations,” Rothman said. “If they are not maintained, that’s gone.” 

Rothman said the impact would be felt in sectors across the state including as research would be lost and researchers even in the private sector could be affected as many are educated at public universities. 

Rothman said that philanthropic support would be incapable of filling the gap that would be left from federal funding cuts.

Nedweski said she thought there is skepticism among taxpayers about the federal funding of research. She asked whether the UW system is expecting Wisconsin taxpayers to pick up the cost. 

“I don’t think that the state could afford to pick up what could be lost,” Rothman said. “I think what’s going to happen if that occurs is that research capacity is going to decline, research infrastructure is going to decline and that will be our new reality going forward.” 

Emerson also asked Rothman whether the Trump administration’s move to cancel foreign students’ visas is having a “chilling effect” on prospective international students. Dozens of UW students and alumni, including 26 at UW-Madison, have had their visas cancelled by the Trump administration in recent weeks as a part of an unprecedented nationwide move by the federal government targeting international students. 

“Do we have fewer applications from international students for next school year?… Are there international students who are thinking of finishing their bachelor’s or higher education back home?” Emerson asked.

Rothman said that it was too early to know as most applications have already been submitted. He said that about 10,000 international students attend UW schools.

“We may have a number of international students who might be accepted into our universities that will not come because of this. We know there is anxiety among our international students just generally, for reasons that are understandable,” Rothman said, adding that the university is seeking to support students, but is  not providing legal representation to them.

Private, nonprofit schools and tech colleges on budget requests

Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities President Eric Fulcomer told lawmakers the top priority for private nonprofit colleges and universities is doubling the funding for the Wisconsin Grant (WG-PNP) Program, which provides assistance to undergraduate, Wisconsin residents enrolled in a degree or certificate program at non-profit, independent colleges or universities based in Wisconsin, from $57 million to $114 million.

Fulcomer’s organization represents 22 private nonprofit colleges and universities in Wisconsin, including Marquette University, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Beloit College and St. Norbert College. It also includes Northland College, which was founded in 1892, but announced in February the school will be closing after this year’s graduation due to financial hardships.

There has been no additional investment in the grant program in the last two state budgets. Private, nonprofit schools don’t receive state funding to sustain their operations, but many students rely on the funding to be able to attend the schools. 

Among its neighboring states, Wisconsin ranks last when it comes to the amount of need-based grants awarded to students attending private nonprofit schools. The investment would not bring Wisconsin to the top, but would bring it to the middle among states in the Midwest. Currently, Wisconsin can give a maximum amount of $4,400.

The schools’ request is more than the governor’s budget request; Evers  proposed a 20% increase.

“I would prefer a larger increase,” Fulcomer said. “20% would be welcomed but it’s not enough to move the needle.”

If there is no increase in the budget, Fulcomer said the award will need to be reduced to $3,850, bringing Wisconsin even further below its peers.

Nedweski asked if he had suggestions for where the money for the budget request could come from. The state has a $4 billion budget surplus, which Evers wants to pull from to fund many priorities in his budget.

Fulcomer noted that about a quarter of all bachelor’s degrees and a third of all master’s degrees come from Wisconsin’s private, nonprofit schools and that students are providing millions in revenue to the state via taxes. 

“It’s a good investment, but I’m not in a position to tell you where you might find those dollars,” Fulcomer said.

“We are not operating with a lot of extra money in the next biennium. If you get more, it has to come out of somebody else’s bucket,” Nedweski said.

Rep. Rob Kreibich (R-New Richmond) commented that he thinks lawmakers “should reward success” and he admires the retention and placement rates for the private schools. 

Emerson asked about what would happen if the Pell Grants were reduced or eliminated — a question that comes as the federal grants face a shortfall and as there is also uncertainty surrounding the future of student loans. 

“Potentially we’d be looking at a 27% cut to enrollment,” Fulcomer said. “Cutting the Pell Grant or eliminating the Pell Grant would be devastating for our sector.”

Wisconsin Technical College System President Layla Merrifield asked for  about $60 million from the state, including $45 million that would go toward general aid for its 16 colleges. The technical college system’s budget for 2024-25 totaled about $1.3 billion with $592.9 million coming from state aid. 

“There’s almost no better investment that you could make in Wisconsin’s economy, in its workforce and its people than the technical college system,” Merrifield said. “Our outcomes are well documented. We are transparent with our data, both our failings and our successes.”

Murphy thanked Merrifield for her approach to the budget. 

It is “a little bit what we were looking for from the UW today…,” Murphy said. “They want $855 million, but it’s taken nine months, and we still don’t have very much detail around what they expect to do with that money.”

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Krish Lal Isserdasani, who is from India, has been studying computer engineering at the UW-Madison since 2021 and plans to graduate on May 10. UW-Madison Engineering Hall. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the cancellation of a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate student’s visa and any actions in relation to that by the Trump administration. 

Krish Lal Isserdasani, who is from India, has been studying computer engineering at the UW-Madison since 2021 with plans to graduate on May 10. On April 4, just a month before graduation, Isserdasani received notification from UW-Madison’s International Student Services office that his visa was cancelled and his authorization to be in the country would end on May 2. He received no communication from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or the State Department regarding the visa revocation.  

His cancellation was part of a wave of cancellations at universities across the country as President Donald Trump’s administration targets international students and ramps up deportation efforts in a crackdown on immigration.

U.S. District Judge William Conley wrote in his order Tuesday that Isserdasani has a “reasonable likelihood of success” on his claim that his visa was wrongly terminated and faces “possible devastating irreparable harm” as a result of the cancellation. Conley’s order bans the government from revoking his visa, detaining him or taking any other actions related to the cancellation pending a preliminary hearing April 28.

“The loss of timely academic process alone is sufficient to establish irreparable harm,” Conley wrote. “Given the amount of Isserdasani’s educational expenses and potential losses from having to leave the United States without obtaining his degree, the court concludes that Isserdasani credibly demonstrates that he faces irreparable harm for which he has no adequate remedy at law in the absence of injunctive relief.” 

Since the termination earlier this month, Isserdasani has reported a significant psychological impact on him, according to the order, including “difficulty in sleeping and fear that he will be placed in immediate detention and deportation.” 

“He reports being afraid to leave his apartment for fear of being apprehended at any moment,” the order states.

According to the complaint, Isserdasani and his family have spent about $240,000 on his education in the country. He would lose $17,500 on the current semester’s tuition and would be responsible for four months of rent despite not being able to stay in the country, the complaint states.  

Isserdasani is represented by Madison lawyer Shabnam Lotfi, who said in a statement to the Wisconsin State Journal that the “international students have done absolutely nothing wrong.” 

“They have followed U.S. laws and fully complied with the terms of their student status. They do not deserve this,” Lotfi said. “America must speak out against this injustice and not allow the Administration to distort the facts for their own political purposes.”

Isserdasani is one of dozens of students and alumni at University of Wisconsin institutions to have had their visas canceled by the federal government in recent weeks. There have been at least 26 at UW-Madison, 13 at UW-Milwaukee and several more at other campuses.

UW-Madison first announced cancellations on April 8, saying the university wasn’t notified by the government but had learned about them because staff has been reviewing federal databases every day to see whether students have been affected

According to the Associated Press, the Trump administration’s work to cancel visas has affected  at least 901 students at more than 128 colleges and universities nationwide. Some have been participants in protests about the war in Gaza, and others have had minor infractions, including traffic violations, according to published reports. 

Conley’s order indicates that Isserdasani appears to have had his visa canceled in relation to an arrest for disorderly conduct in November 2024 after he and friends got into an argument with other people while walking home from a bar one night. Madison District Attorney Ismael Ozanne declined to pursue charges after the arrest, and Isserdasani never had to appear in court and thought the issue was dealt with. He has had no other encounters with police, the order says. 

The university’s notification email that Isserdasani received stated that the reason given was “otherwise failing to maintain status” and he was “identified in criminal records check and/or has had their VISA revoked.” It said the termination “does not have a grace period to depart the U.S.” and that “employment benefits, including on-campus employment and any practical training you may have had authorized, end immediately when a SEVIS record is terminated. Therefore, you no longer have authorization to work in the United States.”

The order said Isserdasani “was given no warning, no opportunity to explain or defend himself and no chance to correct any potential misunderstanding.”

The judge’s order also covers the visa cancellation for Hamidreza Khademi, a 34-year-old citizen of Iran and graduate student at Iowa State University, who is also being represented by Lotfi.  Khademi graduated in December 2023, but was working in the country through a visa extension approved in 2024.

Khademi was arrested in February of 2024 and accused of evading arrest in a vehicle in Texas. However, the Texas Department of Public Safety eventually determined that there was no violation and decided against filing charges. His visa was terminated on April 10 and an email notifying him included similar reasoning as the one Isserdasani received. 

The judge reserved a ruling on the motion for a temporary restraining order for Khademi, pending further briefing by the parties, because he questioned whether the western Wisconsin court was the appropriate venue for the case. 

“Plaintiffs include no facts showing that venue is proper for the claims brought by Khademi, who appears to have no ties to the Western District of Wisconsin, nor do the events or omissions giving rise to his claims,” the judge wrote.

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Wisconsin State Capitol (Wisconsin Examiner photo)

Wisconsin lawmakers considered new tax incentives meant to encourage the development of more employee-owned businesses and cooperatives and to promote safe gun storage. Both measures drew bipartisan support during a hearing Tuesday in the Assembly Way and Means Committee. 

One bill — AB 17 — would provide a tax credit to businesses that make the transition to a model that gives employees a stake. The credit would cover 70% of the costs for converting a business to a worker-owned cooperative or 50% of the costs for converting the business to an employee stock ownership plan. Businesses could receive a maximum of $100,000 from the tax credit. 

In a worker-owned cooperative, employees jointly own the business and have control over its operations. Employee stock ownership plans give employees partial or full ownership of a company’s stock as an investment for their retirement. 

According to the UW Center for Cooperatives, there are 728 cooperatives across the state, including 33 worker-owned cooperatives. 

The bill would create an individual income tax subtraction and a corporate income and franchise tax deduction for  the capital gain realized from the conversion. It would also instruct the Department of Revenue to create a program to promote employee-owned and cooperative business structures, providing education, outreach, technical assistance and training.

“More than ever, Wisconsin benefits from companies keeping jobs here, investing in their communities and staying locally owned,” bill coauthor Sen. Jesse James (R-Thorp) told lawmakers on the committee. This type of business structure, he said, is a “strong tool” to encourage that goal. 

James said the tax incentive would help businesses considering switching because the conversion process can be complicated and expensive.

According to the National Center for Employee Ownership, a transition to a worker-owned model can initially cost between $10,000 and $30,000. Converting to an employee stock ownership plan can generally cost between $100,000 and $300,000, with ongoing costs of $20,000 to $30,000 a year.

Several Wisconsinites who have benefited from making the switch testified in favor of the bill. 

John Dally, a veterinarian, said it would provide “critical support” for cooperatives in Wisconsin. Dally started a practice about 20 years ago with a colleague in Spring Green, and in 2020, they  acquired another location in Mazomanie. 

As they were getting older, he said, they began considering retirement and the future for their business, Cooperative Veterinary Care.

“We wanted to ensure the practice would stay in these small communities, continue to serve the families and the pets that we just come to know and love — we’ve worked with them for our entire careers — and we also wanted to have some fair and equitable options for our employees and have a return on our investment to sell,” Dally said. 

Dally said historically veterinary practices would be sold to younger associates, but with increasing costs of education, many young veterinarians cannot take on the additional debt that comes with taking it over. Private equity firms and large corporations have also been acquiring small practices in recent years, he said.

According to Brakke Consulting, a veterinary management consulting firm, nearly 25% of general veterinary practices and 75% of specialty practices, such as emergency and surgery care, are owned by large corporations. The issue of consolidation in the pet care field by large corporations has gotten the attention of U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. 

“We were looking around and thinking, what could we do, and I came upon this idea of employee ownership and it just made total sense,” Dally said. He said the transition in 2022 to a worker-owned cooperative cost about $30,000. He said a grant helped with the expense, and they also received support from the UW Center for Cooperatives. 

‘Tangible, positive impact’

Dally said that their team of veterinarians, technicians and assistants have been able to take ownership of the business. The employees, he said, range in age from 20 to 58 and come from a variety of backgrounds. 

“We all came together to create bylaws, manage the business, make decisions about how to allocate resources in smart and equitable ways,” Dally said. He said the cooperative has kept these veterinary services in these communities when they might have closed as they retired or sold to a large corporation who may or may not have kept them there. 

In the three years since transitioning, Dally said the worker cooperative has developed a beneficial health insurance program and a mental health program, invested in new equipment, raised wages and distributed additional profits back to the employees.

“It’s just created a tangible, positive impact on our local communities. It provides a clear pathway for employees to not only work for the business, but to own a piece of it and benefit from its success and all their efforts and enthusiasm,” Dally said. “Our experience in transitioning to this model is proof that it works, particularly in small communities.” 

Dally said it would not have been possible without the help they received, and  the bill could provide the necessary support to other businesses looking to make the transition. 

“It will allow businesses like ours to thrive and continue serving their communities while providing meaningful economic benefits for workers. It has the potential to change the landscape of business ownerships in Wisconsin, especially in these rural communities that are often overlooked by larger corporate interests,” Dally said. “We need your support to make this a reality.” 

Kristin Forde with the UW Center for Cooperatives told lawmakers that the center’s staff has  seen greater interest in employee ownership as a succession strategy for retiring owners, but the models remain largely unknown among business owners. 

Forde said the state is likely to face a crisis in business as Baby Boomers prepare to retire. 

“We really see employee ownership as… a solution to that problem,” Forde said. The legislation, she said, would tie together education and financial incentives to ensure that employee-owned cooperatives are a “feasible solution to retaining jobs and services in our communities.” 

Promoting safe gun storage 

Republicans and Democrats also appeared supportive of AB 10, which would eliminate sales taxes on devices meant to ensure safe storage of guns.

According to the CDC, unintentional injury is a top cause of death among children with guns being a leading method for injury. “It was kind of jarring to hear that,” bill coauthor Rep. Adam Neylon (R-Pewaukee) said. 

Neylon said unsecured firearms are a major cause for those deaths and injuries, and that  he wanted to propose a way to make safe storage more affordable. 

“This isn’t about politics,” Neylon said. “This is about saving kids’ lives.”

Neylon said after hearing from constituents and consulting with the state Department of Revenue, he has amended the bill to cover a variety of devices in addition to gun safes. 

The amendment defines  a “firearm storage device” as a locked and fully enclosed container and excludes glass-faced display cabinets. It adds “firearm safety” devices, “installed on a firearm designed to prevent unauthorized access to the firearm or to prevent it from being operated without first deactivating the device.” 

Rep. Joan Fitzgerald (D-Fort Atkinson) said she supports the action, but called for more to be done. 

“Protecting our kids and our communities should be top of mind for many of us… and there are a lot of people that are not responsible gun owners, so I do think we need to do more in this area,” Fitzgerald said. 

Gov. Tony Evers has also included the proposal in his 2025-27 budget, but Republican leaders on the Joint Finance Committee have removed it from his previous budget proposals and have said they plan to write their own budget. Fitzgerald asked Neylon why he proposed the measure if it was included in Evers’ budget. 

“I think, personally, this is at risk of being pulled out of the budget as a public policy item,” Neylon said. While his bill does have a fiscal impact, “I think there’s precedent of doing this through legislation in the past,” he added. “But if it ultimately is in a budget that I support, I would be happy about that.” 

Deductions for teachers’ classroom costs

Lawmakers also considered AB 64, which would allow teachers to claim a tax deduction of up to $300 for expenses, including professional development courses, books and other classroom supplies. It, too, has bipartisan support.

Bill coauthors Sen. Dan Feyen (R-Fond du Lac) and Rep. David Armstrong (R-Rice Lake said) the bill mirrors the deduction that is already available for teachers when they file their federal taxes.

“This would double the potential benefit and bring teachers significantly closer to be made whole,” Armstrong said. 

Armstrong noted that teachers “sometimes find it necessary to purchase books or supplies for their classrooms.”  He added that he has  two daughters who are teachers and remind him about the costs “consistently at the beginning of school.”

CESA 6 CEO Ted Neitzke told lawmakers his wife, a Sheboygan middle school language arts teacher, has a classroom with likely “tens of thousands of dollars worth of Mrs. Neitzke’s investments in books and materials.” 

“This is something that… would be a great tool for local school systems, especially when we’re competing nationally for talent, to be able to support our staff in reimbursing some costs that they spend,” Neitzke said. “Any little bit helps.”

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Sen. Jeff Smith holding up a printout of President Donald Trump's post telling people to buy, which went out just hours before he paused most tariffs. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

Wisconsin Democrats are resurrecting a resolution that would allow voters to weigh in on whether the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Citizens United ruling should stand — an effort that comes just a week after historic spending in Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court election.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission found that corporations and unions have a First Amendment right to speech and laws preventing them from spending were unconstitutional. The decision has enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend virtually unlimited amounts of money on elections. 

Lawmakers said the decision is the core of why spending has gotten so out of hand in the last decade and a half. According to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, preliminary data shows that nearly $100 million was spent during the April race between Justice-elect Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel.

At a press conference, Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick) called billionaire Elon Musk — who has directed efforts in the Trump administration to slash federal programs and fire federal employees and spent millions trying to influence the outcome of the Wisconsin  Supreme Court — a “carpetbagger.” He criticized Musk for giving money to voters, saying Wisconsinites shouldn’t get accustomed to being paid to vote, but should be voting to make their voices heard.

Smith said money in elections is making voters feel like billionaires are outweighing their voices. He then called specific attention to President Donald Trump telling investors to ‘buy’ on social media — as the stock market was wavering — just hours before he announced that for 90 days he would be lowering U.S. tariffs to 10% on most countries and raising them on China to 125%. The move caused the stock market to rise and, then led to accusations of market manipulation and insider trading. 

“The man in the White House sent this message — ‘A great time to buy! A great time to buy.’ He sent his message to his rich donors and friends,” Smith said. 

“It pays off to put millions of dollars in campaigns because they’re going to make money in the end if they win,” Smith continued. “We need Congress to reevaluate this role of corporations and billionaires and their role in money and politics.”

The advisory referendum would seek an answer from voters on whether Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation should support a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision. Specifically it would ask voters the question whether “only human beings are endowed with constitutional rights — not corporations, unions, nonprofit organizations, or other artificial entities” and whether “money is not speech, and therefore limiting political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech.”

Smith said voters sent a message that they won’t be bought last week by rejecting Musk’s preferred candidate.

“We don’t want that money coming in here in Wisconsin to buy our elections and our freedom,” Smith said. “Let’s put this referendum on the ballots, so voters can make their voices heard directly to Congress.

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Operations and Policy Director Beverly Speer emphasized at the press conference that the issue goes beyond Musk, saying that spending by independent expenditures —  totaling about $51.5 million in April — are often backed by billionaires and operated in shady ways.

“Don’t be mistaken, Musk is just one of a handful of billionaires who contributed to this bipartisan arms race,” Speer said. “Things will continue to escalate… Unless we want to see a $150 million race, and then maybe a $200 million race, we need to cut off this free-for-all.”  

Speer said that voters are mostly opposed to the vast spending in campaigns. 

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign conducted a survey in February that found about 88% of Wisconsin voters statewide are “extremely concerned” or “very concerned” about the influence of money in politics. The survey also found that 86% of respondents said people and groups shouldn’t be able to spend “unlimited amounts of money” to support political campaigns and 83% of respondents said there should be limits on how much campaigns can spend.

“While working Wisconsinites stretch to pay rent, feed their families, and make ends meet, billionaires treat our elections like a game — pouring millions into a state that they don’t even normally live in, hoping to tip the scales in favor of their special interests,” Speer said. 

A statewide referendum would need to pass the Republican-led Legislature, and Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison) acknowledged that previous attempts have been unsuccessful. She said she welcomes more conversation about the issue and proposal.

“Not once has it even gotten a hearing, and you know, why? Because politicians who are beholden to big money in politics don’t want to hear what the people have to say about it, but we are calling on… our colleagues to join us in this resolution,” Subeck said. 

Subeck said lawmakers were starting with the referendum because any changes in state law are “neutered” by the Citizens United decision. She said Democrats would be introducing more bills to address the issue in the near future, including on disclosure of money in campaigns and on public financing. However, she said pushing Congress for a constitutional amendment will be key to changing the state of money in elections. 

“We cannot fundamentally make wholesale change in this through any state law as long as Citizens United is still law of the land,” Subeck said. “We need to amend our federal Constitution and we need to send that message clear and simple.”

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State Superintendent Jill Underly said in a statement about the response that Wisconsin schools need support, not threatened cuts to federal funding. Underly at a rally for 2025 Public Schools Week. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is resisting the Trump administration’s threat that it certify that local school districts put an end to diversity, equity and inclusion programs or lose federal funding.

State Superintendent Jill Underly said in a statement about the response that Wisconsin schools need support, not threatened cuts to federal funding.

“We cannot stand by while the current administration threatens our schools with unnecessary and potentially unlawful mandates based on political beliefs,” Underly said. “Our responsibility is to ensure Wisconsin students receive the best education possible, and that means allowing schools to make local decisions based on what is best for their kids and their communities.”

The federal directive comes as a part of the Trump administration’s crack-down on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the country and in K-12 as well as higher education. 

Wisconsin joins several states, most led by Democrats, that are rejecting the demands from the federal government. 

In the letter sent to state agencies last week, the Department of Education told state education departments that they needed to certify their compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard — the landmark Supreme Court decision that found consideration of race in higher education admissions violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a statement that the request includes ensuring that schools aren’t “using DEI programs to discriminate against one group of Americans to favor another based on identity characteristics in clear violation of Title VI.” Trainor said the government has seen “too many schools flout or outright violate these obligations.” The federal agency gave state agencies 10 days to respond and warned that federal funding could be at risk if there was continued use of “illegal DEI.” 

In a response letter to the U.S. Department of Education, DPI said it has already provided the federal agency with compliance assurances required by federal law, including those related to nondiscrimination. It said that it was unclear why the federal agency is requesting another certification and noted that the agency itself had said that recent guidance “does not have the force and effect of law and does not bind the public or create new legal standards.” 

“At best, the [directive] appears to be redundant. At worst, the [directive] appears to be unauthorized, unlawful and unconstitutionally vague,” Wisconsin DPI General Counsel Benjamin Jones wrote in the letter. “We are deeply concerned that the [request] allows the federal bureaucracy to threaten the loss of crucial education funding in order to dictate local education agency policies and decisions on what is best for kids.” 

The state agency asked the federal agency to answer a series of questions before it complies with the request, including the specific purpose of the certification, whether the requested certification seeks to enforce any requirement beyond what is required by federal law and regulation and what legal authority the Education Department is using to make the request a condition of federal aid.

DPI said that while it waits for a response, it will not collect certifications from local education agencies and will not send the requested certification to the U.S. Department of Education.

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Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler said he is not running for a fourth term on Thursday. Wikler speaks at a climate rally outside of Sen. Ron Johnson's Madison office on June 8, 2021. (Henry Redman | Wisconsin Examiner)

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler, who is credited for rebuilding the state party over the last six years, announced Thursday that he will not run for another term in the leadership position, saying it is time for him to “pass the torch” and find a new way to contribute to the “fight.”

The announcement comes a little over a week after a crucial Wisconsin Supreme Court election where the party’s preferred candidate, Justice-elect Susan Crawford, prevailed over Waukesha Judge Brad Schimel, who had the backing of Republicans and billionaire Elon Musk. 

Wikler said that the party is in “extraordinarily strong shape” with a liberal majority on the state Supreme Court for at least the next two years and Democrats in the position to potentially win a both houses of the Legislature and retain the governor’s office in 2026. 

“Now is the right time for me to take a breath, and to find new ways to advance the fight for a country that works for working people, and one that honors every person’s fundamental freedom and dignity,” Wikler wrote in a letter. “When my third term as chair ends this June, I will be passing the torch.” 

Wikler said he would be taking some time to “figure out what’s next” and to spend time with his family. 

The prospect of Wikler stepping down was broached earlier this year as he ran for Democratic National Committee chair. But he lost the race to Ken Martin, who was serving at the time as the Minnesota DFL Party chair. 

Wikler, who grew up in Wisconsin, moved back to the state in 2018 and started volunteering on campaigns. He was elected to be chair in 2019 in a moment where Democrats hadn’t had consistent success in the state for many years, but had just elected Gov. Tony Evers, putting a Democrat in the governor’s mansion for the first time in eight years.

Under his leadership, Democrats reelected Evers in 2022 by a bigger margin of votes than his first term, clawed back seats in the state Legislature under new legislative maps and flipped control of the state Supreme Court. 

In his letter, Wikler noted that the statewide races the Democrats have lost have been “agonizingly close.” This includes former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes’ loss by one percentage point to U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in 2022 and former Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss in Wisconsin by less than 30,000 votes  to President Donald Trump last year.

Wikler also helped grow the state party’s fundraising efforts during his time at the helm, including raising more than $63 million during the 2024 election cycle — the most of any state party across the country. 

“This is a wrenching time for our country,” Wikler wrote in his announcement. “But in Wisconsin’s path over the last 15 years, we can see what we need to do to fight through it. It’s on all of us to find ways to contain the damage, look out for one another, and build the strength to end the destruction — and then rebuild. I’ll be looking for new ways to contribute to that vital work. As I do, I know the labor of building a great Democratic Party — the last line of defense of our battered but immeasurably valuable democracy — will continue. We will not let our country fall, and we will continue to write the story of Wisconsin’s resurrection as a bastion of progress.” 

Wisconsin Democrats acknowledged Wikler’s impact on the party after his announcement. 

Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein said in a statement that “nobody could have dreamed about the lasting, meaningful infrastructure he would go on to build at WisDems.” 

“Through innovation, grit, and a ton of hard work, he transformed our State Party into a national powerhouse – with the results to show for it,” Hesselbein said. 

During Wikler’s time in office, Wisconsin implemented new legislative maps that have given Democrats a chance to control the Senate and Assembly for the first time in 15 years. “While he won’t be at the helm in 2026 when we flip the Legislature, it will be because of Ben’s efforts that we are able to do so,” Hesselbein said.

New chair will be elected in June 

The next chair will be chosen at the state party’s convention in June in Wisconsin Dells and will lead the party through a number of crucial elections, including the 2026 gubernatorial election, another round of state legislative elections and another state Supreme Court race. Some Democrats are already throwing their hat into the ring or announcing that they’re considering a run. 

Devin Remiker, the former executive director of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, quickly announced his campaign for the top position, saying that “now isn’t the time to hit pause or rebuild, it’s time to fight tooth and nail.” Remiker said in a statement that he is grateful for Wikler’s leadership and that he has learned from him and hopes to build on his legacy. 

“I will be ready on Day One to double down on our successes and make needed changes,” Remiker said. “I have the experience working with local party leaders and grassroots activists to provide the partnership they desperately need on the frontlines of this fight.”  

Remiker, a Two Rivers native, has worked for the state party since 2018, including as executive director and currently as a senior advisor. He previously managed western Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Ron Kind’s reelection campaign in 2016.

Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki, a Milwaukee native, said in a statement that in conversations about the party’s future he has heard that “Democrats have got to do better when it comes to how we communicate our message.” 

“We need more effective communicators, period. I’ve given long, serious thought to how we do that and up our game,” Zepecki said. He said he will spend the next week speaking with party members and leaders “about that vision to see if they’re ready to shake things up.” 

Zepecki founded his own company, Zepecki Communications, in 2016, and has worked on three presidential campaigns as well as statewide campaigns for governor and U.S. Senate.

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Jennifer Williamson said she enjoyed the class sizes in Dodgeville. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

The effects of a second failed referendum at Dodgeville School District became immediately apparent this week with the district announcing that 13 staff members along with some programs, including electives and extracurriculars, are to be cut. The April referendum failed last week by 109 votes with 2010 people voting against and 1,901 for.

Ainsley Anderson, a social studies teacher at the middle school, and Ian Sullivan, a third grade teacher at the elementary school, said they heard concerns from voters about there not being an end date to the referendum. 

The school district’s request was for a $2.49 million recurring referendum, meaning it would allow a permanent increase to the amount the district can raise through property taxes annually. It was going to be used for operating costs, filling a gap between the district’s revenue and expenses. The annual cost of the request was more modest than the district’s nonrecurring request in November, which would have allowed an increase of $2.99 million annually for four years, but failed by 113 votes.

“People are scared right now with the economy and everything,” Sullivan said. “It’s a very interesting stock market, and… I mean, eggs are $8.”

The educators said they knew the cuts were a possibility if the referendum failed. 

“The administration and the school board have been very clear… it wasn’t a shock that this was going to happen,” Anderson said. 

“It’s difficult,” Sullivan said. “There’s a lot of emotion, even with it being communicated well to us.” 

“You never want to hear about your colleagues losing their job,” Anderson added. 

The pair of educators met Tuesday with about 10 Democratic lawmakers, including members of the Joint Finance Committee, and about 20 other community members, including parents and school board members, at a community center in Dodgeville. They discussed the situation and the potential for lawmakers to act in the state budget to ease the financial challenges the district and others across the state are facing.

Dodgeville’s situation is a familiar story in Wisconsin as school districts have been relying on property tax hikes that need to be approved by voters for everyday costs while state funding has not kept pace with inflation for the last decade and a half.

“We know that so many families have been forced to raise their own property taxes in order to support their public schools, and that’s a difficult choice,” Rep. Tip McGuire (D-Kenosha) said at the start of the event. 

Democratic lawmakers used the event as a moment to highlight Gov. Tony Evers’ plan for helping school districts escape this trap. His plan would tap the state’s $4 billion budget surplus to increase special education funding by reimbursing public schools for 60% of costs — almost double the current reimbursement rate of 32%, to increase per pupil funding and to invest in other programs, including free school meals and mental health programs. 

Rep. Deb Andraca (D-Whitefish Bay) emphasized that lawmakers wanted to hear about people’s specific stories as a way to help inform their work on the budget committee.

“We know how many referendums there are. We know that some succeed and some fail,” Andraca said. In April, voters approved 52 referendum requests for a total of $952 million in new money for Wisconsin school districts that is funded through property taxes. There were 37 failed referendum requests, including Dodgeville’s. “We want to know the impacts that it’s having with you and your families and your schools on the ground,” Andraca added, “because that’s what makes our work more meaningful.” 

At a table with McGuire, a couple of parents spoke about their concerns about the ways the district will change.

Jennifer Williamson said she has two children in the school district and they’ve appreciated the small class sizes of between 14 and 18 children. Those class sizes on average will grow by four to five students due to financial constraints.

Stephany Marten told the table that she and her husband debated over whether to send their child to the local school district or to a local private school. They decided on Dodgeville. She said she learned more about the district and what it had to offer, including smaller class sizes, reading specialists and opportunities for students that need additional support. 

“It’s accessible and it’s affordable to all families,” Marten said. “Our public school funding is being cut. What are we spending it on?”

McGuire, throughout the conversation, emphasized people should reach their Republican lawmakers. The Democrats brought their conversion about education funding to a school district and area of the state represented by Rep. Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville) and Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) — cochair of the powerful Joint Finance Committee.

Republicans hold the majority in the state Senate and Assembly and Marklein has served as cochair on the committee since 2021, meaning he plays a large part in shaping the budget bill that will eventually be sent to Evers if approved by the full Legislature. Marklein said at a recent public hearing on the budget that lawmakers haven’t discussed specifics on education funding in the budget, but will likely take into account what the public shares.

“Your state senator, Howard Marklein, has a tremendous amount of influence,” McGuire said. “So we have to continue to reach out to him.” He added that people should speak with their neighbors as well to encourage them to reach out to the lawmakers.

One person asked McGuire what is keeping Republicans from dedicating more funding to schools.

“I wish I knew,” McGuire said. “If I knew what levers to pull, I would’ve done it four years ago.”

The impacts of the failed referendum in Dodgeville could likely go beyond those announced by the school district administration, Anderson noted. Some staff will say, ”I can’t work with the district that has two failed referendums because of pay cuts, health care,”  he suggested, adding, “We’ve lost people to going elsewhere.”

The Dodgeville educators also participated in a conversation with Sen. LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee), Rep. Randy Udell (D-Fitchburg) and Rep. Andrew Hysell (D-Sun Prairie). 

Another educator at the table, Tom Butusov, formerly taught at the Dodgeville School District but left for a job at Mount Horeb Area School District — a community about a 20-minute drive away — about three years ago.

“When I got a job teaching in Dodgeville, I was very excited,” Butusov, who taught at the district for about three years, said. He grew up in the community and his mom also taught in the district. “But I learned pretty early on that because of just what the district can offer… I had to go elsewhere to best serve my family,” Butusov said. He said Mt. Horeb could pay more and it was close to a new house his family was purchasing. “It made sense, but I still love this community.” 

Butusov said the failed referendum is “heartbreaking.” He said he doesn’t blame the community because they’re being asked to pay for something they’ve already paid for and he isn’t mad at the district because he feels the state has put the district in the spot. 

“We have an entire district that’s falling through the crack and the state is doing nothing — nothing for us, and that’s what’s so frustrating is to see representatives that just aren’t doing anything,” Butusov said.

Anderson and Sullivan, who are also co-presidents of the Dodgeville teacher’s union, have children who go to the district as well. Anderson said she knows that even as budgets have shrunk, teachers are still working to provide a high quality education to students and are going to continue to work to do that even as some opportunities may be cut.

Sullivan said he and his wife have had discussions about whether they’ll leave the district. 

“We’re getting rid of field trips. We’re getting rid of after school clubs, opportunities at the high school and stuff. Do we want that for our kids?” Sullivan said. He added that the community is a big reason he was there and that it is “fighting to get more funding and give more opportunities not only to our own kids,” but to other students, especially those dealing with poverty and other challenges at home. 

Anderson said she would love to have a conversation with “Mr. Marklein and Mr. Novak about what they envision as the future of education in their districts.” She said she was feeling inspired to contact the local lawmakers and to encourage other members of the Dodgeville education association to do the same.

“Obviously, we’re doing everything that we can,” Anderson said. “What are they doing?” 

Sullivan said that he appreciated hearing specific budget plans from Democrats.

“I have not heard that from the other side. I would love that opportunity to hear it,” Sullivan said. “At the moment, I’m only hearing one side. The other is just saying no to everything, which I don’t think is OK.”

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Bascom Hall, University of Wisconsin-Madison. (Ron Cogswell | used by permission of the photographer)

Update: This story has been updated to include the number of students across campuses other than UW-Madison who have had their visas canceled and to include comment from Sen. Kelda Roys.

President Donald Trump’s administration canceled the visas of six current University of Wisconsin-Madison students and seven alumni who had employment extensions, the university announced. Universities of Wisconsin spokesperson Mark Pitsch said in an email that there have also been cancellations at other UW campuses and the system is working on gathering more information.

“We are aware of visa terminations other than those described at UW-Madison. Resources for students are available through our universities,” Pitsch wrote.

As of 4:50 p.m. Tuesday, Pitsch said that the UW knows of at least 14 other cancellations on other campuses. This brings the total to at least 27 students across the UW system. 

The cancellations come as the Trump administration has been cracking down on immigration, including the presence of international students in the country.

UW-Madison said in a press release Monday that it played no role in the cancellations. According to the release, UW learned from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) that the students’ records were terminated.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal, UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin told the Faculty Senate that it wasn’t contacted directly about the cancellations and only learned about them because staff has been reviewing federal databases every day to see whether students have been affected.

UW-Madison noted that a status termination generally means an affected person should depart the United States immediately. UW-Madison’s office responsible for providing services to international students has contacted the students and alumni whose visas were canceled to advise them about the potential consequences of the cancellations and provide information about legal resources if requested. 

UW-Madison also said that while it’s not uncommon to see terminations for many reasons, it and peer institutions have seen an elevated volume and frequency of terminations over the last week. 

On March 28, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that at least 300 visas for international students have been revoked. Rubio told reporters that every time he finds “one of these lunatics,” referring to students that have participated in protests, he takes away their visa.

The cancellations have taken place at other institutions in the Midwest including University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, Minnesota State University in Mankato as well as other institutions across the country, including at University of California institutions, Colorado State University and Arizona State University. In some cases, the cancellations have been tied to activism related to Palestine, while others have been tied to criminal infractions and in some cases, traffic violations. 

UW-Madison said the “precise rationale” for the termination of the visas is unclear, but that it doesn’t believe they were specific to participation in any “free speech events or political activity.” The university hasn’t responded to an inquiry for more information about the students. 

Some of the students targeted by the Trump administration have been outspoken activists against the war in Gaza. Mahmoud Khalil, a former student at Columbia University who helped lead pro-Palestinian protests on campus, was detained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and is being held in a Louisiana detention facility with federal authorities claiming to have revoked his green card. Tufts doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish citizen with an F-1 student visa, was detained by mask-wearing DHS agents as she was leaving her off-campus apartment in Massachusetts. She is also being held in Louisiana.

UW-Madison said it is not aware of federal law enforcement activity on campus as of Monday. 

“International students, faculty, and staff are important members of the UW–Madison community, and the university deeply values their presence,” the university said in the statement. 

Mnookin also told faculty that while she can’t force people to, she is hopeful faculty will use their discretion to offer accommodations to affected students to help them finish their courses and degrees.

UW-Madison also pointed students to resources included in an update from April 2.

In that update to its international community, UW-Madison said it understood that ICE’s detainments of students at other institutions were “highly unsettling — especially for you and our broader international community.” 

“You are a valued and integral part of campus life, not only for the perspectives you bring to our teaching, research, and engagement mission, but also for the many ways you enrich the university’s social and cultural life,” Vice Provost and Dean Frances Vavrus said in a statement earlier this month. “We continue to be deeply grateful for your presence at UW–Madison.”

State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison), who represents the UW-Madison campus, called on people to push back against the actions of the federal government.

“All of us must stand up to the Republican regime’s lawless, unconstitutional and un-American actions to abduct, arrest, and kick out, and intimidate international students, legal permanent residents, and others, without due process of law,” Roys said. “This is unacceptable and we must unite in opposing it.”

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Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) said extending postpartum Medicaid coverage is morally and fiscally “the right thing to do” for Wisconsin. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

The Wisconsin Senate passed a bill to expand access to health care for postpartum mothers on Tuesday, while Assembly Republicans passed bills to further restrict and implement obstacles to accessing unemployment benefits for Wisconsinites.

The Senate for a second time since the last session passed a bill that would extend Medicaid coverage for postpartum mothers in Wisconsin from 60 days to a full year after childbirth. The measure received almost unanimous support, passing 32-1 with Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) casting the only ‘no’ vote. 

Bill author Sen. Jesse James (R-Thorp) said at a press conference that Wisconsin has a responsibility to support mothers and babies. 

Pregnant women in Wisconsin can currently receive Medicaid coverage if they have an annual income of up to 306% of the federal poverty level, however, they risk losing their coverage 60 days after giving birth. Newborns already receive a year of coverage in Wisconsin. 

The bill received an outpouring of support from members of the public during a bill hearing. This included, James noted, support from mothers who dealt with heart failure, preeclampsia and other health issues.  

“That’s why we’re here today,” James said. “Those moms are why we’re here today — their stories of life-threatening heart conditions, postpartum complications and the postpartum depression… Let’s give them the care they need.” 

Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) said it is morally and fiscally “the right thing to do” for Wisconsin. 

According to a fiscal estimate by the Department of Health Services, the policy would cost $18.5 million in all funds including $7.3 million in general purpose revenue. If Wisconsin joined other states that have accepted the full federal Medicaid expansion, the cost for the postpartum coverage would be reduced to $15.1 million in all funds including $5.2 million in general purpose revenue.

Wisconsin is one of only two states in the country that haven’t opted to expand Medicaid coverage for postpartum moms, and despite bipartisan support, because of opposition from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester), the bill continues to face challenges in becoming law. 

“Why is Wisconsin fighting for last place?” Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin (D-Whitefish Bay) asked during floor debate.

Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) said he was glad that the proposal was being voted on again, but also said it is “odd” that lawmakers were speaking about extending the benefit in a national political environment where the federal Medicaid program as a whole is under threat.

“I would hope that we could take that initial step beyond [this bill] …  to do our best to ensure that Medicaid overall is protected,” Larson said. “If the feds decide to set fire to Medicaid, as has been happening with other areas of government, there is no way that other states can make up for it.” 

Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) noted on the floor that the Senate also passed the bill last session 32-1, and the Assembly is the reason that it was unsuccessful. 

Assembly Speaker Vos was one of the major obstacles to the advancement of the bill in the Assembly last session, and he continues to oppose the bill, having termed it an expansion of “welfare.”

“[Assembly Republicans] sat on it and did nothing and since that time, women and babies have been hurt because they haven’t received the care that they need,” Hesselbein said. “I’m very hopeful after our action again today that we could talk to the Republicans in the state Assembly and get this done.”

Felzkowski told lawmakers to remember that it can take more than one legislative session for a bill to pass and expressed confidence that the Assembly will eventually come around. 

“Sometimes it takes two or three [sessions], sometimes it takes four. We’ll get the Assembly there,” Felzkowski said during the floor session. “I promise.” 

When asked about the bill during a press conference Tuesday, Vos didn’t commit to bringing it up for a vote, saying that his caucus hasn’t discussed it yet, but he said he hasn’t changed his own position.

“My position has been fairly clear from the very beginning. I’ve never supported an expansion of welfare. I can’t imagine that I would ever support one,” Vos said. “But we have to talk about it as a caucus.”

Over 70% of the Assembly are co-sponsors on the bill, including 28 Republicans — who represent over half of the Assembly Republican caucus — and 44 Democrats. It needs a simple majority of 50 votes to pass.

New restrictions, requirements on unemployment insurance 

While the Senate sought to expand the public health care benefits for Wisconsin mothers, Assembly Republicans took action to restrict benefits for Wisconsinites who lose their jobs, passing a slate of bills that would restrict and implement more obstacles to receiving unemployment insurance.

People in Wisconsin are eligible to receive unemployment insurance if they were laid off and must be able, available and actively looking for work and willing to accept suitable work. The state Department of Workforce Development determines the weekly benefit. In Wisconsin, the minimum weekly benefit in Wisconsin is $54 while the maximum benefit is $370 per week.

Vos said the bills ensure that “all the folks who are in Wisconsin, who are able-bodied” and “living off the system wrongly” are “doing their due diligence to find a job as opposed to living off the system.”

Democratic lawmakers slammed the bills, saying they were wrongly seeking to make it more difficult to access public benefits at a time when Wisconsinites may need them more than ever given recent upheaval in the federal government under the Trump administration. 

“While Trump is starting trade wars, pushing the economy off the ledge and laying off droves of federal workers, legislative Republicans are doing nothing to push back,” Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) said. “In fact, they’ve decided that the best use of our time here today on the floor is to make it harder for Wisconsinites to receive their earned benefits in a very chaotic time.”

Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-Milwaukee), speaking against the bills lawmakers were taking up, said it appeared to be “kick folks while they’re down day” in the Assembly. He said unemployment insurance is a “Wisconsin idea” — noting that Wisconsin was the first state in the country to establish an Unemployment Compensation program — and that the program provides protections for businesses and employees.

“Employers pay into UI and their employees get access to unemployment insurance by working for them, and when someone is laid off or a deeply unfunny billionaire with a chainsaw fires them or a business goes out of business because of deeply unfunny tariffs then the employee… gets a little bit back to help them survive until they get another” job, Clancy said.  

Republican lawmakers defended the bills as making the unemployment programs better for employers and those seeking the benefits. 

One bill — AB 164 — would change Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance program by renaming it the “reemployment assistance” program and expanding requirements for receiving the help. It would also require claimants make “direct” contact with potential employers as a part of their four required work searches weekly — or risk their benefits. The bill passed 53-42.

Rep. Benjamin Franklin said the bill requirements are “not a burden.” 

“It is an opportunity,” Rep. Ben Franklin (R-De Pere) said during floor debate. “Making real connections with hiring managers increases the odds of finding work that aligns with one’s experience, goals and skills.”

Vos said the proposals are “common sense” and accused Democrats of trying to keep people out of work.

“There are people all over the state of Wisconsin who are lying to us, lying to themselves and getting the benefit of the resources that the state of Wisconsin have when there is a job ready and waiting for them to take it,” Vos said. “Why would you want to support people who are scamming a system?”

Lawmakers also passed AB 165, which would ban local governments from using tax money to create guaranteed income programs without a work or training requirement, in a 53-42 party-line vote.

A handful of Wisconsin cities have explored pilot guaranteed income programs, including Madison, Milwaukee and Wausau. Clancy said people benefiting from local guaranteed income programs were being misrepresented by Republicans. 

“Giving cash to people in poverty helps them not to be in poverty,” Clancy said. “As it turns out, most people already know what they need and they make remarkably astute decisions about how to spend these benefits to help themselves and their families by meeting their most urgent needs.” 

Clancy said that in Milwaukee some beneficiaries have used the program to help pay rent, buy a vehicle to help them get to work and to take time off in preparation for the birth of a baby.

AB 167, which would expand the definition of employee misconduct used to deny an unemployment insurance claim and a worker’s compensation claim, passed 53-42.

Under the bill the definition of misconduct would include the unauthorized possession of an employer’s property or theft, unauthorized distribution of an employer’s confidential information, use of an employer’s credit card or other financial instrument for an unauthorized purpose and the violation of a company’s social media policy or absenteeism policy. The bill would also require the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) to conduct random audits of half of the work searches reported by people claiming unemployment benefits. 

Rep. Tip McGuire (D-Kenosha), speaking against the bill, said Republicans will have to “wake up to the reality that there is chaos and confusion in Washington D.C.” at some point. 

“It will hurt working families in Wisconsin and… one of the things that they’re going to need if a recession comes and they are out of work and they are laid off are these unemployment benefits,” McGuire said. “Making it easier to restrict them from those benefits is bad. It’s bad for our economy. It’s bad for our working families. It’s bad for the people of the state.” 

Bill author Rep. Duke Tucker (R-Grantsburg) said that everyone should “strive for efficient and effective government programs” and said the bill would help ensure the unemployment insurance program is “healthy.” 

“Unemployment insurance is for those who lost their job through no fault of their own. What better way can we ensure the possibility of increased benefits [than] by having a solvent fund that’s well managed?” Tucker asked. He added there is no “ill intent” with the bill. 

Evers has previously vetoed bills similar to the unemployment changes and the guaranteed income ban.

Other related bills passed by the Assembly include:

• AB 162 would require state agencies to compile metrics on training and workforce development programs, including the unemployment rates and median earnings of participants six months after they graduate from a program. It passed 53-42.
• AB 168 would allow felony fraud claims related to unemployment to be prosecuted up to eight years after a crime was committed, extending the current statute of limitations of six years. It would also require the DWD to provide information about unemployment — including providing training materials for employers and claimants and expanding its call center hours — and to implement “identity-proofing” measures for unemployment. The bill passed 53-42.
• AB 169 would allow an employer to report to DWD an unemployment recipient who  declines or fails to show up to a job interview or declines a job offer. This would be used to determine benefits. The bill passed 53-42.

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Madison Public Library Director Tana Elias said advocacy on behalf of libraries by Wisconsin residents and other stakeholders is essential right now. The Madison Public Library is in the process of collecting physical notes from patrons to be mailed to lawmakers. (Photo courtesy of Madison Public Library)

Threatened federal funding cuts are causing uncertainty for the future of Wisconsin libraries and the programs they provide to the public, especially for those serving rural areas — and libraries are pushing Wisconsinites to talk to their lawmakers.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March to downsize and begin the process of eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an agency responsible for providing funding to states, including over $266.7 million last year. In 2024, Wisconsin received $3.23 million from the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grants to States program, which is the largest source of federal funding support for library services in the country. 

Northern Waters Library Services Director Katherine Elchert called IMLS the “backbone” of American libraries. While the cuts could affect all libraries, Elchert said the cut would be a “direct blow” to rural libraries, including those in her system.

Elchert’s system is one of 15 public library systems across Wisconsin. It’s made up of 27 libraries in the northern part of Wisconsin and is one of the smaller population size library systems, but the largest geographical systems. It is expected to get $64,064 in federal funding — or 8% of its total funding —  from the federal government in 2025, according to DPI. 

“Most [of my libraries] are quite small and the loss of this funding will impact every single library in my system….” Elchert said, adding that patrons might not immediately recognize the impact of cuts. “It’s not like the institute is providing money so your libraries can buy books. It’s more providing large, big picture collaborations,” she said. 

Some of those collaborative programs that could be affected include interlibrary loans, a mechanism for Wisconsin libraries to share information, books and resources across the state, WISCAT, the state’s resource sharing platform, and Badgerlink, an online library that gives people access to online databases and educational resources. 

Ben Miller, library services director for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, said his team is made up of about 20 people, 16 of them funded through federal dollars. They are responsible for providing support to local libraries, including supporting collaborative programs and ensuring they work. Miller said that Wisconsin has had more than 15 million materials moved between libraries each year with the Interlibrary Loan programs and WISCAT.

“If we lost federal funding, we would be down to a skeleton of a skeleton crew of three folks,” Miller said. 

Badgerlink is funded with state dollars, Miller said, but the staff at DPI is responsible for negotiating contracts and ensuring there is access to Wisconsin residents. 

“Our team of people make that happen, and without this federal funding, that state money would pay for content that no one can access,” Miller said. 

The agency has also worked to make WISCAT more accessible.

“We pay for the platform, we staff it… we manage it, and we have folks that help with those referrals,” Miller said. “It allows us to cast requests outside of the state even, so you could get a book from Florida into Wisconsin if that is what you need.” 

The DPI also distributes federal funds in the form of grants that allow libraries to pilot programs that could become part of regular services in the future. 

A recent example, Miller said, is the JobPod Initiative in Brown County, which has helped provide resources including digital literacy training and technology skills to Wisconsinites seeking a job through their public libraries. 

Another example of a successful program is the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium, widely known as Libby, which provides people across the state with access to e-books and audiobooks.

“We provided money, found out people loved it, slowly stepped ourselves off, and then the library systems just went nuts and started buying books and things and now we have, like, the second most checkouts in the nation in Wisconsin,” Miller said. “We were able to stand that up, using this federal money to test the concept, and say, like, ‘Hey, this thing, this works. Let’s do it,’ and then they can incorporate it into their budgets.”

Miller said that his team is looking at the potential scenarios and working to provide service until they find out they aren’t funded. 

The last time the agency got communication from the IMLS, Miller said, was after the executive order, but before the appointment of Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith E. Sonderling to serve as acting director of IMLS on March 20. 

In that communication, Miller said, the federal government notified the agency that it should expect payment on April 22. Tuesday, he said, will be the next milestone. Some states, including California and Washington state, have already received notification that their Grants to States funding has been pulled.

Wisconsin’s library agency hasn’t had any communication with the federal government lately, though it has been monitoring for anything new. Miller said the program officer assigned to Wisconsin was part of the staff put on administrative leave in March. 

Typically, Miller said, he would be preparing to finalize the budget and preparing to put out grant applications, but he said his agency will be proceeding with caution, even if the state does get the funding on Tuesday.

“We’re holding back until we have a better picture of the future… We have questions about how this will look,” Miller said. “All of this funding is contingent on the Museum and Library Services Act of 2018, which comes up for renewal this October, and so even if we get this money next week, we’re going to be really gun shy about putting that out until we know the future of IMLS as an institution and Grants to States moving forward.”

Miller said that the agency is also waiting to see what comes from a multi-state lawsuit launched by 20 states, including Wisconsin, challenging the Trump administration’s cuts to the IMLS and arguing that it violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act. 

Elchert said the programs funded with federal money and the work of the state supporting those programs are important for broadening the collections available to libraries “particularly in those rural areas that don’t have the space or the budget to have those large collections that, say, Madison does.” 

Elchert noted that South Dakota recently announced it is suspending its interlibrary loan service in light of the federal cuts.

“My library system could not provide all of these resources. It’d be — I don’t even know how much it would cost to try and it just wouldn’t happen to be frank,” Elchert said. “So everybody is losing access to all of these larger resources that connect Wisconsin to the larger world.”

Elchert noted that the federal cuts are also affecting tribal libraries, which had their federal funds cut a couple of weeks ago. There are two, the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University Community Library and the Ben Guthrie Lac Du Flambeau Public Library, in her system.

The cuts would hit Wisconsin’s urban libraries as well.

“Ironically, this [executive order] is supposed to eliminate government inefficiency, but this is an incredibly efficient system to offer these services statewide and have them run at the state level with federal funds or any funds for that matter,” said Tana Elias, director of the Madison Public Library.

Elias said that if the funding isn’t awarded there will likely be a “scramble” in July to figure out what programs could be stopped initially and over time.

“It may be that we have to go back to the vendor and renegotiate a contract or renegotiate a reduction in service that we can afford in the meantime, while we wait for all of this to play out,” Elias said. “It’s a lot of uncertainty.”

According to a joint statement from Madison Public Library and Madison Children’s Museum, IMLS has awarded an average of 18 grants per year to Wisconsin museums, libraries and other institutions over the last 15 years — totaling nearly $70 million dollars over that span.

The Madison library was also notified that one of its recent grants that helped support the Observation Deck, a program that was being used to measure and illustrate the impact of library programming and support librarians in improving it, was canceled. She said the library had spent about half of the $240,000 awarded before it was canceled. 

“It’s a reduction,” Elias said. “But we have a plan to continue and wrap up that project with the funding that we have now.” That plan includes not moving forward with a second grant request and paying for service directly so the platform can continue to be used. “We won’t be able to expand it and offer it for other public libraries to use,” she said.

Elias added that she was concerned that the cuts could limit professional opportunities for library staff. Currently, she said many of those opportunities become available through DPI at little to no cost. She said professional training and ensuring staff have support will be even more important if public services shrink in other areas. 

“Library funding is being targeted. Humanities funding is being targeted. Arts funding is coming. We all know that education funding is being targeted as more of those funds slip away from us… as all of those safety nets shrink and fray, people will be coming to libraries more and more,” Elias said. “I think it’s even more important that we continue to have strong funding for libraries, because they’re kind of a safety net for a lot of people.” 

Elias said advocacy on behalf of libraries by Wisconsin residents and other stakeholders is essential right now. The Madison Public Library is in the process of collecting physical notes from patrons to be mailed to lawmakers. 

The Wisconsin Public Library Consortium, which includes all of the public library systems in the state, has put together a webpage to inform residents about and encourage them to lobby their lawmakers for funding.

“It does make a difference. Legislators do listen to their constituents, and I think because we are working on a statewide campaign across the whole state, we’ll hit both those Republican and Democratic legislators… I think having bipartisan support is really important,” Elias said. 

Elchert of the Northern Waters system said that librarians are “scrappy” and everyone is working to help the community.

“It’s important that patrons know that their library services will be impacted if these cuts go through,” Elchert said. “It’s not a matter of will it be felt, but how badly will it be felt.”

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State Superintendent Jill Underly said "Washington, D.C. should not dictate how schools educate their kids." Underly pictured with Madison La Follette High School Principal Mathew Thompson and Madison Public School District Superintendent Joe Gothard in the hallway at La Follette in September 2024. (Photo by Ruth Conniff/Wisconsin Examiner)

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction rejected the Trump administration’s request to certify compliance with a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion in K-12 public schools. 

State Superintendent Jill Underly said in a statement that Wisconsin schools are following the law. 

“We’ve put that into writing to the USDE,” Underly said. “We believe in local control in Wisconsin and trusting our local leaders – superintendents, principals, educators – who work together with parents and families every day to support students. They know their communities best. Washington, D.C. should not dictate how schools educate their kids.” 

The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter earlier this month to state agencies across the country requesting that agencies check with local school districts to ensure they don’t have diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. 

The federal administration is trying to apply the U.S. Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision, which said race-based programs in higher education violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, to K-12 education. The administration said state agencies needed to ensure compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Supreme Court decision. 

Wisconsin is one of several states, mostly led by Democrats, that have pushed back on the request. The Trump administration, which has been targeting diversity efforts in K-12 schools as well as in higher education and other sectors, has threatened that it could pull funding from states that don’t comply with the request.

Wisconsin schools receive $841.9 million from the federal government, making up about 8% of the total funding for schools across the state. Funding from the Department of Education makes up $568.2 million of that, and according to DPI, this is equivalent to 6,106 educator jobs. 

According to the letter, DPI provided the Department of Education with copies of previous certifications of compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

The agency said that its repeated requests for additional information about the new certification request went unanswered. In an April 9 letter, DPI asked for clarification on why the federal government was requesting another certification and asked the Department of Education to answer questions including whether the requested certification seeks to enforce any requirement beyond what is required by federal law and regulation and what legal authority the Education Department is using to make the request a condition of federal aid. 

“If the certified assurances are insufficient to meet the conditions of federal funding imposed by USDE, please articulate the basis in law for imposing these conditions, as well as an explanation as to why these assurances do not fulfill those requirements,” DPI General Counsel Benjamin Jones wrote to the Department of Education.

Underly said the new certification is a way for the federal government to “directly control the decisions in our schools by conditioning federal dollars. This is a serious concern – not just for the DPI, but for anyone who believes in lawful, transparent government.”

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Gov. Tony Evers after signing the 2023-25 budget bill with 51 partial vetoes on July 5, 2023. (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner)

A split Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Friday that Gov. Tony Evers’ partial veto in the last state budget extending school funding increases for an additional 400 years was within his constitutional powers. 

The executive partial veto powers granted in the Wisconsin State Constitution are uniquely expansive, though they have been limited in the past through Supreme Court decisions and constitutional amendments passed by the Legislature and approved by voters.

In the 2023-25 state budget bill, Evers used his partial veto power striking two digits and a dash from the years to extend the annual increases through 2425, saying the action would help provide ongoing financial support to schools. The initial bill had included a $325 increase to schools’ revenue limits for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years.

Justice Jill Karofsky wrote in a majority opinion that the partial veto was within the power given to Evers in the state constitution, which says “appropriation bills may be approved in whole or in part by the governor.”

“We uphold the 2023 partial vetoes, and in doing so we are acutely aware that a 400-year modification is both significant and attention-grabbing,” Karofsky wrote. “However, our constitution does not limit the governor’s partial veto power based on how much or how little the partial vetoes change policy, even when that change is considerable.”

The case challenging the partial veto was brought by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce on behalf of two Wisconsin taxpayers, Jeffery A. LeMieux, a retired professor, and David T. DeValk, a Fox Valley substitute teacher — arguing that the action was unconstitutional and undemocratic. 

WMC Executive Vice President of Government Relations Scott Manley said they were disappointed by the ruling, and that Evers “exceeded his authority at the expense of taxpayers, and now our great-great-great-great-grandchildren will still be paying the price for his reckless disregard for the law.”

Karofsky laid out several options that lawmakers could take if they want to address the issue further, including by addressing it in a future budget — such as the 2025-27 budget that is being worked on now, by passing a constitutional amendment or by drafting bills separate from appropriation bills to avoid the governor’s partial veto or trying to anticipate how the power might be used. 

Lawmakers have introduced a couple of proposed constitutional amendments. One, which passed last session, would bar the governor from using the veto power to create or increase any tax or fee. Another introduced in January would replace current language that says a partial veto may “not create a new word by rejecting individual letters in the words of the enrolled bill, and may not create a new sentence by combining parts of 2 or more sentences” to say the governor may “only reject one or more entire bill sections.” 

Those proposals have to pass in two consecutive sessions of the Legislature before they could go to voters for ratification. 

Karofsky wrote that the Court “takes no position regarding these measures. We merely outline them to illustrate legislative alternatives to the action before us.”

The three conservative justices on the Court slammed the majority opinion, saying that by upholding the veto the Court has given the executive the power to make law separately from legislators.

“How does a bill become a law?” Justice Brian Hagedorn wrote in the dissenting opinion. “According to the majority, one option looks like this: The legislature passes a bill in both houses and sends it to the governor. The governor then takes the collection of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks he receives from the legislature, crosses out whatever he pleases, and — presto! — out comes a new law never considered or passed by the legislature at all. And there you have it — a governor who can propose and enact law all on his own.” 

Hagedorn wrote that the majority’s opinion makes “a mockery of our constitutional order. This is a mess of this court’s making, and it is long past time for us to fix it.” 

In an opinion concurring with the majority, Justice Rebecca Dallet said the precedent set forth in other cases before the court have “emphasized that a partial veto may affirmatively change the policy of the original bill.” Dallet said that she is “open to revisiting” that, but “this case is not a ‘clear opportunity’ to do so.”

“Petitioners do not ask us to overturn any of our prior decisions, let alone reimagine completely our approach,” Dallet wrote. 

Republican leaders and Evers react to decision, upcoming budget

Republican leaders were critical of the decision, saying that the Court had granted the governor unchecked power and that the decision would lead to tax increases for Wisconsinites.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said that the decision was evidence of the Court being partisan and “should worry every Wisconsinite.” 

“Is any Wisconsin citizen surprised that the liberals on the Wisconsin Supreme Court are now a rubber stamp for liberal ally Tony Evers?” Vos asked. “The liberal Justices’ decision itself describes the effects of this decision as ‘significant and attention-grabbing.’ Modest words for a tortured reading of our Constitution that will hurt Wisconsin taxpayers for hundreds of years to come, all in the name of supporting their ally in the Governor’s office.”

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) said that the Court “proved again that they will rule based on partisanship and politics rather than the rule of law” and that the veto was “an unprecedented overreach that will impact generations of Wisconsin taxpayers.”

Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) said that the state cannot afford to provide money for the increases, calling it “wildly unrealistic” and “fiscally unsustainable,” and that increases would be felt by property taxpayers. 

The partial veto applied to increases to schools’ revenue limits, meaning that school districts will have more leeway to bring in funds through property taxes or state funds. The partial veto did not allocate additional state dollars for the increases, though lawmakers could decide to provide state funds for the increases. The partial veto also did not automatically mean school districts would raise taxes, though they would have the option.

Wisconsin has limited school districts’ ability to raise funds through property taxes since 1993. Schools originally received regular adjustments to their limits on an inflationary basis, but that was eliminated in 2009 and since then increases have relied on lawmakers or school districts going to taxpayers for permission to increase taxes.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s via property taxes or income taxes, this money is going to come out of the pockets of Wisconsinites from Tomahawk to Racine,” Felzkowski said. She called on Evers to “come to the table to find a solution to this problem that he created, otherwise average Wisconsinites will be forced to take on the financial burden that he has put on them.” 

Evers said in a statement that schools deserve “sustainable, dependable, and spendable state support and investment” and said the decision was great news.  

“For over a decade, the Legislature has failed to meet that important obligation. Importantly, this decision does not mean our work is done — far from it,” Evers said. “Today’s decision only further underscores the urgent need for Republican lawmakers to approve the K-12 investments I’ve proposed to ensure our kids and our schools have the resources they need now and into the future.”

Evers has called for an additional $3 billion in investments for the state’s K-12 schools, funded with the state’s $4 billion budget surplus. Lawmakers have said the decision would be influential in the shape of education funding in the 2025-27 state budget. 

Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Jill Underly echoed Evers’ sentiment, calling the decision a win.

“The broader need remains: real, usable investments in our schools. That means fair special education reimbursement, meeting the mental health needs of our kids, stronger support for our educators, and access to nutritious school meals at no cost for every child,” Underly said. “These priorities must be reflected in the upcoming state budget. Without meaningful investment and an aid commitment from our Legislature, the burden continues to fall on local property taxpayers.”

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