Now they want a seat at the table?

Talk about an exercise in futility. Wisconsin legislative leaders have a plan for spending federal funding designed to help states recover from the pandemic. The problem is, they don’t have the authority to make that decision. And what they want to do probably isn’t legal. And even if they did pass a spending plan, it is almost certain to be vetoed by the Governor. Leaders of the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate think their members should have the authority to decide how to spend more than $3 billion in federal funding. Things like more than $1 billion to homeowners as a tax rebate and paying down state debt. Neither plan may be lawful. It seems a moot point.  Under federal law, only Governor Evers has the discretion in how to spend the federal money. Republicans complain they need to have a say, a seat at the table. What they seem to forget is that seat was available long ago. They sat out the year 2020, not meeting to deal with the pandemic. They refused to debate the Governor’s ideas to deal with the pandemic. This huffing and puffing about not getting a seat at the table rings rather hollow given they were called to the table months ago but refused to take a seat.