UW Budget Cuts ‘Bad Economics,’ Says Democratic Rep

A Democrat on the state legislature’s joint finance committee said she’ll lobby to reduce Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million budget cut for the University of Wisconsin System.

At a news conference ahead of the governor’s Tuesday budget address, Madison Rep. Chris Taylor said Republicans should be open to compromise.

“Republicans represent a lot of people who went to the UW,” Taylor said. “They represent employers who depend on being able to hire from the UW and they represent companies coming out of the UW. So they understand too that this is bad economics.”

Walker has pitched the cut to university funding as a fair trade for giving university administrators more autonomy in spending decisions. But Democrats argue the cuts will weaken a university system that has been an engine for the state’s economy.