Walker Delays Commenting On Possible Change To Foxconn Contract Approval

Gov. Scott Walker on Wednesday refused to weigh in on a push for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. to change its approval process for the $3 billion contract with tech giant Foxconn.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, both told the Wisconsin State Journal they think the WEDC board should see the entire contract with Foxconn before they vote to approve or reject it.

Typically, the board would vote on a staff memo outlining the contract, instead of seeing the entire document.

Walker, speaking with reporters by phone from Israel, where he’s on a trade mission, refused to say whether he would support the change.

“I’ll certainly, like I said, have time to talk about that when I get back and before any action is taken by that board,” Walker said. “I’ll comment on that either on Friday or early next week, before they bring it up.”

The Foxconn contract is expected to be approved this month.

The governor also shared some highlights of his trade mission, including a visit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which the governor used to invite the prime minister to visit Wisconsin.

“Usually, prime ministers come to Washington and New York, they don’t often come to the middle of the country, and so we invited him,” Walker said. “Actually, we kind of did a tag team because (Illinois) Gov. Rauner was in later that same day. We’ll continue to push for him — we suggested a trip to Chicago, Milwaukee and maybe St. Louis.”

Walker said the trade mission has focused on promoting Wisconsin businesses’ work on water technology, including Milwaukee’s Global Water Center.

The governor’s office announced today that the Milwaukee-based Water Council will partner with the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Israel Innovation Authority on water-related research and startup technology.