Senate leader says he won't confirm Gov. Tony Evers' cabinet amid court fight over appointments
I really despise these two petty toddlers!
Senate leader says he won't confirm Gov. Tony Evers' cabinet amid court fight over appointments
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2019/04/09/wisconsin-politics-gop-wont-confirm-tony-evers-cabinet/3412204002/
Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Published 12:21 p.m. CT April 9, 2019 | Updated 3:12 p.m. CT April 9, 2019
?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester, left) and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau). Fitzgerald is holding off confirming cabinet appointments by Governor Tony Evers. (Photo: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
MADISON - The leader of the state Senate said Tuesday he is holding off on confirming Gov. Tony Evers' cabinet because of a dispute over whether 15 appointees of Gov. Scott Walker can keep their positions.
"I think some of those cabinet members are going to be in trouble," Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau said of Evers' top advisers.
Subscribe to our On Wisconsin Politics newsletter for the week's political news explained.
The Democratic governor's cabinet secretaries are able to do their jobs without confirmation, but Fitzgerald's approach gives Republicans the ability to push them out of their jobs with little notice.
"Right now, they’re pretty wild about it," Fitzgerald said of how Senate Republicans responded to Evers pushing aside Walker appointees on some state boards.
The decision to delay confirming Evers' cabinet comes in reaction to the court fight over the appointments made by Evers' Republican predecessor.
Evers said the delay would not affect how he handles appointments. He said he saw Fitzgerald's comments as "the huffing and puffing that goes on" in the Capitol rather than a form of retribution.
......................................
The dispute springs from a lame-duck session Republicans held in December to confirm 82 Walker appointees and pass laws limiting the powers of Evers and Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul before they were sworn in.
Four legal actions have been filed over the lame-duck session.
..............................................
Evers has since reinstated 67 of the 82 Walker appointees, erasing doubts about whether they can continue to serve
But he has not acted on the other 15 appointments. He contends those jobs are vacant, while Fitzgerald and other Republicans say they continue to be held by the Walker appointees. The Court of Appeals is considering the issue.
.............................................
Democrats called the decision to put off confirming Evers' cabinet petty and obstructionist.
“The political theatrics from Republican leaders are getting old," said a statement from Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling of La Crosse......................................
= new reply since forum marked as read
