Overview
- On Sept. 30, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs closed the Green Bay and Chippewa Falls Veterans Housing and Recovery Program sites as their funding expired.
- WDVA says about 40 veterans were relocated to the Union Grove facility and other programs in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan, and no one was left on the street.
- Gov. Tony Evers proposed additional funding, the Joint Finance Committee removed it, and a later Senate amendment to restore the money failed with support from only one Republican.
- The Legislative Fiscal Bureau projected roughly a $3 million program deficit through 2027, and competing bills to provide about $1.9 million had not received public hearings as of Tuesday.
- Democrats blame Republican legislative leaders for the closures, while GOP leaders and Sen. Eric Wimberger argue funds could have been reallocated and accuse mismanagement, a claim the governor’s office rejects.