Governor Scott Walker is pretty satisfied with the first 100 days of the Trump administration. “Actions speak louder than words,” Walker said Monday at the Capitol. “What I look at is not what he says or even what he tweets, but more importantly what actions are being taken. And certainly from the standpoint of a state that’s heavily dependent on manufacturing, heavily dependent on agriculture, certainly I appreciate some of the actions his administration has taken, in easing some of the obsessive regulatory burden that the federal government in the past had put on farmers and manufacturers in the state.
“I’m hopeful that . . . they’ll look to Wisconsin for a model when it comes to what to do with repealing, replacing and reforming the Affordable Care Act, with tax reform, and with other things on the horizon.”
President Donald Trump is pressing Democrats to include money for his controversial border wall with Mexico in spending legislation. Congress is working to avoid a looming shutdown of the federal government.
“I think at some point they’ve got to deliver on it (the wall),” Walker said. “But I also think people want stability. One of the benefits of being in the states is we not only have a requirement to have a balanced budget, our government doesn’t shut down when budget debates happen.”
Walker chose not to weigh in, on federal justice department warnings to Milwaukee County and other so-called sanctuary cities. “Since I’m not in the federal government I’ll leave that to the Department of Justice to comment on.”
The governor also said Monday that things look pretty favorable, for him to seek a third term. Walker cited the state’s high performance in employment, percentage of people in the work force, ACT scores and high school graduation rates, among other considerations. “That’s why I say, why wouldn’t I run?”
However, Walker said he’ll wait for work on the state budget to be completed, before making an official announcement. Wisconsin Democrats are still looking for candidates to oppose him next year.