This is a column by state Rep. Ron Tusler
At 1:30 a.m., while most of Wisconsin was asleep, Governor Evers quietly vetoed a project that would’ve protected Brillion families from devastating floods. It wasn’t about policy, it was about politics.
It’s often said, “No budget is perfect.” That sentiment couldn’t have been more apparent as I sat on the Assembly floor at 12:30 a.m. awaiting a final vote on the 2026–2027 State Budget. But this year’s budget wasn’t just another late-night debate—it held a long overdue solution for the people of Brillion.
For years, I’ve worked with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), local farmers, residents, and community leaders on a plan to address repeated flooding along the North Branch of the Manitowoc River. This river flows through the Brillion Wildlife Area, which was established by the DNR in 1977. Ever since, the surrounding community has suffered from devastating seasonal floods, damaging crops, destroying property, and putting lives at risk.
Brillion Marah near Brillion, Wisconsin. Near Lake Winnebago and Appleton. To mitigate this, a specialized dredging machine called a “swamp devil” was once used to clear vegetation and debris that blocked the river’s flow. But that machine was decommissioned, and with no replacement, sediment and overgrowth began to choke the waterway, causing repeated spring floods. The state created this problem, and it has a responsibility to help fix it.
In the previous budget cycle, I proposed funding to purchase a new swamp devil.
Unfortunately, it didn’t make it into the final budget. So this time, I submitted a more modest request: $70,000 to allow private contractors to dredge the river. A small, one-time expense in a $111 billion budget, but one that would bring real relief to real people.
To my relief, the Joint Finance Committee approved the funding. After six years of work, we were finally on the cusp of delivering results for Brillion.
But at 1:30 a.m., as I arrived back at my hotel room, I learned Governor Evers had used his broad partial veto power to strip out the earmark on this specific project. I was stunned. After years of bipartisan support, local collaboration, and diligent work, he vetoed the only meaningful relief these flood-prone residents had seen in decades.
Worse, the governor’s veto message rubbed salt in the wound. He claimed he objected to “earmarks” for natural resources projects while the Legislature “failed” to reauthorize the Stewardship Program an unrelated political dispute. Ironically, I support the Stewardship Program. But this was no “earmark for the politically connected” this was a targeted solution for a state-created problem. Other dredging projects were left untouched. Brillion was singled out.
It was deeply insulting to the residents and farmers who have been pleading for help. His decision wasn’t about policy, it was about politics.
Still, I knew the money remained in the budget. So, I urged residents and local officials to contact the DNR directly. I also shared a photo from 2018 of floodwaters submerging a car in Brillion, an incident where a trapped person had to be rescued, putting the victim and first responders at risk. This wasn’t hypothetical, it was dangerous and urgent.
Soon after, the DNR called to say they would, in fact, fund the project, this time through a partnership with Ducks Unlimited. Good news, but confusing. Their press release contradicted the Governor’s own veto message, claiming the project was already in the works and didn’t need budget support at all. That’s news to everyone who’s been working on it with me for the past six years.
When asked by FOX 11’s Ben Krumholtz why his veto message didn’t mention any of this, Governor Evers responded: “When we veto something… it’s easier to talk about it in terms with you and I talking about it, rather than writing it out in the budget itself.”
In other words: it’s easier to say one thing and do another when no one’s looking.
Let’s be honest, Governor Evers got caught. The backlash from Brillion residents and the local press forced his hand. Now, his administration is scrambling to rewrite the story, pretending they supported the project all along. But we have the receipts. The credit belongs to the people of Brillion, not the Governor who tried to kill the project in the middle of the night.
This project is finally moving forward, and I’ll be monitoring it closely. Governor Evers may live comfortably in a mansion on Lake Mendota, but my constituents don’t have that luxury. They expect their government to work for them, not play politics with their livelihoods.
Wisconsin deserves better.
