Scott Walker is poised to run a presidential campaign with concerns over the federal debt at its center, even as Walker receives flak for debt at home.
On a call this week with Tea Party Express supporters and reporters, Walker laid out his likely campaign platform.
“If I were to be a candidate, obviously that would be one of the centerpieces of a potential campaign: bringing the debt under control,” Walker said on the call.
But Walker has recently fielded criticism in Wisconsin for proposing that the state skip a $108 million debt payment this year to help square a $283 million shortfall. Walker would be able to make that call without approval by state legislators, and it would increase the state’s bills by more than $19 million over the next two years.
“Simply put, we are utilizing historically low interest rates,” said Cullen Werwie, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Department of Administration, which oversees the budget.
Walker’s predecessor, Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, used debt restructuring, as delaying debt payments is known, in multiple budget years. This is the first time Walker has done so as governor, but he has nonetheless been criticized by Democrats and some Republicans.
“It’s similar. And if I was against those when a Democrat did it, I’m also against it when a Republican does it,” state Sen. Rob Cowles, a Republican, told Wisconsin Radio Network.
Walker could still decide to make the payment on time, if he finds the money through other cuts, his office cautioned.
“This is not a definite action, but instead it is just an option that could be pursued if revenues fall shorter than the administration estimates,” said Laurel Patrick, a spokeswoman for the governor. A spokeswoman for Walker’s political committee Our American Revival referred questions to the governor’s office.
The question of state spending versus revenue featured prominently in Walker’s re-election campaign, during which he approved more than $500 million in new tax cuts. His challenger, Democrat Mary Bruce, raised questions about the wisdom of cutting taxes when the state still had debts to pay off.
“I don’t know too many Wisconsin families who would rush out to spend money they don’t have, particularly when they’ve already put more money on the credit card and they have more bills coming due,” Burke said in February of last year, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Walker looks to be taking a similar tack in his fledgling presidential campaign, talking about cutting taxes and the federal debt simultaneously. During a swing through New Hampshire last weekend, Walker said that eliminating the federal income tax “sounds pretty tempting,” the Huffington Post reported.
Still, Wisconsin remains highly scored by ratings agencies, in contrast to states such as New Jersey, run by some of Walker’s potential Republican challengers.
