Republicans on the State's Budget Committee Votes to Defund Child Care Counts Program

Monday, June 19th, 2023 -- 2:00 PM

(By Anya van Wagtendonk, Wisconsin Public Radio) Republicans on the Legislature's budget committee voted early Friday morning to defund Child Care Counts, Wisconsin's pandemic-era child care subsidy program.

According to Anya van Wagtendonk with Wisconsin Public Radio, the vote took place around 2:30 a.m., following a day filled with closed door discussions among GOP lawmakers and many hours after Democrats on the panel called for the program to be made permanent.

Child Care Counts distributed hundreds of millions of dollars in federal support to child care providers across the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. The money helped subsidize provider wages and maintain costs for parents. 

In his budget, Gov. Tony Evers proposed spending $340 million to make Child Care Counts permanent. Ahead of a vote on the funding, Democratic lawmakers echoed that call. The federal dollars are due to shrink significantly this month, and will expire entirely by February of next year.

Advocates for the program say centers will lose staff and be forced to close immediately without the full funding.

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