Wisconsin GOP lawmakers blame Tony Evers for Foxconn's changing plans

MADISON - Republican leaders of the state Legislature are blaming Democratic Gov. Tony Evers for Foxconn's reported decision to consider dropping its plans to build an LCD panel manufacturing facility in Racine County — comments Democrats characterized as an effort to abdicate responsibility for a bad deal for taxpayers.

"We don’t blame Foxconn for altering plans in an ever-changing technology business. It’s also not surprising Foxconn would rethink building a manufacturing plant in Wisconsin under the Evers Administration," Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said in a joint statement about the company's plans.

The Taiwanese tech giant attributed its deliberations to high labor costs and not to the election of Evers.

Foxconn official Louis Woo said the company will likely hire mostly engineers and researchers rather than the manufacturing workforce the project originally promised in a contract that provides the company about $3 billion in taxpayer-funded subsidies in exchange for the manufacturing facility and up to 13,000 jobs, according to a report Wednesday by Reuters.

Though Woo told Reuters the company had concerns about the steep cost of making advanced TV screens in the United States, the Republican leaders said, "the company is reacting to the wave of economic uncertainty" brought by Evers.

RELATED: Report: Foxconn drops manufacturing as part of drastic rethinking of Racine campus

RELATED: Foxconn falls short of first job-creation hurdle but reiterates ultimate employment pledge

"Governor Evers has an anti-jobs agenda and pledged to do away with a successful business incentive for manufacturing and agriculture," Fitzgerald and Vos said, referring to Evers' proposal to pay for a middle-class tax cut by scaling back a tax credit for manufacturers and agriculture producers.

Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, said Fitzgerald and Vos were seeking to distract taxpayers from the reality of a deal the Republicans supported.

"There is nothing more pathetic than legislative leaders responsible for selling taxpayers a bag of coal evading even a whiff of any responsibility and accountability," Hintz said in a tweet. "You own this and owe taxpayers answers."

The Republican legislative leaders' comments come about a month after they wrote and passed legislation that bars Evers from having authority over the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., which oversees and enforces the state's contract with Foxconn, until later this year.

The new laws also scale back the power to appoint and oversee a state liaison for Foxconn to the WEDC board instead of the Department of Administration, as had been the case under former Gov. Scott Walker.

Lawmakers also passed a measure that allows WEDC to verify Foxconn's job creation by reviewing information from a sample of businesses applying for tax credits, rather than verifying each job reported to be created by Foxconn. Internal vetting of all companies receiving tax credits would continue, WEDC officials say.

On the campaign trail, Evers was critical of the deal struck with Foxconn and at one point planned to eliminate the state jobs agency.

But Evers did not pledge to stop the company's plans and has since backed off his plan to eliminate the jobs agency after Republican lawmakers passed new laws curbing his authority over the agency.

A spokeswoman for Evers did not respond to the Republican leaders' criticism.

Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes in a tweet said, "The party of 'personal responsibility' doesn't seem to be taking much responsibility."

Department of Administration Secretary-designee Joel Brennan said the Evers administration is in "regular, weekly communication with senior leadership at Foxconn" but was surprised by Woo's comments to Reuters.

"In the coming weeks, the Evers administration will continue to commit time, resources and personnel to ensure that the interests of Wisconsin workers and taxpayers are protected and promoted by our approach to the Foxconn project," Brennan said.