Of all the state agencies set to submit biennial budget requests to Gov. Scott Walker’s office this week, Transportation promises to get the most attention. A projected $1 billion deficit in the department’s budget coupled with what many see as deteriorating road conditions throughout the state mean officials are under pressure to come up with a fix.

But that fix has proved elusive as state Republicans continue to debate methods of closing the budget gap. On Sunday, Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, co-chair of the Legislature’s powerful Joint Finance Committee, reiterated his concerns about continuing to borrow money to rebuild the state’s highways.

“In my position, it’s less responsible to continue to borrow for our roads for the future rather than looking to pay for them (with) a true user fee,” said Nygren, who appeared on "UpFront with Mike Gousha" Sunday morning.

Gov. Scott Walker has said he won’t approve any tax increases or fees and leadership in the state Senate has sided with him.

But Nygren rejected the narrative that one side of the roads debate is only in favor of hiking taxes while the other is only looking to borrow money, insisting that the solution is complicated and public input is necessary.