U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is questioning whether Wisconsin should bear the full $3 billion in financial incentives being considered to lure electronics giant Foxconn Technology Group to the state.
Johnson raised the question since Illinois workers would also benefit from the plant, which is expected to be built in southeast Wisconsin near the border.
Johnson made the remarks Tuesday to the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, saying the incentives package state lawmakers are weighing is “a risk worth taking.” But he says the question is “should Wisconsin be the one to bear the full three” billion dollars since others will benefit, too.
Critics of the deal have questioned whether the state should offer so much in subsidies to the Taiwan-based company. The state Assembly was expected to vote on the bill Thursday.
Foxconn announced last month plans to build its first U.S. plant in Wisconsin, creating 3,000 to 13,000 jobs. Wisconsin — a Republican-led swing state that voted for President Donald Trump — beat out Illinois and other contenders for the $10 billion investment.
Gov. Bruce Rauner and Intersect Illinois, the state’s nonprofit economic development arm, earlier this year made a pitch to Foxconn through the University of Illinois. Foxconn has a presence in the university’s research park, and Illinois alumni within the company.
In a February letter to Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou, Rauner talked up the state’s transportation network, engineering and manufacturing talent, cheap energy prices and roster of global companies, and outlined potential financial incentives, according to emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
A specific site for the project has not been identified.
