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Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

In May 2023, the Minnesota Legislature approved and Gov. Tim Walz signed a 2023-25 state budget of $72 billion.

That spends 38.4% more than the previous two-year budget of $52 billion.

The new budget period started July 1, 2023.

Walz is a Democrat, and the Legislature is majority Democrat.

The $72 billion budget tapped a $17.5 billion budget surplus and raised billions in tax revenues. It gave lower- and middle-income residents $1.1 billion in tax rebates and $1.4 billion in expanded tax credits, according to news reports.

Republicans pushed for bigger rebates and more permanent tax cuts.

Wisconsin’s 2023-25 $99 billion state budget was a 13% increase over the previous budget of $87.5 billion. Gov. Tony Evers is a Democrat, while the Legislature is majority Republican.

Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, made the 40% claim on May 18, 2024, at the Wisconsin Republican Convention.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Associated Press: Minnesota Legislature adjourns after passing $72B budget; Democrats celebrate as GOP hits tax hikes

Pioneer Press: Walz signs $72 billion Minnesota budget: ‘We’re leaving no one behind’

Associated Press: Walz, legislative leaders reach $52 billion budget deal

Pioneer Press: What’s in MN’s $72B budget and what else lawmakers approved

PBS Wisconsin: Evers Signs Wisconsin’s 2021-23 Budget with 50 Partial Vetoes

WisconsinEye: 2024 Republican Party of Wisconsin State Convention

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Tom Kertscher joined Wisconsin Watch as a full-time reporter in October 2024. He started as a fact checker in January 2023 and contributes to our collaboration with the The Gigafact Project to fight misinformation online. Kertscher is a former longtime newspaper reporter, including at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He is a contributing writer for Milwaukee Magazine and sports freelancer for The Associated Press.