Rep. Scott Krug, R-Nekoosa, just secured reelection in the Wisconsin 72nd Assembly District.
The district covers parts of Wood, Portage, Adams and Waushara counties in central Wisconsin. Krug was first elected to the chamber in 2010. During his campaign, Krug penned an op-ed to voters Oct. 13 in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune titled: “Support for public schools my top priority.”
The claim
The Wisconsin state government implements a biennium budget every two years. The most recent is the 2015-17 biennium budget which the Assembly approved on July 8, 2015. The budget ultimately passed 52-46. Krug has pointed to his vote against the budget.
“That’s why when members of my own party proposed making cuts to our public schools during the last state budget, I stood up and spoke out against their efforts,” Krug wrote in the op-ed. “While I was able to work to help eliminate these proposed cuts, I ultimately bucked my own party and voted against the budget.”
Krug did indeed vote against the budget bill. Ten other Assembly Republicans also broke party lines to vote against the budget.
Moreover, Krug claimed that he “stood up and spoke out” against the proposed cuts. In a press release from the day after the vote, Krug explained why he ultimately voted against the budget.
“It is our responsibility as a state to provide the necessary dollars to educate our children and sadly I felt this budget falls short in allocating sufficient funds to do so,” said Krug in the statement. “After taking all of this into account, I decided to vote against the proposed state budget.”
Krug claimed that not only did he defy his party and vote against the 2015-17 biennium budget, but he also “stood up and spoke out” against the budget. The Observatory rates this claim as verified.
Sources:
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/legislators/assembly/1305
https://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin_State_Assembly_elections,_2016
http://statisticalatlas.com/state-lower-legislative-district/Wisconsin/District-72/Overview
http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/story/opinion/columnists/2016/09/29/scott-krug-support-public-schools-my-top-priority/91178040/
https://ballotpedia.org/Scott_Krug
http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/proposals/reg/sen/bill/sb21
http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/related/votes/assembly/av0110
http://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/krug/pressreleases/Pages/Representative%20Krug%20Reacts%20to%20State%20Budget.aspx