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FACT BRIEF

Did auditors say Tony Evers should be more transparent about distributing federal funding?

By Hope Karnopp
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YES

A report from the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau said the Department of Administration should "increase the transparency and clarity" about how the state allocates federal funding. 

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has the authority to spend the money through the DOA. Republicans are pushing a constitutional amendment to give lawmakers authority over the spending.

The report said the DOA and governor's office did not provide details about the decisions to allocate $412.6 million toward nine programs, beyond already public information like press releases.

The audit agency said the department should document how funding decisions are made and include details about future spending on a website.

Wisconsin has about $1.8 billion in federal money remaining, and the DOA has plans for using most of the funds.

The DOA responded that there was a need for "expediency" to respond to the pandemic and economy.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Wisconsin Legislature Decisions About the Use of Supplemental Federal Funds: Department of Administration
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The Assembly has approved a constitutional amendment giving the Republican-controlled Legislature power over federal funds
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.