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FACT BRIEF

Did Scott Walker try to 'raid' the Wisconsin retirement system?

By Jacob Alabab-Moser
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NO

Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker did not try to "raid" Wisconsin's retirement system.

A satirical news article, which claimed Walker hired convicted Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen to oversee a raid on the state employee retirement system to help balance the state budget, sparked the false allegation circulated in email chains between 2011 and 2012.

Some of the fears surrounding Walker's possible plans for pensions were rooted in real events, namely his controversial 2011 Budget Repair Bill mandating that most public employees pay larger contributions to their pensions. 

Public employees did have less take-home pay, but Walker ultimately did not make additional substantial adjustments to the pension system, such as changing it from a guaranteed pension plan to a 401(k) used by many private employers — another false rumor. 

The Wisconsin Retirement System has been lauded as one of the best-performing and best funded in the country.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
PolitiFact A chain e-mail claims Gov. Scott Walker hired convicted Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen to raid the state employee retirement system to balance the state budget
PolitiFact Chain email says Gov. Scott Walker supports a move to abolish the state retirement system and reduce pensions
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Walker plans no changes to state retirement system
Slate Scott Walker lost because his war on the public sector came back to bite him.
Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds Our Wisconsin retirement system: Strong for Wisconsin
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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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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
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.