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Johnson Asks if Illinois Should Share Burden of Foxconn Subsidies

Says workers from across state line will benefit from billion dollar facility that Trump touted

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said that workers from Illinois will also benefit from the $10 billion Foxconn plant in Wisconsin. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said that workers from Illinois will also benefit from the $10 billion Foxconn plant in Wisconsin. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said Illinois should bear some of the burden of economic incentives to lure electronics company Foxconn to his state.

President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan have both touted the jobs that will be created from the company building the $1o billion plant, which would be built in Ryan’s southeastern Wisconsin district.

Foxconn and its proponents have said the new plant will create as many as 13,000 jobs.

The state legislature in Wisconsin is currently expected to vote on whether to give the company $3 billion in economic incentives.

But speaking at the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, Johnson said the question was “should Wisconsin be the one to bear the full three” billion dollars in incentives, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Johnson argued that Illinois should bear part of the burden since Foxconn would be located near the state line between Illinois and Wisconsin, so workers from that state would benefit as well.

Asked later for a clarification of the senator’s remarks, Johnson spokesman Ben Voelkel told the State Journal in Milwaukee, “There’s a number of factors involved in a big project like this, and Senator Johnson trusts Governor Walker and the state Legislature to determine a solution that promotes job growth and protects taxpayers.”

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