Governor Walker Doubles Down on No New Gas Tax During Visit to Milwaukee

Governor Scott Walker said he would absolutely not have a gas tax increase in his budget during a stop in Milwaukee Wednesday.

The visit highlighted several of his top priorities for the future of Wisconsin, as laid out in his 2017 State of the State Address.

The governor is  promising to cut tuition for all undergraduates in the University of Wisconsin System after four year of a tuition freeze in the UW system.

Exact details are expected when he releases his budget next month.

He said he "will do more than just freeze tuition" and hinted that it would be similar to funding programs initiated by the state for technical colleges.  

Touted as a State of the State Tour, the Governor made several stops.

First at La Crosse Regional Airport  at Colgan Air Services.

From there, he traveled to the  Chippewa Valley Regional Airport at Hawthorne Aviation.

Shortly after 1 p.m., he arrived at  Austin Straubel International at Airport Jet Air Services in Green Bay.

The Governor then stopped in Milwaukee around 3 p.m. at  General Mitchell International.

"I made a firm commitment that I would not raise gas tax or registration fee. I'm going to keep my commitment."

The only way the governor said he he would approve something like that would be if taxes were reduced elsewhere.

"To be clear, tolls cannot happen within the next two years of the budget cycle. You have to get federal approval and build the infrastructure. That would push you beyond the two years of the current budget cycle."