Friday, April 10, 2015

Scott Walker's Trip To Great Britain Cost $138,200

Madison— On the eve of another foreign trip, Gov. Scott Walker's administration disclosed Thursday that Wisconsin taxpayers paid $138,200 for his February trip to Great Britain — a trade mission laden with political overtones from his likely 2016 presidential bid.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., which organized the six-day trip to England, laid out the costs in response to a request from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, doing so a day before another taxpayer-funded, weeklong European trip that Walker is taking as he seeks to boost his foreign policy credentials.
On the trip to England, Walker was accompanied by several WEDC officials as well as Wisconsin business and economic development leaders. The group met with business officials in London about investing in Wisconsin and Walker met privately with British Prime Minister David Cameron and John Bercow, the speaker of the House of Commons.
As an undeclared but essentially certain presidential candidate, Walker also appeared at Chatham House, Great Britain's most prominent think tank, where he drew headlines for sticking only to a discussion of trade and, in his words, "punting" on questions about foreign affairs and evolution. Questions during that talk and media coverage by British and U.S. news outlets focused on his visit through the lens of a likely presidential run.
For any potential political candidate, a trip abroad requires substantial resources both in dollars and in staff time setting it up. When those resources can be provided by taxpayers, it frees up political staff and funds for other priorities.
"It's unconscionable that Scott Walker is spending ($138,000) in taxpayer funds on a trip abroad to promote his presidential campaign," state Democratic Party spokeswoman Melissa Baldauff said. "And he's headed overseas again. ... Since releasing his budget, Scott Walker has been seen in Wisconsin about as often as a warm sunny day."
In another sign of the rising importance of international issues for Walker, the governor met recently with the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Speaking to conservative commentator Sean Hannity on Fox News Wednesday, Walker said he had been talking with officials from the country's Arab allies about President Barack Obama's nuclear agreement with Iran.
Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said the trip to Britain was strictly official and had been planned by WEDC since November.
"The purpose of the UK trip focus was to increase awareness of Wisconsin as a destination for European Union companies and investors, and to increase the number of prospective companies and investors seeking entry or expansion of their business in Wisconsin. This is strictly related to official state business," Patrick said in a statement.
Patrick did not say whether the February trip had resulted in more investment or jobs in Wisconsin so far, but the administration pointed to multiple meetings with companies in Great Britain such as GlaxoSmithKline, the pharmaceutical giant, and Fords Packaging Systems.
After Walker's 2013 trip to China, the Wisconsin Ginseng Board and Chinese medicine firm, TRT, signed an agreement to buy more than $200 million in Wisconsin ginseng. Wisconsin's total exports have jumped by 18% since Walker took office, she said.
WEDC spokesman Mark Maley said the total cost of the England trip on airfare, hotels, meals and other expenses was $6,000 less than the projected cost of $144,200.
Walker leaves on Friday on a state-sponsored trade mission paid by Wisconsin taxpayers to the cities of Hannover, Germany; Bilbao, Spain; and Montpellier, France. In another sign of his likely run, he is expected to cut his participation in the trip short to join other likely GOP contenders for the White House for a New Hampshire event on April 17 and 18.
The 22-member delegation to Western Europe includes leaders from WEDC, the Milwaukee 7 regional economic development organization, the Water Council and seven private businesses.
In Germany, Walker will deliver a speech at the Hannover Messe trade show and will join a meeting on possible collaborations between University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers and representatives of DZNE, the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases. In Spain, he'll hold a roundtable discussion about business opportunities in Wisconsin for more than 20 Spanish companies, and in Paris will participate in another discussion hosted by the French-American Foundation.
On Thursday and Friday, Walker is in Nashville, Tenn., to attend political meetings and speak at the annual meeting of the National Rifle Association.
The governor also will travel to Israel next month, but that trip will be funded by his political operation, Our American Revival. As with all travel by any Wisconsin governor, taxpayers will pay the cost of his State Patrol security detail, which accompanies him wherever he goes.
Walker, who also has visited Japan as governor, originally presented the Israel trip as a potential trade mission, which would have made it taxpayer-funded.
Governors, including Democrat Jim Doyle, have periodically traveled abroad for trade missions, but Walker's travel is getting added scrutiny with his higher profile and the focus on his limited international experience.
The Journal Sentinel has spotlighted past travel by Wisconsin governors and their appointees, including a December 2010 trip by Doyle to Cancun. Taxpayers did not have to pay for Doyle's travel to that United Nations climate change conference, but did pay for Doyle's policy adviser and two security staff.
Doyle's Commerce Secretary Jack Fischer resigned in 2008 after the Journal Sentinel reported on $21,300 in expenses for himself and his administrative assistant on three overseas trade missions.

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