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MADISON - Wisconsin Republicans will createan initial $3.4billion gap in the statebudget Thursday when theyvote to reject tax increases and forgo additional federal aid.

They will spend the next several weeks balancing the state's two-year spending plan, which they say they will dowithout raising taxes.

The leaders of the Joint Finance Committee last week announced they would strip hundreds of provisions from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' proposed spending plan. That move will come at a significant cost, according to budget documents.

Much of the financial hit comes from the Republicans' decision not to make more people eligible for the BadgerCare Plus insurance program. Evers' proposalwould net $1.6 billionover two years because the federal government would pay for more of the state's health-care costs if the state gave about 100,000 more people access to BadgerCare Plus.

In addition, Republicans plan to reject Evers' proposals to raise about $1 billionin taxes over two years.

When accounting for those changes and others, Thursday's vote will create a $3.4billion difference between Evers' budget and the starting point for the Republican spending plan, according to figures from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

Because they are taking money out of the budget, Republicans will have to come up with a spending plan that puts less toward schools and other services than what Evers wants.

"The ripple effects of this vote are going to be felton everything we do," saidRep. Evan Goyke, a Democrat who sits on the Joint Finance Committee.

The Republicans have not detailed their plans, but the co-chairmen of the finance committee said they were dropping parts from the budget because Evers loaded it with provisions he knew they opposed.

The governor sent the Legislature an unworkable budget proposal full of pet projects, excessive spending, tax increases and divisive non-fiscal policy. Removing these items from our deliberations on the first day enables us to begin crafting a realistic, responsible state budget that addresses the priorities of the people of Wisconsin,Sen. Howard Marklein of Spring Green and Mark Born of Beaver Dam said in a statement.

Thursday's vote will kick off weeks of meetings on the budget. Legislators plan to pass their final version of the budget by the end of June. Evers can then reshape it using his line-item veto powers.

Evers' budget would raise taxeson capital gains and on the income of manufacturers. It would also boost state revenue by legalizing and taxing recreational marijuana an idea Republican leaders oppose.

Republicans are removing numerous other parts of Evers' budget, including ones that would:

ContactPatrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Followhim on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.

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With budget vote, Republicans will create a $3.4 billion gap that will have to be closed this summer - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel