David Crowley Wants to Repeal Act 10, and Tom Tiffany Tells WI Voters Exactly What It’ll Cost Them

Democrats have been fighting the long game against Wisconsin’s Act 10 since former Gov. Scott Walker signed it into law in 2011. In the following 15 years, the measure — which forced unions to pay for their health insurance and retirement — has saved local communities and taxpayers billions of dollars.

Democrats do not care, however, and they want to repeal that legislation. But the question David Crowley and the Democrats refuse to answer is this: who will pay for it?

Well, Republican Tom Tiffany knows, and the answer is simple: taxpayers. On top of the 400-year tax increases unilaterally passed by Democrat Gov. Tony Evers, David Crowley will have to raise taxes on all Wisconsinites to foot the bill if Democrats undo Act 10. Meanwhile, unions and Democrats will reap financial benefits off the taxpayers’ dime.

Is anyone in the media going to ask @DavidCCrowley how he plans to pay for repealing Act 10?

It would put enormous pressure on local governments and school districts.

And when the bill comes due, David Crowley will make YOU pay for it through higher taxes. https://t.co/Bo4P0aQcpA

— Tom Tiffany (@TomTiffanyWI) September 1, 2026

Here’s more from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, which said the repeal of Act 10 will cost taxpayers an additional $2.1 to $2.3 billion per year.

What Would Repealing Act 10 Cost?

• Restoring collective bargaining for teacher salaries could cost nearly $650 million annually.
• Eliminating employee contributions to retirement could cost about $422 million annually.
• Eliminating employee contributions to healthcare could cost about $560 million annually.
• The bottom line: In total, school districts could be on the hook for $1.6 billion annual if Act-10 is fully repealed. A fiscal impact of this magnitude will create problematic decisions for school districts, a combination of property tax increases, the need for larger class sizes, and cuts to popular programs as well as an inability to offer pay-for-performance rather than simply paying more for time in the field.

The Fears Never Materialized: Prior to the passage of the law, there were claims that the legislation would be devastating to the state’s teaching workforce, and that teachers would leave the profession in droves. However, Wisconsin has more teachers than in 2002—a decade before Act 10 was passed. Our report also examines additional myths that detractors of Act 10 have said would happen, but never did.

And here are some other facts about the astronomical costs:

About Act 10: In 2011, Wisconsin became a leader in public sector union reform with the passage of the Budget Repair Bill—better known nationally as “Act 10.” The law signed by Governor Scott Walker strongly limited the power of public sector unions to extract more and more money from state taxpayers. Today, likely based on the liberal composition of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, a lawsuit was recently filed that seeks to reverse the landmark legislation.

Report’s Key Findings: The impact of overturning Act 10 on Wisconsin would be quite dramatic. In education, the law allowed school districts to move away from a ‘steps and ladders’ pay system to systems where teachers can be rewarded for their impact on academics. Terminating Act 10 would likely restore the old system where quality played no role in teacher pay.

Furthermore, WILL studied the effects of ending Act 10 by comparing salary, health insurance, and retirement plan costs for municipal employees around the state, to understand what types of additional costs would be imposed on taxpayers. WILL found that in total, $480 million in new costs would arise.

The data do not lie. Repealing Act 10 would unleash massive tax increases on Wisconsin families, bust the budgets of local governments and school districts, and only benefit the unions and their Democrat allies.

He’s a county executive. Surely he has an idea of how he’d do it for his own county.

— Matt Henkel (@mhenks05) September 1, 2026

We doubt that. Crowley’s solution to Milwaukee County’s fiscal problems is to raise taxes and still have a budget deficit.

Repealing Act 10 would not be a tax on “the rich.” It would be a tax on every hardworking Wisconsinite across the state. We can’t afford that.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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