Wisconsin Dems press Gov. Walker on drug testing for welfare benefits

Wisconsin Democratic Reps. Mark Pocan and Gwen Moore slammed Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal that welfare beneficiaries undergo drug testing.

“It is time Governor Scott Walker stop blaming the poor for being poor,” Pocan said in a statement. “Before coming up with new, costly, and ineffective policies, Governor Walker needs to first explain to Wisconsin taxpayers how he intends to address next year’s projected $1.9 billion deficit.”

{mosads}In a letter to Walker, Pocan and Moore requested details on how the Wisconsin state government would fund mandatory drug testing as well as a legal explanation.

“Since these are federal dollars you’ve been entrusted to distribute on behalf of Wisconsin taxpayers, we ask that you provide us with a detailed summary explaining how you intend to finance this proposal, and be sure to include the cost of legal action implementation will require. To that end, we also ask that you provide us with a thorough legal explanation of how you would defend the law given recent legal precedent and publicly voiced Fourth Amendment concerns,” they wrote.

Moore argued the mandatory drug testing would be an “insult” to low-income individuals in need of unemployment insurance and nutrition assistance.

“Drug testing as a condition of eligibility for critical, life-saving social services is a gross insult to Wisconsin’s struggling families,” Moore said.