Gov. Tony Evers is looking to renegotiate portions of Wisconsin’s contract with Foxconn Technology Group, saying the company has scaled back its plans and is unlikely to hire 13,000 people in the near future.
“Clearly the deal that was struck is no longer in play and we will be working with individuals at Foxconn and of course with WEDC to figure out how a new set of parameters should be negotiated,” Evers said at a Capitol meeting with reporters. The governor’s office provided BizTimes a transcript of the remarks.
Evers did not say how many jobs he expects Foxconn to create, but he did say 13,000 is “an unreal expectation” and discussed the project in terms of 1,300 to 2,000 jobs.
Foxconn did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the governor’s remarks.
Evers said it was too early to say what elements of the contract could be renegotiated.
“That’s premature to say that but all we know is that the present contract deals with a situation that no longer exists so it’s our goal to make sure that taxpayers are protected and environmental standards are protected and we believe that we need to take a look at that contract and see if it needs to be downsized as a result,” Evers said.