National Invest In Veterans Week® Commends Wisconsin's Historic Budget Investment in Veterans Following 2025 Observance
In the days following National Invest In Veterans Week® 2025, Wisconsin delivered a decisive policy response. Governor Tony Evers’ 2025–2027 budget commits more than $250 million in combined tax relief, housing, mental health services, cultural preservation, and capital upgrades for veterans—demonstrating how states can translate recognition into real, structural investment. Wisconsin’s approach reinforces a central principle of National Invest In Veterans Week®: veteran empowerment is strongest when economic policy, healthcare, housing, and workforce development move together.
Original Source: Gov. Tony Evers Press Release via PublicNow – March 20, 2025
Just days after the close of National Invest In Veterans Week® 2025—a federally trademarked and congressionally recognized observance dedicated to empowering veteran entrepreneurs and strengthening the veteran economy—Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers issued a landmark address on March 20, 2025, outlining the state's sweeping budget initiatives to support its 300,000 veterans and their families.
The timing was not coincidental. As the nation’s leading veteran-focused observance concluded on March 7, Wisconsin stepped forward with a model of actionable investment, turning words into appropriations.
Governor Evers’ 2025–2027 Executive and Capital Budget includes:
$66 million in expanded property tax relief for veterans with disabilities
$23 million in renter-based tax credits for veterans
$21.9 million for operations at state-run veterans homes
$5 million for mental health and suicide prevention services
$2 million for veterans housing, job training, and rehabilitation programs
$1 million to expand outreach and recovery programs
A 5% increase for Tribal and county veteran service offices
$137 million in capital upgrades to Wisconsin’s veterans homes
$6.2 million to prepare for the expansion of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum
This comes amid Governor Evers' public opposition to federal job cuts at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs—cuts which reportedly affected nearly 6,000 veterans. Wisconsin’s assertive response stands in stark contrast, signaling a bold commitment to local veteran well-being amid national uncertainty.
A Policy Echo of National Invest In Veterans Week®
Founded in 2019 by Iraq War veteran Jeff Shuford, NFL veteran Drayton Florence, and LTC Rickey L. Pope (Ret.), National Invest In Veterans Week® has worked to institutionalize veteran empowerment across state and federal levels. The initiative’s mission has been clear: to reframe veterans as builders of the next economy, not simply recipients of support.
The week-long 2025 observance included:
CCS Global Tech’s March 3rd report emphasizing the financial ROI of hiring veterans
Refuel Agency and Prospect Capital’s March 10th partnership supporting Team RWB and Avalon Action Alliance
Assisted Living Locators’ historic franchise initiative recognizing National Invest In Veterans Week® as early as 2020
Hivers & Strivers’ $80M in startup capital for veteran-led businesses
ePackageSupply.com’s $1B-backed expansion reinforcing the economic power of veteran ownership
Wisconsin’s Budget: A Sophisticated Case Study in Post-Observance Activation
Governor Evers’ budget reinforces what National Invest In Veterans Week® has consistently advocated: veteran investment must be multi-dimensional—combining tax policy, housing, healthcare, mental wellness, education, and cultural preservation.
Where other states commemorate, Wisconsin capitalizes—not on sentiment, but on infrastructure. The integration of mental health initiatives, economic development, and museum-level cultural investment demonstrates a recognition of veterans not only as past heroes, but as present and future civic assets.
Governor Evers’ message—delivered in his own words over state radio—echoes National Invest In Veterans Week®’s own foundational call: “We must protect, defend, and support those who’ve protected, defended, and supported us.”
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National Invest In Veterans Week® is celebrated annually March 1–7. It is a registered trademark and recognized in the Congressional Record for its transformative impact on the veteran community.