CONTACT: AUSA ASSIGNED TO CASE NOVEMBER 15, 2017 PHONE: (608) 264-5158 WWW.JUSTICE.GOV/USAO/WIW TTY: (608) 264-5006 MADISON, WIS. — A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments today. You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted, the sentencing of a defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Two Texas Men Charged

CONTACT: DWD Communications, 608-266-2722 On the Web: http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dwd/news.htm On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WIWorkforce On Twitter: @WIWorkforce MADISON – Governor Scott Walker has proclaimed November 15, 2017 as Construction Training Day to draw special attention to Wisconsin’s construction industry during National Apprenticeship Week. “Wisconsin’s construction industry has provided good-paying jobs for generations of working men and women, including over 114,000 workers last year alone; Foxconn’s $10 billion investment in our state will create 10,000 more construction jobs that need to be filled,” Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Ray Allen said. “Through major investments in programs like Youth and Registered Apprenticeship, and in

Contact: Rep. Bowen 6082667671 Letter from Rep. Bowen: Dear Governor Walker, I am writing today as the Ranking Democratic member of the Assembly Committee on Corrections to formally request that you appoint me to serve on the Wisconsin prison planning task force that was created by the 2017-18 state budget. Speaker Robin Vos has not only actively chosen not to use one of his three appointments to place a Democratic member on the task force, but he neglected to appoint an Assembly member who is Black. As you may know, Wisconsin incarcerates its Black, male citizens at a rate of

CONTACT: State Senator Janis Ringhand, (608) 266-2253; Sen.Ringhand@legis.wi.gov Reuters news service is reporting that Taiwan’s Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer and a major Apple supplier, posted a 39 percent drop in third-quarter earnings. Foxconn attributed the drop in earnings to delays with the introduction of Apple’s iPhone X. Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, said third-quarter earnings came in at T$21.03 billion ($698 million), compared with T$34.64 billion ($1.12 Billion) a year earlier, while revenue for the quarter was flat. As a result of this report, Reuters noted that Foxconn stock slid down 3% on

CONTACT AshLee Strong, Doug Andres 202-225-0600 WASHINGTON—Today, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) spoke on the House floor in support of Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, legislation the speaker introduced earlier this month. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery: “My colleagues: today I rise in strong support of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act. “First, I want to thank the sponsors of this bill: Mr. Farenthold, Mr. Kilmer, and Chairman Gowdy. Blake Farenthold and Derek Kilmer were key drivers of this measure and made it stronger by incorporating the OPEN Government Data Act. And Trey Gowdy and his staff—especially

Contact: Melanie Conklin, 608-260-2409   Madison – Last weekend, according to an agenda obtained by MapLight, Brad Schimel appears to have attended an opulent retreat and fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago that the Republican Attorney’s General Association (RAGA) did its best to hide. The weekend’s activities included: a dinner with $125,000-per-year donors to the RAGA, golf tournaments, catamaran tours and numerous fundraisers. Most alarmingly, on the agenda, was a panel dubiously titled “Rule of Law Restoration Update: 370 Days since the election of President Trump.” Secrecy for the event was a top priority, as it was not made public and the agenda

Contact: Brad Bainum, bradb@wisdems.org MADISON — Against all odds, Congressional Republicans keep finding ways to make the right-wing state Senator Leah Vukmir and out-of-state billionaire puppet Kevin Nicholson-endorsed GOP tax plan even worse. And now even Ron Johnson can’t support the plan. Last night, U.S. Senate Republicans released an updated version of their tax bill that only adds to their earlier version’s serious problems, including by weaponizing the bill as a vehicle to take away 13 million Americans’ healthcare access. Here are some low-lights of the Senate GOP tax bill after the latest round of changes: 13,000,000 More Uninsured, With

Contact: press@baldwin.senate.gov (202) 224 – 6225 WASHINGTON, D.C. – As negotiations over a new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) resume today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin has led 17 of her Senate colleagues in a letter to United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer calling for the Trump Administration to reverse the race to the bottom that has led to job losses and wage stagnation in the United States. The Senators wrote, “In advance of the fifth round of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations in Mexico City, it is clear that the Parties are at an inflection point. Entrenched

Contact: Ben Voelkel WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) issued the following statement regarding the tax reform proposals currently being discussed in Congress:   “We have an opportunity to enact paradigm-shifting tax reform that makes American businesses globally competitive, helps our economy reach its full potential, and creates greater opportunity and bigger paychecks for every American. In doing so, it is important to maintain the domestic competitive position and balance between large publicly traded C corporations and “pass-through entities” (subchapter S corporations, partnerships and sole proprietorships). These businesses truly are the engines of innovation and job creation throughout our economy,

Press Contacts: Kasey Hampton (Baldwin), 202-224-6225 Ashley Berrang (Capito), (202) 224-6147 Tom Brandt (Moran), (202) 224-6521 Jonathan Kott (Manchin), 202-228-1810 Maria McElwain (Blumenthal), (202) 224-6452 Marnee Banks (Tester), (202) 224-2644 WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced bipartisan VA reform legislation, the Andrew White Veterans Community Care Opioid Safety Act, to strengthen opioid therapy safety and pain care through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) community care programs, including through the VA Choice program. To improve opioid safety and care for

CONTACT: Sharon Gayan, Water Quality Bureau Director, 608-267-7499 MADISON, Wis. – The majority of Wisconsin’s lakes and rivers recently assessed by the Department of Natural Resources received a good bill of health, continuing a trend of improved surface water quality across the state. At the same time the DNR is working to identify new waterways to target for pollution reduction plans. The department’s recent assessment also included 240 new waters that meet the criteria for being classified as impaired, and is seeking public comment on the new listings. “Long-term trend and satellite monitoring show that we are making progress with

CONTACT AshLee Strong, Doug Andres 202-225-0600 WASHINGTON—Tomorrow, ahead of the historic House vote on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) will join Fox & Friends for a live interview. Details: Speaker Ryan on Fox & Friends Thursday, November 16, at approx. 8:35 a.m. ET Learn more here.