CONTACT: Sen. Steve Nass, (608) 266-2635
Senator Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) issued the following statement in response to Speaker Robin Vos inappropriately calling Senators Nass, Kapenga and Stroebel “terrorists” for their efforts to work with Governor Scott Walker during the recently concluded state budget process:
“The people of Wisconsin have a sacred comprehension of the evils associated with terrorism since this country was attacked on September 11, 2001. For 16 years, men and women in the various uniforms of the United States Armed Services have sacrificed in battle fighting terrorists. We have seen brave Americans in law enforcement and first responders react with unbelievable courage to the carnage caused by terrorists in our homeland.
Serving the people of Wisconsin in the Legislature is my second greatest honor. My greatest honor, however, was the ability to serve our state and nation in the Wisconsin Air National Guard for 33 years with so many noble citizen-soldiers.
It is beyond outrageous for anyone, especially a person serving as Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, to label as a ‘terrorist’ another person for simple public policy disagreements. Worse yet, when given the opportunity in the interview to retract or recalibrate such a reprehensible statement, Speaker Vos firmly reiterated it.
Speaker Vos didn’t make the ‘terrorist’ statement in a moment of heated debate over the budget. In my view, it’s a shallow political ploy to reignite the budget disagreement to lay the groundwork to thwart conservative legislation from advancing in the Fall Floor Session.
Speaker Vos issuing an apology would certainly be appropriate. More importantly, the people of Wisconsin need the Speaker to cease the inappropriate behaviors that have become all-to-common from him this entire session.”
