Contact: Senator Devin LeMahieu, 608-266-2056 Madison – Following Governor Evers’ decision to halt negotiations with the Senate and Assembly over Covid-19 relief and release a new proposal, Senate Majority Leader-elect Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) issued the following statement: “I’m disappointed that Governor Evers has decided to back away from our Covid-19 relief talks. “Senate Republicans have been working in good faith on a compromise.  The bipartisan negotiations between the Senate, Assembly, and administration were beginning to show progress.  Unfortunately, yesterday Governor Evers cherry-picked various proposals from the negotiations and then released them to the media.  This is not a compromise and it is

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, was joined by Sens. Lee (R-Utah), Paul (R-Ky.), Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Braun (R-Ind.), Lankford (R-Okla.), and Inhofe (R-Okla.) in sending a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma Tuesday to request a better understanding of how CMS is ensuring accountability in the Medicaid program after CMS reported its annual improper payment rates to Congress. The annual report estimated that $86.49 billion, or more than 21 percent of Medicaid payments were improper in fiscal year 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Senate has passed Senator Tammy Baldwin’s bipartisan Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Act, which reauthorizes and expands funding for the Great Lakes. The legislation passed the House earlier this year and now heads to the President’s desk.   The bipartisan bill will reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which is set to expire at the end of Fiscal Year 2021, for another five years. The bill increases the current authorization level from $300 million to $375 million in Fiscal Year 2022 and increases funding by $25 million per year until it reaches $475 million in

EAU CLAIRE, Wis.— Today Opportunity Wisconsin released the following statement after U.S. Senator Ron Johnson voted against the bipartisan COVID aid package, which aims to bring much-needed and long-overdue economic relief to folks across the Badger State, and includes direct payments, COVID test funding, rental and nutrition assistance, unemployment benefits, small business loans and grants, and school and childcare funding.   Reba Krueger, Deputy Program Director: “After blocking $1,200 direct payments on Friday, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that today Senator Ron Johnson took his contempt for working Wisconsin families a step further with his vote against emergency COVID

Washington, DC —Last night, Rep. Ron Kind voted to support the year-end package that included a number of priorities he has worked on for Wisconsin families. “I’m glad to see Congress come together in a bipartisan manner to get this year-end package done,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “This legislation included a number of wins for Wisconsin that I pushed for such as increased funding for Upper Mississippi River conservation, expanded access to health care providers and telehealth services, support for our postal system, funding to expand access to high-speed internet, and support for our family farmers. Moving forward, I will continue to work for

MADISON, WI — The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) today cheered news that U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) secured $22 million in support for Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (DBII) in the omnibus spending package approved by Congress late last night.  The allocation represents a funding increase of $2 million over the previous year. “Senator Baldwin first secured support for the creation of the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives program in the 2018 Farm Bill, and she has fought for every dollar, every year since, to maximize its impact,” said John Umhoefer, WCMA Executive Director.  “We are deeply grateful for Sen. Baldwin’s

Dec. 22, 2020 – As leaders of the State Bar of Wisconsin, we denounce vicious personal attacks targeting Wisconsin Supreme Court justices and any judge for the decisions they are asked to make while upholding our Constitution and the rule of law. According to various media reports, justices and judges are being threatened with acts of violence and personally attacked in emails, anonymous voicemails, and blog posts.  Among many disturbing words, justices were referred to as “terrorist,” “traitor,” and “tyrant bitch.” Of even greater concern are the vehement anti-Semitic attacks towards individual members of the Court. Sadly, these unconscionable attacks

MILWAUKEE — In Case You Missed It… Sen. Ron Johnson chose to reject the compromise COVID relief package, after attempting to block stimulus checks, and failed to support even minimal aid for Wisconsinites struggling during the pandemic. In response, Protect Our Care’s Coronavirus War Room Director Zac Petkanas released the following statement:   “After nearly seven months of pure obstruction from Mitch McConnell, Ron Johnson, and their Republican colleagues, we applaud Speaker Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Schumer for squeezing water from a stone and getting some relief to families before the holidays.    “Unfortunately, as a direct result of

Madison, Wis. – Today, the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) issued a bulletin affirming that the COVID-19 vaccine will be provided at no cost for all Wisconsin residents. As described in the bulletin and in accordance with federal guidance, all health insurers will be prohibited from applying cost sharing for the vaccine or for any costs associated with administration of the vaccine, and anyone without health insurance will also be able to get vaccinated without an out-of-pocket costs. “As distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine continues, we want to ensure that every Wisconsinite knows they have access to the

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), today announced a new contract with Vault Medical Services that will add an additional tool to the Wisconsin COVID-19 testing toolbox starting today. At-home COVID-19 saliva collection kits will be available to everyone who lives in Wisconsin, with or without symptoms, at no cost. “We believe that anyone in Wisconsin who needs to be tested for COVID-19 should have access to a test, and I’m proud of our statewide testing efforts throughout this pandemic,” said Gov. Evers. “We also know that getting to a health care provider or

MADISON —​ Gov. Tony Evers today announced that since the state began publishing its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) in 1990 the State’s General Fund is no longer running a deficit for the first time since the Thompson Administration. In Gov. Evers’ first two years in office, the state’s former Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) deficit has declined by over $1.253 billion and assumed a positive balance of $1.5 million for the first time at the end of the 2019-20 fiscal year. “Our diligence of investing in the issues Wisconsinites care about without running up the state’s credit card has paid off

MADISON, WI—Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin (AFP-WI) today issued a statement following Congress’s recent votes on the $2.3 trillion Omnibus and COVID spending package. Wisconsin’s senior Senator Ron Johnson and five House republicans voted against the measure, citing frustrations with the massive, wasteful spending included in the proposal.   AFP-WI State Director Eric Bott released the following:   “While Wisconsin families and small businesses are struggling to make ends meet, Washington yet again voted to give special interests taxpayer-funded giveaways. This package provides no real relief from the pandemic and instead favors the well-connected few at the expense of everyday Wisconsinites. Our