WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) today introduced the Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act, a bill that would clearly define the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) responsibility for icebreaking on the Great Lakes. Currently, the USCG conducts Great Lakes icebreaking based on a 95-year-old Executive Order that fails to clearly define the USCG’s mission. This bill would update that mission to help ensure it meets the modern demands of commerce in the Great Lakes region. Rep. Gallagher introduced the bill alongside a bipartisan group of Great Lakes members, including Reps. Kaptur (D-OH), Gibbs (R-OH), Dingell (D-MI), Joyce (R-OH), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Bergman

Contact: Jordan Dunn WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) today released the following statement after voting against H.R. 1, a proposal that would dramatically change the way the U.S. conducts federal elections by removing common-sense election integrity measures and providing tax-payer funding for elections. “Instead of revitalizing democracy, H.R. 1 takes a number of egregious steps that expand federal power over elections and make the swamp even swampier,” said Rep. Gallagher. “Legalizing ballot harvesting and using taxpayer dollars to fund political campaigns won’t restore integrity in our system. Instead, it will blatantly violate states’ constitutional authority to run their own elections and

Contact: Samara Sheff “I am a proud supporter of H.R. 1, For the People Act. For too long, big money has dominated our politics, which is why we need the H.R. 1 to infuse greater transparency in campaign financing and restore political power back to the American people. This legislation will provide a much-needed overhaul of our campaign finance laws, strengthening ethics requirements, and preserving the most sacred part of America’s democracy: the voices of its people at the ballot box. I am pleased the bill includes provisions I authored calling for a study on voting access for the disabled and to support the

Contact: Kelli Liegel Wednesday, March 3, 2021 202-225-5101 WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) made the following statement after the Democrats passed H.R. 1, partisan legislation that would fund political campaigns with taxpayer dollars, legalize ballot harvesting, and weaken voter ID safeguards: “America’s tradition of free and fair elections is one of the hallmarks of this country’s democracy. This tradition has long depended on states’ ability to conduct effective oversight of elections, including the processes in which people register to vote and how those votes are recorded. H.R. 1 steamrolls this authority that the integrity of our elections depend

Contact: Sarah Abel, 202-225-5506, Sarah.Abel@mail.house.gov Washington, DC —Today, Rep. Ron Kind voted to pass H.R. 1, the For the People Act. This historic reform package will take big money out of politics, end the culture of corruption in Washington, and support voting rights for American citizens. The package also includes provisions to end partisan gerrymandering and bolster voting system security. “The For the People Act puts the power back where it belongs—in the hands of Wisconsin voters,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “This sweeping reform package will hold our elected officials to a higher ethical standard, take big money out of politics, and make it easier for our

Contact: Sally Fox, Sally.Fox@mail.house.gov WASHINGTON, D.C.—Committee on House Administration member and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Elections Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) released a statement after voting against Speaker Pelosi’s election reform bill, H.R. 1. “H.R. 1 guts voter ID laws, legalizes ballot harvesting, and publicly funds politicians’ reelection campaigns. Not once have I had someone tell me that the problem with our system is that there is not enough money in elections. H.R. 1 weakens election integrity and I will continue working to move our country in the opposite direction of this bill to restore confidence and strengthen our

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Ron Kind voted against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Below is Rep. Kind’s statement:   “I’m disappointed that after eight months, my work to increase resources for de-escalation, implicit bias, and diversity training was ignored.  Today, for every 15 hours that an officer spends on the shooting range they spend one hour in these other training programs. There needs to be a better balance.    “We also need to ensure that good officers are not subjected to frivolous lawsuits, which may force them to leave their profession and make the recruitment of good people into law enforcement more

CONTACT: Annika Doner, annika@committeetoprotect.org, (313) 670-4737 Milwaukee, WI — Today, Senator Ron Johnson used his platform in Congress to display a poster illustrating how many miles high a stack of 1 trillion dollars would stack. The display was a political stunt to express his opposition to the American Rescue Plan, which he intends to force to be read in session tomorrow in order to delay its passage. In response, Dr. Madelaine Tully, a family physician in Milwaukee, released the following statement: “Senator Johnson’s stunt isn’t just silly and unbefitting of a statewide elected official, it’s offensive to all the patients

Contact: Ben Voelkel WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) announced Wednesday that he plans to force a reading of the full $1.9 trillion bill once it is formally proposed by Democrats. In a speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Johnson outlined his concerns about the runaway costs of the bill and put its price tag into some context. Below is an excerpt from his speech and a video of the full speech can be found here. Graphics used by Sen. Johnson to illustrate the cost of the bill can be found here and here. “These are astonishing sums that we’re talking about and the

Contact: Jordan Dunn WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) today introduced the Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act, a bill that would clearly define the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) responsibility for icebreaking on the Great Lakes. Currently, the USCG conducts Great Lakes icebreaking based on a 95-year-old Executive Order that fails to clearly define the USCG’s mission. This bill would update that mission to help ensure it meets the modern demands of commerce in the Great Lakes region. Rep. Gallagher introduced the bill alongside a bipartisan group of Great Lakes members, including Reps. Kaptur (D-OH), Gibbs (R-OH), Dingell (D-MI), Joyce (R-OH), Gwen Moore

Contact: Kimberly Noetzel (320) 267-2490 Kimberly.noetzel@charter.com @CharterNewsroom Charter Expansion to Reach Currently Unserved Homes and Small Businesses, Many in Lower-Density, Rural Communities MADISON, Wis. (Mar. 3, 2021) – Charter Communications, Inc. today announced plans to deliver gigabit high-speed broadband to approximately 143,000 unserved Wisconsin homes and small businesses, as estimated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). As part of this effort, more than $668 million will be invested in Wisconsin, which includes an expected private investment of at least $500 million by Charter and more than $168 million in support won by Charter in the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity (RDOF) auction. The effort is part

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced the City of Lake Mills is an applicant for funding through the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program (SDWLP) to address deficiencies in its public drinking water system. The projects primarily include the replacement of lead service lines throughout the City of Lake Mills. Activities related to this project are minor actions under Chapter NR 150, Wis. Admin. Code, for which no environmental analysis is required; however, following the SDWLP federal requirement 40 C.F.R. §35.3580, an environmental review must be conducted before funding this project. The SDWLP has determined that

In response to reports today that Senator Ron Johnson is urging fellow Republicans to delay Covid relief as long as possible, including personally stalling progress through a stunt of Parliamentary procedure, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler issued the following statement: “Wisconsinites can’t afford to wait for help while Ron Johnson continues pandering to the most extreme elements of the Republican party. Every day Johnson and his fellow extremists waste is a day that Wisconsin families are waiting for their $1400 survival checks, a day that our state is losing out on vaccine distribution resources, and a day that schools and small businesses are