WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) delivered remarks on Wednesday during the Government Operations & Border Management Subcommittee hearing on the non-governmental organization perspective on the Southwest border crisis. Excerpts from Senator Johnson’s remarks can be found below and a video can be found here. “ I think it’s important to recognize, I know people disagreed with the Return to Mexico policy — some of the agreements we had with Mexico and Central America, but you have to admit it did solve the problem in terms of reducing the flow of children and family units coming in and exploiting our broken

Today, Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Congressmen Christopher Smith (NJ-04), Donald Payne Jr. (NJ-10), and Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-4) led 244 of their colleagues in a bipartisan letter to the House Appropriations Committee calling for an increase in TRIO program funding. In response, she released the following statement: “As a TRIO alum, I know firsthand how important the program is to millions of students across the country. I was once a struggling, single mother and TRIO gave me the opportunity to follow my dreams and complete my Bachelor’s degree at Marquette University. I would not be where I am today without TRIO.”

(MADISON, Wis.) – Recently updated data on the Wisconsin Department of Corrections website shows nearly 8,900 people returned to their communities from incarceration in 2020, on par with the agency’s 10-year average for releases. That number highlights the work DOC does and must continue doing to prepare people in its care for successful reentry into society. “In our agency, reentry efforts start the day someone walks through our doors and are integrated into our everyday interactions,” said DOC Secretary Kevin Carr. “It’s integrated into the way we communicate with the persons in our care, the trainings we complete to help us become better

[Madison, WI] – Rep. Ron Kind is once again facing allegations of serious ethical lapses, this time involving possible sexual exploitation of Asian workers. Fox News reported on Wednesday that Kind has made thousands of dollars by renting property to a massage parlor that has advertised using suggestive photos of women on websites known to feature businesses that provide illicit sex, including one website that USA Today dubbed a “Yelp for sex spas.” Ron Kind refused to answer Fox News’ questions on these allegations. This report raises serious concerns, and Wisconsinites in the third congressional district deserve answers from Kind about whether he financially

(MADISON) — With the effective distribution of vaccines and the aid in the American Rescue Plan, small businesses in Wisconsin are able to keep their doors open, and Wisconsinites’ lives are beginning to return to normal — no thanks to every single congressional Republican, all of whom voted against the American Rescue Plan. “Wisconsin’s small businesses are the foundation of our state’s economy, and because of  President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, they’ll have the assistance and resources they need to keep their doors open,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler. “Thanks to Democratic leadership in the White House, Congress, and from

Traditionally, First Ladies have invited guests to join her in her viewing box for presidential speeches to Congress and other events of national importance. This year, because of safety measures related to COVID-19, the First Lady’s guests for the President’s Address to the Joint Session of Congress will be watching the speech remotely. At 4:00 PM EST on Wednesday, April 28, Dr. Biden will host a virtual reception with this year’s guests, each of whom personify some of the issues or policies that will be addressed by the President in his speech. This event will be livestreamed HERE or at www.whitehouse.gov/live. Biographies of the First Lady’s

US 14/Commercial Street in Mazomanie, between Walter Road and Brodhead Street, will be closed to all traffic from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday (May 3). Motorists must use alternate local routes, such as Hudson Street. Through traffic is advised to follow WIS 78 to Sauk City, US 12 then WIS 60 to Spring Green. The closure will allow crews to safely expedite the installation of storm sewer pipes under the highway. The US 14 reconstruction project is scheduled for completion in late September 2021. Information on this project can be found at projects.511wi.gov/us14/. Follow Southwest Region construction projects on Twitter

MADISON, Wis. — Dr. Russell Jeung, a professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University and cofounder of the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center, will provide the Day 1 keynote address at the 2021 UW–Madison Diversity Forum, Interim Deputy Vice Chancellor for Diversity & Inclusion Dr. Cheryl B. Gittens announced on Monday. A highly respected sociologist, Dr. Jeung has studied social movements, community organizing, race and religion and the Asian Pacific Islander experience for decades. In the last year, he has also emerged as a powerful advocate and voice in the media for revealing and countering racism, xenophobia and hate

MADISON – For the 2021-22 academic year, University Housing and UW Conference Centers are partnering to use space in the Lowell Center for undergraduate housing at UW-Madison. The move is a temporary initiative to accommodate increased demand for on-campus housing in the upcoming school year. University Housing anticipates an increase in total residents in 2021-22 as a result of continued enrollment growth and the number of students desiring to live on campus. At the same time, a number of resident rooms remain offline due to the renovation project at Sellery Hall. The temporary use of Lowell allows Housing to accommodate

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) and the Public Service Commission (PSC), today announced more than $21 million to cover utility bill arrearages for more than 36,000 qualifying utility customers across Wisconsin through the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP). “This year has been tough for folks and families, and we know there are so many who’ve struggled to make ends meet,” said Gov. Evers. “That’s why we’re working every day to ensure families, our state, and our economy can bounce back from this pandemic, and part of that is making sure households across the state can keep their lights on and

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, WI – This morning, news broke regarding money Ron Kind made from renting a building in La Crosse to Asian Sunny Massage, a massage parlor that had a history of posting on websites advertising illicit sex. The social media pages for Asian Sunny Massage, according to the report, also had a history of highlighting that the masseuses were “young” and sharing suggestive images of them. Derrick Van Orden released the following statement in response to the report: “Today’s report is incredibly disturbing and opens the door to many more questions that need to be answered. I fully support law