Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02) spoke with Jake Tapper on CNN today regarding prior to his visit to the White House with President Biden to discuss the Build Back Better Act. Click the following image to watch Pocan’s video in full. Excerpts of Pocan’s remarks are embedded below. “We’ve said all along, these two bills are going to move together, so I don’t anticipate there’ll be a vote that’s set up for failure, but I know there’s myself and 50 other members who would vote no if we can’t get the entire Biden agenda done. It’s really important

MADISON – Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) and Johnson Financial Group announced on Wednesday the top 16 products moving on in the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest. Nearly 50,000 votes were cast over the last week. The 16 Wisconsin-made products will move on to Manufacturing Madness – a head-to-head tournament-style bracket. “Manufacturing is the state’s largest industry and a driver for Wisconsin’s economic growth,” said Kurt Bauer, WMC President & CEO. “These products showcase how vibrant and diverse this industry truly is, and that is why we do this contest. Not only are we thrilled to highlight these cool

MADISON, Wis. – Frank Friar has received the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s (NASDA) 2021 James A. Graham award for his outstanding service to agricultural producers in Wisconsin. Friar is a financial consulting and farm transition specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s (DATCP) Farm Center. “Frank’s knowledge and expertise have combined to improve the lives and farming operations of countless farm families over the course of his career,” said DATCP Secretary-designee Randy Romanksi. “At a time in his life when most people would have retired to the golf course or fishing boat many years ago, Frank continues

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson is leading the charge to discourage Republicans’ from preventing a debt default and an ensuing economic crisis with “devastating consequences.” Johnson has organized his colleagues against raising the debt ceiling, even though — among other things — “Failure to raise the debt ceiling in time could halt payments that millions of Americans rely on, including paychecks to federal workers, Medicare benefits, military salaries, tax refunds, Social Security checks and payments to federal contractors.” Despite those risks, Johnson reiterated earlier today that “there’s no way” he’ll help to avoid a default.

MADISON, Wis. – This week, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) leadership participated in the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) annual meeting, contributing in policy committee discussions, taking part in business meetings, and joining plenary sessions. The NASDA annual meeting was hosted in Kentucky, September 18 – 22, 2021, and was also offered virtually. “The NASDA annual meeting is a valuable opportunity to hear from federal government officials and connect with other state departments of agriculture,” said DATCP Secretary-designee Randy Romanski. “It is important that Wisconsin’s diverse agriculture industry is represented in these conversations to

MADISON – The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) today released the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates of unemployment and employment statistics for Wisconsin metropolitan areas, major cities and counties in Wisconsin for August 2021. In brief, the non-seasonally adjusted data for Wisconsin shows: Metropolitan Statistical Areas: Preliminary August 2021 unemployment rates declined in all of Wisconsin’s 12 metro areas over the year and declined or stayed the same in 10 of 12 metro areas over the month. Municipalities: Preliminary August 2021 unemployment rates declined in all of Wisconsin’s 34 largest cities over the year and in 27 of the largest

Madison, WI – More than two months after Gov. Tony Evers (D) vetoed AB 191, a bipartisan bill repealing Wisconsin’s antiquated and inefficient personal property tax, a group of democrat lawmakers and Governor Evers publicly shared LRB-4737, their alleged version of personal property tax repeal.  AB 191 Senate lead author Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) released the following statement: “The Governor’s decision to veto bipartisan legislation repealing Wisconsin’s antiquated personal property tax on July 9 was apparently too much to take for the few members of his party who don’t represent safe, left-wing districts around Madison and Milwaukee. Admitting that taxes hurt businesses

UW System, WTCS collaborate for seamless credit transfer MADISON, Wis.—The University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) have signed a historic agreement that makes it easier for students to transfer from among up to 72 credits between the two higher education systems. The agreement, effective Sept. 1, meets a statutory requirement that the two systems identify at least 72 credits of core general education courses for transfer by the 2022-23 academic year. “This student-centered agreement will improve the quality of higher education in Wisconsin and is a win for students and our two systems,” said UW

MADISON, Wis. – This week, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) leadership participated in the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) annual meeting, contributing in policy committee discussions, taking part in business meetings, and joining plenary sessions. The NASDA annual meeting was hosted in Kentucky, September 18 – 22, 2021, and was also offered virtually. “The NASDA annual meeting is a valuable opportunity to hear from federal government officials and connect with other state departments of agriculture,” said DATCP Secretary-designee Randy Romanski. “It is important that Wisconsin’s diverse agriculture industry is represented in these conversations to

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) issued the following statement after Democrats voted last night to suspend our nation’s debt ceiling and push forward with their $3.5 trillion tax and spend legislation: “The Democrats showed Americans what bad governance looks like today. My colleagues and I received the text of the bill the same day we were expected to vote on it. It’s almost as if the Democrats didn’t want to give us a chance to thoroughly review the legislation—but we did, and what I saw was a bill full of damaging proposals that put Americans’  fiscal future at risk.

MILWAUKEE— Sachin Chheda, director of the Fair Elections Project, issued the following statement in response to the Wednesday’s State Supreme Court Decision to take original jurisdiction on a redistricting case: “This is a disappointing decision that ignores both the law and practical considerations. The State Supreme Court has no experience in these complex cases, and no procedure for the necessary fact-finding. Both the current and former Chief Justice have previously said so, and nothing has changed from their original concerns. It unfortunately looks like a politicization of the process, and that gives the people of Wisconsin even less confidence in