Welcome to our weekly DC Wrap, where we write about Wisconsin’s congressional delegation. Sign up here to receive the newsletter directly: https://forms.gle/YLYZtJWHPSt24HhZ7

Quotes of the week

The increasing prevalence of anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses, stroked by both students and professors, is unacceptable. The Jewish community should never feel threatened in America, especially on college campuses. Universities must combat antisemitism, not promote it.
– U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman in a tweet. The Glenbeulah Republican at a hearing this week questioned whether campus diversity, equity and inclusion employees, whom he referred to as “left-wingers,” are contributing to anti-Israel sentiment.

House Republicans have mired the House in nearly a year of historic unproductivity, threatening to send us off of a cliff multiple times. Will the GOP-majority commit to governing?
– U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, in a tweet blasting Republicans for ongoing disputes in the House GOP caucus over federal funding. The House this week passed a measure to extend government funding.

This week’s news

— U.S. Reps. Mike Gallagher and Tom Tiffany broke ranks with the rest of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation as the two voted against a bill to extend government funding.

In the Senate, U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, late last night joined an 87-11 vote in favor of the temporary funding measure, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk. 

The resolution, which passed the GOP-run House 336-95 with bipartisan support, comes as government funding is set to expire on Friday. Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., passed the measure with Dem votes after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted for making the same move to avert a shutdown.

The measure would divide government funding into two portions, with funding deadlines of Jan. 19 and Feb. 2.

Baldwin said the move gives Congress more time to work on a better long-term farm bill.

“Playing politics and shutting down the government would have had devastating impacts for Wisconsin, cutting off critical support for our troops and law enforcement, pausing funding for nutrition programs that children and families rely on, and hurting our small businesses just before Thanksgiving,” she added. 

Gallagher, R-Allouez, bemoaned Congress for wasting 45 days since the last short-term funding bill instead of fixing what he called a broken appropriations process. He also said there is an irony in passing a measure to run through Groundhog Day.

“Just like the movie, at the current rate, Congress is on track to wake up on February 2 and find itself in a similar predicament to the one it’s in today: no closer to a fully funded government and no closer to fixing our broken appropriations process,” Gallagher said. 

He said unless steps are taken to avoid future shutdowns, “we’ll only continue to repeat the same fiscal failures.” 

U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, one of four Wisconsin Republicans to support the measure, said he voted to keep the government open while supporting farmers, veterans and troops. 

“We must cut wasteful spending in Washington,” the Prairie du Chien Republican and former Navy SEAL added. “Passing this funding extension bill will give Congress the time to do so while maintaining the operation of our government.”

Van Orden also introduced a measure to block members of Congress from getting government paychecks during a shutdown, a common move among congressional members during shutdown talks. 

Tiffany, R-Minocqua, said he “did not come to Congress to continue the failed status quo of excessive spending.” 

“Credit rating agencies are warning that America is in a very unstable financial state – it’s time for Washington to wake up and start making the same kind of tough choices Wisconsin families and small businesses have to make every single day,” Tiffany said. 

Although she voted for it, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, called the measure a “gimmicky resolution” and said it’s clear Republicans are not actually interested in governing.

“Now, they are wasting the last few weeks pushing extreme, unworkable appropriations bills when they could have been working with Democrats and the White House to finalize fiscal year 2024 funding,” she said. 

Appropriations Committee member U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, told WisPolitics after voting for the resolution, “It’s a failure of the dysfunctional GOP congress to go from CR to CR.” 

Moore and Pocan also ripped Republicans for breaking the deal former House Speaker Kevin McCarth, R-Calif., made with the White House to continue funding near current levels in exchange for future spending cuts.

“In May, then-Speaker McCarthy made a deal with President Biden to stick to a process which the House Republicans have since broken with these extreme, partisan funding bills that can’t even pass the House,” Pocan said. “House Republicans are on an island by themselves, while House Democrats and the entire Senate are working together to keep our government funded and operational.”

See Gallagher’s statement.

See Moore’s statement.

See Tiffany’s statement.

See Van Orden’s statement.

See the roll call.

— Wisconsin’s Republican House members joined the majority of their party to block an impeachment effort against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. 

All six GOP members joined the 209-201 vote in favor of sending the impeachment resolution to the House Homeland Security Committee, chaired by Trump-aligned Tennessee Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Green. The move at least temporarily stalls U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s effort to oust the former member of the Obama administration, though the Georgia Republican also has strong Trump ties.

See the roll call.

— The House Financial Services Committee this week approved U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil’s bill aiming to make it harder for Hamas and allies like Iran to access outside funding.

The legislation includes a measure that would require the G7 coalition of countries to work with the U.S. Treasury Secretary to ensure Hamas can’t fund attacks on Israel. The proposal comes after the Iran-backed group killed more than 1,200 Israelis in attacks last month.

Some lawmakers have raised concerns about providing aid to Gaza amid a rising civilian death toll as Israel retaliates following the attacks, arguing there are no guarantees the money won’t end up in Hamas’ hands.

Steil, R-Janesville, argued Iran plays a key role in funding Hamas as well as “other terrorist groups that seek to destroy Israel, kill Jews, and attack American personnel throughout the region.” 

This underscores the urgent need to use every financial tool in our box to deny the largest state sponsor of terrorism revenue,” Steil said. “This bill will weaken Iran’s ability to continue to fund violent extremists like Hamas and Hezbollah and ensure atrocities like what we witnessed on October 7 never happen again.”

See the release.

— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin this week touted the more than $5.6 billion sent to Wisconsin through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as she noted the measure’s second anniversary. 

The Madison Dem called the law “an investment in Wisconsin and our nation’s future.”

“Whether it be replacing lead pipes to keep kids healthy, repaving roads and replacing crumbling bridges to keep our economy moving forward, or connecting more Wisconsinites to high-speed internet, it is clear that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering for Wisconsin families and businesses,” Baldwin said. 

See the release.

— U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden this week praised the House passage of his “Warrior Call” resolution in support of veterans’ mental health. 

The veteran said his resolution encourages Americans, particularly veterans and servicemembers, to call a veteran to connect them with support. Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, in a floor speech noted the loss of his friend and fellow Navy SEAL Ryan Larkin, who committed suicide in 2017. 

Van Orden said Larkin’s death “speaks to the silent battles faced by many servicemembers and veterans.” He said the resolution “pays tribute to those we have lost by trying to prevent those who have come through the crucible of service from taking their own lives.”

See the floor speech.

— U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson is calling on the IRS to address data security weaknesses as oversight reports have shown flaws and an IRS consultant was indicted for disclosing private tax info.

The Oshkosh senator and his Republican Senate Finance Committee colleagues in a letter to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel noted contractor Charles Littlejohn pleaded guilty to the unauthorized disclosure of protected, confidential taxpayer information. Senators argued IRS security systems and protocols failed to stop Littlejohn from committing the crimes. 

“Preventing illegal access and disclosure of protected taxpayer data is an essential IRS responsibility, one of its highest priorities and one that is statutorily enshrined in the taxpayer’s bill of rights,” the letter reads. “Unfortunately, it is also one that has been disregarded for far too long.”

The group asked Werfel to lay out:
*steps the IRS has taken since the start of the year to address security flaws;
*a timeline of each step was taken;
*where in the process each recommendation from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and Government Accountability Office on system security is;
*the next steps in the timeline; and
*every specific action the IRS has taken or will take to make those impacted by the weaknesses whole. 

See the release and letter. 

Posts of the week

ICYMI

WJFW 12: Senator Baldwin criticizes Tuberville’s military promotion blockade

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson doesn’t support sending U.S. Special Forces into Mexico to confront drug cartels

NBC15: Lawmakers raise concern over cartel reaching Walworth County

Fox News: Top Republican sounds alarm on US territory being ‘highly vulnerable’ to Chinese missiles

News 8 Now: Congressman Derrick Van Orden holds listening session for veterans

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