Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair Brian Schimming says he still has the backing of the party’s executive committee amid some grassroots Republicans criticizing his leadership as the party’s state convention comes to an end.
“Yeah, I do,” Schimming said on WISN 12’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “And I’ll tell you this, you know the Supreme Court race obviously was tough for a lot of folks, but I just point to people, we’ve had so many successes over the last couple of years. You get some tough losses. Nobody bats .500, but it feels good as I move around the state, and people are already focused on next year’s elections.
“I was reelected unanimously in December with the president’s support,” Schimming added. “So really, what it is for me is about pointing forward and making sure we’re on the right track. And so we’ll have discussions with the exec board, but I will tell you this, I travel the state a lot and what I hear from the grassroots face-to-face is very strong.”
Schimming has announced a postmortem on the April election after Susan Crawford, the liberal Supreme Court candidate, beat conservative Brad Schimel by 10 points.
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“It goes on for about another four to six weeks,” Schimming said. “As I said the day after the Supreme Court election, I wanted a full review, everything from messaging, spending, fundraising, all the things that go into a campaign. And as I said, no holds barred. I didn’t put any limits on it.
“If there are things we’re doing or doing well, I want to do it better,” Schimming said. “If there are things we ought to be doing or not ought to be doing, I want to know that.”
Also on the program, Dem U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, says there’s no scenario she will back any portion of the House GOP megabill meant to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“No,” the Milwaukee Dem told “UpFront.” “I mean, they could end these Medicaid cuts. They can reduce the goals of this, they can reduce the $1.5 trillion so far that we’ve seen in cuts to Medicaid, to clean energy initiatives, to SNAP. I mean, there’s a $300 billion cut in SNAP that will affect 18,000 veterans in our state, just veterans. So I’m not compromising on anything like that. You’re not going to get my vote.”
Moore criticized Trump’s proposals including no tax on tips, a measure Democratic Gov. Tony Evers included in his state budget but was stripped by Republicans.
“The no tax on tips is another gimmick to get them through the next cycle,” Moore said of the federal proposal. “I would much rather see us raising the minimum wage than no tax on tips as it is currently structured. It’s temporary. It’s a gimmick to fool people into thinking they’re getting something in this bill so they can justify giving this big bonanza to billionaires.”
In another segment, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman says he isn’t ready to draw a red line on when tuition hikes and campus closures would trigger as he continues to push GOP lawmakers to fully fund the system’s $855 million budget request.
“I’ve said if we get the $855 million that we will not increase tuition for the two years, the biennium, that we would not close any additional branch campuses that are not already slated to be closed,” Rothman told “UpFront.” “I remain optimistic, and that’s the way I’m looking at it, about where we’re going to end up at the end of the day.
“There was a recent piece, I’ve talked a lot about 43rd out of 50,” Rothman added. “We are No. 44 out of 50. We dropped another notch in the last survey that came out in terms of public support for our university system. It’s time to turn that around.”
The UW System unveiled a list of nearly 800 business leaders from across the state urging additional state funding which include representatives from the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Northwestern Mutual, Oshkosh Corp. and more than 20 business groups like the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.
“I am constantly reassured that the people of Wisconsin understand the importance of our universities to the long-term social and economic viability of the state, and I remain optimistic that we will get funded at a level that is appropriate for us,” Rothman said.
Rothman described “two primary concerns” as the Trump administration targets universities across the country, including two investigations targeting UW-Madison.
“One relates to research dollars and the potential that those research dollars could be slashed,” Rothman said. “Madison, as one example, is No. 6 in the country in terms of research expenditures. Number six, that is outsized for our state. That is such an enormous benefit to the state of Wisconsin, and that ranking and those dollars are at risk. That’s one piece of it. The second piece, which is equally or perhaps more concerning, is that a lot of the changes that are at least being proposed right now will narrow the funnel of resources that are going to students of lower socioeconomic means relative to student financial aid.”
In a final segment, a pair of Canadian mayors in Milwaukee for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative say strong relationships with their American counterparts are more critical now than ever.
“I’ve never been to Milwaukee, but to be here and to recognize just how much of the economy is focused on the waterfront and not just the traditional shipping that we think of, but the tourism activity that exists and the livability of communities, we’re all sharing the exact same issues,” Matthew Siscoe said, mayor of St. Catharines, Ontario, told “UpFront.”
“The region counts for about 50% of our bilateral commerce,” added Catherine Vallieres-Roland, the deputy mayor of Quebec City. “It’s a lot, and I would say that our partnership at the municipal level has never been as strong than before. So we count on those relationships that we build through the cities initiative that has been proven, very effective. And so we continue working together.”
Siscoe said the potential impact of tariffs could be “massive and damaging” not only for Canada but also for the U.S. as well.
“I think what has happened in the last couple of months creates some anxiety in our population,” Vallieres-Roland said. “But I would say that our relationship is very strong and it is based on history, and so when we talk to our American friends, we don’t feel any change.”
Both mayors quickly rejected Trump’s proposal to make Canada America’s 51st state.
“No,” Siscoe said. “I love this country. I live right on the other side of the border from Buffalo. I travel on a regular basis, me and my kids come here. I genuinely love the United States of America, and I have zero interest in Canada becoming part of it.
“As our prime minister said, our country is not for sale,” Vallieres-Roland added. “Citizens have been very clear in electing Mr. Carney as prime minister. So I’m confident that in the next couple of months and years, we will continue building that relationship and convince President Trump that it is in both our countries’ interests.”
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