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Quotes of the week

A reminder that it’s ALREADY illegal for non-citizens to vote. The SAVE America Act would instead make it harder for eligible Americans to register and vote, especially women whose current legal name does not match their birth certificate.

– U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, on Monday

“That’s already illegal” isn’t an argument that it can’t happen. New Jersey’s Democrat governor admitted today that roughly 6,600 foreigners registered to vote and about 400 cast ballots.

– U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, on Tuesday

This week’s news

— U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil’s Stop Insider Trading Act has passed the House over the objections of Democrats who argued the bill fails to stop congressional stock trading.

The bill passed 232-198 this week, with 13 Democrats in support. Speaking on the floor ahead of the vote, the Janesville Republican touted the bill as the first curbing congressional stock trades to make it to the floor. 

“Today, every American will know where their member stands,” Steil said. “If you want to day trade, there’s a place for that. It’s called Wall Street. If you want to come to Washington, you should be working on behalf of the American people.”

The bill would bar members of Congress and immediate family members from buying new individual stocks and require members to provide notice of their intent to sell stock at least a week in advance. 

But it would not require members to divest of their existing stock holdings or limit them from trading other securities. It also would exempt family members who trade for a living from the trading ban. Experts WisPolitics spoke to in January called the latter provision a glaring loophole.  

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, called the bill “Velveeta to real Wisconsin cheese.”

“It still allows members to hold stock. It still allows members to buy stock with dividends. It still allows family members to buy stocks for others for any reason,” Pocan said. “It’s basically the opposite of a real stock trading ban from members of Congress.”

Democrats also expressed disdain for the attachment of a provision that would add new photo ID requirements in order to vote, a measure lifted from the SAVE America Act. New York Rep. Joe Morelle called the amendment a “poison pill.”

Morelle is the ranking Democrat on the House Administration Committee, which Steil chairs. 

The bill lacks a clear path forward in the Senate, where Democrats have opposed adding new voting restrictions and where broader stock trading legislation that would apply to the president and vice president has been introduced. 

— Wisconsin’s House members also split along party lines in votes on a trillion-dollar defense bill and a $95 billion reconciliation package.

The House passed a $1.15 trillion National Defense Authorization Act in a 216-212 vote, mostly along party lines. 

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, issued a joint statement criticizing the package along with U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, his cochair on the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus. 

“While millions of Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities, Congress is choosing to authorize over $1 trillion for the Pentagon, once again funneling billions of taxpayer dollars to defense contractors instead of investing in the needs of working people,” Pocan and Omar wrote. 

The typically bipartisan legislation included conservative measures like renaming the Defense Department to the Department of War, blocking healthcare coverage for gender-affirming care and loosening restrictions on troops carrying their personal firearms on military bases.

House Republicans also advanced a blueprint for a third reconciliation package, or “Reconciliation 3.0.”

That includes $73 billion for defense and intelligence funding, $12 billion in agricultural aid and $10 billion in funds to incentivize states to adopt additional voting restrictions touted by the president. It passed 216-214, with all Democrats opposed.

“House Republicans are moving Reconciliation 3.0 forward to strengthen our military, support the hardworking farmers who keep our country fed, and advance election integrity safeguards to ensure only U.S. citizens vote in our elections,” said U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, in a statement. 

— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin called for the release of a U.S. Army investigation into an Iranian attack that killed six service members in March.

Baldwin, along with the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over a $87.6 billion supplemental funding request from the Trump administration that includes $67.1 billion for the Department of Defense.

“This is a war of choice, and every dollar spent on this war is $1 not spent helping families afford housing, healthcare, groceries, child care at home, investing in the opportunities for the American people,” Baldwin said at the hearing Tuesday on military action in Iran.

Baldwin questioned Hegseth over reports in a July 12 Washington Post article that quoted U.S. soldiers in Iran saying requests for additional medical and defense systems were denied prior to the March Iranian attack that killed six U.S. soldiers.

The Post also reported that U.S. Army Central, the command that oversees units deployed to the Middle East, conducted an internal investigation following the attack. Baldwin called on Hegseth to release the findings of the investigation publicly.

“We’ll get you the status of that. I would argue if it was a resource constraint, that’s precisely why we’re having this hearing today to speed up systems to the battlefield to warfighters as fast as humanly possible. It’s been too slow in the past; it needs to be faster,” Hegseth told Baldwin when asked if he would commit to releasing the findings.

Baldwin’s colleagues across the aisle also questioned Hegseth’s leadership and need for additional funding. Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins expressed concerns over reports that Hegseth blocked promotions for women and people of color.

— Senate Republicans have named U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson chair of the budget committee. 

Johnson, R-Oshkosh, was the presumptive heir to the gavel after South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham died unexpectedly earlier this month. He was confirmed via floor resolution Tuesday. 

“As chairman for the remainder of the year, I intend to maximize this opportunity to define the fiscal challenge we face, help expose the fraud in government programs, and work with the House, the White House, and my Senate colleagues to enact as much of President Trump’s agenda as possible,” Johnson said in a statement. 

— Baldwin, along with her Dem Senate colleagues, is calling for independent investigations following two fatal shootings in Maine and Texas involving ICE agents this month.

In a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, the senators requested information related to vetting ICE agent recruits, traffic stop and vehicle pursuit policies, and whether additional public safety measures are being implemented.

“The unnecessary loss of life in these incidents demands immediate, thorough, independent, and transparent investigations (including the full involvement of local and state law enforcement personnel), along with a comprehensive examination of enforcement protocols, training, and operational approaches necessary to prevent such tragedies,” the letter reads.

The letter also calls for ICE to prioritize adding body cameras for officers following previous commitments from DHS earlier this year.

“We urge you to honor your Department’s earlier commitments and take immediate action to implement these necessary reforms. We also stand ready to work with you to codify reforms into law,” the senators wrote.

Neither the Trump administration nor DHS have formally responded to the senators’ letter.

— Republican Michael Alfonso released a new TV ad touting President Donald Trump offering his “complete and total endorsement” of the 7th CD candidate. 

Alfonso’s campaign said the ad, which features Trump sitting at his desk in the Oval Office, will run district-wide, including broadcast TV, cable and streaming.

Trump implores voters to vote for Alfonso in the 30-second spot.

“As your next congressman, Michael will fight tirelessly to create jobs, cut taxes, protect Wisconsin’s amazing farmers and create the greatest economy in the history of the world,” Trump says as the spot shows Alfonso shoveling dirt, talking to farmers and posing with his wife, Evita Duffy-Alfonso, and their newborn daughter, Rosita.

Trump adds that Alfonso will “stand up to the radical left communists in Congress” and tells viewers to vote for Alfonso in the August primary. 

Read more in Monday’s AM Update.

Posts of the week

ICYMI

WSAW: Van Orden challenging Cooke for a public debate

NBC 26: Sen. Ron Johnson to chair Senate Budget Committee after Lindsey Graham’s death

CNN: ‘A blueprint for an invasion’: Democratic congressman warns on State Dept.’s Cuba report

Wisconsin Watch: Here are four congressional races to watch in Wisconsin’s Aug. 11 primary

WPR: As Democrats fight, Republican Tom Tiffany runs on his own terms 

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Your full voter guide to the Wisconsin governor primary election

Politico: The Senate GOP’s squeaky wheel suddenly has a lot of power