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Quotes of the week
President Trump is working to ensure our nation’s capital becomes a safe city once again. Yet the Democrats and the mainstream media are acting like this is somehow a bad thing. They constantly prioritize criminals over law-abiding citizens.
– U.S. Rep. Tony Wied, R-De Pere, on President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard in Washington, D.C., and putting police under federal control in the nation’s capital.
We knew they were coming for more of our rights. Americans don’t want to go back.
– U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, in response to an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to overturn the 2015 decision that guaranteed the right to marry for same-sex couples.
This week’s news
— Wisconsin lawmakers are using the August congressional recess for a variety of events, including a trip to Israel by U.S. Rep. Tony Wied, sponsored by pro-Israel group AIPAC.
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The De Pere Republican’s office told WisPolitics that Wied made the trip with other freshman Republicans and there was no political activity. Wied in a video posted by AIPAC last week said it was a “blessing and an honor” to be in Israel.
He said it was “a really amazing experience here this week, and you know, touring throughout Israel and just really learning about the importance of the relationship and the partnership with the United States and Israel.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, joined the Judiciary Committee on a bipartisan trip to Brussels, London, and Dublin to discuss censorship and free speech issues with European Union and UK officials.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, is using the break to go on a statewide “Fighting for Wisconsin Families Tour” to hear from Wisconsinites about the impact of Trump administration policies.
Baldwin kicked off the tour last week with stops in Milwaukee, Brown, Door, Lincoln, Sawyer and Ashland counties. That included a meeting with small business owners in Milwaukee on Trump’s trade policies and a tour of Door County Medical Center to hear about the impact of Medicaid cuts on rural health care.
Other events from lawmakers during the August recess included:
- U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, drew a raucous crowd at a town hall meeting going into the recess. He also held a telephone town hall last week.
- U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, held a business roundtable at Altmann Construction in Wisconsin Rapids.
- The office of U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman said the Glenbeulah Republican will attend a ceremony on Friday to rename the Kiel Post Office in honor of late Wisconsin State Trooper Trevor Casper, who was killed in the line of duty in 2015. Grothman introduced the bill to rename the post office in Casper’s honor.
— U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, says he’ll continue holding in-person town halls despite the recent raucous meeting he hosted in Elkhorn.
“Yeah, I think being in-person and dialoguing is actually a really important part of the job,” Steil told “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “It was disappointing that a small group of people wanted to protest in a manner to prevent a productive conversation from occurring for the vast majority of people that actually wanted to hear answers on a whole host of topics, and so I made a commitment to be open and accessible and available, and I’m going to continue to be that. I won’t be deterred by a small number of activists protesting.”
Steil, who is one of 35 Republicans specifically targeted by Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterms, is one of just a handful of Republican lawmakers who have held town halls during the August recess.
Also on the show, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore dismissed Republican claims that left-wing activists are hijacking Republican town halls, like Steil’s.
“Don’t they wish that were the case,” the Milwaukee Dem said. “I’ve gone into their districts. I haven’t brought a single person with me, except my driver, and I’m not responsible for who comes. The people there are outraged. Those people there are educating themselves.”
— Mitchell Berman, an emergency room nurse, this week announced his bid for southeastern Wisconsin’s 1st CD.
He joins ironworker Randy Bryce in seeking the Dem nomination to take on U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville.
“I’m running for Congress because Bryan Steil isn’t looking out for families like mine,” Berman said in the video. “He spent his career shipping jobs overseas and serving his billionaire donors. I’ve spent mine helping people.”
Berman’s campaign said he’s spent the past decade working as a nurse at the VA.
— Milwaukee Dem Rep. Gwen Moore has posted resources for her constituents impacted by flooding on her website and encouraged them to “stay safe.”
Moore said in a statement to WisPolitics she is encouraging her constituents to reach out for help and report damages after heavy rain flooded parts of Milwaukee and surrounding areas over the weekend.
“I have been in contact with county and local officials and will assist them in any way necessary in my capacity as a federal elected official,” Moore said in the statement.
Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency Monday evening in response to the flooding, and Moore said she hopes that helps with recovery efforts.
“My hope is that if federal assistance is requested, the aid will be granted swiftly so we can repair the damage from this historic flooding quickly and get Wisconsinites back on their feet,” Moore said.
— And Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, who represents Waukesha and cities north of Milwaukee, sent a letter to the federal emergency agency on Monday asking for a state of emergency declaration in response to the flooding.
The Juneau Republican asked Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator David Richardson to declare a state of emergency in the counties affected by severe flooding over the weekend. Fitzgerald said in the letter the flooding caused “life-threatening” conditions in Milwaukee, Waukesha and Washington County.
Fitzgerald said he requested the declaration “to ensure our Wisconsin communities have the recovery resources they need.”
Posts of the week
ICYMI
WBAY: Senator Baldwin meets with business owners on tariff increases
ABC: Republican Rep. Bryan Steil booed defending Trump tariffs at Wisconsin town hall
Fox 11: Wisconsin Republicans want Canada to take ‘proper action’ to stop wildfire smoke
WQOW: Rep. Van Orden vists Altoona assisted care facility after helping recover funds
WPR: Racine County Democrat launches bid for Congress, challenging Rep. Bryan Steil
