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Quotes of the week

Senator Baldwin voted to SHUT DOWN the government, choosing illegal aliens over Wisconsin families.
– U.S. Rep Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, criticizing U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, for opposing a GOP plan to extend government funding. 

This is your morning reminder that not one penny of federal dollars go to undocumented people (GOPspeak “illegal immigrants”) in Medicaid, Medicare or the Affordable Care Act. Republican BS so you have to pay more for healthcare so their donors get tax breaks. Pretty awful, huh?
– U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, rejecting GOP claims about health care coverage for people in the United States illegally. 

This week’s news

— U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, split this week as the Senate failed to pass legislation to keep the government open. 

The chamber first voted 47-53 along party lines to reject a Dem plan to fund the federal government. It then voted 55-45 to back the GOP proposal. Both plans needed 60 votes to pass the chamber.

Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, Baldwin had urged Republicans to pass her legislation to permanently renew enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits. In a statement Wednesday, Baldwin said she’s been fighting to keep the government and keep health care costs down for Wisconsinites. 

“I’m at the table and ready to negotiate a solution that keeps the government open and makes good on Donald Trump’s promise to keep costs down for Americans – but my Republican colleagues are nowhere to be seen,” Baldwin said. “This is Donald Trump’s government, and this is Donald Trump’s shutdown.”

Johnson blamed Dems for the shutdown, posting video of an interview he did with CNN saying he wasn’t “nuts” about the continuing resolution, but was going to vote for it to keep the government open. He wrote in his post if Dems were serious about keeping the government funded, they’d have voted for the GOP plan, which cleared the House, or backed his bill to eliminate shutdowns.

Fourteen Republicans joined Dems in voting against advancing Johnson’s bill aiming to prevent future government shutdowns as it failed a procedural vote 37-61. 

The proposal would have automatically extended government funding for two weeks in the event of a missed funding deadline. If Congress failed to approve a spending bill or a continuing resolution extending funding during that period, the funding would be extended for another 14 days. 

In a floor speech, Johnson lambasted the current congressional appropriations process as “broken” and “dysfunctional.” 

“Aren’t you getting sick and tired of these government shutdown showdowns, of the drama, the turmoil, partisan bickering, the holding American people and our economy hostage for demands for billions and billions of dollars of more spending than we can’t afford? I know I am,” Johnson said. “This madness doesn’t have to continue.” 

— Some Wisconsin Congress members have asked for their pay to be withheld during the government shutdown after federal funding lapsed. 

Members still receive pay during a government shutdown, as required under the U.S. Constitution. But some have asked for their salaries to be withheld while other public servants go unpaid. Most senators and representatives are paid a $174,000 salary, though the amount is higher for those in leadership positions.

U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Glenbeulah, said he asked for his pay to be withheld during the shutdown “Because if Democrats can’t do their job and keep the government open, no member of Congress deserves a paycheck.” 

Grothman posted a picture on X of a letter he sent to House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor making the request. 

“This shutdown was 100% avoidable,” Grothman said. “Republicans passed a clean CR to keep the lights on, while Democrats chose politics over the American people. Meanwhile, many of our essential workers, trying to provide for their families, are left without pay. That’s unacceptable.” 

U.S. Rep. Tony Wied also posted his request online. 

“If Democrats want to shut down the government and stop paychecks for federal workers and service members, then Members of Congress shouldn’t get paid either,” the De Pere Republican said. 

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, also asked for their pay to be held back during the shutdown. 

A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden’s office said the Prairie du Chien Republican is introducing a constitutional amendment to ensure members aren’t paid while the government isn’t funded and is supporting a bill to ensure troops and border patrol agents are paid during the shutdown. They did not respond to the question asking whether Van Orden had requested his pay be withheld. 

The offices of Wisconsin’s other congressional members didn’t return requests for comment on whether they would accept their salaries during the shutdown. 

— U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany has launched his long-teased bid for governor, saying the American Dream is “slipping away” under Democratic leadership in Madison and “we can do better.”

In an interview for WisPolitics’ “Capitol Chats” podcast following the Sept. 23 announcement, Tiffany declined to say if he still backs a six-week ban on abortion like the one he co-sponsored in Congress. He said he supports the state law he voted for while in the Legislature, which barred the procedure after 20 weeks.

Tiffany also declined to say whether he would sign a bill that would restrict abortion earlier than 20 weeks in a pregnancy, instead restating his support for the 2015 law signed by then-Gov. Scott Walker.

The northwoods congressman has said he sees himself as the leader in the race after southeastern Wisconsin businessman Bill Berrien dropped out. Berrien left the race as he faced backlash for interacting with sexually explicit content online. That leaves Tiffany and Washington County Exec Josh Schoemann in the race, along with 26-year-old medical service tech Andy Manske, who has also filed to run. 

Listen to the “Capitol Chats” interview. 

— Rebecca Taibleson’s nomination to the 7th Circuit of Appeals, which was included on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s agenda this week, will be voted on at a later date, Chair Chuck Grassley said. 

The committee voted on five of the 20 nominations on its agenda for Wednesday. The other 15, including Taibleson’s, will be held for later action, Grassley, R-Iowa, said. 

The Judiciary Committee has a custom of holding nominees over for one week and the nomination likely won’t move out of committee until Oct. 9, according to U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s office.

At a hearing before the committee last month, Taibleson defended her conservative credentials after some opposed her nomination over past political donations and her husband’s support of Dems. 

If confirmed, Taibleson would replace Diane Sykes, the former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice and nominee of former President George W. Bush. Sykes took on senior status this week. 

Posts of the week

ICYMI

Spectrum News 1: ‘My resistance’: Wisconsin Democrat makes daily statement with her wardrobe

NPR: Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson explains his proposed ‘Eliminate Shutdowns Act’

Spectrum News 1: ‘If there’s any place in Wisconsin that should be the first national park, it is the Apostle Islands’: Rep. Tom Tiffany reintroduces bill

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How a government shutdown could hit Wisconsin, home to 18,000 federal workers

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