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Quotes of the week

I don’t like things being shoved down my throat either.
– U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, in response to fellow GOP U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis’ opposition to a $1 billion request for security for the White House ballroom in the more than $70 billion reconciliation bill to fund immigration enforcement. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill this week. 

Everywhere I go in Wisconsin, I hear from families trying to make ends meet with the rising cost of housing, childcare, healthcare, and gas. Instead of addressing the challenges families are facing, this President and Republicans are trying to spend a billion taxpayer dollars on a gold-plated White House ballroom and give a blank check to ICE to keep causing the chaos in our streets.
– U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, in a statement ahead of the vote. Baldwin also plans to introduce amendments to the package. 

This week’s news

— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin praised the advancement of a resolution to halt U.S. military operations in Iran after repeated failed efforts to move similar resolutions forward. 

The Senate on Tuesday voted 50-47 to advance an Iran war powers resolution, with four Republicans joining Dems in favor and U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., in opposition. Three GOP senators missed the vote.

“Finally, after weeks of pleading with our Republican colleagues to listen to their constituents and do their constitutional duty, we earned the support we need to rein in this reckless war. It’s overdue, but this is the first step toward stopping this illegal war that’s raising everyone’s costs,” Baldwin said after the vote. 

The war has lasted for more than 80 days since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks in Iran late February. At least 13 American servicemembers have been killed in the conflict. 

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, voted in opposition. Johnson has generally defended the war, saying Iran is an “existential threat” to the U.S. and must be prevented from developing a nuclear weapon. He’s also said President Donald Trump would lose his support if he carried out threats to attack civilian infrastructure, such as Iranian power plants and bridges. 

Johnson’s office did not immediately return a request for comment on this week’s vote. 

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 restricts presidents’ power to engage in military conflicts abroad without congressional approval. Under the resolution, presidents must notify Congress of military action within 48 hours and armed forces are prohibited from remaining for more than 60 days. 

Trump on May 1 told Congress the war had been “terminated” and has argued he doesn’t need congressional approval because the days under a ceasefire can’t be counted towards the 60-day period.

— Wisconsin Dems slammed the creation of an “anti-weaponization fund” expected to offer payouts to President Donald Trump’s allies, while GOP lawmakers stayed silent. 

The $1.776 billion fund will use taxpayer funds to compensate those who claim they’ve been targets of “lawfare” and a “weaponized” justice system. 

The U.S. Justice Department agreed to establish the fund as part of a settlement in a $10 billion lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS in January. 

The fund will be administered by a commission picked by acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. Speaking to lawmakers Tuesday, Blanche did not rule out compensation for Trump supporters who assaulted police during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

Two police officers who battled rioters on Jan. 6 have filed a federal lawsuit to block the fund. 

Wisconsin Democrats opposed the deal almost immediately. 

“Trump is setting up a $1.8 billion slush fund for payouts to his political friends who have committed crimes,” U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, wrote Tuesday on X. 

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore of Milwaukee on X Monday charged Trump “stole” taxpayer dollars by having his Justice Department set up the fund.

“Trump is making himself richer by stealing from you. Republicans only enable him.” she said in a statement shared with WisPolitics. “This latest IRS payout scheme is just the most egregious example of his corruption.”

The administration on Tuesday expanded the settlement deal to grant immunity to Trump, his family and his businesses from any pending audits or prosecutions for violating the U.S. tax code.

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan of the town of Vermont called the deal “INSANE!”

“This is the swampiest thing any president has ever done,” Pocan said on X, encouraging Wisconsin voters to “Vote OUT any Republican supporting this scam” and tagging GOP Reps. Bryan Steil of Janesville, Derrick Van Orden of Prairie du Chien and Tom Tiffany of Minocqua. 

Pocan also said yesterday that he would introduce legislation to tax any payout from the settlement fund at a 100% levy.

Legal experts have questioned the legality of the fund. Congress could limit or prevent the use of public money for the fund, but that would require a majority in the GOP-led House and Senate. 

Some Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, have raised concerns about the fund. U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who just lost a primary to a Trump-backed challenger, called the deal a “slush fund… without a legal precedent.”

Wisconsin Republicans, however, have not been among them. The state’s seven GOP members of Congress have avoided speaking publicly about the settlement deal since it was announced. Members did not respond to requests for comment yesterday from WisPolitics. 

— U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said the Democratic Party was at “war” with Republicans as he repeated his call to eliminate the filibuster.

“They’re part of a movement, they’re part of a party that is at war with us. This isn’t normal opposition,” the Oshkosh Republican told attendees of the state GOP convention over the weekend.

He said Senate Republicans needed to remove the filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, legislation pushed by Republicans that would impose new voting restrictions and give the federal government new authority over federal elections.

Repealing the filibuster is a common refrain for Johnson, who has frequently asserted that Republicans must preemptively dismantle the rule requiring a 60-vote majority to allow a vote on a bill before Democrats do so.

“They don’t respect the filibuster; they’re going to end it, so we’ve got to end it first,” Johnson said, asserting Democrats planned to pack the Supreme Court, admit Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico as states and turn America into a “one-party nation.”

As part of his attacks on Democrats, he sought to shift blame for the partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security and the fatal shooting of two Minneapolis residents by federal immigration agents in January.

“You took those two individuals who they trained and encouraged to put them in harm’s way, and they died, and they used them as an excuse to defund ICE and CBP,” Johnson said.

He closed his remarks with a call for party unity. Though he did not mention Chair Brian Schimming by name, members of the party’s executive committee in the past month have twice sought unsuccessfully to target Schimming, who has been criticized for the party’s poor fundraising and performance in off-year elections.

— Michael Alfonso, the youngest candidate in the 7th CD GOP primary, told WisPolitics he brought “energy” to the race that his rivals lacked, while the oldest touted his longevity in the district.

Meanwhile, Kevin Hermening said his experience in the 7th CD gives him an edge in the GOP primary, and Jessi Ebben said her debate performances were among factors that would drive her success.

Three candidates in the four-way primary spoke to WisPolitics during the GOP convention. Niina Baum elected not to attend the convention, telling WisPolitics she instead would spend the weekend campaigning and canvassing the district.

Alfonso argued he was the only candidate with the energy to represent the breadth of the sprawling 7th CD, which covers 26 counties in northern Wisconsin. 

“We see what happens in a race when we don’t have any energy. Republicans lose. It’s a turnout issue,” Alfonso said at the state GOP convention. 

Alfonso, the 26-year-old son-in-law of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, leads primary candidates in fundraising and has the endorsement of President Donald Trump. 

Read the full story.

See more WisPolitics’ coverage of the state GOP convention. 

Posts of the week

ICYMI

Fox News: Senate unanimously passes resolution to withhold pay during shutdowns

Brownfield Ag News: Wisconsin lawmaker pleased with E15 House vote

NBC Sports: Senator Tammy Baldwin takes issue with Packers Thanksgiving Eve game on Netflix

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tom Tiffany’s Iran war vote contradicts his own podcast comments

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: See inside the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s 2026 state convention

Channel 3000: Milwaukee alderman vies for Rep. Steil’s seat