url,title,date,year,month,party,chamber,state,member_name,bioguide_id,domain,scraper,source,date_source,text,has_text,collected_at,updated_at https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases/fitzgerald-issues-statement-omnibus-spending-bill,Fitzgerald Issues Statement on Omnibus Spending Bill,2022-12-23,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Scott Fitzgerald,F000471,fitzgerald.house.gov,fitzgerald,https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) issued the following statement after voting “NO” on H.R. 2617: ""The American people sent a message by electing a Republican majority in the House. It's time for fiscal responsibility and pro-growth policies that will restore economic strength, said Congressman Scott Fitzgerald. While I am pleased language from my bill to allow antitrust regulators to follow the money when countries like China distort markets and harm competition, the process and substance of the last-minute omnibus bill are reckless. To pass a bloated spending bill, just days before the new Congress, gives Democrats the ability to keep their imprudent policies in place well into next year. I voted no."" BACKGROUND The Omnibus included language from the Foreign Merger Subsidy Disclosure Act, a bill introduced by Congressman Fitzgerald that requires merging companies to disclose involvement from state-owned enterprises. The purpose of this bill is to expose China’s use of state-owned enterprises in America to hamper competition. ### Congressman Scott Fitzgerald was sworn in to the 117th Congress on January 3, 2021 and is proud to represent Wisconsin’s Fifth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-wasteful-spending-in-washington-continues-as-new-majority-draws-near,Steil: Wasteful Spending in Washington Continues as New Majority Draws Near,2022-12-23,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Bryan Steil released a statement following the House vote on the $1.6 trillion omnibus spending package. “The Democratic controlled Congress is ending just as it started off, with another reckless spending package. Washington continues to spend beyond its means. On January 3rd, the reckless spending that has made everything unaffordable for American families will end. I voted against this massive spending bill.”",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases/fitzgerald-honors-service-academy-nominees,Fitzgerald Honors Service Academy Nominees,2022-12-22,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Scott Fitzgerald,F000471,fitzgerald.house.gov,fitzgerald,https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) honored candidates from Wisconsin’s Fifth Congressional District who were recently nominated for appointment to the U.S. service academies. ""As a Member of Congress, it is my privilege to nominate exceptional individuals to attend our U.S. service academies to be molded into our nation’s next generation of leaders, said Congressman Scott Fitzgerald. This year’s class of nominees is nothing short of exceptional, having demonstrated their qualification through a rigorous review process. I am confident they will serve our country and represent the 5th District of Wisconsin with distinction. I also want to recognize the board members who dedicated their time to review applicant materials and conduct interviews. The selection process could not have been possible without their generosity."" NOMINEES Yesenia Morales of Oconomowoc has been named a principal nominee to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. Gabriel Sanchez of Wauwatosa has been named an alternate nominee to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. Airiana Lynch of Oconomowoc has been named a principal nominee to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Michael Wawrzyn of Delafield has been named an alternate nominee to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Joseph Taschler of Germantown has been named a principal nominee to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Jesse Ellis of Oconomowoc has been named an alternate nominee to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Henry Tasker of Elm Grove has been named a principal nominee to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY ### Congressman Scott Fitzgerald was sworn in to the 117th Congress on January 3, 2021 and is proud to represent Wisconsin’s Fifth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-requests-information-from-department-of-defense-on-covid-19-vaccines-harmful-effects-on-service-members,Sen. Johnson Requests Information from Department of Defense on COVID-19 Vaccines’ Harmful Effects on Service Members,2022-12-22,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a letter to Defense Health Agency Director Lieutenant General Ronald Place requesting detailed information about claims filed on Tricare, a military healthcare program, for active duty service members related to COVID-19 and potential COVID-19 vaccine injuries. “Although the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the military will end with the signing of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, my efforts to uncover and expose the vaccines’ harmful effect on our service members will continue. The brave men and women who serve our country deserve to know the truth about the short and long-term health effects these mandated vaccines will have on the rest of their lives,” the senator wrote. Sen. Johnson has heard from many whistleblowers — including service members — raising concerns about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. He has led multiple roundtables addressing pandemic response failures and has written over 45 public letters to federal health agencies demanding transparency about the COVID-19 vaccines. Last week, Sen. Johnson offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have provided additional protections for service members who were negatively impacted by the Department of Defense’s pointless and harmful COVID-19 vaccine policy. Sen. Johnson requested Lt. Gen. Place respond to his letter no later than January 9, 2023. Read more about the letter in The Post Millennial. The full text of the letter can be found here and below. December 19, 2022 Lt. Gen. Ronald J. Place Director Defense Health Agency Dear Lt. Gen. Place: Over the last year, I have heard from countless individuals across the country who have suffered life-altering injuries after receiving COVID-19 vaccines. My office has also been in contact with many men and woman of the U.S. military who have shared their concerns about the Department of Defense’s (DoD) pointless and harmful COVID-19 vaccine policy. In an effort to inform the public of the potential harm caused by these vaccines, I held three roundtables on this topic and have sent multiple letters to federal health agencies—including DoD—requesting information on vaccine safety and efficacy.[1] Unfortunately, despite the unprecedented number of adverse events and deaths associated with the COVID-19 vaccines on the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, this administration has failed to provide full and transparent information on vaccine safety to Congress and to the public. Although the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the military will end with the signing of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, my efforts to uncover and expose the vaccines’ harmful effect on our service members will continue. The brave men and women who serve our country deserve to know the truth about the short and long-term health effects these mandated vaccines will have on the rest of their lives. As part of my effort to uncover the truth, I request the following information from Tricare for active duty service members: From January 1, 2017 – present, please provide the following annual data: Total number of claims filed; and Total number of hospitalization claims filed. From January 1, 2020 – present, please provide the following annual data: Total number of claims filed relating to a COVID-19 diagnosis; Of those claims, please provide the number of: i. Hospitalizations; ii. Remdesivir treatments; iii. Ventilator usages; iv. Treatments with no hospitalizations; v. No treatments and no hospitalizations; and vi. Deaths. From January 1, 2017 – present, please provide data by year for the number of claims filed relating to the following diagnoses: Breast cancer; Demyelinating; Female infertility; Guillain-Barre syndrome; Hypertension; Malignant neoplasms of esophagus; Malignant neoplasms of digestive organs; Malignant neoplasms of thyroid and other endocrine glands; Migraines; Multiple sclerosis; Myocarditis; Pericarditis; Pulmonary embolism; Ovarian dysfunction; Tachycardia; and Testicular cancer. Please provide the number of service members who received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. Of those individuals, please provide a monthly breakdown of the number of claims filed between January 1, 2020 – present for each diagnoses listed above. Please provide the total number of deaths that occurred in days 0 through 7 after a service member received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. Of those individuals that died in days 0 through 7 after receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine: i. How many had a preexisting medical condition? ii. What were the official causes of death? Please provide this information as soon as possible but no later than January 9, 2023. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-votes-against-massive-omnibus-spending-bill,Sen. Johnson Votes Against Massive Omnibus Spending Bill,2022-12-22,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) released the following statement after voting against final passage of the 4,000+ page, $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill that was fast-tracked through the Senate without proper consideration. “The Omnibus that just passed in the Senate is an abomination. There is no way anyone had time to read all 4,155 pages, much less comprehend how the massive deficit spending and major policy elements will negatively impact Americans. This takes Washington dysfunction and cynicism to an entirely new level. We were unable to amend the bill to eliminate at least $11 billion in earmarks or preserve Title 42 as the only restriction to Biden’s open border policy. Once again, Congress easily waived the ‘Paygo’ discipline to enable massive deficit spending to continue. We are mortgaging our children’s future and a majority of the members of Congress couldn’t care less. I voted no.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/senate-blocks-sen-johnson-s-amendments-to-eliminate-9-8-billion-in-earmarks-restrict-federally-funded-transportation-of-illegal-migrants-in-omnibus,"Senate Blocks Sen. Johnson’s Amendments to Eliminate $9.8 Billion in Earmarks, Restrict Federally Funded Transportation of Illegal Migrants in Omnibus",2022-12-22,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) secured a full vote of the United States Senate on his amendments to the $1.7 trillion, 4,000+ page omnibus spending bill. Sen. Johnson offered amendments to eliminate $9.8 billion in earmarks from the bill and to restrict federally funded transportation of illegal migrants. Unfortunately, the Senate voted in favor of keeping the nearly $10 billion of earmarks that will go to states that are sitting on almost $400 billion in surpluses. In a press conference on Tuesday, Sen. Johnson argued that earmarks are “the gateway drug to the massive deficit spending, to the mortgaging of our children's futures. It has to stop.” On the Senate floor today, the senator explained how the earmarks will go to states that are already “sitting on close to $400 billion of surpluses.” In response to the growing crisis on our southern border, Sen. Johnson explained that his amendment “takes whatever funds are appropriated for transporting illegal immigrants – it only allows those funds to be used to send them home or to a safe third country or to Mexico or to a detention facility here in America.” The full text of the amendments can be found here and here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-offers-amendment-to-eliminate-earmarks-from-massive-omnibus-spending-bill,Sen. Johnson Offers Amendment to Eliminate Earmarks from Massive Omnibus Spending Bill,2022-12-21,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"“The gateway drug to the massive deficit spending, to the mortgaging of our children’s futures” WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) was joined by Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in a press conference to oppose the $1.7 trillion, 4,000+ page omnibus spending bill and argue in favor of additional amendments. Sen. Johnson offered an amendment to eliminate all earmarks, totaling $9.8 billion in spending, from the omnibus bill. “There are, let me get the exact numbers, 9.8 billion dollars worth of earmarks. Thousands of individual projects here, both Democrat and Republican. It is interesting to note on the Republican side, we actually have a conference resolution that we don't support earmarks. Well, we're supporting over 4 billion dollars worth. Democrats are getting 5.4 billion dollars worth of earmarks. This is the gateway drug to the massive deficit spending, to the mortgaging of our children's futures. It has to stop, which is why I'm going to offer an amendment to eliminate all those earmarks in this massive omnibus spending bill,” the senator argued. Last week, Sen. Johnson led a press conference to oppose the omnibus bill and argue in favor of a short-term Continuing Resolution. He explained that the 535 members of Congress “literally are the Board of Directors of the largest financial entity in the world and we never talk numbers.” Senator Johnson’s full remarks can be found here and below. “I think what I found most disconcerting about this discussion, this debate, this process is the whistling past the graveyard nature of it. We're talking about this is a big win in terms of, you know, conservatism and for Republicans that we're getting a greater increase in defense spending. “One of the things I've been pointing out, because of the massive inflation, because a dollar that we all held at the start of the Biden administration is worth less than 88 cents, the 858 billion dollars we’re getting on defense is literally worth only 754 billion dollars in January of 2021 dollars. That's how much inflation has eroded the value of all spending, including defense spending. “But the fact that nobody talks about the numbers, I mean, in total, the macro numbers. I thought it was interesting last week, because I was asking my colleagues and quite honestly a number of you reporters, just the simple question – do you know how much we spent last year? And the blank stares I got from most people. I'm still asking that question. I think people are getting a little educated, so now they're starting to answer it but the answer is 6.3 trillion dollars last year. To compare that to before the pandemic, in 2019, we spent 4.4 trillion. “This, the discretionary side, less than 70% of what we spend, is gonna be 1.65 trillion dollars, which is 23% more than the 1.3 trillion dollars we spent in 2019. Again, that is a massive increase. My concern is overall federal spending will probably be about 6 trillion dollars for the fiscal year. Again, 6 trillion versus a baseline just three years ago of 4.4 trillion. “Something's gotta give. At some point, we do hit a debt crisis – and I would argue, you know, 7% plus inflation with really no ending in sight is certainly an inkling of what that debt crisis is going to look like, and how that is going to devastate Americans in all areas of the income spectrum, but particularly people at the lower end who spend their money, their disposable income on things that have actually risen at a higher rate than 7%. “The amendment that I'll be asking for and that Senator Schumer agreed to last week ,would be to eliminate all the earmarks. I've got my own prop here. So that's the entire omnibus. This is the language on earmarks only. There are, let me get the exact numbers, 9.8 billion dollars worth of earmarks. Thousands of individual projects here, both Democrat and Republican. It is interesting to note on the Republican side, we actually have a conference resolution that we don't support earmarks. Well, we're supporting over 4 billion dollars worth. Democrats are getting 5.4 billion dollars worth of earmarks. This is the gateway drug to the massive deficit spending, to the mortgaging of our children's futures. It has to stop, which is why I'm going to offer an amendment to eliminate all those earmarks in this massive omnibus spending bill.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-nominates-16-students-from-wisconsin-s-first-district-for-appointment-to-us-service-academies,Steil Nominates 16 Students from Wisconsin’s First District for Appointment to U.S. Service Academies,2022-12-20,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Bryan Steil announced the nomination of 16 high school students from Wisconsin’s First District for appointments to attend U.S. Service Academies. “Each year we have exceptional students apply for a nomination to serve our nation at a U.S. Service Academy. It is an honor to meet with each of these students and hear about their interest in serving our country. The nomination process recognizes students’ character, leadership, and academic achievements. I’m proud to nominate 16 students for this years’ Service Academy application process.” Part of the U.S. Service Academy application process is obtaining a nomination from an authorized nominating source, such as a Member of Congress. Acceptance to the academies is highly competitive. Receiving a nomination is the important first step, however, the actual appointment to a service academy is determined by each academy itself. Appointments for Wisconsin's First Congressional District will be announced at a later date. A list of students nominated by Congressman Steil can be found below: Anthony Carrillo of Waukesha has been nominated for appointment to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Austin Dawson of Salem has been nominated for appointment to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado and the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Eve Hauboldt of Muskego has been nominated for appointment to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Savannah Keaskowski of Pleasant Prairie has been nominated for appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Kieran Kendall of Burlington has been nominated for appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Evan Langelund of Lake Geneva has been nominated for appointment to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York and the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Sarah Martens of Muskego has been nominated for appointment to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York and the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Isabella Matson of Mount Pleasant has been nominated for appointment to the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Brock Mattson of Oak Creek has been nominated for appointment to the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Maxwell Northrop of Waterford has been nominated for appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Isabella Peterson of Muskego has been nominated for appointment to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. David Pitcher of Franklin has been nominated for appointment to the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Hannah Ross of Franksville has been nominated for appointment to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Brian Thometz of Lake Geneva has been nominated for appointment to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York and the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Savannah Vind of Janesville has been nominated for appointment to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York and the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Jack Wilka of Franklin has been nominated for appointment to the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York and the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-introduces-putting-investors-first-act,Steil Introduces Putting Investors First Act,2022-12-16,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) introduced the Putting Investors First Act, legislation to disrupt the woke attack on American capitalism. This legislation reins in proxy advisors and limits their influence over American corporate governance. In the last two years, the Biden Administration has reversed critical proxy advisory firm reforms, resulting in reduced oversight, accountability, and transparency. Steil’s legislation focuses on restoring key safeguards that will protect investors and prioritize shareholder returns. “The Woke Left is using your retirement funds to advance their radical agenda,” said Steil. “My bill puts a stop to the Left’s woke attack on American capitalism. Americans are already seeing their retirement savings shrink because of Washington’s reckless spending. We need to empower investors, restore transparency and accountability, and enhance competition.” “Proxy advisory firms are uniquely complicit in the woke environmental, social, and governance agenda that is poisoning our capital marks,” said Rep. Barr, a senior member of the Financial Services Committee. “Through its guidance and recommendations, the industry holds an outsized influence over the decision making of institutional investors who bring their bias to bear on behalf of the unwitting retail investors they represent when considering a wide variety of shareholder proposals. The Putting Investors First Act lives up to its name by returning power to the millions of Americans whose voice is drowned out by radical, left-wing advisory firms and institutional investors bent on imposing a social agenda that is killing our economy and diminishing their clients’ returns.” “Americans invest for a variety of reasons and hold a wide range of beliefs. Leveraging the retirement funds of every day Wisconsinites to advance a particular cause is not only inappropriate but financially harmful,” said Rep. Scott Fitzgerald. “Proxy advisors, who represent shareholders of all stripes, must not be able to abuse their responsibility by doing the work of activists.” “Protecting our seniors has always been a top priority of mine,” said Rep. Carlos Giménez.“I’m proud to co-sponsor the Putting Investors First Act because pensions and retirement funds should be focused on yielding the best returns for retirees — not succumbing to the socialist left’s latest demands to engineer our economy into the abyss.” “Pension funds are responsible for the advancement of the long-term financial interests of investors, not political agendas,” said Rep. Troy Balderson. “Increasingly, these unaccountable entities – rather than through the processes set forth in our Constitution – are the vehicle of choice for special interests to achieve their objectives and cancel dissenting voices. Safeguards and transparency are long overdue.” “Proxy advisory firms’ errors and conflicts of interest continue to harm manufacturers’ competitiveness. Given the SEC’s unlawful attempts to roll back the landmark 2020 proxy firm rule, legislation is clearly needed to protect issuers and investors alike. The NAM strongly supports the Putting Investors First Act, which would increase transparency into these powerful firms and safeguard Americans’ financial security,” said Chris Netram, Managing Vice President, Tax and Domestic Economic Policy, National Association of Manufacturers. Background: Roughly 70 percent of the outstanding shares in publicly traded U.S. companies are held by institutional investors such as mutual funds and pension funds. American families depend on these institutional investors to manage their retirement savings, including voting their shares. However, to save costs, many institutional investors rely on proxy advisory firms for recommendations on how to vote the shares under their control. The market for proxy advice is dominated by two firms, Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), which jointly have 97 percent market share. ISS is a German-owned company and Glass Lewis is owned by Peloton Capital, a private equity fund. Far too often, these two proxy advisory firms successfully pressure institutional investors to vote contrary to shareholder economic interests and in support of woke political initiatives. These firms make more money if there are more shareholder proposals and, as a result, they are incentivized to encourage, including by voting for, activist proposals. At the same time, they also offer companies consulting services to address the same activist proposals they encourage. Making this even worse, the proxy advisory firms do not bear any costs and have no accountability for misguided recommendations. Retirees bear the costs of shareholder proposals and bad recommendations. Recently, with the encouragement of progressive SEC leadership, proposals have strayed into highly political areas that are beyond the expertise or authority of fund managers. Steil has sent several letters to the SEC regarding changes to proxy advisor rules being made by Chair Gensler. These letters can be found here and here. Cosponsors of this legislation include Reps. Andy Barr, Drew Ferguson, Elise Stefanik, Kelly Armstrong, John Rose, Warren Davidson, Mark Amodei, Scott Fitzgerald, Troy Balderson, Roger Williams, Mike Flood, French Hill, Rodney Davis, Doug LaMalfa, Lance Gooden, Carlos Gimenez, Scott Franklin, Dave Joyce, and Michael Burgess. For a line by line of the legislation, click here. For full text of the H.R. 9527, click here.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-colleagues-urge-pentagon-to-freeze-covid-19-vaccine-related-discharges-reinstate-discharged-soldiers-with-backpay,"Sen. Johnson, Colleagues Urge Pentagon to Freeze COVID-19 Vaccine-Related Discharges, Reinstate Discharged Soldiers with Backpay",2022-12-16,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Friday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and nine of his Republican colleagues in a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin following the Senate’s approval of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Senators urged Secretary Austin to freeze all COVID-19 vaccine-related discharges, and to establish a quick and thorough process so all members who were discharged because they refused the COVID-19 vaccine can be reinstated with back pay and full benefits. Sen. Johnson offered an amendment to the NDAA that would have immediately ended the military COVID-19 vaccine mandate, prohibited DoD from imposing future COVID 19 vaccine mandates without Congressional authorization and allowed service members to be reinstated with back pay if they were discharged for refusing the vaccine. “Thousands of brave men and women were harmed because of the Pentagon’s misguided approach to the COVID-19 vaccine requirement. You have the opportunity to immediately begin undoing the harm caused. For the current and future morale and benefit of our Armed Forces, we urge you to act immediately,” the senators wrote. Sens. Johnson and Scott were joined on the letter by Senators James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). The full text of the letter can be found here and below. December 16, 2022 The Honorable Lloyd Austin Secretary U.S. Department of Defense Dear Secretary Austin: Now that the Senate has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the legislation heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law. This year’s NDAA, which provides essential funding and sets defense and national security policy for the United States, also contains a key provision we fought for which eliminates the requirement for service members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. While we are proud to see this needed change included, simply reversing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate is insufficient to right the wrongs done to our service members. We write today to urge immediate action from the Pentagon to protect our service members and provide much-needed direction and stability for America’s brave heroes and their families. On December 7th, NBC News cited senior military and defense officials in its reporting that discussions about allowing the reinstatement of service members discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine are underway at the Pentagon.[1] This is welcome news. The Pentagon must take every action necessary to undo the harm American service members and their families suffered when they were forcibly discharged from service. We urge you to establish a quick and thorough process so all members who were discharged because they refused the COVID-19 vaccine can be reinstated with back pay and full benefits. Doing so would provide the clarity and stability American service members and their families deserve. Additionally, we urge you to freeze all COVID-19 vaccine-related discharges. Many service members are in limbo, and are facing discharge for their refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine just as Congress is removing the vaccine requirement. As the Secretary of Defense, you have the power to immediately end the uncertainty these members are feeling. All branches of our military are facing significant recruiting problems, including problems arising from the vaccine requirement. Therefore, it is in our readiness and security interests to keep these brave men and women within our ranks. Moving forward with discharges over a requirement that has been rescinded by Congress would be deeply misguided. Thousands of brave men and women were harmed because of the Pentagon’s misguided approach to the COVID-19 vaccine requirement. You have the opportunity to immediately begin undoing the harm caused. For the current and future morale and benefit of our Armed Forces, we urge you to act immediately. We appreciate your attention, and look forward to clarity from the Pentagon on this important issue. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases/tiffany-introduces-justice-murder-victims-act,Tiffany Introduces the Justice for Murder Victims Act,2022-12-15,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Thomas P. Tiffany,T000165,tiffany.house.gov,tiffany,https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07), joined by Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), introduced the Justice for Murder Victims Act. Their bipartisan proposal seeks to eliminate the 13th-century “year-and-a-day” rule, which prohibits homicide prosecutions if the victim died more than a year and a day from the date of the defendant’s assault. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) introduced the Senate companion of this legislation. “Archaic rules that allow murderers to evade punishment due to the power of modern medicine serve as a disgrace to murder victims and their loved ones,” said Congressman Tiffany. “Justice for a murder victim should not be negatively determined by an arbitrary period of time, and this bipartisan proposal will hold murderers accountable while bringing justice to victims.” “No victim should be denied justice simply because modern medicine helped them survive their attack for an arbitrary period of time. Our bill will fix this archaic rule and ensure murderers are brought to justice and families get the closure they deserve,” Senator Grassley said. Background: Many states have already abolished the rule, recognizing that modern medicine has helped more victims live more than a “year-and-a-day” past their assault. This bipartisan proposal would amend the rule to ensure that there is no maximum prosecutorial time period between the assault and death of the victim – ensuring murder victims are not denied justice in the federal system due to an outdated rule. Groups supporting the Justice for Murder Victims Act include: The Major Cities Chiefs Association, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, National District Attorneys Association, National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Major County Sheriffs of America, Murder Accountability Project (MAP), National Organization of Victim Assistance (NOVA), and the Iowa County Attorneys Association. The full text of theJustice for Murder Victims Actcan be foundhere. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-colleagues-urge-department-of-labor-to-protect-independent-contractor-classification,"Sen. Johnson, Colleagues Urge Department of Labor to Protect Independent Contractor Classification",2022-12-15,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON—On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), John Thune (R-S.D.) and 43 of their Republican colleagues in urging the Department of Labor (DOL) not to move forward with its proposed rule for determining independent contractor classification. The independent contractor proposed rule would have immediate and long-term disruptive effects on millions of workers and thousands of businesses at a time when the economy is facing high inflation rates. The members urge DOL to maintain the 2021 independent contractor rule that brought clarity to workers and businesses. “A study by Upwork estimates that 59 million Americans performed freelance work in 2021 and contributed $1.3 trillion to the U.S. economy. Small and large businesses in hospitality, healthcare, education, agriculture, transportation, construction, finance, law, housing, entertainment, and more utilize independent contractors to meet their needs. This allows businesses to have a dynamic workforce while giving workers the autonomy and flexibility they prefer. It is clear the proposed rule’s attempt to restrict this flexibility for businesses and workers will be disruptive,” the members wrote. “We urge DOL not to move forward with its proposed rule for determining independent contractor classification due to this negative impact on workers and businesses, the test’s lack of clarity, and the devastating consequences for the U.S. economy. The proposed rule will jeopardize millions of individuals’ independent contractor status under the FLSA. Instead, DOL should maintain the 2021 rule, which was designed for the modern economy and brought clarity to workers and businesses,” the members continued. Background On October 13, 2022, DOL’s Wage and Hour Division published its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking entitled “Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act” which would rescind and replace the independent contractor rule adopted in 2021 by the Trump Administration. In its place, DOL proposes a six-factor economic reality test to determine whether a worker is “economically dependent” on a company under a totality of the circumstances. Similar to the ABC test found in the PRO Act, the rule is extremely restrictive. The rule argues that theoretical control is enough to give DOL the ability to make employment determinations. According to the Institute for the American Worker, “such a broad interpretation would have a chilling effect on self-employment, putting conceivably all independent contracting work in jeopardy.” Sens. Johnson, Braun, Burr, Thune and Rep. Foxx are joined on the letter by Senators Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Representatives Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Rick Allen (R-Ga.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), James Comer (R-Ky.), Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho), Fred Keller (R-Pa.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Burgess Owens (R-Utah), Bob Good (R-Va.), Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.), Michelle Steel (R-Ca.) and Pete Sessions (R-Texas). The full text of the letter can be found here. ###",1,2026-04-07T15:46:19Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-leads-fight-against-massive-omnibus-spending-bill,Sen. Johnson Leads Fight Against Massive Omnibus Spending Bill,2022-12-15,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"“We literally are the Board of Directors of the largest financial entity in the world” WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) was joined by Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in a press conference to oppose the Pelosi-Schumer Omnibus spending bill and argue in favor of a short-term Continuing Resolution to allow ample time to analyze and debate additional government spending. In 2019 – before the COVID-19 spending increase – federal spending totaled $4.4 trillion. As we approach the end of 2022, a 36% increase in spending to $6.0 trillion has been estimated. Sen. Johnson poses the question “Why haven’t we gone back to normal spending?” now that the pandemic is over. “We, as 535 members of Congress, we literally are the Board of Directors of the largest financial entity in the world and we never talk numbers,” Sen. Johnson explained. “I’ve been asking colleagues, I’ve been asking reporters, do you know how much the federal government spent last year? And most people I ask look pretty flummoxed. I say, don’t feel bad. It’s not your fault. It’s because we never talk about it.” “We're mortgaging our kids’ futures. This is killing us from a financial standpoint. It's got to stop. This process has to stop which is why I supported Senator Lee's unanimous consent request yesterday to pass a CR, as much as we all hate CRs, the dysfunction they represent. Pass a CR that gets us into next year. Not only to give a Republican House an opportunity to respond to the people that put them in place, but also to give us time to start understanding what these numbers actually mean,” Sen. Johnson continued. Senator Johnson’s full remarks can be found here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-ron-johnson-applauds-ndaa-passage-that-ends-biden-s-harmful-military-vaccine-mandate,Sen. Ron Johnson Applauds NDAA Passage That Ends Biden’s Harmful Military Vaccine Mandate,2022-12-15,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after the Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included a rescission of the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for service members. “Even though the Senate blocked Sen. Cruz’s and my amendment that would have reinstated service members discharged for refusing a vaccine with back pay, I supported passage of the NDAA that rescinds the Biden Administration’s harmful and pointless COVID-19 vaccine policy. Over 8,000 service members have been terminated for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Our men and women of the U.S. military are the finest among us and deserve members of Congress fighting for their health autonomy and healthcare freedom.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-announces-mobile-office-hours/5b899108-3ca4-49f3-b9ac-df3dc1c8d954,Sen. Johnson Announces Mobile Office Hours,2022-12-14,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) announced that his staff will be available for mobile office hours at the times and locations listed below. These office hours give constituents the opportunity to meet with Sen. Johnson’s staff to request assistance with a federal agency or other federal matters. Note: Staff-led mobile office hours are closed to press. Recording devices of any kind are not allowed. These restrictions are put in place for the privacy of our constituents. Green County Office Hours Monday, December 19 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Browntown Village Office 110 S. Mill St., Browntown, WI 53522 Lafayette County Office Hours Monday, December 19 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Darlington City Hall 627 Main St., Darlington, WI 53530 ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-colleagues-fight-for-cranberry-inclusion-in-definition-of-healthy-foods,"Sen. Johnson, Colleagues Fight for Cranberry Inclusion in Definition of Healthy Foods",2022-12-14,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined a bipartisan group of twenty-eight House Members and Senators urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to amend its proposed definition of “healthy,” which would exclude most cranberry and tart cherry products. As the nation's leading producer of cranberries — harvesting 59 percent of the country's crop — Wisconsin producers would be negatively impacted by the FDA’s proposed rule. “Cranberries and tart cherries are unique due to their low intrinsic sugar content – that is, they are not naturally sweet. Due to both cranberries and tart cherries lack of intrinsic sugar content, they require sweetening to increase palatability for most consumers. However, there is ample research indicating that the human body does not distinguish between sugars intrinsic in fruit versus those added to fruit products. In fact, the FDA has acknowledged these findings on numerous occasions, stating that “…added sugars are not chemically different from naturally occurring sugars...”i and that “…the body’s response to sugars does not depend on whether they are naturally present in food or added to foods” the members explained. “Decades of research demonstrate that these fruits can be part of a healthy, nutrient-rich diet, and can play an important role in improving the diets of many Americans. Cranberries, and cranberry products, contribute bioactive polyphenols to the diet. These compounds found within the fruit are important sources of antioxidants, which can help combat oxidative stress. There are also scientific findings indicating that these unique elements may support gut health , reduce certain risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases, and reduce the risk of certain recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs),” the members continued. Sen. Johnson was joined on the letter by Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Representatives Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.), Bill Keating (D-Mass.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), James McGovern (D-Mass.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Richard Neal (D-Mass.), Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Susan Wild (D-Pa.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Jefferson Van Drew (D-N.Y.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.Y.), Blake Moore (R-Utah), Burgess Owens (R-Utah), John Curtis (R-Utah) and Chris Stewart (R-Utah). The full text of the letter can be found here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-questions-ftx-ceo-on-collapse-highlights-dangers-of-overseas-crypto-companies,"Steil Questions FTX CEO on Collapse, Highlights Dangers of Overseas Crypto Companies",2022-12-13,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) questioned FTX CEO John Ray on the recent FTX collapse. During the questioning, Mr. Ray revealed the Bahamian authorities “pushback” when asked for transparency has been “extraordinary, irregular, and raises questions.” Ray’s comments indicated that Bahamian authorities appear to have taken money that could have been used repay American families who lost funds. Watch Rep. Steil’s full testimony and questions below. Image Full transcript: Steil: Thank you Mr. Ray for being here. There’s a lot of questions about early stage due diligence with FTX, the timing of the indictment, but as policy makers we’re here to understand the collapse and what can be done to prevent future fraud like this from ever occurring again where individuals lost their money. It’s complicated by the fact that FTX is domicile in a foreign jurisdiction. By all indications, Mr. Bankman Fried is domiciled in a foreign jurisdiction at this time. So we should ask ourselves tough questions as to why a company like FTX would choose to set themselves up in the Bahamas and not the US in the first place. I think that’s a question for Congress. Also we can’t lose sight of the fact that millions of Americans lost money in this. I’m outraged, you’re outraged, and the American people should be outraged. Steil: A day after FTX filed for bankruptcy, multiple outlets reported that there was a hack or potential theft. You’ve stated unauthorized access to certain assets were, and the company was in touch with law enforcement officials and regulators. Have you determined if in fact assets were moved out after bankruptcy. Ray: Yes. Clearly there was assets moved out after the bankruptcy. Steil: Do you know whether that was an actual hack or was this done as its been reported at the direction of the Bahamian authorities. Ray: It was both. Steil: It was both? So some was done as a result of a hack and some was done at the request of Bahamian authorities? Ray: They were aided by the FTX employees. Steil: They were aided by former employees of FTX? Ray: Yes, sir. Mr. Wayne and Mr. Fried. Steil; Is it in the eyes of the Bahamian authorities to protect clients? And creditors? Do you have insight into the motivation behind this action? Ray: Unlike the Chapter 11 process, there’s no transparency in the process of the Bahamians and we repeatedly asked them for clarity about what they’ve been doing and we’ve been shut down on that. Steil: So you’ve requested insight as to why this was done by the Bahamian authorities and the Bahamian authorities their reply to you was to not reply or they replied and it was unsatisfactory? Ray: They have put out statements that was in the interest of Bahamian creditors, although our view is that it violated the automatic stay in bankruptcy. Steil: So you have questions that still remain unanswered of the Bahamian authorities that would shed additional light into your investigation if that information was provided? Ray: Yes. Steil: Do you believe at that time that Mr. Bankman Fried was attempting to undermine Chapter 11 cases by expanding the scope, by moving assets to accounts under the control of Bahamian authorities? Ray: It appears so. Steil: So it appears that he may be working to undermine the scope of U.S. federal bankruptcy law? Ray: That’s what it appears. Steil: So then do you still believe that the Chapter 15 case should be consolidated in the Delaware bankruptcy court. Ray: No I do not think so. Steil: What do you think would be the best course of action? Ray: If they have a liquidation proceeding relative to FTX digital markets, they filed that proceeding there, that is their proceeding, we think the Chapter 11 process is the only open, transparent process that gives visibility to customers of what happened and when they’re going to get their money and how they’re going to get their money. The process in the Bahamian islands is not a transparent process. We have opened up the ability to share everything that we have with the Bahamian government similar to how we share with other liquidators around the world, not only in this case, to be a very cooperative situation. The pushback that we’ve gotten is sort of extraordinary in the context of bankruptcy. It raises questions. It is irregular to me. There is a lot of questions on our part and obviously we are investigating them. Steil: I appreciate your candor on that point. I think that is a really important point that we look at. Again one of my concerns is as we look at overall crypto policy, shifting away from this specific bankruptcy is that we have a large number of crypto companies that have chosen to domicile outside the United States rather than inside the United States and a lack of a regulatory framework inside the United States is moving people to be offshore, and when they’re off shore, when a fraud like this occurs to the detriment of Americans who have placed their money in trust of a company like FTX. I yield back.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sens-johnson-grassley-raise-concerns-about-doj-s-partisan-decision-in-appointing-a-special-counsel,"Sens. Johnson, Grassley Raise Concerns about DOJ’s Partisan Decision in Appointing a Special Counsel",2022-12-13,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – Last week, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland raising conflict of interest concerns about Jack Smith, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recently-appointed special counsel. Mr. Smith will oversee the ongoing criminal investigations into former President Donald Trump. The senators highlighted Mr. Smith’s connections to individuals who were directly involved in the opening of investigations into former President Trump. “Instead of appointing a special counsel devoid of overtly political connections and professional connections to the very individuals that were involved in opening the criminal matters that apparently he is now directly overseeing, you chose a special counsel that is wrapped-up into both,” the senators wrote. The senators also noted how DOJ’s treatment of matters relating to former President Trump contrasts with the “kid-gloves” treatment the Department provided former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. Further the senators emphasized how the Department still refuses to address conflicts of interest concerns involving another DOJ official, Nicholas McQuaid, and the Hunter Biden investigation. “The Justice Department’s track record with respect to informing Congress and the public that it has prevented potential or actual conflicts from infecting investigations leaves much to be desired,” continued the senators. “If the Department opens an investigation, it must be done without regard to party, privilege or power.” Read more about the letter in Fox News. The full text of the letter can be found here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/video-release-sen-johnson-please-share-expert-testimony-from-covid-19-vaccine-efficacy-and-safety-roundtable,VIDEO RELEASE Sen. Johnson: Please Share Expert Testimony from COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy and Safety Roundtable,2022-12-13,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) released a highlight video of his three-hour roundtable discussion, COVID-19 Vaccines: What they Are, How They Work, and Possible Causes of Injuries, with experts and medical professionals to shed light on the current state of knowledge surrounding the vaccine and explore the path forward. The 30-minute video features the most important discoveries shared by the experts and emphasizes the failed pandemic response. Watch the recap video here. Read more about the roundtable and Sen. Ron Johnson’s advocacy for the vaccine injured, early treatment and healthcare freedom here. Watch the entire, three-hour discussion here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sens-ron-johnson-rick-scott-urge-gao-to-report-potential-risks-in-federal-employees-health-benefits-program,"Sens. Ron Johnson, Rick Scott Urge GAO to Report Potential Risks in Federal Employees Health Benefits Program",2022-12-12,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) sent a letter to Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), requesting an audit of health care providers under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. Following reports on similar programs, GAO uncovered potential fraud through improper payments causing an increase in the cost of the FEHB Program. “GAO’s previous work on similar issues in the Medicare program and the Veterans Community Care program has uncovered a number of potentially ineligible providers, flagged weaknesses in provider vetting controls, and made valuable recommendations for improving program integrity and managing the potential risk to the care of Medicare enrollees and veterans, respectively, from ineligible providers,” explained the senators. As the largest employer-sponsored health insurance program in the country, the FEHB Program covers more than eight million federal employees, retirees and family members at annual cost of more than $59 billion. The full text of the letter can be found here and below. December 12, 2022 The Honorable Gene L. Dodaro Comptroller General of the United States U.S. Government Accountability Office Dear Comptroller General Dodaro: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is currently reviewing various aspects of fraud-risk management practices regarding the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. We request as a follow-on to that work, GAO perform an audit related to providers of health care services to members of the FEHB Program. GAO’s previous work on similar issues in the Medicare program and the Veterans Community Care program has uncovered a number of potentially ineligible providers, flagged weaknesses in provider vetting controls, and made valuable recommendations for improving program integrity and managing the potential risk to the care of Medicare enrollees and veterans, respectively, from ineligible providers. The FEHB Program is the largest employer-sponsored health insurance program in the country, covering more than eight million Federal employees, retirees, and family members at annual cost of over $59 billion. The size and complexity of the FEHB Program heightens the risk of fraud and error. Accordingly, it is incumbent on lawmakers, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)—which administers the FEHB program—and the health insurance carriers that provide health care services to FEHB members, to make safeguard taxpayer dollars. As such, we request that GAO: Examine whether providers of health care services in the FEHB Program are deceased, excluded from participation in federal health care programs, have suspended or revoked medical licenses, or meet other relevant criteria for being inadmissible in the FEHB Program; Examine the extent to which those involved in the FEHB Program (i.e., OPM, employing agencies, health insurance carriers) have controls in place, as appropriate, to identify and remove ineligible or potentially fraudulent health care service providers, and how these entities address specific fraud risks, such as the status of state licensure; and Develop case study examples—if potentially ineligible providers are identified—to explain how these providers were initially approved or remained in the network. Such case studies would be complementary to the results of relevant data analyses and would help illustrate what can go wrong when ineligible or fraudulent providers are not identified and removed from the program. Sincerely, ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-announces-2022-first-congressional-district-congressional-app-challenge-winners,Steil Announces 2022 First Congressional District Congressional App Challenge Winners,2022-12-09,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"GREENDALE, WI – Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) announced the 2022 Congressional App Challenge Winners. Greendale High School students Cole Bucek, Evie Skibicki, and Riess Steinman have been selected as the winning team of the First District Congressional App Challenge. The award was announced in a surprise ceremony at Greendale High School with the students’ parents and faculty. Following the event, Steil released the following statement congratulating the students. “Congratulations Cole, Evie, and Riess on creating your app, Brain Food. It was great to announce the 2022 App Challenge winner at Greendale High School, for the second year in a row, and to learn more about their app. Creating an app takes time, skill, patience, and planning. The App Challenge is a great way to promote STEM education and teach students how to be innovative.” The Congressional App Challenge is a competition aimed at encouraging middle and high school students to learn how to code by creating their own applications. Started in 2013, the Challenge is intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. The House of Representatives knows how crucial these skills are and wants to encourage students to engage in these fields. By encouraging and recognizing our nation's young programming talent, Congress hopes to shine a light on the growing importance of these skills. This competition is open to students who meet the eligibility requirements, regardless of coding experience.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/rescheduled-sen-johnson-announces-mobile-office-hours,***RESCHEDULED*** Sen. Johnson Announces Mobile Office Hours,2022-12-09,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON — Due to severe weather, the mobile office hours scheduled for today in Rock County are postponed. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s staff will be available to meet with constituents to provide assistance with a federal agency issue or other federal matters at the updated times and locations listed below. Note: Staff-led mobile office hours are closed to press. Recording devices of any kind are not allowed. These restrictions are put in place for the privacy of our constituents. Rock County Office Hours Friday, December 16 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Beloit City Hall 100 State St., Beloit, WI 53511 ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases/fitzgerald-statement-passage-fy23-national-defense-authorization-act,Fitzgerald Statement on Passage of FY23 National Defense Authorization Act,2022-12-08,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Scott Fitzgerald,F000471,fitzgerald.house.gov,fitzgerald,https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) issued the following statement in response to the passage of H.R. 7776, the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023: ""Today, I proudly voted in favor of the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act to provide necessary funding for our military. As a veteran, I understand the importance timely funding plays in maintaining military readiness, said Congressman Scott Fitzgerald. This legislation not only provides a 4.6% pay raise and cost-of-living adjustments to our servicemembers and their families, but also establishes comprehensive reviews of assistance provided to Ukraine, provides robust funding that supports Wisconsin manufacturing through such programs as the Tactical Wheeled Vehicle program and the Colombia Class submarine program, and repeals the unjust COVID-19 vaccine mandate for active and reserve personnel. And while there is more to be done for those discharged under the mandate, this is a good start."" ### Congressman Scott Fitzgerald was sworn in to the 117th Congress on January 3, 2021 and is proud to represent Wisconsin’s Fifth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-legislation-to-strengthen-sanctions-passes-house-included-as-part-of-ndaa,"Steil Legislation to Strengthen Sanctions Passes House, Included As Part of NDAA",2022-12-08,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Bryan Steil’s legislation, the Banking Transparency for Sanctioned Persons Act, passed the House and was included in the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. “We need a government that is accountable and a military that is ready to defend our freedoms and fight rogue actors. My bill requires the Biden Administration to alert Congress if any sanctions are waived to allow our declared enemies to use our financial system. Sanctions are a critical tool in our tool kit to keep Americans safe. We need to maintain aggressive oversight to keep them viable. I’m committed to making sure our government is accountable to the American people and to protecting our nation.” Background: H.R. 2710, the Banking Transparency for Sanctioned Persons Act recently passed the House and requires the U.S. Treasury Department to regularly report to Congress any sanctions waivers provided to allow transactions between financial institutions and targeted individuals. At the same time, this legislation continues support for using these licenses for humanitarian purposes. The Treasury Department routinely issues general and specific licenses to permit transactions that may involve sanctioned individuals. These licenses typically allow for the facilitation of trade in humanitarian (e.g. medicines and medical devices) and agricultural (e.g. food and farming supplies) goods. Members of both parties support the use of these licenses for humanitarian purposes, and the House has previously voted to pass legislation to improve transparency over the license-granting process. Congress should continue to improve the transparency of the license process to ensure that the Executive Branch’s foreign policy actions align with Congressional intent. This is the second bill Steil has introduced that has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and the third sanctions-related bill introduced by Steil in the 117th Congress. Additional sanctions bills include H.R. 733, the Stop Evasion of Iran Sanctions Act which prevents those trying to avoid U.S. sanctions against the Iranian regime by using a mechanism known as INSTEX and H.R. 901, the No Sanctions Relief for Terrorists Act which prevents the administration from providing sanctions relief to individuals and entities in Iran sanctioned for terrorism unless the President could certify to Congress that Iran was no longer sponsoring terrorism. Steil is a member of the House Financial Services Committee and serves on the Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets. To read the full text of the bill, click here.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases/tiffany-introduces-legislation-cut-down-sec-regulation,Tiffany Introduces Legislation to Cut Down on SEC Regulation,2022-12-08,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Thomas P. Tiffany,T000165,tiffany.house.gov,tiffany,https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – This week, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) introducedH.R. 9445, theACCESS Rural America Act, to ensure rural telecommunication providers are not hindered by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) registration and reporting requirements. This legislation will allow smaller, locally-owned telecommunication providers to expand broadband access in rural areas across the United States without fear of burdening regulations intended for large corporations. “After hearing from rural telecommunication providers in Western and Northern Wisconsin that the Securities and Exchange Commission reporting requirements were impeding them from building more fiber broadband networks, I knew something needed to be done,”said Congressman Tom Tiffany. “I will continue to do everything possible to ensure our small telecommunication providers have the ability to supply rural America with the broadband access they deserve.” “Federal Securities and Exchange Commission registration and reporting requirements intended for larger, publicly-traded firms pose significant challenges for, and can impose substantial burdens on, smaller, locally-owned companies with limited resources. NTCA greatly appreciates the leadership of Representative Tom Tiffany (R-WI) in introducing the ACCESS Rural America Act, which will help relieve these burdens and enable small providers to focus more on their core mission of deploying and operating advanced broadband networks in rural areas,”said Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association. Lakeland Communications and other rural broadband providers are extremely pleased and optimistic that Congressman Tiffany can lead to effect long overdue change to a 20-year-old law of Sarbanes Oxley that shackles community based broadband providers. Much of rural Wisconsin and the nation need state-of-the-art fiber optic network access that we could possibly provide if we were not under the additional burdens of SEC and the costly restrictions of federal regulations that we have endured for 20 years. We hope and pray that Congressman Tiffany and his colleagues will be successful in this needed legislation to provide beneficial relief,”said John K. Klatt President, CEO Lakeland Communications. Background: TheACCESS Rural America Act would address an issue that companies have been facing since the early 2000s. TheSarbanes-Oxley Act was signed into law in 2002 and established extensive regulations for companies. Due to the broad-brush approach that this law created, many smaller, locally-owned businesses are burdened by enhanced SEC registration and reporting requirements as a result. For example, if a small telecommunications company in Wisconsin is helping deploy networks in rural areas but has 500 or more not-accredited shareholders, then it must comply with the regulations set forth by theSarbanes-Oxley Act and spend substantial amounts of money and resources on these reporting requirements to the SEC every year. H.R. 9445 would increase the number of investors that prompts the SEC public reporting requirements from 500 to 2,000 persons for rural telecommunications companies receiving federal universal service support. This will help alleviate pressure on many of the businesses that are helping bridge the digital divide across America. The full text of theACCESS Rural America Actcan be foundhere.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases/tiffany-statement-after-voting-against-ndaa,Tiffany Statement After Voting Against NDAA,2022-12-08,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Thomas P. Tiffany,T000165,tiffany.house.gov,tiffany,https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) released the following statement on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY23. “While this legislation will provide our men and women in uniform with a well-deserved pay raise and contains many worthwhile provisions, it also contains many controversial provisions that have absolutely nothing to do with national security. Even worse, Speaker Pelosi refused to let Republicans offer any amendments, and allowed just 40 minutes of discussion on this more than $800 billion, 4,400-page bill. The American people and our service members deserve an open and honest debate on such far-reaching legislation – what they got was procedural gimmicks designed to short-circuit the legislative process,” said Congressman Tom Tiffany.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-colleagues-urge-nlrb-chairman-to-reverse-rules-detrimental-to-franchises,"Sen. Johnson, Colleagues Urge NLRB Chairman to Reverse Rules Detrimental to Franchises",2022-12-08,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON— On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and 67 of their Republican colleagues in writing a letter to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) opposing the Board’s joint employer proposed rule that is inconsistent with common law, circumvents Congressional authority, and will have a detrimental impact on the franchise business model, job opportunities and the nation’s economy. “The Board’s joint-employer proposed rule would have immediate and long-term negative effects on millions of workers and thousands of businesses at a time when the economy is already facing the highest inflation rates in four decades. Franchises in particular would be negatively impacted should the proposed rule go into effect. Franchises cover over 300 different business lines, including restaurants, child care, hair care, fitness, tutoring, amusement parks, automotive repair, lodging, and senior care. Additionally, the proposed rule would cost franchise job opportunities that provide up to nearly four percent higher wages for their employees when compared to non-franchise counterparts,” the lawmakers wrote. “Due to this negative economic impact, the proposed rule's inconsistency with common law, and the NLRB's attempt to use powers reserved to Congress, we urge the Board not to move forward with its proposed rule for determining joint-employer status. Instead, the Board should maintain the 2020 rule, which brought clarity and certainty to the business community,” the lawmakers continued. Background On September 7, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board published its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking entitled: “Standard for Determining Joint-Employer Status” (“proposed rule”), which would replace the 2020 Joint-Employer Rule that focused on “direct and immediate control” and replace it with the “indirect, reserved” control standard. In the United States, there are nearly 775,000 franchises that employ 8.2 million workers and provide $800 billion of economic output. This is projected to grow in 2022 to nearly 800,000 franchises. Businesses such as universities, hospitals, home healthcare, agriculture, cleaning services, security services, hospitality, waste management, delivery services, home builders, retailers, and others that contract or subcontract would be negatively affected. The International Franchise Association (IFA) found that the BFI joint employer standard, nearly identical to the proposed rule, “cost franchise businesses $33.3 billion per year, resulting in 376,000 lost job opportunities, and led to a 93% increase in lawsuits.” Sens. Johnson and Braun were joined on the release by Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), John Thune (R-S.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Tom Tillis (R-N.C.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Kennedy (R-La.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Representatives Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Rick Allen (R-Ga.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), James Comer (R-Ky.), Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho), Fred Keller (R-Pa.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Burgess Owens (R-Utah), Bob Good (R-Va.), Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.), Michelle Steel (R-Calif.), Chris Jacobs (R-N.Y.), Brad Finstad (R-Minn.), Joe Sempolinski (R-N.Y.), Eric Crawford (R-Ark.) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.). The full text of the letter can be found here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-colleagues-urge-president-biden-to-be-honest-about-real-world-costs-of-radical-climate-agenda,"Sen. Johnson, Colleagues Urge President Biden to Be Honest About Real-World Costs of Radical Climate Agenda",2022-12-08,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and 10 of their Republican colleagues in calling out President Biden and his administration for forcing their radical environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies onto the American economy in pursuit of their unrealistic environmental agenda. The letter highlights various actions by financial regulators that threaten to choke off certain industries’ access to capital, which could increase the price of food and energy for businesses and families in the midst of record-high inflation. “All of these actions have real-world impacts that your administration would be well served to evaluate,” the senators wrote. “For instance, establishing rules, strategic plans, and principles to coerce financial institutions and other firms to limit their lending and exposure to certain businesses drives up prices on consumers. Choking off access to capital for companies in the energy sector in an attempt to decimate the fossil fuels industry drives up the cost of fuel and electricity at a time of record costs, further stoking inflation. Discouraging lending to farming and ranching communities in an attempt to reduce natural livestock emissions strains supply chains and increases the cost of food. Therefore, it would be prudent for your administration to actually take the time to evaluate the costs its actions are directly and indirectly imposing on American businesses and families, as well as conduct the necessary analysis as required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act. As our nation continues to grapple with record-high inflation, administrative actions that increase prices should be the last thing on your agenda.” Sens. Johnson and Thune were joined on the letter by Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). The full text of the letter can be found here and below. December 7, 2022 The Honorable Joseph Biden President of the United States Dear President Biden: As we turn to a new Congress in a few weeks, we write to draw your attention to our ongoing concerns with your administration’s unrealistic environmental agenda and focus on government-imposed environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. While businesses may elect to pursue their own ESG agendas as part of a free-market society, the heavy-handed imposition from the federal government will have (and in some cases, already has had) negative real-world impacts on our economy and American families, especially by deepening the ongoing energy and inflation crises. In the nearly two years since you were sworn into office, your administration has made countless efforts to push through its sweeping environmental agenda through the financial regulators. These efforts, though sold by administration officials as steps necessary to mitigate climate risks, are solely an attempt to strong-arm financial institutions and other firms into choking off capital to industries that are foundational to our nation’s economy, yet are continually villainized by the far left. One example of your administration’s overreach is the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) proposed climate-disclosure rule that would not only require registrants to disclose information about their greenhouse gas emissions, but, in many cases, indirect emissions from upstream and downstream activities (i.e., their suppliers and customers) in their value chain – known as scope 3 emissions. Scope 3 emissions are not produced or even controlled by the regulated organization, making this rule entirely unworkable for any public company to comply with. The rule would also require registrants to comply with new financial impact metric disclosure requirements and determine the effects of certain climate-related events on each line item of their consolidated financial statements. The rule would almost certainly reduce or potentially even eliminate businesses’ access to the resources they need to operate, as it would discourage firms from investing in or extending capital to them. The SEC rule would be destructive for businesses in the energy and agriculture sectors, but to businesses, in particular small businesses, across all sectors of our economy as well. Equally alarming is the recently proposed Federal Supplier Climate Risks and Resilience Rule that would similarly require certain federal contractors to publicly disclose not only their greenhouse gas emissions, but scope 3 emissions, compounding the burden imposed by the SEC. Ultimately, private companies would be disincentivized to apply for these federal contracts altogether, which would increase project costs for the federal government and harm taxpayers. Unfortunately, your administration’s efforts to use financial regulators to force through an unrealistic environmental agenda do not end there. After joining the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System, an organization with the stated agenda of “mobilizing mainstream finance to support the transition toward a sustainable economy,” the Federal Reserve announced a pilot program to analyze the climate-related financial risks for the nation’s largest banks. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and, most recently, the Federal Reserve have all published draft principles for climate-related financial risk management for large banks. The Department of Labor just finalized a rule that would, in practice, require pension fiduciaries to consider climate change and ESG factors in making investment decisions, irrespective of their pecuniary relevance. And last, but certainly not least, the National Credit Union Administration published a since-rescinded strategic plan that seemed to recommend credit unions need to alter their field of membership and loan offerings in farming communities. All of these actions have real-world impacts that your administration would be well served to evaluate. For instance, establishing rules, strategic plans, and principles to coerce financial institutions and other firms to limit their lending and exposure to certain businesses drives up prices on consumers. Choking off access to capital for companies in the energy sector in an attempt to decimate the fossil fuels industry drives up the cost of fuel and electricity at a time of record costs, further stoking inflation. Discouraging lending to farming and ranching communities in an attempt to reduce natural livestock emissions strains supply chains and increases the cost of food. Therefore, it would be prudent for your administration to actually take the time to evaluate the costs its actions are directly and indirectly imposing on American businesses and families, as well as conduct the necessary analysis as required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act. As our nation continues to grapple with record-high inflation, administrative actions that increase prices should be the last thing on your agenda. Of course, financial institutions and other firms need to be mindful of their exposure to and concentration in certain industries to ensure safety and soundness. However, your administration must recognize that, though these ESG-type regulatory actions are generally targeted at the nation’s largest financial institutions and Wall Street firms, they have a trickledown effect on our nation’s community banks and credit unions that are feeling the pressure from Washington. These entities, which are essential for economic opportunity and stability across the country, are concerned about how your administration’s myopic environmental agenda could impede their ability to lend to their clients and foster the growth necessary to steer our economy away from a recession. And in rural communities, community banks and credit unions are acutely wary of how your administration’s overreach could harm their ability to lend to their agriculture clients. As you head into the second half of your current term, it is vitally important that your administration, prior to taking action and pumping out rules, actually look beyond the beltway and take into account the real-world impacts that financial regulators’ environmental actions have on businesses, families, and community banks and credit unions across the nation. This common sense is long overdue. Sincerely, ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-ron-johnson-hears-from-experts-and-medical-professionals-on-covid-19-vaccine-efficacy-and-safety,Sen. Ron Johnson Hears from Experts and Medical Professionals on COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy and Safety,2022-12-08,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) hosted a roundtable discussion, COVID-19 Vaccines: What they Are, How They Work, and Possible Causes of Injuries, to shed light on the current state of knowledge surrounding the vaccine and explore the path forward. The experts and medical professionals who joined Sen. Johnson at the roundtable discussed the scientific background of the coronavirus, functionality of the vaccine, failures in the pandemic response, early treatment drugs, adverse reactions, vaccine injuries and plans for future research and response. Sen: Ron Johnson at yesterday’s panel: “I do want to point out the complexity of what we're dealing with here. I think of many problems during the pandemic, one of the biggest casualties was just modesty in admitting how much we don't know. I really want that sinking in, understand how much we don't know about the body, about its response about, quite honestly, our marvelous natural immunity, and then how man’s interventions might just screw that up. I think we need to be honest, we need to admit that so I'm hoping we can talk about that complexity today.” Since the beginning of the pandemic, Sen. Johnson has been a strong proponent of holding the federal government accountable for their failed response to COVID-19 and a leading advocate for early treatment, healthcare freedom and individuals who have experienced adverse reactions. Yesterday’s three-hour discussion was Sen. Johnson’s fifth roundtable on COVID-19. In June 2021, he held a press conference in Milwaukee with vaccine injured from Wisconsin and around the country. In November 2021, he held a roundtable with vaccine injured and medical experts entitled “Sen. Johnson Expert Panel on Vaccine Mandates.” In January 2022, he held a discussion with doctors and medical experts entitled “COVID-19: A Second Opinion.” In April 2022 he held a listening session with Wisconsin parents to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on their children’s education. He has also written dozens of oversight letters to our federal health agencies pressing for transparency and accountability regarding the administration’s unsuccessful and harmful COVID-19 policies. Sen. Johnson also extended an invitation to the following agencies and drug companies to hear firsthand about the impact of their failed response to COVID-19. All declined to participate. Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak, DDS, Ph.D., Acting Director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. John R. Raymond Sr., MD, President and CEO of Medical College of Wisconsin Dr. Albert Bourla, DVM, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer Dr. U?ur ?ahin, MD, Chief Executive Officer of BioNTech Stéphane Bancel, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna Therapeutics Dr. Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, MD, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the President Dr. Robert M. Califf, MD, MACC, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration Dr. Peter Marks, MD, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, MD, MPH, MBA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force Watch the full roundtable HERE. Highlights are below. Dr. David Gortler on calling for more public health transparency “I’m disheartened to see what’s going on with these vaccines or gene therapy, as I constantly go back and forth with labeling it one or the other. But even more upsetting is I can’t believe that the FDA, where I’ve worked as a career medical officer, that I’m the only person who, out of the 20,000 employees or so at the FDA, physicians, pharmacists, nurses, public health officials, that’s here speaking out about this. I don’t understand. These people took oaths, and I don’t understand why other people aren’t speaking out.” Dr. Joel Wallskog on the lack of support for the vaccine injured “Let me be clear. For those that are considering a COVID shot, if you have an adverse event after your shot, you are on your own. If you are a parent considering a shot for your child and they have an adverse event, you and your child are on your own. If you can't work, your employer like mine may abandon you. There is little to no financial recourse for you. There is no one to sue. You will likely not be able to find a provider who recognizes and treats COVID 19 vaccine injuries. You may be shunned by family and friends because you are the objective evidence that the vaccine has real complications. You are the vaccine's dirty little secret. After your adverse event, you will likely decide not to vaccinate your children with the COVID shot. And ironically, you'll be called an anti-vaxxer. I urge you to demand informed consent when considering COVID-19 vaccination. That includes understanding the risks, benefits and options of the shot. Demand this from your provider if they use the simple term, quote ‘safe and effective,’ I urge you to run, not walk, and find a new provider and educate yourself about the significant risks, limited benefits and alternatives of the COVID shots.” Dr. Kirk Milhoan on myocarditis in children “Having spent time with thousands of patients explaining their child's heart problem, if your child has to be hospitalized in the ICU with myocarditis, even if I call it a mild case, no parent ever thinks that their child being in a pediatric ICU is mild. “A study was recently published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health. It shows the outcomes of at least 90 days since the onset of myocarditis after mRNA COVID vaccination in adolescents and young adults in the USA. And what they found was pretty alarming. What they showed was that if they looked at the echocardiogram and EKG, that those all went back pretty close to baseline in the majority of patients. And that's what you often hear. ‘Oh, the EKG was normal.’ ‘Oh, the echocardiogram was normal or the blood test to see if the heart was inflamed, the troponin, it's all back to normal.’ However, if they dug a little deeper, what they saw was that the if they looked with a cardiac MRI, one of our most sensitive tests to look for damage to the heart, they saw that in 151 kids who had an MRI at 90 days, 81 of them still had damage to their heart and the damage was of late gadolinium enhancement, which is associated with sudden cardiac death. I am passionate for the health of our children.” Dr. Robert Malone on the federal government’s manipulative COVID-19 vaccine message “I guarantee I would not have promised things that I did not have data for. I would not have substituted hope for data. I would not have deployed an amazingly powerful and highly coordinated propaganda campaign to compel Americans to accept an unlicensed product on the basis of hope. And I refer, of course, to the quotes from Deborah Birx and from Rochelle Walensky. This is not acceptable, in my opinion, in terms of a basis for public policy.” Dr. Renata Moon on countries banning the COVID-19 vaccine “You know, as a pediatrician, I have to speak to the health of our nation's children. And we are being asked to inject this product into our nation's kids who have essentially a 0% risk of harm. When I bring up with families that other reputable countries have banned this, they're stunned. They haven't heard this from our mainstream media. And I do think we need to pause for a second and just stress how relevant that is. Other nations have banned this product because it's too dangerous for younger people. What are we doing?” Dr. Paul Marik on the FDA sabotaging use of early treatment drugs “The FDA themselves promotes the use of off label drugs. They in fact encourage the use of off label and off labeling is just a technical point about advertising. These are FDA approved drugs which the FDA on their own website promotes about 40% of drugs. 40% of drugs used in hospitals are used off label. Dr. McCullough uses off label drugs every single day in his career. That's fine if you're treating heart disease, but certainly if it's coronavirus that the FDA, the CDC, the NIH do not want you to use an off label drug because it would compete with Big Pharma. And in my hospital I was banned or discouraged from using off label drugs, which we use every day. Methylprednisolone, Vitamin C. My hospital would not allow me to use vitamin C. We're talking about basic safe drugs and it's an outrage.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-ron-johnson-colleagues-congress-should-oppose-pelosi-schumer-spending-spree-support-short-term-cr,"Sen. Ron Johnson, Colleagues: Congress Should Oppose Pelosi-Schumer Spending Spree, Support Short-Term CR",2022-12-07,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Mike Lee (R-Utah) sent a letter to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell expressing opposition to a Pelosi-Schumer omnibus spending bill in the current lame duck Congress. “The American people sent an unmistakable message in the November midterm elections, making clear that they want a Republican-led House to serve as check on the unfettered spending of the current Democrat-controlled Congress. For the Senate to ram through a so-called “omnibus” bill—which would fund the entirety of the Pelosi-Schumer spending agenda through most of next year—would utterly disempower the new Republican House from enacting our shared priorities,” the Senators wrote. “Locking the new Congress into yet another year of Democrat policies would flout the will of the voters and prevent the incoming Republican majority in the House of Representatives and the newly elected Republican Senators from moderating the reckless policy agenda of the last two years. Moreover, adding an increase or suspension of the debt ceiling for another year would issue Democrats a blank check and inevitably add trillions more to our crushing national debt.” The full text of the letter can be found here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases/fitzgerald-demands-ftc-neutrality-antitrust-enforcement,Fitzgerald Demands FTC Neutrality on Antitrust Enforcement,2022-12-06,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Scott Fitzgerald,F000471,fitzgerald.house.gov,fitzgerald,https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairwoman Lina Khan concerning the FTC's decision to rollback nonpartisan competition practices, opening the door for the regulator to implement ESG criteria. ""The FTC is intended to be an independent agency above the partisan fold. However, the latest decision to politicize antitrust enforcement demonstrates the erosion of neutrality and reliability of objective competitive markets and consumer protection at the commission, said Congressman Scott Fitzgerald.Chairwoman Khan must reconsider their latest action and protect the integrity of the agency."" Co-signers: Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Rep. Tom Tiffany (WI-07), Rep. Warren Davidson (OH-08), Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19), Rep. Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Rep. Greg Steube (FL-17), Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL-01), Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14), Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21), Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Rep. Matt Rosendale (MT-AL). Read the letter here: Read Fox Business's coverage here:",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://grothman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3255,Grothman Elected to Republican Policy Committee,2022-12-06,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Glenn Grothman,G000576,grothman.house.gov,grothman,https://grothman.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27,scraper,"Congressman Glenn Grothman (WI-06) released the following statement after being elected to serve on the Republican Policy Committee in the 118th Congress. The Republican Policy Committee consists of members from 19 regions across the United States and its territories. Grothman will serve as the representative for Region 8, which includes Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan. The Committee serves as an advisory team to House Republicans in crafting policy priorities and provides a forum for Republican Members to discuss legislative proposals. “I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to bring Wisconsin values and commonsense solutions to the Congressional leadership table by serving as a regional representative to the Republican Policy Committee,” said Grothman. “I look forward to helping ease the pain families and businesses are feeling across the country by advancing conservative principles in Washington to bring an end to the multitude of crises facing America under the Biden Administration. Time to get to work.” -30-",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-delegation-call-for-evers-to-ban-tiktok-from-state-government-devices,"Steil, Delegation Call for Evers to Ban TikTok from State Government Devices",2022-12-06,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) joined alongside Rep. Mike Gallagher, Sen. Ron Johnson, and Reps. Glenn Grothman, Scott Fitzgerald, and Tom Tiffany, in sending a letter to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers calling on the Governor to ban TikTok from Wisconsin government devices. They also called for Governor Evers, who has used TikTok in the past, to delete his TikTok account. “TikTok presents clear national security risks. To protect Wisconsin’s government data and our personal data, we should not be using TikTok on government devices. Thank you Rep. Gallagher for leading this effort,” said Steil. In part, the lawmakers wrote, ""We write to urge you to ban TikTok from Wisconsin government devices and to lead by example and delete TikTok from your own devices. TikTok is nefarious Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spyware that surveils American citizens, promotes CCP propaganda, and allows the CCP to censor and control Americans’ news and content. The United States Congress and multiple Biden Administration officials have raised concerns about TikTok on national security grounds and even called for a ban. These concerns are not localized at the federal level—this affects the Wisconsin state government and Wisconsinites at large. As governor, you should prohibit this app from state government devices."" To read the full text of the letter, click here, or read the text below. Dear Governor Evers, We write to urge you to ban TikTok from Wisconsin government devices and to lead by example and delete TikTok from your own devices. TikTok is nefarious Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spyware that surveils American citizens, promotes CCP propaganda, and allows the CCP to censor and control Americans’ news and content. The United States Congress and multiple Biden Administration officials have raised concerns about TikTok on national security grounds and even called for a ban. These concerns are not localized at the federal level—this affects the Wisconsin state government and Wisconsinites at large. As governor, you should prohibit this app from state government devices. The CCP controls and directs TikTok. TikTok’s corporate owner, ByteDance, is a Chinese company and is therefore bound by Chinese law to assist CCP intelligence agencies. ByteDance’s editor-in-chief, Zhang Fuping, is a CCP member and chairs the company’s Communist Party Committee. In a September 2020 court filing, the Department of Justice described ByteDance’s founder and former CEO, Zhang Yiming, as a “mouthpiece for the CCP” and “committed to promoting the CCP’s agenda and messaging.” President Biden recognizes the threat posed by TikTok. In July 2020, he required all of his presidential campaign staff to delete TikTok from their work and personal phones. TikTok is a CCP surveillance tool. It tracks cell phone users’ data, including user location data, and users’ keystrokes, even when not even using the app. The CCP can thus collect sensitive intelligence on Wisconsin government employees and even blackmail or pressure them based on this information.6 Just last month, Forbes reported that ByteDance planned to use TikTok to track specific Americans’ locations for a non-advertising purpose. Even worse than its data collection, TikTok can use its black box algorithm to promote CCP propaganda and censor content. We have already seen TikTok censor references to the CCP’s genocide and reeducation camps in Xinjiang and the Tiananmen Square massacre and block the account of an American Muslim rights activist who criticized the CCP’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims before an outcry forced a reverse course. The concern with this algorithm is especially acute given the growing percentage of American adults who use TikTok as their news source. It is inappropriate for the CCP to curate Wisconsin government employees’ news feed. It is not unprecedented for a state governor to ban TikTok on government devices. Last week, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem issued an Executive Order banning TikTok from the South Dakota state government devices of government employees, agencies, and contractors. We strongly urge you to follow Governor Noem’s lead and examine your own legal authorities to ban TikTok from Wisconsin state government devices. We further request that you lead by example and immediately delete your own TikTok accounts. Wisconsinites expect their governor to be aware of the dangerous national security threats TikTok poses and to protect them from this avenue for CCP intelligence operations. Knowing the threats posed by CCP control of TikTok, it is irresponsible—at best—for a governor to ignore these risks and promote TikTok through his own use of the app. If you do not intend to delete your TikTok account or to ban TikTok from government devices, please respond with an explanation of your decision. Thank you for your prompt attention to this vital national security matter",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases/tiffany-announces-united-states-service-academy-nominations,Tiffany Announces United States Service Academy Nominations,2022-12-06,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Thomas P. Tiffany,T000165,tiffany.house.gov,tiffany,https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WAUSAU, WI – Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) announced nine students from Wisconsin's Seventh District who were nominated to a U.S. service academy. All high school students admitted into our nation’s military service academies must first receive a nomination from at least one member of their state’s Congressional Delegation, the Vice President, or the President of the United States. “I would like to congratulate these nine hard-working and dedicated high school students on receiving my nomination to a United States service academy,”said Congressman Tom Tiffany. “These students are striving to serve something much bigger than themselves, and I cannot wait to see this next generation of young leaders answer the call to defend our nation.” Students who have received a nomination to a U.S. service academy must still receive an offer of admission into an academy. If admitted, they will be offered the distinct honor of earning a four-year university education with the commitment of serving in the military for a minimum of five years upon graduation. The following students received a nomination to a U.S. service academy: United States Military Academy West Point Lucas Sydlewski of Houlton, WI – Missouri Military Academy Bennett Hatfield of Hudson, WI – Hudson High School United States Air Force Academy Megan DeLeasky of Phillips, WI – Phillips High School Isaac Anderson of Hudson, WI – Hudson High School United States Naval Academy Mark Jarman of Lake Nebagamon, WI – Northwestern High School Shelby Hennlich of New Richmond, WI – New Richmond High School Ingrid Holter of Hudson, WI – Hudson High School Ryan Buehler of Ogema, WI – Rib Lake High School United States Merchant Marine Academy Hunter Beese of Amery, WI – Amery High School The U.S. Coast Guard Academy manages its own selection process and does not require a congressional nomination for appointment. This year’s nominees were selected by a local panel of judges based on academic achievements, civic involvement, leadership skills, physical aptitude, and character through an interview process. A picture of all nine nominees can befound here. For more information on Congressman Tiffany’s service academy nominations, please visithis website here.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-colleagues-call-on-gov-evers-to-ban-tiktok-from-state-government-devices,"Sen. Johnson, Colleagues Call on Gov. Evers to Ban TikTok from State Government Devices",2022-12-06,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and four of their Wisconsin colleagues in a bicameral letter calling on Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers to ban TikTok from Wisconsin government devices. They also called for Governor Evers, who has used TikTok in the past, to delete his TikTok account. ""We write to urge you to ban TikTok from Wisconsin government devices and to lead by example and delete TikTok from your own devices. TikTok is nefarious Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spyware that surveils American citizens, promotes CCP propaganda, and allows the CCP to censor and control Americans’ news and content. The United States Congress and multiple Biden Administration officials have raised concerns about TikTok on national security grounds and even called for a ban. These concerns are not localized at the federal level—this affects the Wisconsin state government and Wisconsinites at large. As governor, you should prohibit this app from state government devices,"" the lawmakers wrote. Sen. Johnson and Rep. Gallagher were joined on the letter by Representatives Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.) and Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) Read more about the letter in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The full text of the letter can be found here and below. Dear Governor Evers, We write to urge you to ban TikTok from Wisconsin government devices and to lead by example and delete TikTok from your own devices. TikTok is nefarious Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spyware that surveils American citizens, promotes CCP propaganda, and allows the CCP to censor and control Americans’ news and content. The United States Congress and multiple Biden Administration officials have raised concerns about TikTok on national security grounds and even called for a ban. These concerns are not localized at the federal level—this affects the Wisconsin state government and Wisconsinites at large. As governor, you should prohibit this app from state government devices. The CCP controls and directs TikTok. TikTok’s corporate owner, ByteDance, is a Chinese company and is therefore bound by Chinese law to assist CCP intelligence agencies. ByteDance’s editor-in-chief, Zhang Fuping, is a CCP member and chairs the company’s Communist Party Committee. In a September 2020 court filing, the Department of Justice described ByteDance’s founder and former CEO, Zhang Yiming, as a “mouthpiece for the CCP” and “committed to promoting the CCP’s agenda and messaging.” President Biden recognizes the threat posed by TikTok. In July 2020, he required all of his presidential campaign staff to delete TikTok from their work and personal phones. TikTok is a CCP surveillance tool. It tracks cell phone users’ data, including user location data, and users’ keystrokes, even when not even using the app. The CCP can thus collect sensitive intelligence on Wisconsin government employees and even blackmail or pressure them based on this information.6 Just last month, Forbes reported that ByteDance planned to use TikTok to track specific Americans’ locations for a non-advertising purpose. Even worse than its data collection, TikTok can use its black box algorithm to promote CCP propaganda and censor content. We have already seen TikTok censor references to the CCP’s genocide and reeducation camps in Xinjiang and the Tiananmen Square massacre and block the account of an American Muslim rights activist who criticized the CCP’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims before an outcry forced a reverse course. The concern with this algorithm is especially acute given the growing percentage of American adults who use TikTok as their news source. It is inappropriate for the CCP to curate Wisconsin government employees’ news feed. It is not unprecedented for a state governor to ban TikTok on government devices. Last week, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem issued an Executive Order banning TikTok from the South Dakota state government devices of government employees, agencies, and contractors. We strongly urge you to follow Governor Noem’s lead and examine your own legal authorities to ban TikTok from Wisconsin state government devices. We further request that you lead by example and immediately delete your own TikTok accounts. Wisconsinites expect their governor to be aware of the dangerous national security threats TikTok poses and to protect them from this avenue for CCP intelligence operations. Knowing the threats posed by CCP control of TikTok, it is irresponsible—at best—for a governor to ignore these risks and promote TikTok through his own use of the app. If you do not intend to delete your TikTok account or to ban TikTok from government devices, please respond with an explanation of your decision. Thank you for your prompt attention to this vital national security matter. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-colleagues-demand-hearing-to-investigate-biden-administration-s-inhumane-treatment-of-migrant-children,"Sen. Johnson, Colleagues Demand Hearing to Investigate Biden Administration’s Inhumane Treatment of Migrant Children",2022-12-06,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, was joined by U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) in a letter demanding Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, hold a hearing to investigate an alarming whistleblower report that claims the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is knowingly transferring unaccompanied migrant children in the custody of known criminals, including sex traffickers. “On November 29, 2022, Project Veritas released a video of its interview with Tara Lee Rodas, an employee at the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) who was formerly detailed with HHS at the Emergency Intake Site in Pomona, California,” the senators explained. Ms. Rodas made several disturbing claims about HHS and the Unaccompanied Children Program including “we know that children have been trafficked through the [Unaccompanied Children] program” and “we are paying to put children in the hands of criminals.” “With Ms. Rodas’s courageous whistleblowing, the committee can no longer continue to allow this Administration to dodge scrutiny over its inhumane border crisis. Therefore, we demand that you to hold a hearing to investigate Ms. Rodas’s claims, calling as witnesses HHS Secretary Becerra, DHS Secretary Mayorkas, and CIGIE Chair Allison Lerner,” the senators concluded. In previous hearings, where the senators pressed HHS and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for more information about human trafficking at our southern border, administration officials did not answer their questions. Sen. Johnson also wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra requesting information on the alarming whistleblower report. Read more about the letter in Fox News. A copy of the letter can be found here and below. December 5, 2022 The Honorable Gary Peters Chairman U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Dear Chairman Peters: We write in response to recently reported claims by federal employee whistleblower that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is knowingly transferring unaccompanied migrant children in the custody of criminals, including sex traffickers. This cannot be swept under the rug. Congress must immediately take action to stop the atrocities this whistleblower claims are being committed by the federal government itself. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs must call a hearing to further investigate these whistleblower claims. On November 29, 2022, Project Veritas released a video of its interview with Tara Lee Rodas, an employee at the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) who was formerly detailed with HHS at the Emergency Intake Site in Pomona, California.[2] In just a 12-minute video, Ms. Rodas asserted several disturbing claims regarding the Unaccompanied Children Program and HHS’s failure to ensure children in the program are transported to safe, non-criminal sponsors, including: “It’s just strange that HHS knows there’s a lot of children going to one area, and yet they’re not doing anything to say ‘there’s going to be a mandatory home study before we send one more child here.’” “[The Biden Administration] relaxed a lot of the stringent vetting by creating these additional field guidances, and there’s a focus on ‘move the children’ as opposed to ‘place children in safe homes.’ Right now, it is speed over safety.” “HHS does not want federal law enforcement going after their sponsors in any way.” “Our sponsors typically are not citizens; they are not permanent residents. They don’t have legal presence.” “[Most people] have no idea that children are going to unrelated people. That children are definitely—we have proof, evidence—that they are being recruited and transported. They are then in debt bondage.” “We know that children have been trafficked through the [Unaccompanied Children] program.” “Once the children are gone to the sponsor, there’s nothing we can do about it. There’s nothing that HHS can do.” “We are paying to put children in the hands of criminals.” The most reprehensible claim by Ms. Rodas occurred when she raised concerns to command center executives about placing another unaccompanied child in a questionable home. According to Ms. Rodas, someone told her, “I think you need to understand we only get sued if we keep kids in care too long. We don’t get sued by traffickers. Are you clear? We don’t get sued by traffickers.” It angers us that this Administration is more concerned about lawsuits than about protecting a child from sex slavery. We have long known that the Biden Administration’s open border policies are fueling human trafficking and child sex trafficking, as migrants repay debts to the cartels who transport them to illegally cross the border. In committee hearings and briefings, We have repeatedly pressed HHS and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for information about human trafficking across our border and continuing into our communities. However, this Administration is either unable or unwilling to answer our questions. With Ms. Rodas’s courageous whistleblowing, the committee can no longer continue to allow this Administration to dodge scrutiny over its inhumane border crisis. Therefore, we demand that you to hold a hearing to investigate Ms. Rodas’s claims, calling as witnesses HHS Secretary Becerra, DHS Secretary Mayorkas, and CIGIE Chair Allison Lerner. Thank you for your consideration in this matter. Sincerely, ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-joins-sen-daines-colleagues-in-calling-out-va-for-politicizing-veterans-healthcare,"Sen. Johnson Joins Sen. Daines, Colleagues in Calling Out VA for Politicizing Veterans’ Healthcare",2022-12-06,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and seven of their Republican colleagues in the following statement after receiving a late, inadequate response from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that failed to address the senators’ concerns with veterans’ access to community care. “Not only does this weak response show a lack of respect for Congress’ role to advocate on behalf of our constituents, including veterans, it shows that the VA under Biden has no intent to move past political differences to better serve America’s heroes or work in good faith with those of us across the aisle. Our veterans deserve better,” the senators said. In July, the senators sent a letter demanding the VA reaffirm its commitment to veterans and ensure they have access to quality health care in a timely manner. Sens. Johnson and Daines were joined on the statement and the July letter by Senators Mike Braun (R-Ind.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas). ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-leads-colleagues-in-demanding-biden-administration-stop-sending-unaccompanied-migrant-children-to-homes-with-unrelated-adults-and-criminals,Sen. Johnson Leads Colleagues in Demanding Biden Administration Stop Sending Unaccompanied Migrant Children to Homes with Unrelated Adults and Criminals,2022-12-06,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"Encourages other whistleblowers to come forward WASHINGTON – On Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee, was joined by four of his Republican colleagues in a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra demanding information related to an alarming whistleblower report that HHS is knowingly transferring unaccompanied migrant children in the custody of known criminals, including sex traffickers. The senators requested information regarding the disturbing complaint and how HHS vets sponsors of unaccompanied children. “On November 29, 2022, Project Veritas released a video of its interview with Tara Lee Rodas, an employee at the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) who was formerly detailed with HHS at the Emergency Intake Site in Pomona, California,” the senators explained. Ms. Rodas made several disturbing claims about HHS and the Unaccompanied Children Program including “we know that children have been trafficked through the [Unaccompanied Children] program” and “we are paying to put children in the hands of criminals.” “We have long known that the Biden Administration’s open border policies are fueling human trafficking and child sex trafficking, as migrants repay debts to the cartels who transport them to illegally cross the border. We have repeatedly pressed HHS and the Department of Homeland Security for information on what the federal government is doing to ensure we are not facilitating the cartels’ trafficking operations. It is infuriating that, according to Ms. Rodas, HHS is doing nothing to protect these vulnerable individuals and shows indifference in its knowledge that it hands children over to criminals for exploitation,” the senators wrote. Sen. Johnson was joined on the letter by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.). Read more about the letter in Fox News. A copy of the letter can be found here and below. December 5, 2022 The Honorable Xavier Becerra Secretary U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dear Secretary Becerra: We write concerning an alarming report by a federal employee whistleblower that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is knowingly transferring unaccompanied migrant children in the custody of criminals, including sex traffickers. If these claims are true, this is pure evil being committed by your agency. This cannot be swept under the rug; the American public must know the truth about what is happening to these victims of the Biden Administration’s inhumane open border policies. On November 29, 2022, Project Veritas released a video of its interview with Tara Lee Rodas, an employee at the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) who was formerly detailed with HHS at the Emergency Intake Site in Pomona, California.[1] In just a 12-minute video, Ms. Rodas asserted several disturbing claims regarding the Unaccompanied Children Program and HHS’s failure to ensure children in the program are transported to safe, non-criminal sponsors, including: “It’s just strange that HHS knows there’s a lot of children going to one area, and yet they’re not doing anything to say ‘there’s going to be a mandatory home study before we send one more child here.’” “[The Biden Administration] relaxed a lot of the stringent vetting by creating these additional field guidances, and there’s a focus on ‘move the children’ as opposed to ‘place children in safe homes.’ Right now, it is speed over safety.” “HHS does not want federal law enforcement going after their sponsors in any way.” “Our sponsors typically are not citizens; they are not permanent residents. They don’t have legal presence.” “[Most people] have no idea that children are going to unrelated people. That children are definitely—we have proof, evidence—that they are being recruited and transported. They are then in debt bondage.” “We know that children have been trafficked through the [Unaccompanied Children] program.” “Once the children are gone to the sponsor, there’s nothing we can do about it. There’s nothing that HHS can do.” “We are paying to put children in the hands of criminals.” The most reprehensible claim by Ms. Rodas occurred when she raised concerns to command center executives about placing another unaccompanied child in a questionable home. According to Ms. Rodas, someone told her, “I think you need to understand we only get sued if we keep kids in care too long. We don’t get sued by traffickers. Are you clear? We don’t get sued by traffickers.” Ms. Rodas encouraged HHS employees or others with knowledge of this information to come forward, and we strongly agree. We beg individuals to shed light on the extent to which the federal government may be complicit, or even providing material support, to human traffickers. We also assert to you that such information would be protected disclosures, and federal whistleblower laws prohibits any retaliation against individuals for making these disclosures, regardless of whether they are made within HHS, to the HHS Inspector General (IG), to the Government Accountability Office, to another agency or agency IG, to CIGIE, or to Congress. This includes Ms. Rodas, who believes she was retaliated against for raising concerns about the Unaccompanied Children Program. We have long known that the Biden Administration’s open border policies are fueling human trafficking and child sex trafficking, as migrants repay debts to the cartels who transport them to illegally cross the border. We have repeatedly pressed HHS and the Department of Homeland Security for information on what the federal government is doing to ensure we are not facilitating the cartels’ trafficking operations. It is infuriating that, according to Ms. Rodas, HHS is doing nothing to protect these vulnerable individuals and shows indifference in its knowledge that it hands children over to criminals for exploitation. It is unbelievable that we must write this, but it is necessary in light of Ms. Rodas’s whistleblowing: Stop sending unaccompanied children to homes with unrelated adults and criminals. We also request the following information about Ms. Rodas’s whistleblower claims: 1) Please provide specific responses to Ms. Rodas’s allegations detailed in her quotes above. 2) Please provide all guidance issued to HHS intake sites on vetting sponsors for unaccompanied children. 3) Please provide the HHS policy for when a single individual sponsors multiple unrelated unaccompanied children. 4) Please explain what information about sponsors is collected and monitored by HHS, including addresses and number of children sponsored. 5) Please provide the HHS policy for when HHS suspects or knows a sponsor provided false information or otherwise committed fraud in order to sponsor an unaccompanied child. 6) Please provide the HHS policy for when an unaccompanied child reports to HHS, an immigration court, or other government official that the sponsor is forcing the child to engage in unlawful labor practices, sexual acts, or other criminal actions. 7) Please provide the number and types of referrals HHS has made to federal, state, or local law enforcement for a sponsor providing fraudulent information to HHS, engaging in criminal activities while sponsoring an unaccompanied child, including trafficking or other offenses in which a sponsor exploited the child. Please provide this information no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 19, 2022. Please contact Brandon Palumbo in my office at brandon_palumbo@ronjohnson.senate.gov if you have any questions. Thank you for your consideration in this matter. Sincerely, ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/media-advisory-sen-johnson-to-lead-roundtable-on-covid-19-vaccine-efficacy-and-safety,*** MEDIA ADVISORY*** Sen. Johnson to Lead Roundtable on COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy and Safety,2022-12-05,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) will lead a roundtable discussion, COVID-19 Vaccines: What They Are, How They Work, and Possible Causes of Injuries, to shed light on the current state of knowledge surrounding the vaccine and the path forward. Medical experts and doctors who specialize in COVID-19 vaccine research and treatment will join Sen. Johnson at the roundtable. A livestream of the event will be available. WHAT: Roundtable discussion about the COVID-19 vaccine WHO: Senator Ron Johnson, medical experts and doctors specializing in COVID-19 WHEN: December 7, 2022 12:00 PM ET WHERE: Russell Senate Office Building, Kennedy Caucus Room 325 RSVP: Please RSVP by Wednesday, December 7 at 8:00 AM CT with name, outlet, email and phone number to press@ronjohnson.senate.gov. In addition to doctors and academicians, the Senator also invited the following federal health agency heads, the CEO’s of Pfizer and Moderna, and other individuals who have developed, promoted and led the response to COVID-19 vaccines: Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak, DDS, Ph.D., Acting Director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. John R. Raymond Sr., MD, President and CEO of Medical College of Wisconsin Dr. Albert Bourla, DVM, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer Dr. U?ur ?ahin, MD, Chief Executive Officer of BioNTech Stéphane Bancel, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna Therapeutics Dr. Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, MD, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the President Dr. Robert M. Califf, MD, MACC, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration Dr. Peter Marks, MD, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, MD, MPH, MBA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-colleagues-warn-ccp-against-violent-crackdown-on-protesters,"Sen. Johnson, Colleagues Warn CCP Against Violent Crackdown on Protesters",2022-12-02,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) in a bipartisan letter to the Chinese ambassador to the United States warning the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime of the consequences of a violent crackdown on peaceful protesters. Demonstrations have erupted across China in response to the CCP’s severe measures restricting freedoms to contain rising COVID-19 infections. “We caution the CCP in the strongest possible terms not to once again undertake a violent crackdown on peaceful Chinese protesters who simply want more freedom. If that happens, we believe there will be grave consequences for the US-China relationship, causing extraordinary damage to it,” said the senators. Senators Johnson, Sullivan and Merkley are joined on the letter by Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) John Thune (R-S.D.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Kennedy (R-La.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho). The full text of the letter can be found here and below. December 1, 2022 Ambassador Qin Gang Embassy of the People’s Republic of China Dear Ambassador Qin: We are following the current peaceful protests in China over your government’s policies very carefully. We are also closely watching the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) reaction to them. In 1989, the Chinese Communist Party and People’s Liberation Army undertook a violent crackdown on peacefully protesting Chinese students, killing hundreds, if not thousands. We caution the CCP in the strongest possible terms not to once again undertake a violent crackdown on peaceful Chinese protesters who simply want more freedom. If that happens, we believe there will be grave consequences for the US-China relationship, causing extraordinary damage to it. Sincerely, # # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tiffany-announces-winners-2022-congressional-app-challenge,Rep. Tiffany Announces Winners of the 2022 Congressional App Challenge,2022-12-01,2022,2022-12,Republican,House,WI,Thomas P. Tiffany,T000165,tiffany.house.gov,tiffany,https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WAUSAU, WI – Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) announced the winners of the 2022Congressional App Challenge (CAC) for Wisconsin's Seventh District. The CAC encourages middle and high school students to learn how to code by creating their own applications using any programming language and any platform. This year, Congressman Tiffany’s office received over fifteen submissions. “The computer science field is continuing to grow, and I am always amazed by the creativity and skills so many young students in Wisconsin's Seventh District possess,”said Congressman Tiffany. “I thank each student for their submission, the teachers who help make this competition possible, and I congratulate each winner on their outstanding work.” First Place App:Campaign Simulator By: Dagmar Beckel, Casey Haugen, and Peter Wise School: Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High School Second Place App:Daily Planner By: Touly Yang School: D.C. Everest High School Third Place App:Secret Message Encryption By: Landon Lee School: D.C. Everest High School Thefirst place app will be eligible for display at the U.S. Capitol and be featured on the House of Representatives website. Additionally, the winners will be invited to the #HouseofCode Capitol Hill Reception in the spring. Please visitCongressman Tiffany’s website for more information on the CAC.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-announces-mobile-office-hours,Sen. Johnson Announces Mobile Office Hours,2022-12-01,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) announced that his staff will be available for mobile office hours at the times and locations listed below. These office hours give constituents the opportunity to meet with Sen. Johnson’s staff to request assistance with a federal agency or other federal matters. Note: Staff-led mobile office hours are closed to press. Recording devices of any kind are not allowed. These restrictions are put in place for the privacy of our constituents. Buffalo County Office Hours Monday, December 5 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Alma City Hall 314 N. Main St., Alma, WI 54610 Pierce County Office Hours Monday, December 5 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Ellsworth Village Hall 130 N. Chestnut St., Ellsworth, WI 54011 St. Croix County Office Hours Monday, December 5 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Glenwood City Municipal Building 217 W. Oak St., Glenwood City, WI 54013 Polk County Office Hours Tuesday, December 6 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Osceola Library, Rm 105 310 Chiefton St., Osceola, WI 54020 Burnett County Office Hours Tuesday, December 6 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Grantsburg Village Hall 316 S. Brad St., Grantsburg, WI 54840 Washburn County Office Hours Tuesday, December 6 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Spooner Police Department 221 Elm St., Spooner, WI 54801 Douglas County Office Hours Tuesday, December 6 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Solon Springs Community Center 11523 S. Business Highway 53, Solon Springs, WI 54873 Bayfield County Office Hours Wednesday, December 7 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Bayfield Carnegie Library 37 N. Broad St., Bayfield, WI 54814 Iron County Office Hours Wednesday, December 7 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Hurley City Hall 501 5th Ave., Hurley, WI 54534 Lincoln County Office Hours Wednesday, December 7 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Tomahawk City Hall 23 N. 2nd St., Tomahawk, WI 54487 Sauk County Office Hours Wednesday, December 7 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Kraemer Library and Community Center 910 Main St., Plain, WI 53577 Marathon County Office Hours Thursday, December 8 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Athens Village Hall 221 Caroline St., Athens, WI 54411 Taylor County Office Hours Thursday, December 8 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Rib Lake Village Hall 655 Pearl St., Rib Lake, WI 54470 Dane County Office Hours Thursday, December 8 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Belleville Public Library 20 S. Park St., Belleville, WI 53508 Price County Office Hours Thursday, December 8 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Phillips Public Library 286 Cherry St., Phillips, WI 54555 Ashland County Office Hours Thursday, December 8 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Butternut Village Hall 301 Michigan St., Butternut, WI 54514 Sawyer County Office Hours Thursday, December 8 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Hayward City Hall 15889 W. 3rd St., Hayward, WI 54843 Barron County Office Hours Friday, December 9 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Chetek City Hall 220 Stout St., Chetek, WI 54728 Rusk County Office Hours Friday, December 9 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Ladysmith City Hall 120 W. Miner Ave., Ladysmith, WI 54848 Clark County Office Hours Friday, December 9 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Thorp City Hall 300 W. Prospect St., Thorp, WI 54771 Eau Claire County Office Hours Friday, December 9 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Fairchild Village Hall 331 Oak St., Fairchild, WI 54741 Rock County Office Hours Friday, December 9 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Beloit City Hall 100 State St., Beloit, WI 53511 Iowa County Office Hours Monday, December 12 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Cobb Village Office 501 Benson St., Cobb, WI 53526 Grant County Office Hours Monday, December 12 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Dickeyville Village Office 500 East Ave., Dickeyville, WI 53808 Chippewa County Office Hours Friday, December 16 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Lake Hallie Village Hall 13136 30th Ave., Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 Dunn County Office Hours Friday, December 16 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Wheeler Village Hall 105 W. Tower Rd., Wheeler, WI 54772 Pepin County Office Hours Friday, December 16 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Durand City Hall 104 E. Main St., Durand, WI 54736 ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/12/sen-johnson-releases-statement-on-railway-strike-negotiations,Sen. Johnson Releases Statement on Railway Strike Negotiations,2022-12-01,2022,2022-12,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Thursday, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the following statement regarding legislation to avert a possible railway strike. “It’s unfortunate that President Biden failed to get railroad management and unions to agree, and that Democrats played politics with the issue in Congress. I do not believe that Congress should be inserting itself in imposing agreements between private companies and their workforce. The proper course of action should have been to extend the ‘cooling off’ period and force both sides back to the negotiating tables while maintaining rail operations. That amendment failed, but we could not let our rail system shut down and cause incalculable harm to the American people and our economy. Ultimately, that is why I voted to keep the trains running and accept the agreement negotiated by the railroads and union leaders.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:32:05Z https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tiffany-statement-hj-res-100-and-h-con-res-119,Rep. Tiffany Statement on H.J. Res. 100 and H. Con. Res. 119,2022-11-30,2022,2022-11,Republican,House,WI,Thomas P. Tiffany,T000165,tiffany.house.gov,tiffany,https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) issued the following statement after voting no on H.J. Res. 100 and H. Con. Res. 119. “After President Biden created yet another crisis, despite saying the railroad agreement was a done deal, he shifted the responsibility to Congress to do the job he failed to broker. This is an expensive, lose-lose proposition that will stick farmers, factory workers, and families already struggling under the weight of soaring inflation with yet another costly bill. Congress should not have to clean up President Biden’s mess.”",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:24:37Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/11/sens-johnson-rand-paul-and-colleagues-stand-with-armed-forces-demand-senate-vote-on-ending-military-covid-19-vaccine-mandate,"Sens. Johnson, Rand Paul and Colleagues Stand with Armed Forces, Demand Senate Vote on Ending Military COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate",2022-11-30,2022,2022-11,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined 12 of his Republican colleagues in a letter to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Republican Whip John Thune, Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso, and Senate Republican Policy Committee Chairman Roy Blunt expressing opposition to moving forward with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023, unless the Senate votes on an amendment to prohibit discharges from the Armed Forces solely because of COVID-19 vaccination status. The amendment will also reinstate service members already discharged, with back pay. “The Department of Defense COVID-19 vaccine mandate has ruined the livelihoods of men and women who have honorably served our country…While the Department of Defense certainly must make decisions that will bolster military readiness, the effects of the mandate are antithetical to readiness of our force, and the policy must be revoked,” the Senators wrote. “The United States simply cannot afford to discharge our brave men and women in uniform and lose the investments we have made into each and every one of them due to an inept bureaucratic policy…We respectfully request that the Senate vote to remedy a policy that adversely affects our service members and our national security.” Sen. Johnson is joined on the letter by Dr. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). Senators Johnson, Paul, Rick Scott, Graham, Cruz, Lee, and others who signed the letter will host a press conference today, Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 2:00PM ET at the Ohio Clock Corridor in the Capitol. Background: As of April 2022, approximately 3,400 troops have been discharged from the military for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. While training costs vary between each service, the Army, for example estimates it spends $15,000 in recruiting costs to bring someone into the service and another $50,000 to $75,000 to prepare them to join their first unit, depending on their job. The military also faces challenges with recruitment. Military recruitment is reportedly down 23% from annual targets. Therefore, due to costs and recruiting challenges, losing thousands of troops due to their vaccination status is a readiness issue that the DOD should take seriously. You can read the full letter here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:24:37Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/11/sens-johnson-shaheen-tillis-van-hollen-release-joint-statement-urging-serbia-and-kosovo-to-continue-on-diplomatic-track-prevent-political-escalation,"Sens. Johnson, Shaheen, Tillis, Van Hollen Release Joint Statement Urging Serbia and Kosovo to Continue on Diplomatic Track & Prevent Political Escalation",2022-11-21,2022,2022-11,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"OSHKOSH – On Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, joined U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, in a joint statement with U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) after leaders of Serbia and Kosovo failed to reach a solution to resolve disagreements over the use of automobile license plates by the ethnic Serbian minority. “We are disappointed by the lack of progress in finding a diplomatic path forward between the governments of Kosovo and Serbia to resolve the impending issuance of Kosovo-issued license plates in the Serb entities of Kosovo. We are also increasingly concerned about the risk of violence and instability in the region, which puts at risk decades of hard-won peace. We support the European Union’s efforts to broker a peaceful resolution to this issue, and we encourage Prime Minister Kurti to exhaust all diplomatic avenues to reach a peaceful resolution to this issue with President Vucic. We also express our appreciation to our KFOR troops for playing an instrumental role in maintaining peace in the region,” said the Senators. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:24:37Z https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases/fitzgerald-leads-house-delegation-honoring-anniversary-waukesha-christmas,Fitzgerald Leads House Delegation in Honoring Anniversary of Waukesha Christmas Parade Attack,2022-11-17,2022,2022-11,Republican,House,WI,Scott Fitzgerald,F000471,fitzgerald.house.gov,fitzgerald,https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) issued the following statement after introducing a bipartisan House Resolution, signed by the entire Wisconsin House delegation, honoring the victims of the devastating attack on the Waukesha Christmas Parade: ""One year ago, the tragic attack on the Waukesha Christmas Parade took the lives of six individuals from our community. We will never forget that dark day, and will always remember those we lost, said Congressman Scott Fitzgerald. On this anniversary, we remember and cherish those no longer with us and pray for healing and peace for their families. Thank you to the rest of the Wisconsin House delegation for joining in honoring Virginia Sorenson, Tamara Durand, LeAnna Owen, Jane Kulich, Wilhelm Hospel, and Jackson Sparks."" Read the resolution here:",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:24:37Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/11/sen-johnson-releases-statement-on-respect-for-marriage-act,Sen. Johnson Releases Statement on Respect for Marriage Act,2022-11-16,2022,2022-11,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) released the following statement after voting against the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the Respect for Marriage Act. “The Respect for Marriage Act is unnecessary as the Obergefell decision is settled law and has no chance of being overturned. The Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization made clear no other right would be affected by its ruling. The Democrats have used this to create a state of fear over a settled issue in order to further divide Americans for their political benefit. The substitute amendment did not provide sufficient protection for those with strongly held religious beliefs and leaves a lane open for discrimination by activist groups, state governments and the IRS. Senator Lee proposed an amendment that would have prohibited the government from taking such action, and even offered to vote for the bill if they accepted it. I would have also supported the bill with his language. The fact that the bill’s sponsors rejected his offer speaks volumes. Religious liberty should be upheld for all and those with sincerely held religious beliefs should not be discriminated against for their views on marriage.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:24:37Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/11/sens-johnson-baldwin-introduce-resolution-recognizing-one-year-anniversary-of-waukesha-christmas-parade-massacre,"Sens. Johnson, Baldwin Introduce Resolution Recognizing One-Year Anniversary of Waukesha Christmas Parade Massacre",2022-11-16,2022,2022-11,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) introduced a resolution recognizing the one-year anniversary of the Waukesha Christmas Parade massacre. The resolution recognizes the resiliency and strength of the community of Waukesha, Wisconsin, and honors the six Wisconsinites who were murdered and the 62 others who were injured during the horrific attack on November 21, 2021. “The Waukesha Christmas Parade massacre was a horrific attack that never should have happened. Today, we remember those killed, injured and forever impacted by this senseless act of violence,” said Sen. Johnson. “Families who came to see Santa Claus, high school bands and the Dancing Grannies instead witnessed a horror that will leave life-long psychological scars. My thoughts and prayers are with the community of Waukesha as they continue to recover from this tragedy.” “One year ago, the Waukesha community was devastated by senseless violence during what should have been a joyous celebration,” said Senator Baldwin. “I am proud to co-lead this resolution to honor the victims, our first responders and the impacted community members as we come together to heal from this tragedy and remember those we have lost too soon.” “Whereas the Waukesha community continues to contend with the aftermath of the tragic attack and will do so for years to come; Whereas members of the Waukesha community will be stronger for having supported one another during and in the aftermath of the attack” the resolution read in part. The full text of the resolution can be found here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:24:37Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-presents-kenosha-veteran-with-wisconsin-s-first-district-2022-veteran-of-the-year,Steil Presents Kenosha Veteran with Wisconsin’s First District 2022 Veteran of the Year,2022-11-10,2022,2022-11,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"BRISTOL, WI – Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) presented Steve Tindall, a U.S. Navy Vietnam War Veteran from Kenosha, with Wisconsin’s First District 2022 Veteran of the Year award. “I am honored to present Steve Tindall with the 2022 Veteran of the Year Award. Steve was nominated for his service, dedication, and commitment to uplifting countless veterans in our community. He volunteers at countless organizations focused on supporting our veterans and has continued his service to our community following his years in the Navy. We cannot thank each of our veterans enough for their service and sacrifice to our country. I remain committed to working for each of the heroes in our community and appreciate everyone’s submissions.” Tindall served in the US Navy from 1969-1978 during the Vietnam War. He was a Fire Control Technician/Gun Fire Control Systems First Class Petty Officer, who was responsible for aiming and firing the guns on board the ships. His service has been recognized by receiving the National Defense Medal and two Good Conduct Awards. Tindall is active with the Navy Club Ship 409, American Legion, Stars and Stripes Honor Flights, Rolling Thunder Chapter 2, the Kenosha County Veteran’s Council, Hospice Alliance, Veteran’s food pantry, the Hero’s Café, Veteran Stand Downs events, Care Packages for Troops, and more. Steil also presented Wisconsin’s First District residents Michael Denko, Lawrence, Gums, and Carl Anders as finalists of the 2022 Veteran of the Year Award. Background: The First Congressional District's Veteran Advisory Board evaluated nominees by reviewing the following criteria: SERVICE: Demonstrate a commitment to service in their community. This could be through advocacy, community projects, an act of heroism, or other actions. EXCELLENCE: Provide an example of how this veteran exudes a spirit of excellence. DEDICATION: Have a dedication to supporting their fellow veterans and building bridges between veterans and our greater Southeast Wisconsin community. Nominees had to be a veteran of one of the five Armed Forces of the United States, including Reserve or National Guard, or United States Merchant Marines. All nominees had to supply a DD-214 and live within Wisconsin's First Congressional District. During Steil’s time in Congress, he has assisted countless veterans with constituent casework inquiries and introduced legislation to support Wisconsin veterans. Most recently, Steil introduced the Survivor Benefits Fairness Act to correct a survivor benefits issue at the VA and the No Veteran Falls Through the Cracks Act to support veterans mental health. For additional photos from the event, please click here.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:24:37Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-tapped-to-house-transition-team-tasked-with-restoring-the-people-s-house,"Steil Tapped to House Transition Team, Tasked with Restoring the People’s House",2022-11-10,2022,2022-11,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) will serve as a member of his transition team for the 118th Congress, established to ensure that the House of Representatives is ready to get to work for the American people on Day One. Steil’s work focuses on “Restoring the People’s House.” Under Speaker Pelosi, access to the U.S. Capitol for the general public was severely limited. One of Steil’s tasks will be to reopen the Capitol to the people it serves. The teams are: Commitment to America Implementation, led by Republican Whip Steve Scalise Oversight and Accountability, led by Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member James Comer and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jim Jordan Restoring the People’s House, led by Congressman Bryan Steil Steil released the following statement following Leader McCarthy’s announcement: “It’s past time that we re-open the People’s House. I’m committed to ensuring the House of Representatives is open and accessible to the people we are here to serve. I am eager to get to work with my colleagues on this team for a successful transition into the 118th Congress.” Leader McCarthy released the following statement on the Transition Teams for the 118th Congress: “The House Republican majority is getting right to work. These Transition Teams will ensure we hit the ground running on issues that Democrats have ignored or made worse for the American people under one-party rule, all while shutting out our fellow citizens from the People’s House. The Commitment to America details our vision for the majority and we will move to put that into action on Day One. At the same time, our committees will be prepared to immediately start holding this Administration accountable for its incompetence and abuses of power. Finally, unlike the Democrat majority over the past two years, our Republican majority will restore the people’s voice inside the People’s House. I want to thank each of these Members for their leadership and look forward to working with them over the days and weeks to come.”",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:24:37Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/11/sen-johnson-for-the-wall-street-journal-a-governing-agenda-for-senate-republicans,Sen. Johnson for the Wall Street Journal: A Governing Agenda for Senate Republicans,2022-11-10,2022,2022-11,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"OSHKOSH – On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed by U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) outlining the steps Republicans must take to restore function and fiscal sanity to Congress. Sen. Johnson proposes four pieces of legislation and argues for adopting an official legislative agenda that prioritizes securing our border, regaining energy independence, restoring fiscal sanity, easing the regulatory burden and ensuring a competitive tax environment. The full op-ed can be found here and excerpts are below. “If we gain majorities in both chambers, at a minimum we can bring greater function and regular order back to Congress. Rank-and-file members should vote only for leaders who commit to passing a budget that drives a fiscally conservative appropriation process. Ideally, we can find sufficient budget cuts and rescissions from the Democrats’ massive spending bills to produce a balanced budget. If not, the debt ceiling will have to be increased, but only with other legislation attached that will minimize the need for future increases. “I have four bills in mind: the Prevent Government Shutdown Act, the Full Faith and Credit Act, the Reins Act (an acronym for Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny) and the Reducing the Size of the Federal Government Through Attrition Act. Collectively, these bills would help control the size, scope and cost of the federal government. “Senate Republican Conference rules require us to adopt an official legislative agenda. In my 12 years in the Senate, this has never occurred. Again, members should vote only for leaders who commit to both adopting the required agenda and fully involving the conference in its development. I suggest two agendas, one for the next two years under a Democratic president, and a four-year agenda that can be adopted by Republican presidential and congressional candidates running in 2024. … “The four-year agenda would assume Republican control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. It would prioritize reversing the damage done during the Biden administration and re-establishing constitutional balance. Unlike 2017, Republicans must be fully prepared should voters give us the opportunity to govern. “The agenda items should be obvious: secure the border, regain energy independence, restore fiscal sanity, ease the regulatory burden, and ensure a competitive tax environment. … “Conservatives understand the peril the country is in. They know how difficult it will be for Republicans to work with the socialist ideologues who set the Democratic Party’s agenda. But that sympathy will have its limits, particularly if Republicans return to business as usual. We simply can’t let that happen.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:24:37Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-republicans-demand-biden-retract-false-election-fraud-claims,"Steil, Republicans Demand Biden Retract False Election Fraud Claims",2022-11-03,2022,2022-11,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01), Ranking Member on the House Administration Subcommittee on Elections, Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Rodney Davis (IL-13), and Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) slammed President Biden for his false claims about election integrity across the country, specifically in Georgia, as states have seen recording-breaking early voter turnout this election, and demanded he retract false election fraud claims. In the letter, the members write: We are writing to express our concerns with your false claims about election integrity legislation across the country. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, you have even gone as far as to say states, like Georgia, have implemented “Jim Crow 2.0” or “Jim Crow in the 21st Century”. Further, you made specific claims about the early voting provisions in Georgia’s Election Integrity Act that earned you four Pinocchio’s from the Washington Post. It is now without question that those statements have no basis in fact. In the interest of ensuring American voters may have confidence in elections processes and outcomes, we demand you immediately cease spreading election misinformation, rescind your previous statements, and apologize to the American public. Your party has made repeated and unsuccessful efforts to ram bills of questionable constitutionality through Congress that would nationalize our elections and centralize their administration in Washington, D.C. The Constitution clearly reserves to the states the primary role in determining election law and administering federal elections in this country, preserving to the Congress a federal fail-safe applicable only in extreme circumstances, none of which are applicable here. Your statements ignore Georgia’s sovereign interest in upholding its constitutional duty to maintain accurate elections, as confirmed last year by the United States Supreme Court in a major decision against the Democratic National Committee. Further, your claims of voter suppression have turned out to be completely inaccurate. As you may know, Georgia has seen record-breaking early voter turnout this election, a key factor under the ever-important Voting Rights Act of 1965 for determining whether untoward, malicious activity is occurring in elections. As of Monday, October 24, 2022, over 837,000 people had already voted in Georgia, the highest early voter turnout to date in state history. In fact, the number of Georgians who have voted early has outpaced the 2018 midterms and is at pace to exceed voter turnout for the 2020 Presidential election, both of which also saw record turnout. The surge in early voting has not been contained just to the general election: Georgia also saw record turnout in the primary election earlier this year. The high turnout numbers stand in stark contrast to the statements that you and others, like election denier and current gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, had predicted when the law was put into place. Republicans believe every eligible American voter who wants to cast a ballot must be able to do so and that those ballots must be counted according to law. Our system must make it is easy to vote but hard to cheat. Georgia shows that when common-sense election integrity provisions are put in place, people respond positively because they know their vote will be counted accurately. Every state should follow Georgia’s example to take steps to build faith in our elections. Instead of attacking key election integrity provisions, making unsubstantiated claims, and undermining the public’s trust, we urge you to work with us to ensure Americans’ confidence in our elections. We look forward to your apology to the people of the State of Georgia. To read the full text of the letter, click here.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:24:37Z https://grothman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3201,"In Defense of Religious Liberty, Grothman Adopts Two Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience",2022-10-27,2022,2022-10,Republican,House,WI,Glenn Grothman,G000576,grothman.house.gov,grothman,https://grothman.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27,scraper,"Congressman Glenn Grothman (WI-06) today announced that he has adopted Y Pum Bya and Y Yich, two Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience, through the Defending Freedoms Project of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. “Many Americans do not know the horrors of communism and the human rights abuses that happen daily in communist countries like Vietnam,” said Grothman. “The United States has a role as a leader to promote and defend religious liberty on the world stage, and that starts with denouncing the Vietnamese government for its track record of religious persecution. “The stories of Y Pum Bya and Y Yich remind us of the importance of protecting religious freedom in the United States. Nobody should be persecuted, hurt or killed because of their religious beliefs. “Religious persecution in Vietnam did not start with Protestant leader Pum Bya and pastor Yich, but it could end with their release, along with the release of all Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience and the cessation of the country’s systematic trampling of religions that threaten their communist rule. “I urge my colleagues in Congress to sponsor Prisoners of Conscience so we can shine a light on the heinous human rights abuses that take place as a result of religious persecution in places like Vietnam and around the globe.” Background Information Y Pum Bya is a Protestant leader of the Montagnard Evangelical Church of Christ (MECC), and Y Yich is a Protestant pastor of the Degar Protestant Church. They are both staunch advocates for religious freedom. On April 10, 2018, Y Pum Bya was arrested by Vietnamese authorities following allegations of “spreading false information about Vietnam's violations of minority rights and religious freedom”. While imprisoned, he was allegedly interrogated about his religious activities, tortured, and forced to sign commitments to stop worshipping. On January 31, 2019, Y Pum Bya was sentenced to 14 years in prison for “undermining national unity policy”. He remains imprisoned today. On May 13, 2013, Y Yich was arrested in Vietnam and sentenced to 12 years in prison for “undermining national unity policy,” like Y Pum Bya. Y Yich was accused of meeting with prisoners of conscience and spreading Degar Protestantism, a religious movement not approved by the Vietnamese government. Vietnamese authorities have reportedly tortured Yich in prison, leading to deteriorating health conditions, while also denying him access to medical care. Grothman is one of 36 sitting Members of Congress to adopt a Prisoner of Conscience. Learn more about the Defending Freedoms Project here. Learn more about Y Pum Bya here. Learn more about Y Yich here. Learn more about the human rights abuses in Vietnam here. -30-",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases/tiffany-renews-call-investigation-amid-new-report-bidens-top-aides-pressed,Tiffany Renews Call for Investigation Amid New Report Biden’s Top Aides Pressed for a Private Oil Deal with Saudis,2022-10-27,2022,2022-10,Republican,House,WI,Thomas P. Tiffany,T000165,tiffany.house.gov,tiffany,https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) renewed hisOctober 13th request to Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she launch a formal inquiry into troubling reports that suggest the Biden administration officials pressured the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to delay a planned cut in oil production for the sole purpose of influencing the outcome of the 2022 elections. This week, theNew York Times suggested that Biden administration efforts to pressure the Saudis may have commenced as early as this spring – when U.S. gas prices hit an all-time national high. This investigative report revealed that President Biden’s top aides“thought they had struck a secret deal to boost oil production through the end of the year – an arrangement that could have helped [President Biden] justify breaking a campaign pledge.” The article cited, “American officials and officials from Gulf Arab nations, as well as Middle East experts with knowledge of [the] discussions.” These new revelations come after Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministryreleased a statement implying that the Biden administration pressured them to“postpon[e] the OPEC+ decision for a month.” As Tiffany noted in hisprevious letter, these allegations are incredibly serious, and if true, may constitute the illegal solicitation of a foreign in-kind contribution by the White House on behalf of Democrats’ midterm campaign efforts. “If the President or any of his senior appointees actively sought to collude with a foreign government to influence the outcome of our elections, the American people deserve to know about it,”said Congressman Tiffany. “This shouldn’t be a political issue, and Congress should exercise its vigorous oversight and get to the bottom of these alarming reports as soon as possible.” Background: In the wake of these deeply disconcerting claims, as well as prior public statements by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs corroborating them, Congressman Tiffany is once again asking that Speaker Pelosi and the chairs of relevant House committees fulfill their constitutional duties and immediately: Convene hearings to determine if such calls or meetings took place, what Biden administration officials participated and what specific requests were made regarding Saudi or OPEC+ oil production by Biden administration officials. Request that the White House release the transcripts of any calls between President Biden, Vice President Harris, any cabinet official or other senior administration official and representatives of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding oil production that took place subsequent to February 1, 2022. Identify any Biden administration official who may have asked any Saudi government official to delay any oil production cut until November or later. Tiffany’s office has yet to receive a response from Speaker Pelosi on the October 13th request. The full text of the letter can be foundhere.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases/fitzgerald-issues-statement-guilty-verdict-waukesha-christmas-parade-trial,Fitzgerald Issues Statement on Guilty Verdict in Waukesha Christmas Parade Trial,2022-10-26,2022,2022-10,Republican,House,WI,Scott Fitzgerald,F000471,fitzgerald.house.gov,fitzgerald,https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) issued the following statement regarding the guilty verdict of the individual who attacked the 2021 Waukesha Christmas Parade: ""Today, the jury in the trial of the individual who attacked the Waukesha Christmas Parade, taking the lives of six innocent people, reached a guilty verdict convicting him of six counts of first-degree murder and 70 other counts, said Congressman Scott Fitzgerald. While we continue to grieve the tragic loss of life, I am grateful justice has been served. We will never forget those we lost: Virginia Sorenson, Leanna Owen, Tamara Durand, Wilhelm Hospel, Jane Kulich, and Jackson Sparks. I thank the first responders who answered the call on the evening of the attack and ask for prayer for healing and peace for the families impacted and the city of Waukesha."" ### Congressman Scott Fitzgerald was sworn in to the 117th Congress on January 3, 2021 and is proud to represent Wisconsin’s Fifth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:34:28Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-statement-on-waukesha-christmas-parade-attack-trial,Steil Statement on Waukesha Christmas Parade Attack Trial,2022-10-26,2022,2022-10,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"JANESVILLE, WI – Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) released a statement on the verdict reached in the Waukesha Christmas Parade Attack trial. “The pain families in Waukesha have suffered the past year can never be erased. Today’s decision rightfully convicts Darrell Brooks. This attack is a stark reminder of the harm soft-on-crime policies and prosecutors have in our communities. This horrific attack should never have occurred. We must implement policies that keep criminals off our streets and give law enforcement the resources needed to keep our communities safe.”",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:34:28Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/10/sen-johnson-releases-statement-on-waukesha-christmas-parade-trial,Sen. Johnson Releases Statement on Waukesha Christmas Parade Trial,2022-10-26,2022,2022-10,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"OSHKOSH – On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) released the following statement after a jury found Darrell Brooks Jr. guilty on all 76 counts – including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide – for plowing his SUV through the Waukesha Christmas Parade in November 2021. “Justice has been served for the victims and families of the Waukesha Christmas Parade massacre. I hope and pray this verdict will bring them some measure of peace and closure. “I want to thank Judge Dorow for her service and patience putting up with this murderer.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/10/sens-johnson-grassley-share-investigative-material-with-prosecutors-in-hunter-biden-criminal-probe,"Sens. Johnson, Grassley Share Investigative Material with Prosecutors in Hunter Biden Criminal Probe",2022-10-26,2022,2022-10,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"OSHKOSH – On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, shared documents and banking records obtained in the course of their multi-year investigation into the Biden family’s foreign business entanglements with the Delaware U.S. Attorney’s office, which has an ongoing criminal investigation into Hunter Biden. The production follows repeated attempts by the senators to ensure that the criminal probe is thorough and free from political interference. However, those inquiries have been ignored by U.S. Attorney David Weiss and filtered through Department of Justice (DOJ) headquarters without sufficient assurances as to the completeness of the investigation. “Today, in light of your and DOJ’s failure to respond to our legitimate congressional oversight requests and as part of our ongoing congressional investigation, we are transmitting to you over two hundred pages of records relating to the Biden family’s connections to the Chinese regime and persons connected to its military and intelligence elements,” Johnson and Grassley wrote in a letter to U.S. Attorney David Weiss. “If you are conducting a full and complete investigation, you should already possess these records. In the case that you are not and do not possess these records, we suggest that you review them in detail,” their letter continued. The letter was accompanied by 220 pages of bank records and contracts obtained by the senators, more than 100 of which have never been previously released. The letter summarizes key elements of the Biden family’s engagements with individuals linked to the Chinese communist party and Chinese intelligence services, and the financial transactions that followed. The senators previously revealed some of the material in a 2020 report, a November 2020 supplemental report and later in a series of floor speeches in March and April of this year. The production to the U.S. Attorney’s office includes previously undisclosed transactions along with copies of executed contracts and credit card agreements that the senators had previously made public. Read more about Johnson and Grassley’s letter and related documents in Fox News. A copy of the investigative materials can be found here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/10/sens-ron-johnson-jim-risch-and-colleagues-release-statement-on-sham-conviction-of-jimmy-lai,"Sens. Ron Johnson, Jim Risch and Colleagues Release Statement on Sham Conviction of Jimmy Lai",2022-10-26,2022,2022-10,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"OSHKOSH — On Tuesday, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined Ranking Member Jim Risch of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senators Ben Cardin, Bill Cassidy, Dick Durbin, Tom Cotton, Tim Kaine, Kevin Cramer, Jeff Merkley, Mike Crapo, Chris Van Hollen, Chuck Grassley, Jim Inhofe, Rick Scott, Marco Rubio and Pat Toomey to release the below joint statement following the sham trial and conviction of Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong: “Jimmy Lai is a man of integrity and character – a strong advocate for press freedom and democracy, a man of faith, a devoted husband and father, and a hardworking entrepreneur. The Chinese Communist Party is using bogus fraud charges to smear Mr. Lai’s reputation and justify an additional sham National Security Law (NSL) trial in December. “We have not forgotten the plight of Hong Kongers, Mr. Lai, and the many other political prisoners in Hong Kong. The international community is closely watching Mr. Lai’s so-called ‘fraud’ conviction and future NSL trials.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/10/media-advisory-sen-johnson-to-visit-rock-county-on-wednesday,*** MEDIA ADVISORY*** Sen. Johnson to Visit Rock County on Wednesday,2022-10-25,2022,2022-10,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"OSHKOSH – On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) will join a roundtable discussion with local business leaders in Beloit, WI. Media availability will occur following the senator’s visit. WHAT: Roundtable discussion with Beloit community and business leaders WHO: Senator Ron Johnson Beloit leaders WHEN: October 26, 2022 VISIT: 12:00 p.m. CT (Closed to press) MEDIA AVAIL: 1:15 p.m. CT WHERE: IronTek 635 3rd St. Beloit, WI 53511 RSVP: Please RSVP by Wednesday, October 26 at 9:00 AM CT with name, outlet, email and phone number to press@ronjohnson.senate.gov. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://grothman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3192,Fiscal Year 2022: Chaos at the Southern Border,2022-10-24,2022,2022-10,Republican,House,WI,Glenn Grothman,G000576,grothman.house.gov,grothman,https://grothman.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27,scraper,"Congressman Glenn Grothman (WI-06) released the following statement after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) disclosed data revealing 178,308 migrants that illegally crossed the Southern border in the month of September now remain in the United States. “Of the 227,547 illegal migrant encounters reported by CBP in September, 119,916 family units and single adults as well as approximately 8,392 unaccompanied children were released into the interior of the county,” said Grothman. “CBP also estimates there were 50,000 got-aways last month who illegally entered the country without detection of Border Patrol, adding up to a report that estimated 178,308 migrants remaining in the country. “The Department of Homeland Security can try to hide the truth from the American public by releasing these record-breaking numbers late at night over the weekend, but the American people can see the border crisis is only reaching new heights. “Since President Biden took control of the White House, there have been more than 3,800,000 encounters with illegal migrants at our Southern border, which represents the entire population of Milwaukee more than six times over. In addition, Border Patrol is estimating 600,000 got aways this fiscal year, up from their report of 365,200 in FY 2021 and 118,848 in FY 2020. “Time after time, Border Patrol agents have emphasized their frustration to me with Secretary Mayorkas and President Biden who refuse to even attempt to put an end to this devastating, unprecedented humanitarian crisis. History has already been made on this Administration’s watch, when in July, Border Patrol reported more encounters with illegal migrants than in any previous fiscal year—with three months left to go. “Leaving the door open for anyone in the world to enter our country unlawfully encourages drug smugglers and human traffickers to take advantage of our broken immigration protocols. The Biden Administration’s neglect has served as a gateway to heinous abuses against women and children at the hands of criminal drug cartels, who are generating billions in profits. “Without necessary resources from Washington, Border Patrol faces the immense challenge to detect and confiscate deadly drugs during this nonstop rush of illegal immigrants. As a result of the President’s open-border agenda, fentanyl and other lethal substances are streaming into American communities, which tragically led to over 100,000 dying by overdose last year alone. “President Biden must put the safety and security of America first by securing the border to stop the flow of illicit drugs into our country and safeguard migrants and border communities from the evils of the drug cartels. Instead, he has prioritized funding an additional 87,000 IRS agents to audit the middle-class rather than hiring thousands more CBP officers to enforce our laws and help save lives.” -30-",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/10/media-advisory-sen-johnson-to-visit-douglas-county-on-monday,*** MEDIA ADVISORY*** Sen. Johnson to Visit Douglas County on Monday,2022-10-23,2022,2022-10,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"OSHKOSH – On Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) will visit the Superior Terminal, a control point and transportation hub for Enbridge pipelines, to discuss challenges currently facing the energy industry with Enbridge leadership. Media availability will occur following the senator’s visit. WHAT: Meeting with Enbridge leadership WHO: Senator Ron Johnson Enbridge leaders WHEN: October 24, 2022 VISIT: 10:00 a.m. CT (Closed to press) MEDIA AVAIL: 10:45 a.m. CT WHERE: Enbridge Superior Terminal 2800 E. 21st St. Superior, WI 54880 NOTE: Arriving media should gather outside the front gate. RSVP: Please RSVP by Monday, October 24 at 8:30 AM CT with name, outlet, email and phone number to press@ronjohnson.senate.gov. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases/tiffany-urges-usps-reconsider-gordon-post-office-closure,Tiffany Urges USPS to Reconsider Gordon Post Office Closure,2022-10-20,2022,2022-10,Republican,House,WI,Thomas P. Tiffany,T000165,tiffany.house.gov,tiffany,https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy urging the United States Postal Service (USPS) to reconsider its decision to close the Gordon Post Office, located at 9725 E. County Road Y, Gordon, WI 54838. On October 17th, the USPS announced that it would be closing the Gordan Post Office “due to the loss of the current building lease.” As a result, the Gordon Post Office will be merging operations with the Solon Springs Post Office. This decision will require residents, including many senior citizens, to drive approximately 20 miles roundtrip to collect mail and conduct business with the postal service. Tiffany’s letter noted that, “Not only is this unacceptable, but it is unsafe during Wisconsin winters.” “Efficient access to mail delivery by the USPS is important to all Americans, especially those living in rural communities,” said Congressman Tiffany. “The USPS must reconsider its decision and find a timely solution to the Gordan Post Office closure.” The full text of the letter can be found here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:34:28Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/10/sens-johnson-peters-bipartisan-legislation-to-save-taxpayer-dollars-by-ensuring-public-buildings-use-energy-efficient-lighting-signed-into-law,"Sens. Johnson, Peters Bipartisan Legislation to Save Taxpayer Dollars by Ensuring Public Buildings Use Energy-Efficient Lighting Signed into Law",2022-10-19,2022,2022-10,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"OSHKOSH – Bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, that would help save taxpayer dollars by directing the General Services Administration (GSA) to install the most life-cycle cost effective and energy-efficient lighting in public buildings has been signed into law. “I am pleased to see the Bulb Replacement Improving Government with High-Efficiency Technology (BRIGHT) Act signed into law. Energy efficient lighting systems will save taxpayer dollars by reducing overall energy usage. This legislation will help decrease energy usage and diminish wasteful spending across the vast federal bureaucracy,” said Sen. Johnson. “Requiring federal agencies to use energy-efficient lighting will not just help reduce costs and save taxpayer dollars, but it will also ensure the government is more energy efficient. I applaud President Biden for signing this important legislation into law and will continue working to maximize long-term cost and energy savings in the federal government,” said Sen. Peters. The Bulb Replacement Improving Government with High-Efficiency Technology (BRIGHT) Act requires the GSA Administrator to ensure that public buildings are using the most life-cycle cost effective and energy-efficient technology to the extent practicable when performing normal maintenance, or altering or constructing public buildings. The law also requires GSA to issue guidance to federal agencies, and state, local and Tribal entities to further streamline efficiency and effectiveness across government. GSA previously released a series of reports that calculated that switching to LED lightbulbs would result in millions of dollars in cost-savings due to their superior lifespan and energy efficiency. Federal law does not currently require the government to maximize long-term cost and energy savings across lighting products. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:34:28Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-cola-increase-won-t-cover-pain-seniors-have-faced,Steil: COLA Increase Won’t Cover Pain Seniors Have Faced,2022-10-13,2022,2022-10,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"JANESVILLE, WI - In the wake of today’s inflation data and a year of record-high inflation fueled by excessive spending, the Social Security Administration announced a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) change of 8.7% today. Congressman Bryan Steil released the following statement: “Retirees on fixed incomes are getting squeezed by inflation. Everything costs more for our seniors today than last year. This adjustment won’t be enough to cover the pain that high costs have caused. We need to create an economy that is strong to get prices under control.”",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-presents-southeast-wisconsin-psychologist-with-2022-health-care-hero-award,Steil Presents Southeast Wisconsin Psychologist with 2022 Health Care Hero Award,2022-10-13,2022,2022-10,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"KENOSHA, WI –Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) presented Dr. Katherine Flynn, a Racine resident, with the 2022 Health Care Worker of the Year Award at Aurora Health in Kenosha. Dr. Flynn’s nomination noted her extensive work during her career helping veterans and cancer patients with mental health services. She works through the weekend to ensure she is not rushing her patients and gives them the time and attention they need and deserve. “Dr. Flynn has put her patient’s mental health first. Through her hard work, she ensures patients receive the time and attention they need. Protecting our nation’s mental health remains a top priority of mine. I am proud to present her with the 2022 Health Care Worker of the Year Award for her dedication and service to others.” Background: Recipients of this award were nominated by local Wisconsin citizens and selected by Wisconsin’s First Congressional District’s Health Care Advisory Board. The Health Care Advisory Board is comprised of health care professionals across Southeast Wisconsin. The Health Care Advisory Board evaluated nominees on the following criteria: SERVICE: Displays exemplary service and performance in their profession DEDICATION: Goes above and beyond the call of duty in performing their responsibilities SELFLESSNESS: Displays self-sacrifice and selflessness in caring for others Congressman Bryan Steil has supported legislation to expand access to telehealth mental health services and introduced legislation to ensure the VA follows up with veterans who cancel their mental health appointments. During his time in Congress, Steil has hosted a roundtable focused on children’s mental health and sent letters to the CDC regarding suicide rates and protecting our youth’s mental health.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases/tiffany-calls-investigation-amid-reports-white-house-pressed-saudis-delay-oil,Tiffany Calls for Investigation Amid Reports White House Pressed Saudis to Delay Oil Cut,2022-10-13,2022,2022-10,Republican,House,WI,Thomas P. Tiffany,T000165,tiffany.house.gov,tiffany,https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking for a formal investigation in the wake of news reports – and an official statement from the Saudi government – suggesting that the Biden administration pressured the Kingdom to delay a planned cut in oil production to affect the outcome of the 2022 U.S. election. Yesterday, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry released a statement implying that the Biden administration pressured them to “postpon[e] the OPEC+ decision for a month.” Tiffany noted that if the reports are true, the White House’s actions “may very well constitute an illegal solicitation of a foreign in-kind contribution by the White House on behalf of Democrats’ midterm campaign efforts.” “These are very serious allegations, and if the Biden administration did, in fact, attempt to coordinate with a foreign government to influence the U.S. election, that’s something the American people deserve to know,” said Congressman Tom Tiffany. “Speaker Pelosi and Congress have a responsibility to get to the bottom of these deeply troubling reports as soon as possible.” Background: Specifically, Congressman Tiffany’s letter to Speaker Pelosi requested that she and the chairs of relevant House committees fulfill their constitutional duties and immediately: Convene hearings to determine if such calls took place and what specific requests were made regarding Saudi or OPEC+ oil production by Biden administration officials. Request that the White House release the transcript of any calls between President Biden, Vice President Harris, any cabinet official or other senior administration official and representatives of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding oil production that took place in the last 30 days. Identify any Biden administration official who may have asked any Saudi government official to delay any oil production cut until November or later. The full text of the letter can be foundhere.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-steil-sen-johnson-introduce-bill-to-designate-unique-zip-codes-for-wisconsin-communities,"Rep. Steil, Sen. Johnson Introduce Bill to Designate Unique Zip Codes for Wisconsin Communities",2022-10-12,2022,2022-10,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"JANESVILLE, WI – On Tuesday, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) introduced legislation to designate single, unique zip codes for three Wisconsin communities – Somers, Mount Pleasant and Caledonia – to ensure all residents of the same community fall under a single zip code. Residents of these communities currently face challenges with delayed mail delivery, increased cost of insurance and confusion surrounding school districts and property value. This legislation will alleviate the unnecessary complications caused by varying zip codes. “After hearing from residents and community leaders in Racine and Kenosha County about their frustrations with mail delivery mix-ups caused by outdated ZIP code boundaries, I was pleased to work with Sen. Johnson to help,” said Rep. Steil. “This common-sense legislation instructs USPS to simplify and modernize these boundaries, saving many Southeast Wisconsin residents from needless headaches.” “This bill will guarantee that Wisconsinites in Somers, Mount Pleasant and Caledonia are accurately represented by a zip code unique to their community and won’t face heightened insurance premiums. I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to quickly consider and pass this common sense legislation,” said Sen. Johnson. The full text of the bill can be found here.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/10/sen-johnson-joins-sen-cruz-colleagues-to-condemn-doj-attempts-to-silence-dissent-about-gender-reassignment-surgeries-for-minors,"Sen. Johnson Joins Sen. Cruz, Colleagues to Condemn DOJ Attempts to Silence Dissent About Gender Reassignment Surgeries for Minors",2022-10-12,2022,2022-10,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"Demand DOJ Communications with American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, Children’s Hospital Association, and any of their representatives OSHKOSH – On Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and three of their Republican colleagues in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland condemning the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) patterned abuse of investigative authority to police the speech of Americans and stifle the ongoing policy debate over whether minors should receive experimental gender reassignment procedures. The senators also demanded any and all communications by Garland or any other DOJ employee with the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, and/or Children’s Hospital Association or any of their representatives about this issue, in order to conduct congressional oversight and hold accountable everyone responsible for this outrageous policy. “If there is a bedrock principle in American self-governance, it is that the federal government has no place in quashing or criminalizing civic discourse. The issue of how best to treat minors struggling with their gender dysphoria is the subject of ongoing and emotional debate, which Americans have a protected First Amendment right to fully engage in. The strength of our democracy is dependent on the ability of all citizens to peacefully participate in public debate without fear of persecution from your agency or any other,” said the senators. “We call upon you to reaffirm that you will faithfully protect the First Amendment rights of all Americans to peacefully debate this and all other policy questions, irrespective of viewpoint. The weaponization of federal law enforcement agencies like the DOJ, in order to produce preferred policy outcomes, cannot continue – our democracy depends on it,” the senators concluded. Sens. Johnson and Cruz are joined on the release by Senators Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). Read more about the letter in Fox News. The full text of the letter can be found here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/10/sen-johnson-rep-steil-introduce-bill-to-designate-unique-zip-codes-for-wisconsin-communities,"Sen. Johnson, Rep. Steil Introduce Bill to Designate Unique Zip Codes for Wisconsin Communities",2022-10-12,2022,2022-10,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"OSHKOSH – On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) introduced legislation to designate single, unique zip codes for three Wisconsin communities – Somers, Mount Pleasant and Caledonia – to ensure all residents of the same community fall under a single zip code. Residents of these communities currently face challenges with delayed mail delivery, increased cost of insurance and confusion surrounding school districts and property value. This legislation will alleviate the unnecessary complications caused by varying zip codes. “This bill will guarantee that Wisconsinites in Somers, Mount Pleasant and Caledonia are accurately represented by a zip code unique to their community and won’t face heightened insurance premiums. I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to quickly consider and pass this common sense legislation,” said Sen. Johnson. “After hearing from residents and community leaders in Racine and Kenosha County about their frustrations with mail delivery mix-ups caused by outdated ZIP code boundaries, I was pleased to work with Sen. Johnson to help. This common-sense legislation instructs USPS to simplify and modernize these boundaries, saving many Southeast Wisconsin residents from needless headaches,” said Rep. Steil. The full text of the bill can be found here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases/column-americans-retirement-savings-are-jeopardy,Column: Americans’ Retirement Savings are in Jeopardy,2022-10-07,2022,2022-10,Republican,House,WI,Scott Fitzgerald,F000471,fitzgerald.house.gov,fitzgerald,https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"By Congressman Scott Fitzgerald It’s no secret the U.S. economy is in a fragile state. Record spending and overregulation here at home are fueling inflation, and coupled with destabilized global trade, have pushed our economy into a state of recession. In response to record inflation, the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates to slow demand and cool the economy. This, in combination with other policies from Washington, has cast the financial markets into turmoil and since the beginning of the year, stock market losses have erased $9 trillion from Americans’ wealth. For individuals in retirement or on the cusp of it they will need to reevaluate their savings to see if they can still maintain their standard of living after this enormous drop. You may wonder, what can be done to prepare or reverse the troubling course our economy is on? There are a million different answers to that question, but it boils down to American resiliency. If our leaders in Washington had the sense to utilize pro-growth policies to recover from the pandemic instead of assuming that record spending will lead us out of this mess, we would have more tools to turn to right now. Shortsighted policies from the Biden Administration, like overregulating American energy, have crippled that industry, just when we need them most to reduce gas prices in both in Europe and here at home. Much of Americans’ prosperity relies on well-functioning and reliable financial markets. The fact that the top financial leaders in our country are openly pessimistic about current projections is troubling. We may be in for a tough period of delayed retirements, fewer purchases, slower career growth, and increased personal debt or bankruptcy.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/10/sen-johnson-announces-mobile-office-hours,Sen. Johnson Announces Mobile Office Hours,2022-10-06,2022,2022-10,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) announced that his staff will be available for mobile office hours at the times and locations listed below. These office hours give constituents the opportunity to meet with Sen. Johnson’s staff to request assistance with a federal agency or other federal matters. Note: Staff-led mobile office hours are closed to press. Recording devices of any kind are not allowed. These restrictions are put in place for the privacy of our constituents. Waushara County Office Hours Wednesday, October 12 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Wild Rose Community Center 305 Division St., Wild Rose, WI 54984 Marquette County Office Hours Wednesday, October 12 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Montello Public Library 128 Lake St., Montello, WI 53949 Green Lake County Office Hours Wednesday, October 12 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Berlin Public Library 121 W. Park Ave., Berlin, WI 54923 Winnebago County Office Hours Wednesday, October 12 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Elisha D. Smith Public Library, Gegan Room 440 1st St., Menahsa, WI 54952 Fond du Lac County Office Hours Thursday, October 13 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Fond du Lac Public Library, Seefeld Room 32 Sheboygan St., Fond du Lac, WI 54935 Sheboygan County Office Hours Thursday, October 13 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Sheboygan Falls Memorial Library 330 Buffalo St., Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085 Washington County Office Hours Thursday, October 13 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Jack Russell Memorial Library, Conference Room 100 Park Ave., Hartford, WI 53027 Dodge County Office Hours Thursday, October 13 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Iron Ridge Public Library 205 Park St., Iron Ridge, WI 53035 ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:20:33Z https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases/fitzgerald-issues-statement-partisan-funding-bill,Fitzgerald Issues Statement on Partisan Funding Bill,2022-09-30,2022,2022-09,Republican,House,WI,Scott Fitzgerald,F000471,fitzgerald.house.gov,fitzgerald,https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) issued the following statement after voting “NO” on the stopgap funding bill: ""Today, Democrats put forward H.R. 6833 the FY23 Continuing Resolution, which was drafted without input from Republicans whatsoever. Our nation faces serious challenges related to our government funding priorities including a recession, persistent inflation, record energy costs, and an unaddressed border crisis, but none of those issues are really addressed in this legislation. Instead, this bill kicks the can down the road to December on those important issues while at the same time increasing taxes and spending billions. Our government funding bills should take steps to reduce the deficit, eliminate waste, and address the current issues most important to Americans. Those are the kind of changes we need to make if we want to get the nation’s fiscal house in order and tamp down the economic challenges we face, said Congressman Fitzgerald."" BACKGROUND H.R. 6833 would extend discretionary government funding levels for FY22 through December 16th, 2022, subject to some anomalies. Current funding was set to expire after September 30, 2022.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sen-johnson-joins-sen-barrasso-colleagues-in-legislation-to-end-china-s-unfair-advantage,"Sen. Johnson Joins Sen. Barrasso, Colleagues in Legislation to End China’s Unfair Advantage",2022-09-30,2022,2022-09,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and six of their Republican colleagues in introducing the Ending China’s Unfair Advantage Act to end American taxpayer handouts to China. This legislation prohibits the United States from funding the Montreal Protocol, a United Nations treaty, until China is no longer treated as a developing country. Currently, China is defined as a developing nation under the Montreal Protocol. This allows China to abide by a different set of rules and access funding – including American taxpayer dollars – from the Protocol’s multilateral fund. Background: Under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, developing countries are eligible for financial assistance through a special multilateral fund. The U.S. is the largest contributor to the fund, having provided almost $1 billion to date. China has received nearly $1.4 billion from this multilateral fund over the years due to their “developing country” status. China is given a decade longer than the United States to reduce hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Kigali Amendment. The U.S. is required to phase down production and consumption of HFCs by 85 percent by 2036, and China has until 2045 to reduce HFCs by 80 percent. Sens. Johnson and Barrasso are joined on the legislation by Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas). ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases/fitzgerald-calls-investigation-local-business-ip-theft-chinese-corporation,Fitzgerald Calls for Investigation into Local Business IP Theft by Chinese Corporation,2022-09-29,2022,2022-09,Republican,House,WI,Scott Fitzgerald,F000471,fitzgerald.house.gov,fitzgerald,https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) sent bipartisan letters to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regarding stolen intellectual property of Raffel Systems, a Germantown manufacturer, by Chinese corporation Man Wah Holdings. A product patent of Raffel Systems was disregarded, and their name was used in the production of faulty knockoff items to be sold in the United States, stealing business, and damaging the public reputation of the brand. The letters call for federal agencies to further investigate this malicious behavior. ""Chinese corporations have long engaged in IP theft of American companies to get a global competitive advantage. Without regard for the impact of their actions, Man Wah Holdings stole business from a small, Wisconsin company and purposely worked to injure their business, said Rep. Scott Fitzgerald. China’s theft of United States intellectual property is an urgent concern that is estimated to cost the United States economy up to $600 billion annually."" “We are grateful that Senator Baldwin, Representative Fitzgerald and Representative Grothman recognize the importance of protecting intellectual property and for working to hold Man Wah accountable for its unfair, anti-competitive behavior, said Raffel Systems Executive Chairman Paul Stangl. We hope the federal agencies will investigate this matter and put a stop to Man Wah’s disregard for proprietary technology.” Read the letters here: FTC, ITC, CPSC",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases/fitzgerald-introduces-ftc-commissioner-parity-act,Fitzgerald Introduces the FTC Commissioner Parity Act,2022-09-29,2022,2022-09,Republican,House,WI,Scott Fitzgerald,F000471,fitzgerald.house.gov,fitzgerald,https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) introduced the FTC Commissioner Parity Act. This legislation aligns the FTC with every other federal regulatory commission by establishing firm limits on commissioners’ tenures. “Under President Biden, the FTC has abused its power and commissioners have become unaccountable. This bill erects guardrails, limiting such abuse and reaffirms Congressional oversight of the agency, said Congressman Scott Fitzgerald."" View the bill here: Background: Unlike every other multi-member regulatory commission, such as the SEC, CFTC, and FCC, commissioners on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has no limit on the time they may serve past the expiration of their term. Since the start of the Biden Administration, the FTC has been an activist regulator. The agency’s continued refusal to grant early terminations of the waiting period for mergers that pose no threat to competition; moves to diminish the role of minority Commissioners; allowing public input only after the Commission has voted on the issues at hand; and the agency’s preparation to issue second requests unless the merging parties convince it not do so, a “guilty-until-proven-innocent” approach to law enforcement all serve to undermine the rule of law. Additionally, FTC Chair Lina Khan has utilized former commissioner, Rohit Chopra's vacant position to cast votes in his place (also known as ""zombie votes"") on more than 20 policy statements, cases and potential rule-makings. Cosponsors: Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-04), Rep. Darrell Issa (CA-50), and Louie Gohmert (TX-01)",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases/tiffany-introduces-legislation-require-oil-and-gas-permitting-and-leasing,Tiffany Introduces Legislation to Require Oil and Gas Permitting and Leasing Oversight,2022-09-29,2022,2022-09,Republican,House,WI,Thomas P. Tiffany,T000165,tiffany.house.gov,tiffany,https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07), joined by House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (AR-04), introduced theDirecting Responsibility to Interior for Leases and Licenses Act, also known as theDRILL Act, to require the Department of Interior (DOI) to publish information online and report to Congress regarding the processing of onshore and offshore drilling and exploration permits, the status of federal leases, and usage of applications for permits to drill (APD) fees. TheDRILL Act would also require the DOI and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to submit a yearly report to Congress detailing staffing capacity and planning to ensure the timely processing of permits and planning for lease sales. Congressman Tom Tiffany stated, “At a time when energy prices are at record highs, President Biden’s Department of Interior is sitting on over 4,000 applications for permits to drill. This is unacceptable, and it’s why I introduced the DRILL Act to provide transparency on where these permits and leases stand, hold Washington bureaucrats accountable, and ensure they are carrying out their jobs in a timely manner – just as working Americans must do every single day.” Ranking Member Bruce Westerman said, “Part of the Republican commitment to America is robust oversight of our federal agencies. Congressman Tiffany’s legislation would do just that, requiring DOI to report to Congress on the status of federal leases, onshore and offshore drilling permits, usage of APD fees, and more. We’ve had enough of the Biden administration’s haphazard policies and murky deals. American industries deserve a process that’s above board, and I’m honored to put our words into action through this legislation.” Background: Soon after taking office, President Biden issued anExecutive Order suspending new oil and gas lease sales on federal onshore lands and offshore waters. In May of this year, he also announced that his administration would no longer hold court-ordered offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska. As of July, the DOI was sitting on over4,300 pending applications for permits to drill. TheDRILL Act would provide much-needed oversight of the oil and gas permitting and leasing processes to ensure the timely processing of permits and planning for lease sales. The full text of theDRILL Act can be foundhere. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/senate-democrats-block-sen-johnson-s-effort-to-pass-legislation-combatting-opioid-epidemic,Senate Democrats Block Sen. Johnson’s Effort to Pass Legislation Combatting Opioid Epidemic,2022-09-29,2022,2022-09,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson delivered remarks on the Senate floor about the Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues (SOFA) Act. This legislation would give law enforcement enhanced tools to combat the opioid epidemic by allowing the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to class schedule fentanyl related substances as Schedule 1 under the Controlled Substance Act. Sen. Ron Johnson previously introduced SOFA in 2017, 2019 and 2021. In 2018, the DEA enacted SOFA through a two-year temporary scheduling order. Congress has extended the order six times, and President Biden has signed five of those extensions into law. DEA Administrator Anne Milgram has described the permanent scheduling of fentanyl related substances as “critical to the health and safety of our communities” and a “vital tool to combat overdose deaths in the United States.” While the SOFA regulation was in effect for one year, law enforcement across the country experienced a 90% decrease in encounters with fentanyl related substances. Unfortunately, the current extension is set to expire at the end of 2022, during the largest border crisis in our nation’s history. Following Sen. Johnson’s remarks, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) incorrectly argued that researching fentanyl-related substances would be impossible under SOFA. In fact, there is a framework in place to conduct research on Schedule 1 drugs with DEA approval. Since the SOFA regulation was enacted in 2018, the DEA has approved all 28 applications for research on fentanyl related substances. Sen. Johnson asked his colleagues in the Senate to pass SOFA by unanimous consent to reduce the number of fentanyl overdose deaths. Sen. Johnson’s full remarks on the Senate floor can be found here and highlights are below. On the Background of the SOFA Act “Mr. President, I rise today to tell a story of one family's tragedy, but also of two wonderful people who turned that tragedy into helping others and finding solutions. On May 15, 2014, a 19 year old Wisconsinite named Archie Badura died of a fentanyl overdose. Two years later, I met his mother, Lauri Badura who testified before a field hearing I held in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, together with the emergency room doctor named Dr. Tim Westlake. He testified about the growing problem that he was seeing in his emergency room with overdoses and in particular, overdoses with, I think, a drug that we all heard was somewhat new- fentanyl, a schedule two drug, one used in medicine, but one that had been altered. … “The reason I called it the SOFA Act, and that stands for stopping overdoses of fentanyl analogs, because Laurie Badura, who lost her 19 year old son, turned her tragedy into helping others. She was the go to person for other families who also lost a loved one through overdoses, and she started an organization called Saving Others for Archie. The acronym was SOFA.” On the Importance of the SOFA Act “So on July 13, 2017, I introduced SOFA for the first time here in the United States Senate. On November 9, 2017, because of Tim Westlake and Lauri Badura’s tireless effort, a state piece of legislation, the SOFA equivalent, was signed into law in Wisconsin. And basically what this law does - it’s a pretty simple law - it just allows law enforcement, the DEA, to view these fentanyl-related substances as a class under Schedule One of the Controlled Substance Act. “Prior to this bill, prior to these regulations, law enforcement had to view each new molecule, each new analog as a separate drug. And they could not arrest, they couldn't prosecute, they couldn't put people in jail for selling these and poisoning our cities. Dr. Tim Westlake recognized that problem. I recognize that problem. And so we introduced the SOFA Act, and once DEA saw it, they thought this is a pretty good idea, and they utilized their regulatory authority and passed a regulation on February 6, 2018. They issued a temporary scheduling order that placed, “certain fentanyl related substances in Schedule I for two years.” The text of that regulation was identical to the text of the SOFA Law that I had introduced earlier in 2017. Now, unfortunately, they could only issue that regulation, have it in effect for two years.” On the Administrative and Congressional Support of the SOFA Act “So as it was about ready to run out, Congress extended that regulation in an act of Congress, and we've extended it six times. President Biden has signed that extension five times. But the problem is the extension of that regulation runs out on December 31st of this year. Now, the Biden administration, I think it's important to understand that in its 2021 budget proposal, called for a class wide fentanyl scheduling. “DEA administrator Anne Milgram said: “The permanent scheduling of all fentanyl-related substances is critical to the safety and health of our communities.” She added: “Class wide scheduling provides a vital tool to combat overdose deaths in the United States.” Now, why have we extended this regulation six times? There's no need to it, we could pass the law. Which we've tried to do a number of times, but the reason we keep extending it is because it's worked. It's helped stop the flow of these precursor chemicals coming out of China. China's actually cracked down on these analogs within China. So the regulation worked. The SOFA act is vital, according to Anne Milgram. “Something else I want to point out about the SOFA Act is in an almost unprecedented, this is very rare, in 2018, all 50 states’ attorney generals, plus the attorney general from the District of Columbia, including current HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, who was an attorney general for California at the time, signed a letter to congressional leadership urging the Congress act expeditiously and pass the SOFA Act.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-calls-on-dhs-and-cbp-to-fulfill-agencies-mission-and-secure-border,Steil Calls On DHS and CBP to Fulfill Agencies’ Mission and Secure Border,2022-09-28,2022,2022-09,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) wrote U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus expressing frustration at the agencies’ failure to fulfill their mission and protect the U.S. southern border. “Our border is not secure. We have a humanitarian crisis and a drug trafficking crisis along our border. There have been over 1.9 million illegal border crossings this Fiscal Year and a more than a 1,000% increase in fentanyl seizures. In order to keep our communities safe, we need to ensure DHS and CBP are fulfilling their mission. We need to hold Secretary Mayorkas and Commissioner Magnus accountable and protect our national security.” Background: Steil was joined by Reps. Tim Walberg, Maria Salazar, Pete Stauber, Doug Lamborn, Dan Meuser, Richard Hudson, Ben Cline, Tracey Mann, and John Moolenaar, To read the full text of the letter, click here.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-passes-bill-to-hold-biden-administration-accountable,Steil Passes Bill to Hold Biden Administration Accountable,2022-09-28,2022,2022-09,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) announced his legislation to increase transparency of U.S. sanctions on foreign adversaries passed the House unanimously. “We need a government that’s accountable, especially when it comes to dealing with rogue nations like Iran and Russia. Time and again, the Biden Administration has skirted Congress, weakening the United States credibility on the world stage. This bill ensures the Executive Branch must tell Congress if it will be waiving any sanctions that let our enemies use our financial system. Sanctions are a critical tool in our toolkit and we need to keep them viable.” Steil led debate on the legislation on the House Floor. To watch the clip, click here. Background: H.R. 2710, the Banking Transparency for Sanctioned Persons Act requires the U.S. Treasury Department to regularly report to Congress any sanctions waivers provided to allow transactions between financial institutions and targeted individuals while also supporting the use of these licenses for humanitarian purposes. The Treasury Department routinely issues general and specific licenses to permit transactions that may involve sanctioned individuals. These licenses typically allow for the facilitation of trade in humanitarian (e.g. medicines and medical devices) and agricultural (e.g. food and farming supplies) goods. Members of both parties support the use of these licenses for humanitarian purposes, and the House has previously voted to pass legislation to improve transparency over the license-granting process. Congress should continue to improve the transparency of the license process to ensure that the Executive Branch’s foreign policy actions align with Congressional intent. This is the second bill Steil has introduced that has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and the third sanctions-related bill introduced by Steil in the 117th Congress. Additional sanctions bills include H.R. 733, the Stop Evasion of Iran Sanctions Act which prevents those trying to avoid U.S. sanctions against the Iranian regime by using a mechanism known as INSTEX and H.R. 901, the No Sanctions Relief for Terrorists Act which prevents the administration from providing sanctions relief to individuals and entities in Iran sanctioned for terrorism unless the President could certify to Congress that Iran was no longer sponsoring terrorism. Steil is a member of the House Financial Services Committee and serves on the Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets. The legislation passed the House by unanimous consent. To read the full text of the bill, click here.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sens-johnson-grassley-expose-wrongful-fbi-retaliation-against-patriotic-whistleblower-who-revealed-breaches-of-policy-and-protocol,"Sens. Johnson, Grassley Expose Wrongful FBI Retaliation Against Patriotic Whistleblower Who Revealed Breaches of Policy and Protocol",2022-09-27,2022,2022-09,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray revealing new whistleblower allegations that FBI policy and protocol were breached in active domestic terrorism investigations and assessments relating to January 6, 2021. “Acts of violence that took place on January 6 are reprehensible and must never happen again. It is imperative that the Justice Department and FBI perform their investigative activity by the book in order to maintain investigative integrity and credibility,” the senators wrote. After the whistleblower brought his concerns about the policy and protocol breaches to his FBI supervisors and refused to participate in activities he believed were against procedure, FBI leadership retaliated by suspending his pay and security clearance. “The alleged actions by FBI senior leadership are unacceptable and send exactly the wrong message. The FBI should never suspend security clearances as a form of punishment or to retaliate against patriotic whistleblowers for stepping forward to report potential wrongdoing,” the senators continued. Sens. Johnson and Grassley are calling on the FBI to immediately cease the disciplinary actions it is taking to punish the whistleblower activity. Read more about the letter in the New York Post. The full text of the letter can be found here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sen-johnson-and-dr-pierre-kory-for-fox-news-california-gov-newsom-must-not-declare-war-on-doctors-over-so-called-medical-misinformation,Sen. Johnson and Dr. Pierre Kory for Fox News: California Gov. Newsom Must Not Declare War on Doctors Over So-Called Medical ‘Misinformation’,2022-09-26,2022,2022-09,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"OSHKOSH – On Monday, Fox News published an op-ed by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Dr. Pierre Kory exposing California legislation that if signed into law would allow the Medical Board of California to revoke a doctor’s license to practice medicine for expressing an opinion contradictory to ""contemporary scientific consensus."" After two years of flip-flopping “scientific consensus” around COVID-19, Sen. Johnson and Dr. Kory argue that “society should be encouraging people to come forward with promising new ideas, not threatening to strip their livelihood.” The full op-ed can be found here and excerpts are below. “President Joe Biden may have declared the pandemic ‘over,’ but someone needs to tell the state of California. A bill sitting on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk would levy career-ending penalties on doctors deemed guilty of spreading so-called ‘misinformation’ related to COVID-19. If enacted, this law has the potential to destroy the medical profession and stifle innovation from coast to coast. “The bill in question, AB 2098, would allow the Medical Board of California to revoke a doctor’s license to practice medicine in the state for expressing an opinion ‘contradicted by contemporary scientific consensus contrary to the standard of care.’ The problem is that ‘contemporary scientific consensus’ has fluctuated wildly over the past two years. … “By enacting a law that forces medicals professionals to follow ‘contemporary scientific consensus,’ California is effectively saying it has all the answers in the world. Nothing could be further from the truth. While we in the United States are vaccinating toddlers, Denmark has restricted anyone under 30 from receiving the Moderna vaccine and no longer recommends COVID-19 vaccination to low-risk individuals under 50. If a well-meaning Californian did not want to subject themselves or their child to an mRNA vaccine, they would face an unpleasant choice between falling for ‘misinformation’ or moving to Denmark. “Medical knowledge never stops evolving. It is constantly shaped by emerging data and trends. No single doctor – or politician – has a monopoly on good ideas. Society should be encouraging people to come forward with promising new ideas, not threatening to strip their livelihood. “In 1983, Senator Johnson’s infant daughter had corrective surgery at the age of eight months for a serious congenital heart defect. Her life was saved because doctors had the ability to improve open-heart surgical techniques and procedures by practicing medicine. The California law would severely limit future medical advancements like this. … “What happens in California does not stay in California. Newsom can kill this terrible bill and prevent a hostile takeover of medicine by oppressive government censors. Let’s hope he does the right thing.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sens-johnson-grassley-demand-explanation-for-fbi-s-reliance-on-debunked-anti-trump-dossier-sub-source-who-sought-to-traffic-classified-information,"Sens. Johnson, Grassley Demand Explanation for FBI’s Reliance on Debunked Anti-Trump Dossier Sub-Source Who Sought to Traffic Classified Information",2022-09-26,2022,2022-09,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray demanding an explanation for why Igor Danchenko, an anti-Trump dossier sub-source who sought to traffic classified information, was placed on payroll and paid by the taxpayer to assist in the federal government’s flawed investigation into President Trump. Before Danchenko became the dossier’s primary sub-source, the FBI considered him a counterintelligence threat. Danchenko’s background includes interactions with Russian intelligence services and offers to procure and sell U.S. government secrets. “This extraordinary fact pattern requires additional information from the Justice Department and FBI relating to why Danchenko was placed on the payroll and paid by the taxpayer to assist in the federal government’s flawed investigation into President Trump,” the senators wrote. Since 2016, Sens. Johnson, Grassley and others have raised a number of concerns about Crossfire Hurricane given its reliance on unverified – and now debunked – allegations from dubious sources who were paid by the Hillary Clinton Campaign and Democratic National Committee. Johnson and Grassley are seeking all FBI and Justice Department records related to government payments to Danchenko, the counterintelligence concerns he posed and the FBI’s decision to rely on him. Read more about the letter in Fox News. The full text of the letter can be found here and below. September 21, 2022 The Honorable Merrick Garland Attorney General Department of Justice The Honorable Christopher Wray Director Federal Bureau of Investigation Dear Attorney General Garland and Director Wray: On September 2, 2022, Special Counsel John Durham filed a motion in limine with respect to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) case against Igor Danchenko, Christopher Steele’s primary sub-source, for lying to federal investigators.[1] In that motion, Special Counsel Durham noted that, “[i]n March 2017, the [Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)] signed [Danchenko] up as a paid confidential human source of the FBI. The FBI terminated its source relationship with the defendant in October 2020.”[2] As you are aware, in May 2009, the FBI opened a preliminary investigation into Danchenko based on his reported attempts to facilitate payment for classified information. Specifically, a declassified summary of the investigation noted that Danchenko approached several individuals at a work-related event in 2008 and “indicated that if the two individuals at the table ‘did get a job in the government and had access to classified information’ and ‘wanted to make a little extra money,’” Danchenko knew individuals who they could speak to.[3] The summary further stated that an individual interviewed by the FBI expressed the possibility that Danchenko could be “a Russian spy.”[4] The preliminary investigation then proceeded to a full investigation because Danchenko was identified as an associate of two FBI counterintelligence subjects.[5] The FBI also determined that Danchenko had contact in 2006 with the Russian Embassy and known Russian intelligence officers.[6] The FBI also learned that during the course of Danchenko’s contacts with Russian intelligence officers, he appeared to be involved in the transmission of Russian documents at the request of a Russian Intelligence Officer.[7] In December 2016, the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane team identified Danchenko as Steele’s primary sub-source and, according to the FBI, “became familiar with the 2009 investigation.”[8] The FBI, even in light of the extensive derogatory information attached to Danchenko, proceeded to pay him as a confidential human source three months later from March 2017 to October 2020 as part of Crossfire Hurricane. Therefore, while we were investigating the Justice Department’s and FBI’s misconduct with respect to Crossfire Hurricane, you maintained him on the government’s payroll. This extraordinary fact pattern requires additional information from the Justice Department and FBI relating to why Danchenko was placed on the payroll and paid by the taxpayer to assist in the federal government’s flawed investigation into President Trump. Accordingly, no later than October 22, 2022, please provide all records relating to government payments made to Danchenko, the counterintelligence investigation into him and his later hiring.[9] Sincerely, ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-joins-commitment-to-america-launch-with-house-gop-leadership,Steil Joins Commitment to America Launch with House GOP Leadership,2022-09-23,2022,2022-09,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"CHARLEROI, PA—Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) joined the House GOP Commitment to America agenda launch in Pennsylvania with Leader Kevin McCarthy, Whip Steve Scalise, and Chairwoman Elise Stefanik. Following the event, Steil released the following statement. “I’m committed to creating a strong economy, keeping our communities safe, and holding the government accountable. That’s my commitment to Wisconsin families. One party control in Washington has lost sight of the American people’s priorities. We can change that. It’s time to address high prices, crime in our communities, and bring back checks and balances to Washington.” During the event, Steil was asked a question from a mother about the cost of living. Rep. Steil responded: “By unleashing American energy with an all-the-above approach, we can dramatically reduce the cost of your family's grocery bill. We also need to put policies in place that are connecting workers to the workforce and preparing workers for the jobs of the future."" To watch Steil’s full response, click here. Background: The Commitment to America, a policy agenda designed to build An Economy That's Strong, A Nation That's Safe, A Future That's Built on Freedom, and A Government That's Accountable was presented in Washington County, Pennsylvania today. Members spoke directly with fellow citizens on the issues important to the American people including the crisis at the border, the fentanyl flooding into towns and communities, and the rising prices that have shrank workers’ paychecks. To learn more about the Commitment to America, go to CommitmenttoAmerica.com.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sen-johnson-demands-twitter-explain-covid-19-censorship-policies,Sen. Johnson Demands Twitter Explain COVID-19 Censorship Policies,2022-09-23,2022,2022-09,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a letter to Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal demanding documents explaining the development and application of Twitter’s COVID-19 misinformation policies. On January 3, 2022, Sen. Johnson tweeted a chart containing data pulled from the government-run vaccine adverse events reporting system (VAERS). The chart examined and compared government data on the number of adverse events reports associated with COVID-19 vaccines, medications used to treat both COVID-19, and non-COVID-19 medications. Twitter labeled the chart “misleading” and blocked all replies, shares or likes for the tweet. At a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on September 14, 2022, a Twitter executive testified that Twitter’s “COVID misinformation policy only looked at information that was demonstrably and widely believed” to be false. When Sen Johnson asked the executive why Twitter censored his tweet containing government data, the Twitter executive was unable to answer the question. Read more about the letter in the Post Millennial. The full text of the letter can be found here and below. September 21, 2022 Mr. Parag Agrawal Chief Executive Officer Twitter, Inc. Dear Mr. Agrawal: On September 14, 2022, Jay Sullivan, General Manager of Bluebird at Twitter testified before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) about social media’s impact on homeland security. In the hearing, Mr. Sullivan testified that Twitter’s “COVID misinformation policy only looked at information that was demonstrably and widely believed” to be false. [1] I write to request information and material concerning the development and implementation of those policies. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) testified before a Senate Committee in November, 2021 that the United States has the “most robust vaccine safety system we have ever had in this country.”[2] In October 2020, before the vaccines for COVID-19 were approved, CDC’s Dr. Tom Shimabukuro said, “VAERS [the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System] is the national passive surveillance or spontaneous reporting system that is co-managed by CDC and FDA. VAERS can rapidly detect safety signals and can detect rare adverse events.”[3] He added, VAERS traditionally has provided the initial data on the safety profile of new vaccines when they are introduced. For COVID, vaccine reports will be processed within one to five business days, depending on the seriousness of the report. CDC and FDA receive updated datasets daily, and data mining runs are planned to be conducted every one to two weeks. So this is an example of the timeliness and responsiveness of VAERS going back to H1N1.[4] Given the fact that our public health officials have highlighted how VAERS could serve as a useful tool in tracking the safety profile of vaccines, I examined and compared government data on the number of adverse events reports associated with COVID-19 vaccines, medications used to treat both COVID-19, and non-COVID-19 medications. I combined the government data and put it into a chart. I tweeted the chart on January 3, 2022.[5] Twitter labeled it “misleading” and blocked all replies, shares, or likes for the tweet.[6] I have reproduced the censored tweet below. Tweet censored by Twitter in January 2022[7] I asked Mr. Sullivan why Twitter censored this information. He replied, “I wasn’t at the company at the time, but what I can tell you is that we want robust discussion on the platform of any issue. A COVID misinformation policy was developed that seemed to me, and again I don’t develop it, but it seemed quite narrow to me.”[8] In light of Mr. Sullivan’s inability to articulate why Twitter censored government data from my Twitter account, I request the following information and material: Has Twitter worked with U.S. health authorities in the development of its COVID-19 misinformation policies? If yes, please provide: The complete list of U.S. health agencies Twitter worked with on the development of its COVID-19 misinformation policies; The names and titles of each official at each of the federal health agencies that Twitter worked with on the development of its COVID-19 misinformation policies; and All communications with any employee of a federal health agency referring or relating to the development, implementation, or application, of Twitter’s COVID-19 misinformation policies from January 2020 to the present. Mr. Sullivan testified that Twitter’s “COVID misinformation policy only looked at information that was demonstrably and widely believed” to be false. [9] Please explain what is “demonstrably” false about my tweet in January 2022 reproducing government data from our public health agencies? Please provide all documents and communications, internal and external of Twitter, referring or relating to Twitter’s application of its COVID-19 misinformation policies to my Twitter page. Thank you for your attention to this important request. Please produce all responsive material by October 5, 2022. I look forward to receiving a prompt and complete response. Sincerely, ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sen-johnson-demands-youtube-explain-covid-19-censorship-policies,Sen. Johnson Demands YouTube Explain COVID-19 Censorship Policies,2022-09-22,2022,2022-09,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a letter to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki demanding documents and communications explaining each instance of YouTube’s censorship of him and requesting information on the development of YouTube’s COVID-19 misinformation policies. At a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) hearing on September 14, 2022, Sen. Johnson pressed big tech executives on censorship of him and proceedings of the Committee, the silencing of conservative voices, the influence of misinformation surrounding elections, internal political bias at social media companies and their role in removing “COVID-19 disinformation.” The executives would not answer his questions. “YouTube has displayed a troubling track record of censoring a sitting United States Senator, the proceedings of the United States Senate, journalists that interview me, and the display of data that is entirely generated from U.S. government health agencies,” the senator wrote. Sen. Johnson outlined a timeline of YouTube’s censorship of him: January 2021: YouTube removes two videos of a December 8, 2020 HSGAC hearing that focused on early treatments of COVID-19; June 2021: YouTube removes an interview of Sen Johnson at the Milwaukee Press Club newsmaker luncheon and suspends his account for seven days; October 7, 2021: YouTube censors another HSGAC hearing, which focused on irregularities with the 2020 presidential election; October 22, 2021: YouTube censors and suspends a Wisconsin journalist for interviewing Sen. Johnson; November 12, 2021: YouTube suspends Sen. Johnson for a second time. Read more about the letter in Fox News. The full text of the letter can be found here and below. September 21, 2022 Ms. Susan Wojcicki Chief Executive Officer YouTube Dear Ms. Wojcicki: On September 14, 2022, Neal Mohan, YouTube’s Chief Product Officer testified before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) about social media’s impact on homeland security. In the hearing, Mr. Mohan testified that YouTube “worked with third party health authorities, in this country that did include the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and FDA [Food and Drug Administration]” to create the company’s policies surrounding COVID-19 misinformation.[1] These policies appear to have led to the repeated censorship of me, proceedings before the United States Senate, and news media. I write to request information and material concerning the development and implementation of YouTube’s content moderation policies. As mentioned, YouTube has censored me on multiple occasions. Your company has suspended me twice for advocating for the early treatment of COVID-19, opposing vaccine mandates for children and workers, and advocating for the vaccine injured. The following timeline highlights YouTube’s censorship of me and journalists that have interviewed me. Timeline of YouTube’s Actions Against Sen. Johnson January 2021: YouTube removes two videos of a December 8, 2020 HSGAC hearing that focused on early treatments of COVID-19.[2] YouTube removed a 30-minute summary of the hearing from my page. YouTube also removed the opening statement of Dr. Pierre Kory. Dr. Kory is from Milwaukee, WI and is a part of a group of world-renowned doctors who developed groundbreaking use of corticosteroids to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients. YouTube gave my staff five hours warning before deleting Dr. Kory’s Senate testimony from my YouTube channel.[3] A few days later, YouTube removed the same video from Fox News Now’s YouTube channel, where the video had nearly 8 million views.[4] June 2021: YouTube removes an interview of me at the Milwaukee Press Club newsmaker luncheon and suspends my account for seven days.[5] In an email to my staff, YouTube cited two statements that led to my account’s suspension.[6] Both statements that garnered the suspension are objectively true: ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine are both safe and effective drugs; and in June 2021, the National Institutes of Health guidelines for patients with COVID-19 were to isolate at home. Despite your censorship, the Milwaukee Press club ended up reposting the video on their own website, saying they “believe it is extremely important to provide information on topics of interest regardless of their political perspective.”[7] October 7, 2021: YouTube censors another HSGAC hearing.[8] On October 7, 2021, YouTube removed a video from my channel that included a series of questions asked by Sen. Rand Paul to witnesses at a December 16, 2020 HSGAC hearing examining irregularities with the 2020 election.[9] YouTube censored Sen. Paul’s questioning of retired federal judge Ken Starr regarding the results of nationwide litigation concerning alleged voter fraud in the 2020 election.[10] Sen. Paul noted that the courts dismissed a number of cases on procedural grounds, never actually reached the merits of the cases, and that the results of the litigation should not be interpreted to mean that there was zero fraud in the 2020 election.[11] Judge Starr agreed that the courts dismissed the cases on procedural grounds.[12] Sen. Paul also raised concerns about non-legislators (e.g. State Secretaries of State) effectively changing election laws without input from state legislators.[13] YouTube told my staff that they removed the clip because it “alleges widespread fraud or errors that changed the outcome of the 2020 US Presidential Election.” [14] The video was uploaded on December 20, 2020, meaning YouTube waited nearly a year to remove the video. October 22, 2021: YouTube censors and suspends a Wisconsin journalist for interviewing me. On October 22, 2021, YouTube suspended the account of Dan O’Donnell, a Wisconsin talk show host for one week after he posted an interview with me.[15] In that interview, I discussed a number of issues including my opposition of vaccine mandates, my concern for the FDA’s rushed approval of the vaccination for children, and other newsworthy topics of interest to my constituents.[16] In its communications to Mr. O’Donnell informing him of the suspension, YouTube reportedly wrote, “we know that this might be disappointing, but it’s important to us that YouTube is a safe place for all.”[17] YouTube explained further that it “doesn’t allow claims about COVID-19 vaccinations that contradict expert consensus from local health authorities or the World Health Organization.”[18] November 12, 2021: YouTube suspends me again. On November 12, 2021, YouTube suspended my channel again for one week and removed a video of a November 2, 2021 roundtable I convened.[19] The roundtable brought together medical experts from across disciplines that advocated for early treatment of COVID-19, discussed the importance of natural immunity, heard stories on the disastrous consequences of vaccine mandates, highlighted the lack of transparency from the federal health agencies, and gave a voice to the vaccine injured.[20] During the panel discussion, I cited government data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), had a conversation with doctors and other frontline medical professionals that have actually treated COVID-19 patients, and heard about the experiences of the vaccine injured.[21] YouTube pulled down the full three-plus hour roundtable, but left online a 34-minute highlight clip of the round table. During the September 14, 2022 HSGAC hearing I read the following two quotes that President Biden said on July 21, 2021.[22] The first was, “You’re not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations.”[23] The second was, “If you’re vaccinated, you’re not going to be hospitalized, you’re not going to be in an ICU unit, and you’re not going to die.”[24] There is no doubt that these two statements are false. I asked Mr. Mohan and the witnesses from the other social media companies whether your companies ever flagged President Biden as a spreader of misinformation.[25] No one even attempted to answer my question.[26] YouTube has displayed a troubling track record of censoring a sitting United States Senator, the proceedings of the United States Senate, journalists that interview me, and the display of data that is entirely generated from U.S. government health agencies. In the September 14, 2022 HSGAC hearing, Mr. Mohan committed to “shar[ing] how YouTube developed” its COVID-19 misinformation policy.[27] In light of Mr. Mohan’s commitment to me, I request the following information and material: Mr. Mohan testified that YouTube worked with U.S. health authorities, including the CDC and FDA to develop its COVID-19 misinformation policies.[28] Please provide: The complete list of U.S. health agencies YouTube worked with on the development of its COVID-19 misinformation policies; The names of officials at each of the federal health agencies that YouTube worked with on the development of its COVID-19 misinformation policies; and All communications with employees of federal health agencies referring or relating to the development, implementation, or application, of YouTube’s COVID-19 misinformation policies from January 2020 to the present. All documents and communications, internal and external of YouTube, referring or relating to YouTube’s removal of videos associated with HSGAC’s December 8, 2020 hearing in January 2021. Please provide the relevant documents for the removal of videos associated with this hearing from: My account; and Any account associated with Fox News. All documents and communications, internal and external of YouTube, referring or relating to YouTube’s June 2021 suspension of my page or removal of videos associated with my interview with the Milwaukee Press Club. All documents and communications, internal and external of YouTube, referring or relating to YouTube’s October 2021 removal of videos from my page associated with the HSGAC hearing held on December 16, 2020. All documents and communications, internal and external of YouTube, referring or relating to YouTube’s October 2021 suspension of Dan O’Donnell or removal of his interview with me. All documents and communications, internal and external of YouTube, referring or relating to YouTube’s November 2021 suspension of my page or removal of videos associated with a roundtable I held on November 2, 2021. Provide all instances in which YouTube labeled content posted by President Biden or any White House affiliated account operated by the Biden administration as misinformation. Thank you for your attention to this important request. Please produce all responsive material by October 5, 2022. I look forward to receive a prompt and complete response. Sincerely, ### [1] Social Media’s Impact on Homeland Security: Hearing Before S. Comm. on Homeland Sec. and Governmental Affairs Comm, 117th Cong. (2022) (statement of Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer, YouTube) video available at https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/hearings/social-medias-impact-on-homeland-security. [2] My account dashboard currently has a warning associated with the two videos from this hearing that the videos violate YouTube’s “community guidelines” against “medical misinformation” (screenshot on file with Subcomm.). [3] Ron Johnson, Youtube Censored Me (Jan. 29, 2021) https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2021/1/youtube-censored-me. [4] Id. [5] Email from YouTube Staff to staff for Sen. Ron Johnson, June 10, 2021 (on file with Subcomm.). [6] The first statement was “It's an incredibly safe drug - both hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin.” The second statement was, “currently still the NIH guidelines in terms of early treatment of COVID is to do nothing, go home, afraid, scared, isolate yourself until you're so sick you come into the hospital where it just may be too late. That's not compassionate care, that is a nonsensical guideline, particularly when you have studies more and more of them worldwide showing the efficacy and the safety the long-term multi-decade safety of both ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.” Email from YouTube staff to staff for Sen. Ron Johnson, June 10, 2021 (on file with Subcomm.). [7] Milwaukee Press Club, Milwaukee Press Club Re-Posts Johnson Video After YouTube Removed it From Club’s Page, https://milwaukeepressclub.org/milwaukee-press-club-re-posts-johnson-video-after-youtube-removed-it-from-clubs-page/ (last visited Sept. 21, 2022). [8] Email from YouTube Staff to staff for Sen. Ron Johnson, Oct. 7, 2021 (on file with Subcomm.). [9] Id. [10] Examining Irregularities in the 2020 Election: Hearing Before the S. Homeland Sec. and Governmental Affairs Comm, 117th Cong. 25-27 (2020) https://www.congress.gov/116/chrg/CHRG-116shrg43071/CHRG-116shrg43071.pdf. [11] Id. [12] Id. [13] Id. [14] Email from YouTube leg affairs to staff for Sen. Ron Johnson, Oct. 7, 2021 (on file with Subcomm.). [15] Dan O’Donnell, Maclver Institute, The Censors Come for Ron Johnson (Again) (Oct. 22, 2021) https://www.maciverinstitute.com/2021/10/the-censors-come-for-ron-johnson-again/. [16] Id. [17] Id. [18] Id. [19] Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson), Twitter (Nov. 12, 2021, 9:23 AM), https://twitter.com/SenRonJohnson/status/1459346100691873795. [20] Toria Barnhart, Newsweek, YouTube Suspends Senator Ron Johnson for a Week Over COVID Misinformation (Sept. 21, 2022) https://www.newsweek.com/youtube-suspends-senator-ron-johnson-week-over-covid-misinformation-1648942; Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson), Twitter (Nov. 12, 2021, 9:23 AM), https://twitter.com/SenRonJohnson/status/1459346100691873795. [21] Toria Barnhart, Newsweek, YouTube Suspends Senator Ron Johnson for a Week Over COVID Misinformation (Sept. 21, 2022) https://www.newsweek.com/youtube-suspends-senator-ron-johnson-week-over-covid-misinformation-1648942. [22] Social Media’s Impact on Homeland Security: Hearing Before S. Comm. on Homeland Sec. and Governmental Affairs, 117th Cong. (2022) video available at https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/hearings/social-medias-impact-on-homeland-security. [23] The White House, Remarks by President Biden in a CNN Town Hall with Don Lemon (July 22, 2021) https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/07/22/remarks-by-president-biden-in-a-cnn-town-hall-with-don-lemon/. [24] Id. [25] Social Media’s Impact on Homeland Security: Hearing Before S. Comm. on Homeland Sec. and Governmental Affairs, 117th Cong. (2022) (question by Sen. Ron Johnson, Ranking Member, Permanent Subcomm. on Investigations) video available at https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/hearings/social-medias-impact-on-homeland-security. [26] Id. [27] Id. (statement of Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer, YouTube) video available at https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/hearings/social-medias-impact-on-homeland-security. [28] Id.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases/fitzgerald-introduces-keeping-violent-offenders-our-streets-act,Fitzgerald Introduces the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act,2022-09-21,2022,2022-09,Republican,House,WI,Scott Fitzgerald,F000471,fitzgerald.house.gov,fitzgerald,https://fitzgerald.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) introduced the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act. This legislation ensures pretrial release factors and the development of criminal history reports are considered when assessing bail. ""Nearly a year ago, the Waukesha community experienced the devastating impact of pro-criminal, weak bail laws. Our community lost 6 lives, including an eight-year-old child, in a Christmas parade attack that could have been prevented, said Congressman Fitzgerald. The perpetrator was previously released on bail despite having a record of aggravated battery and an outstanding warrant for skipping bail for a sex-related crime before he attacked parade-goers. By making these changes, we take an important first step into ensuring prosecutors prevent violent criminals from being released."" Read the bill here. Cosponsors: Rep. Tom Tiffany (WI-07), Rep. David Rouzer (NC-07), and Rep. Troy Nehls (TX-22)",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://grothman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3142,Grothman Statement on Passing of Queen Elizabeth II,2022-09-19,2022,2022-09,Republican,House,WI,Glenn Grothman,G000576,grothman.house.gov,grothman,https://grothman.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27,scraper,"In the wake of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Congressman Glenn Grothman (WI-06) issued the following statement: “The passing of Queen Elizabeth II is an immense loss for the entire world. I send my deepest condolences to the King and Royal Family. “The reign of Queen Elizabeth II symbolized the best of British tradition. For more than 70 years, she fearlessly defended human rights across the globe through meetings with world leaders, including 13 U.S. Presidents. I hope that her successors will continue to reinforce her commitment to advancing individual liberties and representing the Church of England on the world stage. “The absence of Her Majesty will be felt in her own country and the world alike. While the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II lives on, may she rest in peace.” -30-",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sen-johnson-joins-sen-cornyn-colleagues-in-demanding-hunter-biden-prosecutor-receive-special-counsel-authority,"Sen. Johnson Joins Sen. Cornyn, Colleagues in Demanding Hunter Biden Prosecutor Receive Special Counsel Authority",2022-09-19,2022,2022-09,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and 31 of their Republican colleagues in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding special counsel protections and authorities be extended to U.S. Attorney David Weiss to conduct the investigation into Hunter Biden. “Given that the investigation involves the President's son, we believe it is important to provide U.S. Attorney Weiss with special counsel authorities and protections to allow him to investigate an appropriate scope of potentially criminal conduct, avoid the appearance of impropriety, and provide additional assurances to the American people that the Hunter Biden investigation is free from political influence,” the senators wrote. Over the last two years, Sens. Johnson and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have led the investigation into Hunter Biden’s foreign financial entanglements. In May, the senators sent a letter to Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss seeking transparency on steps the Justice Department (DOJ) has taken to prevent interference in the Hunter Biden investigation. The senators hoped to ensure the DOJ provided Weiss with the resources necessary to credibly complete the investigation free from external pressures or limitations. “Indeed, Senators Grassley and Johnson have conducted an investigation for several years that has resulted in the public disclosure of facts that support those criminal concerns, including the disclosure of financial records showing the Biden family's close financial connections to the communist Chinese government and questionable foreign nationals. It is clear that Hunter Biden thrived off of a ""pay to play'' culture of access to his father, then Vice President Joe Biden in exchange for financial compensation,” the senators continued. “Given the politicization of the DOJ under your watch and the importance of avoiding any appearance of impropriety, the undersigned request that you provide U.S. Attorney Weiss the full protections and authorities of a special counsel. This is one important action that you can take that will go a long way in restoring faith in our governmental institutions,” the senators concluded. Sens. Johnson and Cornyn were joined on the letter by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Thune (R-S.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), James Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Shelley Moore-Capito (R-W.Va.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.). The full text of the letter can be found here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases/tiffany-introduces-legislation-combat-rise-violent-crime,Tiffany Introduces Legislation to Combat the Rise in Violent Crime,2022-09-15,2022,2022-09,Republican,House,WI,Thomas P. Tiffany,T000165,tiffany.house.gov,tiffany,https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07), joined by seven Republican colleagues, introduced theCombating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act to clarify and strengthen violent crime laws related to homicide, bank robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, and other offenses. Specifically, theCombating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act resolves discrepancies brought on by conflicting court decisions and clarifies congressional intent regarding crimes of violence and their respective penalties. This bill is the House companion toS. 4628 introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (IA). “As a result of the Democrats’ ‘defund the police’ movement, soft-on-crime policies, and reckless bail reform efforts, far too many Americans have become victims of the deadly crime wave plaguing our neighborhoods,”said Congressman Tom Tiffany. “The American people want something done to make their streets safe again, and this bill will help defuse this explosion of crime by strengthening criminal penalties, protecting our children from drug poisonings, and putting dangerous predators where they belong – behind bars.” “Crime is skyrocketing in communities across the country, with repeat violent offenders leaving people in many communities on edge as they go about their daily routines. This bill includes a number of commonsense fixes that give federal law enforcement the tools they need to step in where progressive prosecutors have failed. I’m grateful that momentum is building in the House of Representatives for this effort. It’s past time Congressional Democrats join the conversation to improve the safety of their constituents,”Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Chuck Grassley said. Background: Many communities across the country continue to experience steadily increasing violent crime. Murder rates increased 30 percent in 2020 and continued climbing in 2021. Carjackings, particularly in urban areas are on the rise, with some cities recording up to 400 percent spikes. Overdose deaths surpassed 100,000 last year, with fentanyl appearing in a variety of substances, including candy-flavored drugs that are marketed to children. In Congressman Tiffany's home county in Wisconsin, theOneida County Sheriff’s Office stated that last year, they saw more fentanyl overdose deaths than any other cause, including car accidents. 2021 also marked the deadliest year for law enforcement since the September 11 attacks in 2001. The Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act addresses ambiguity and conflicting application of existing law by clarifying congressional intent without establishing sweeping new offense categories. Among other provisions, the bill: Clarifies that attempted bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery are punishable under the current bank robbery statute; Abolishes an outdated rule that prohibits perpetrators of violent crime from being charged with murder if the victim succumbs to injuries sustained by that violent crime 366 days after the attack; Rectifies conflicting circuit court decisions that have resulted in a higher burden to charge offenses like assaulting a police officer than Congress intended; Increases the statutory maximum penalty for carjacking and removes a duplicative intent requirement needed to charge a carjacking offense; Rectifies conflicting circuit court decisions by clarifying that an attempt or conspiracy to commit an offense involving physical force meets the legal definition of a crime of violence; Outlaws the marketing of candy-flavored drugs to minors; and Establishes a new category of violent kidnapping offenses, allowing for greater penalties for violent kidnapping. Rep. Tiffany led seven Members of Congress in introducing theCombating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act, including: Ken Buck (CO-04), Steve Chabot (OH-01), Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), Lance Gooden (TX-05), Mary Miller (IL-15), Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27), and John Moolenaar (MI-04). For the Senate cosponsors, clickhere. Groups supporting theCombating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act include: The National District Attorneys Association, National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys (NAAUSA), National Sheriffs Association, Major County Sheriffs of America, and Major Cities Chiefs Association. The full text of theCombating Violent and Dangerous Crime Actcan be foundhere and a section-by-section can be foundhere.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sen-johnson-joins-sen-tuberville-colleagues-in-calling-on-leader-schumer-to-safeguard-national-security-by-voting-on-ndaa,"Sen. Johnson Joins Sen. Tuberville, Colleagues in Calling on Leader Schumer to Safeguard National Security by Voting on NDAA",2022-09-15,2022,2022-09,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and 22 of their Republican colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) demanding the Senate vote on the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) before the end of September. The U.S. House of Representatives approved its version of the legislation in July, with a broad, bipartisan majority voting in support. The letter calls on Schumer to schedule a vote on the NDAA in time for an open Senate amendment process to take place. Among other priorities, the legislation funds military technology, strengthens capabilities and delivers a 4.6 percent pay raise to America’s service members. “At the founding of our nation, then-General George Washington penned, ‘When the civil and military powers cooperate, and afford mutual aid to each other there can be little doubt of things going well.’ Two centuries later, that still rings true. Yet should this body fail in its top Constitutional responsibility of providing for a common defense, our armed services will be left directionless, lack stable funding, and be devoid of civilian Congressional oversight,” the senators wrote. “Members of the House passed their NDAA on July 14th, by a vote of 329 – 101. For the bill to go to conference and make it to President Biden’s desk, our colleagues must have the opportunity to debate the Senate version with an open amendment process. As such, we the undersigned respectfully request that you call the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 to the Senate floor before the conclusion of the September work period,” the senators concluded. Sens. Johnson and Tuberville were joined on the letter by Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.). The full text of the letter can be found here and below. September 13, 2022 The Honorable Charles E. Schumer Majority Leader United States Senate Leader Schumer, At the founding of our nation, then-General George Washington penned, “When the civil and military powers cooperate, and afford mutual aid to each other there can be little doubt of things going well.” Two centuries later, that still rings true. Yet should this body fail in its top Constitutional responsibility of providing for a common defense, our armed services will be left directionless, lack stable funding, and be devoid of civilian Congressional oversight. Chairman Reed and Ranking Member Inhofe saw to it that the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act remained bipartisan and the result safeguards the United States. Additionally, the bill invests in technology advancements and procurement through a $45 billion budget topline increase, provides service members with a 4.6 percent pay raise, and strengthens our forces in cybersecurity, space, the Indo-Pacific, personnel management, and many other areas. Members of the House passed their NDAA on July 14th, by a vote of 329 – 101. For the bill to go to conference and make it to President Biden’s desk, our colleagues must have the opportunity to debate the Senate version with an open amendment process. As such, we the undersigned respectfully request that you call the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 to the Senate floor before the conclusion of the September work period. Respectfully, ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sen-johnson-grills-big-tech-execs-on-censorship-at-senate-hearing,Sen. Johnson Grills Big Tech Execs on Censorship at Senate Hearing,2022-09-14,2022,2022-09,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), questioned former and current executives from Twitter, Meta, YouTube and TikTok during a hearing entitled, “Social Media’s Impact on Homeland Security.” Sen. Johnson pressed the witnesses on censorship of him and proceedings of the Committee, the silencing of conservative voices, the influence of misinformation surrounding elections, internal political bias at social media companies and their role in removing “COVID-19 disinformation.” Sen. Johnson’s questioning can be found here, here and here. Excerpts are below. On social media election influence Sen. Johnson: “Twitter was actually very effective, when they blocked the New York Post articles on the Hunter Biden laptop. We had Jack Dorsey in front of the Commerce Committee back in, I think, October 2020. And both Senator Cruz and myself asked him, because we were talking about, you know, Russians using the platforms to impact our elections, and everybody agrees that could happen. We asked Mr. Dorsey, do you believe Twitter could impact the election? Mr. Dorsey said, ‘No.’ Mr. Roetter, do you believe Twitter has the capability of impacting the election?” Former Twitter VP: “I think all these social platforms are they're so massive, it's hard to believe that they're not impacting.” Sen. Johnson: “Mr. Boland, do you believe that as well?” Former Facebook VP: “These platforms absolutely have influence and I believe-- ” Sen. Johnson: “Mr. Cain?” Lincoln Network Senior Fellow: “Absolutely.” Sen. Johnson: “Okay. So there is a problem right there. Okay. And I appreciate you acknowledging that fact.” On the disinformation campaign Sen. Johnson: “I want to talk about a little bit about the other disinformation coming out of this committee. The day or two after Senator Grassley and I issued our report based on U.S. documents, interviews with U.S. persons, our now committee chairman, who was then committee ranking member, issued a press release, said Peters, Wyden response to Republican effort to amplify Russian disinformation. You said, I generated a partisan political report that is rooted in Russian disinformation. Mr. Chairman, do you want to retract that false allegation now? Now that we know that the Hunter Biden laptop is accurate, that there has not been one scintilla of information provided in Senator Grassley's and my report that has ever been refuted. It was 100% accurate. And yet you, as ranking member of the committee, accused me repeatedly of soliciting and disseminating Russian disinformation. Do you want to retract your false allegation here that you issued in your press release on September 23rd?” Sen. Peters: “No. Let's just focus on what we're trying to do.” Sen. Johnson: “Well, I'm focusing on this because this is exactly the type of harm we can do to our political process. When you have these big tech companies engaging in political debate, censoring one side of the political spectrum and amplifying the false allegations of another side.” On censoring COVID-19 information Sen. Johnson: “So obviously, this was published and they were publishing other similar information during that time period when President Biden lied to the American public that this was a pandemic of the unvaxxed. And if you got vaccinated, you're not going to go to the hospital, you're not going to be in an ICU unit and you're not going to die. Well, 63.5% of the people fully vaccinated were dying in England at the exact same time. Why didn't you pull this? Have you ever labeled the President of the United States comment as ‘misinformation?’ Have you ever done that? Any of you? I'll take that as a no. “Again, I just wonder, who are the authorities? Who do you think you are to censor information from eminently qualified doctors who had the courage and compassion to treat COVID patients when the NIH guideline was basically, if you test positive for COVID, go home. Be afraid. Isolate yourself. Don't do anything until you're so sick, we'll send you to the hospital. We'll give you Remdesivir, where we have 1,600 deaths so far. We’ll put you on a ventilator and we’ll watch you die. You guys bear a fair amount of responsibility for hundreds of thousands of people not being treated, and I would say probably dying that didn't have to die. I hope you're proud of yourselves.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-statement-on-august-inflation-report,Steil Statement on August Inflation Report,2022-09-13,2022,2022-09,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01), Ranking Member on the Select Committee on the Economy, issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the August Consumer Price Index Report, which is a measure of inflation. “Today's report confirmed what every American knows: prices are too high. Inflation remains at near four decade highs due to policies passed by democratic one-party control. Reckless spending and attacks on American energy production are hurting Americans who are forced to pay higher prices to support their families. Today’s numbers show the need to end Biden’s approach, stop wasteful spending, and unleash American energy.” Background: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index rose to an annualized rate of 8.3% in August 2022.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sen-johnson-joins-sen-capito-colleagues-in-introducing-regulatory-and-permitting-reform-legislation,"Sen. Johnson Joins Sen. Capito, Colleagues in Introducing Regulatory and Permitting Reform Legislation",2022-09-13,2022,2022-09,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, and 37 of their Republican colleagues in introducing the Simplify Timelines and Assure Regulatory Transparency (START) Act. This legislation codifies improvements to the environmental review process and definition of navigable waters, reduces timelines for Endangered Species Act consultations and prohibits adoption of President Biden’s social cost of carbon. In an effort to accelerate energy projects and cut costs, Sen. Johnson voted in favor of a similar amendment to the Democrats’ multi-billion dollar Inflation Reduction Act in August. Previously, Sen. Johnson joined his colleagues in an amicus brief opposing the EPA’s proposed expansion of the waters of the United States (WOTUS), which would burden Wisconsin farmers. Sens. Johnson and Capito are joined on the legislation by Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), John Thune (R-S.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). The full text of the bill can be found here. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-awarded-for-transparency-in-office,Steil Awarded for Transparency in Office,2022-09-12,2022,2022-09,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – The Congressional Management Foundation has announced Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) as winner of a Democracy Award, CMF’s award recognizing achievements and performance in congressional offices. Steil was selected for outstanding achievement for the category of Transparency and Accountability. The Transparency and Accountability category recognizes offices that provide clear and relevant information on their work and publicly acknowledge metrics for that performance. “As a Democracy Award winner, Rep. Steil’s office is clearly one of the best in Congress,” said Bradford Fitch, President and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation. “This designation demonstrates that Rep. Steil has made a significant commitment to being the best public servant for his constituents in Wisconsin. Rep. Steil and his staff are to be congratulated for not only being a model for his colleagues in Congress, but for helping to restore trust and faith that our democratic institutions can work,” he said. Steil released a statement following notification of the award: “I have made a commitment to being available and accessible to Wisconsin families. Since I have held office, I have worked hard to provide regular updates on my work through listening sessions, telephone town hall meetings, newsletters, and many other modes of communication. I believe it is important for people to hear directly from me about the work I am doing in Washington. It is an honor to be nationally recognized by a bipartisan group for these efforts. I will continue to provide regular communications with Wisconsin families and remain focused on working to lower costs and keep our communities safe,” said Congressman Steil. Background: Eight House and Senate offices were honored as winners in four categories: Constituent Service; Innovation and Modernization; Transparency and Accountability; and ""Life in Congress"". The winners were selected by a selection committee primarily comprised of former Members of Congress and congressional staff. The winners will be honored at a ceremony to be held in Washington, D.C. in the fall. Among other noteworthy items, CMF included the following reasons for selecting Rep. Steil for an award: “The office announces all forums, town halls, and telephone town halls to the press, through social media, hard mail, and email to ensure constituents are made aware of the events. As Wisconsin opened up after the pandemic, Rep. Steil resumed in person town halls, and held an informational forum focusing on illicit fentanyl in the community. At the end of every year, Rep. Steil sends information to most households in his district on his legislative work, constituent services, services provided by his Washington, D.C. office, and a summary of how taxpayer dollars are being spent at the federal level. Not only does this inform the public about the Congressman's work and priorities, but it also gives constituents the ability to reach out to the office, receive assistance, and learn about the services they provide. Within the office, Rep. Steil holds weekly meetings with communications aides, policy aides, and schedulers to ensure there are direct, open lines of communications among all staff.” Details on the process and the history of the Democracy Awards can be found here: https://www.congressfoundation.org/projects/democracy-awards",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sen-johnson-announces-mobile-office-hours,Sen. Johnson Announces Mobile Office Hours,2022-09-12,2022,2022-09,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) announced that his staff will be available for mobile office hours at the times and locations listed below. These office hours give constituents the opportunity to meet with Sen. Johnson’s staff to request assistance with a federal agency or other federal matters. Note: Staff-led mobile office hours are closed to press. Recording devices of any kind are not allowed. These restrictions are put in place for the privacy of our constituents. Portage County Office Hours Thursday, September 22 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Portage County Library, Rotary Room 1001 Main St., Stevens Point, WI 54481 Waupaca County Office Hours Thursday, September 22 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Readfield/Caledonia Community Center E9181 State Rd. 96, Readfield, WI 54969 ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sen-johnson-joins-colleagues-in-introducing-resolution-honoring-queen-elizabeth-ii,Sen. Johnson Joins Colleagues in Introducing Resolution Honoring Queen Elizabeth II,2022-09-12,2022,2022-09,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, joined U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, and 47 of their colleagues in introducing a bipartisan resolution honoring Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The resolution pays tribute to the Queen’s historic legacy and her 70-year reign, expresses condolences to her family and citizens of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth and reaffirms U.S. commitment to its close alliance with the United Kingdom. “Queen Elizabeth II was an extraordinary leader and historic friend of the U.S. who strengthened America’s relationship with the United Kingdom and helped bring stability to the world. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and the people of the United Kingdom as we all mourn this tremendous loss. May her legacy of unity live on for years to come,” said Sen. Johnson. Sens. Johnson, Collins and Shaheen are joined on the resolution by Senate Majority Leader Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senators Durbin (D-Ill.), Warner (D-Va.), Van Hollen (D-Md.), Cornyn (R-Texas), Murray (D-Wash.), Coons (D-Del.), Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Leahy (D-Vt.), Padilla (D-Calif.), Feinstein (D-Calif.), Warnock (D-Ga.), Menendez (D-N.J.), Stabenow (D-Mich.), Lujan (D-N.M.), Rubio (R-Fla.), Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Cardin (D-Md.), Baldwin (D-Wis.), Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Hassan (D-N.H.), Capito (R-W.Va.), Fischer (R-Neb.), Heinrich (D-N.M.), Booker (D-N.J.), Murphy (D-Conn.), Kaine (D-Va.), Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Smith (D-Minn.), Bennet (D-Colo.), Moran (R-Kan.), Reed (D-R.I.), Merkley (D-Ore.), Cassidy (R-La.), Marshall (R-Kan.), Graham (R-S.C.), Shelby (R-Ala.), Blunt (R-Mo.), Crapo (R-Idaho), Portman (R-Ohio), Hawley (R-Mo.), Wicker (R-Miss.) Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Risch (R-Idaho) and Cramer (R-N.D). ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2022/9/sen-johnson-to-cdc-director-walensky-you-have-failed-to-provide-data-on-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-events,Sen. Johnson to CDC Director Walensky: You Have Failed to Provide Data on COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse Events,2022-09-12,2022,2022-09,Republican,Senate,WI,Ron Johnson,J000293,www.ronjohnson.senate.gov,ronjohnson,https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON – On Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) sent a follow-up letter to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), regarding her “inadequate and unacceptable” response about CDC’s surveillance of COVID-19 vaccine adverse events. Sen. Johnson had previously sent letters to CDC on June 23, 2022 and July 25, 2022, seeking clarity about whether the agency is sufficiently monitoring COVID-19 vaccine adverse events. In June 2022, CDC provided an incomplete response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that lacked the data CDC initially claimed it would generate to monitor these adverse events. Specifically, CDC told the FOIA requester that the agency did not conduct a Proportional Reporting Ratio (PRR) analysis, which was meant to identify vaccine adverse events. Then, Dr. John Su, a CDC official on the agency’s Vaccine Safety Team, said the opposite to a media outlet claiming that the “CDC has been performing PRRs since Feb 2021, and continues to do so to date.” The senator wrote to Dir. Walensky, “You have failed to explain why the CDC made inconsistent statements about the data it generates to track these adverse events. Moreover, even though I clearly asked CDC to provide the data that it supposedly generated to track vaccine adverse events, you failed to do so.” “Although your response did include an addendum containing weekly data tables CDC produced from February 26, 2021 to September 30, 2021, your overall lack of transparency is unacceptable particularly in light of CDC’s inconsistent statements on this matter,” the senator added. The full text of the letter can be found here and below. September 12, 2022 Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH Director Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dear Director Walensky: I write to you regarding your inadequate and unacceptable response to my letters about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) surveillance of COVID-19 vaccine adverse events. You have failed to explain why the CDC made inconsistent statements about the data it generates to track these adverse events. Moreover, even though I clearly asked CDC to provide the data that it supposedly generated to track vaccine adverse events, you failed to do so. This data should be made public immediately to better inform the American people about risks of specific adverse events relating to the COVID-19 vaccines. Your lack of clarity calls into question whether CDC has and continues to sufficiently monitor COVID-19 vaccine adverse events. On June 23, 2022, I requested that you provide data on CDC’s surveillance of COVID-19 vaccine adverse events that the agency claimed it would compile in its Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) document dated January 29, 2021.[1] The data that I requested included CDC’s Proportional Reporting Ratio (PRR) analyses that, according to the SOP, is meant “to identify [adverse events] that are disproportionately reported relative to other [adverse events].”[2] My June 23 letter was based on CDC’s reported failure to produce this data in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.[3] Specifically, the SOP stated that, “CDC will perform PRR data mining on a weekly basis or as needed.”[4] However, in response to a May 9, 2022 FOIA request for these records, CDC wrote, “no PRRs were conducted” and that “data mining is outside of th [sic] agency’s purview.”[5] On July 25, 2022, I sent you a follow up letter on this topic after a CDC official reportedly contradicted your agency’s previous assertion.[6] Although CDC claimed that “no PRRs were conducted,” Dr. John Su, a CDC official that works on the Vaccine Safety Team, reportedly told a media outlet that “CDC has been performing PRRs since Feb 2021, and continues to do so to date.”[7] In addition to reiterating my requests from the June 23 letter, I also asked for the following information:[8] On September 6, 2022, over two months after I sent my initial letter on this matter, the CDC provided your response.[9] In that letter you confirmed that, “CDC performed PRR analysis between March 25, 2022, through July 31, 2022[.]”[10] However, despite my July 25 request for all of the PRRs performed since February 2021, you failed to provide any of this information.[11] You also noted that, “PRRs were not run between February 26, 2021, to September 30, 2021.”[12] However, your response lacked any justification for why CDC performed PRRs during certain periods and not others. You also provided no explanation as to why Dr. Su’s assertion that, “CDC has been performing PRRs since Feb 2021, and continues to do so to date,” completely contradicts the CDC’s response to a FOIA request as well as your September 6, 2022 response to me.[13] In addition, you claimed that, “CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chose to rely on Empirical Bayesian (EB) data mining—a more robust technique used to analyze disproportionate reporting—rather than PRR calculations to mitigate potential false signals.”[14] You also noted that CDC and FDA plan to continue to use EB data mining moving forward.[15] Yet, despite my June 23 request for Bayesian data mining described in 2.3.2 of the January 2021 SOP, you failed to provide this information as well.[16] In your response, you claimed that, “results from PRR analysis were generally consistent with EB data mining.”[17] However, because of your failure to provide these analyses to Congress and to the American people, the public cannot verify your assertion. Although your response did include an addendum containing weekly data tables CDC produced from February 26, 2021 to September 30, 2021, your overall lack of transparency is unacceptable particularly in light of CDC’s inconsistent statements on this matter.[18] If CDC is truly conducting proper analyses of COVID-19 vaccine adverse events, it should not take you over two months to provide this information. Accordingly, I ask that you provide complete responses to my June 23 and July 25 letters (enclosed) and the questions below by no later than September 19, 2022. Your response indicated that CDC “recently addressed a previous statement made to the Epoch Times[.]”[19] Was this “previous statement” connected to Dr. Su’s assertion that, “CDC has been performing PRRs since Feb 2021, and continues to do so to date”?[20] If so: Was Dr. Su’s statement false? When and how did CDC address this “previous statement”? Why did CDC not conduct PRRs from February 26, 2021 to September 30, 2021 and then decide to conduct PRRs from March 25, 2022 through July 31, 2022? Why and when did CDC decide that it would stop conducting PRRs? When did CDC begin conducting EB data mining? When did CDC choose to “rely on Empirical Bayesian (EB) data mining—a more robust technique used to analyze disproportionate reporting—rather than PRR calculations to mitigate potential false signals”?[21] Why did CDC misinform the public when it asserted “no PRRs were conducted” and that “data mining is outside of th [sic] agency’s purview”?[22] Who at CDC approved the release of this misinformation? Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Sincerely, ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-announces-2022-congressional-app-challenge-open-for-students,Steil Announces 2022 Congressional App Challenge Open for Students,2022-09-09,2022,2022-09,Republican,House,WI,Bryan Steil,S001213,steil.house.gov,steil,https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"JANESVILLE, WI – Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) announced registration for the 2022 Congressional App Challenge is now open to middle and high school student residing in Wisconsin’s First Congressional District. “I am excited to announce the 2022 Congressional App Challenge is now open for students. Last year, two students from Greendale, Charlie Smitsdorff and Tyler Balota of Greendale High School, won the App Challenge for their app, Robauto. This competition is a great way for students to be creative and learn how to create innovative technologies. I look forward to seeing each of the submissions for this year’s challenge.” Background: The Congressional App Challenge is a competition aimed at encouraging middle and high school students to learn how to code by creating their own applications. Started in 2013, the Challenge is intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. The House of Representatives knows how crucial these skills are and wants to encourage students to engage in these fields. By encouraging and recognizing our nation's young programming talent, Congress hopes to shine a light on the growing importance of these skills. This competition is open to students who meet the eligibility requirements, regardless of coding experience. Congressional App Challenge applications can be submitted now through 11:00 am CT, November 1, 2022. Should students not have enough time to create a new app before the November 1 deadline, a previously created app made after November 1, 2021, may also be submitted. However, the app must have been made between November 2, 2021, and November 1, 2022, in order to be eligible for consideration. Apps will be scored by a panel of judges based on the quality of the app idea, implementation of the idea and demonstration of understanding of computer programming skills. The winning apps will be honored by Steil and are eligible to be displayed at the U.S. Capitol building and on the Congressional App Challenge website. To register, students may visit www.congressionalappchallenge.us and visit the “Student’s” Section.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-08T03:08:33Z