Gov. Walker Increases Funding to UW System in Latest Budget Proposal

Representative Joel Kitchens

Rep. Kitchens released the following statement regarding Gov. Walker’s “Every Student Matters” budget proposal: “In this proposal Gov. Walker has made a commitment to support Wisconsin’s rural schools. I am very pleased to see the Governor has made rural schools a priority in this upcoming budget. Rural schools often face challenges that other schools don’t. While serving as president of the Sturgeon Bay School Board, I became very familiar with the challenges rural schools face. Rural or suburban, all students deserve the same outstanding education that Wisconsin educators provide. I thank the Governor for his leadership on this issue. As vice-chair of the Assembly Committee on Education, and chair of the Assembly Committee on Children and Families, I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue to tackle the unique hurdles that rural schools face.” The ‘Every Student Matters’ budget proposal includes: increased sparsity aid, increased transportation aid, increased broadband investment, increased opportunity to recruit and retain teachers, increased flexibility through school district shared services, and increased investment for FAB LABs. For more information regarding specifics of the proposal, visit walker.wi.gov.

Source: Kitchens press release

Governor Scott Walker

In his 2017 budget address on Feb. 8, Gov. Walker announced his investment in the UW System will increase the state’s commitment to the UW System budget by more than $100 million. Walker’s budget proposal makes a strong commitment to higher education and focuses on college affordability (cutting tuition for resident undergrad students by five percent), faculty accountability, performance funding, and workforce development. The proposal also rewards UW System institutions based on the number of students who graduate, how long it takes those students to graduate, how many students are employed, and how many are working in high-demand fields throughout the state. He also announced he will eliminate the long-term support waiting list for children with developmental and physical disabilities or severe emotional disturbances, and provide additional state resources for children and family aids.

Source: Walker press release

Congressman Mike Gallagher

The House Armed Services Committee announced that Gallagher has been appointed to two of its subcommittees. He will serve on the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, which oversees Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force programs that help the U.S. project power across the globe, including naval vessels, long-range aircraft such as C-17s, tankers and bombers. Additionally, he will serve on the Readiness Subcommittee, which ensures our troops are properly trained and equipped with the tools they need to successfully complete their missions. Both subcommittees play a critical role in strengthening our military and keeping the country safe. “The 115th U.S. Congress has the urgent task of modernizing our military, protecting our homeland from incoming threats, and restoring peace through strength. I’m eager to get to work with my colleagues on both subcommittees to accomplish the difficult but critical mission of keeping our nation secure, and the American people safe,” Rep. Gallagher said. “Right away, I plan to lead the argument for a robust, lethal and modern 350-ship Navy. This includes working tirelessly as a champion of the Littoral Combat Ship to carry on our strong tradition of shipbuilding in Northeast Wisconsin.”

Source: Gallagher press release

Senator Tammy Baldwin

After reviewing the record of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, Sen. Baldwin announced: “Judge Gorsuch should be held to the same standard that Supreme Court justices have been held to previously and President Trump needs to earn 60 votes in the Senate, but I am not one of them. I have a number of concerns about this nominee’s deeply troubling record, particularly his rulings against disabled students, against workers, and against women’s reproductive health care.” Baldwin, who is up for reelection in 2018, was open about her position and the reasons for taking it, which caused a series of tweets from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who complained, “Sen. Baldwin is out of the mainstream.” Baldwin is not one for wrangling on social media. But, this time, she put Walker in his place, tweeting: “Your opportunity to weigh in on Gorsuch ended with your short-lived Pres campaign. Focus on fixing WI’s roads and bridges. #priorities…” Walker lost it, unleashing a 24-hour Twitterstorm tirade of 16 Trump-style attacks on residents of the state capital city of Madison, liberals and Baldwin herself.

Source: thenation.com

Senator Ron Johnson

Sen. Johnson said this after voting to confirm Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State: “Rex Tillerson’s extensive private sector experience provides a unique perspective and should prove valuable in his role as Secretary of State. I was happy to vote to confirm Mr. Tillerson today and look forward to working with him in his job as our country’s top diplomat to address the enormous global challenges we face.”

Source: Johnson press release

President Donald Trump

Unsurprisingly, Trump’s volatile behavior has created an environment ripe for leaks from his executive agencies and even within his White House. And while leaks typically involve staffers sabotaging each other to improve their own standing or trying to scuttle policy ideas they find genuinely problematic, Trump’s two-week-old administration has a third category: leaks from White House and agency officials alarmed by the president’s conduct.

“I’ve been in this town for 26 years. I have never seen anything like this,” said Eliot Cohen, a senior State Department official under President George W. Bush and a member of his National Security Council. “I genuinely do not think this is a mentally healthy president.” While some of the leaks are based on opposition to his policies – the travel ban on all refugees and on visitors from seven predominantly Muslim nations, for instance – many appear motivated by a belief that Trump’s words, deeds and tweets pose a genuine threat. Richard Nephew, a State Department expert on Iran sanctions under Obama, said some of the leaks from the agencies are likely efforts to let the public know that their advice has not been followed, in the event something bad happens down the road. “This, I think, is about making it clear that these folks have tried to do the right thing and there is only so much they can do with a hostile administration,” Nephew said.

Source: Huffington Post