Reps in the News: Walker Derided for Lame Duck Session

Governor Scott Walker

A top Republican businessman in Wisconsin is urging Gov. Walker and other lawmakers to stop what he called their “conniving” to quell early voting measures and diminish the powers of recently elected Democrats. Millionaire Sheldon Lubar was voted one of the most influential businessmen in Milwaukee in 2015, and had previously donated to one of Walker’s campaigns. But he called out the state’s conservative leadership Tuesday after Republican lawmakers moved ahead with a striking power grab against incoming Democrats, including Gov.-elect Tony Evers, who defeated Walker last month. The new measures, expected to be signed into law by Walker, would give the Wisconsin Legislature full control of a state economic development agency. They would also kneecap early voting and block Evers’ ability to write regulations. In an email to Walker, Lubar asked the outgoing governor to reflect on what his recently deceased father would think of his behavior. He accused Walker of letting his political ambitions get in the way of real leadership.

Source:  huffingtonpost.com

Senator Tammy Baldwin

Following the release of a scientific report outlining severe projected impacts from climate change, Sen. Baldwin and 24 of her Senate colleagues are speaking out and calling for action. Baldwin cosponsored a resolution, led by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), supporting the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report and last week’s National Climate Assessment to affirm the acceptance of these findings and call for bold action to combat climate change.

“Global climate change is real and we must act now to confront this fact because public health and our economy is threatened,” Baldwin said. “The impact of climate change can be seen on agriculture, biodiversity, extreme weather and our Great Lakes. We have a moral obligation to act on climate change so we can keep our promise to future generations to confront today’s challenges and pass on a world better than we found it.”

On Nov. 25 the Trump Administration released the National Climate Assessment, a Congressionally mandated report from American climate experts throughout the federal government. Despite the Trump Administration’s attempts to bury the report on Black Friday, the report has gained widespread attention for its alarming findings, which include evidence that the U.S. is already feeling the effects of climate change, and conclusions that our nation will suffer thousands of deaths and more than $500 billion per year in crop damage, lost labor, and extreme weather damages by 2100.

Source:  Baldwin press release

Senator Ron Johnson

The U.S. Senate on Nov. 29 unanimously approved a resolution condemning Russia’s recent attack on Ukrainian vessels in the Kerch Strait and calling for the immediate release of all Ukrainian sailors. Senators Johnson and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, introduced the resolution. “Vladimir Putin is testing the West, and he needs to know we will not stand for this sort of provocation. I am pleased the Senate spoke with one voice to reaffirm our support for the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian government and Ukraine’s territorial integrity and make it clear that Russia’s aggression cannot be tolerated,” Johnson said.

Source:  Johnson press release

President Donald Trump

President Trump flew to more than 40 political rallies in the months leading up to the 2018 mid-term elections, to coax his loyal fans to come out to the polls for Republican candidates. An analysis of Trump’s travel schedule and the latest Department of Defense operating figures for Air Force One aircraft suggests the tab for the air travel alone was $17 million. The costs so far have been borne almost completely by U.S. taxpayers.

How much of the estimated $17 million bill taxpayers will ultimately eat is still unclear. When presidents use Air Force One for campaign purposes, their political party or reelection campaign is supposed to cover a portion of the astronomical operating costs, according to Federal Election Commission rules. The Trump campaign reimbursed the Treasury roughly $112,000 for air travel in March and April. There has been no paperwork filed for any similar reimbursements since then.

The specially equipped Boeing 747 jet that the president travels on most often costs $142,380 per hour to operate, including fuel, onboard supplies, and engine and aircraft maintenance. A smaller Boeing 757 that’s used when the president is landing on shorter runways costs $35,641 an hour to operate, according to the US Air Force.

Source:  qz.com