Sen. Johnson Releases Report on Government Leaks

Governor Scott Walker

Gov. Walker kicked off Farm Technology Days July 11 during the opening ceremony in Algoma. The three-day event highlighted the latest developments in production agriculture and is held in a different county on a different family farm every year. “Wisconsin is America’s Dairyland and a top U.S. producer of cranberries, vegetables, and cheese,” Walker said. “It’s safe to say that agriculture is one of our top industries and remains crucial to our economic success. Farm Technology Days is a great opportunity for our farmers and other leaders to learn more about the cutting edge of agriculture technology.” Launched in 1954, Wisconsin Farm Technology Days is the largest agricultural show in the state. The event ran July 11-13 at Ebert Enterprises, the hosting farm.

Source:  Walker press release

Congressman Mike Gallagher

Rep. Gallagher delivered a speech on the House floor calling for action against the growing opioid and addiction crisis in Wisconsin and across the country. He called for unity in combating the crisis, saying “It’s not a Republican or Democrat issue, it’s an American issue and one that should bring all of us together.”

Here is part of his speech:  “To put the problem into perspective: More Americans will have died from drug overdoses in 2017 than there are names on the Vietnam War Memorial. That’s alarming.

“As a Marine veteran, I’m acutely aware that service members are more susceptible than the average person to addiction. In fact, veterans die from accidental drug overdoses at a 33-percent higher rate than the rest of the population. Something must be done to reverse this awful trend.”

Source:  Gallagher press release

Senator Tammy Baldwin

Sen. Baldwin says she’s likely to support a plan that would create a single-payer, “Medicare-for-all” health care system.

Baldwin told reporters at a stop in Edgerton last week that her first priority was stopping the Senate Republican health care bill because it would result in 22 million people losing health insurance and raise health care costs for the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions.

But Baldwin said she was looking forward to the introduction of a “Medicare for All” bill in the Senate and would likely support it.

“Well, certainly I’ll look at the bill when it comes in, but I anticipate I will,” she said. “It’s been a long position of mine.”

Baldwin voted for the Affordable Care Act as a member of the U.S. House and discussed it extensively in her first race for Senate in 2012. She faces re-election in 2018.

Baldwin was in Edgerton to tour road construction along I-39/90 and promote the $1 billion infrastructure bill unveiled by U.S. Senate Democrats earlier this year.

“I believe that the federal government really needs to step up right now, especially if you look at what we might describe as an infrastructure deficit in this country,” she said.

Source:  WPR.org

Senator Ron Johnson

The Republican chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee released a new report warning that the recent influx of classified leaks to the media pose risks to national security.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said that under President Donald Trump, “leaks are flowing at the rate of one a day,” and his committee found at least 125 news stories “with leaked information potentially damaging to national security,” mainly, but not exclusively, related to Russian meddling in the U.S. election, according to articles reviewed by Johnson’s staff between January and May.

“But the leak frenzy has gone far beyond the Kremlin and has extended to other sensitive information that could harm national security,” the report said. “President Trump’s private conversations with other foreign leaders have shown up in the press, while secret operations targeting America’s most deadly adversaries were exposed in detail.”

Source:  CNN.com

President Donald Trump

President Trump’s touting of a proposed partnership with Russia on cybersecurity drew withering reviews from lawmakers, including several from his own party, while the president’s aides were left struggling to answer questions about just how hard Trump pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin on Moscow’s meddling in last year’s U.S. presidential election. Trump’s encounter with Putin on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit in Hamburg, Germany on July 7, was his first meeting as president with the Russian leader. It came after months of controversy over Russian meddling and whether anyone close to Trump’s campaign had colluded in it.

“It’s not the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard, but it’s pretty close,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who called Trump’s talks with Putin “disastrous.” Interviewed on NBC’s Meet the Press, the GOP veteran added, “When it comes to Russia, he’s got a blind spot.”

Sen. John McCain, a prominent Russia hawk, was asked on CBS’ Face the Nation whether Russia was really likely to provide any help in combating election interference. “I am sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous” — the Arizona Republican paused to chortle — “assistance to that effort, since he’s doing the hacking.” Turning serious, he added, “Yes, it’s time to move forward, but there has to be a price to pay” for an attack on American democracy.

Source:  Los Angeles Times