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Walker Calls for Tripling Broadband Funding

Governor Scott Walker

Gov. Walker called on the State Legislature to pass a proposed bill that appropriates an additional estimated $35.5 million for broadband expansion and technology programs, such as the Broadband Expansion Grant Program and the Technology for Educational Achievement (TEACH) program, during the next three fiscal years. Walker made the announcement at the Muehl Public Library in Seymour where his first listening session was conducted in December 2015. “The proposed legislation we’re asking the Legislature to act on triples the state’s broadband and technology investments and it will allow Wisconsin communities, especially in rural areas, to compete for jobs, improve education, and provide a higher quality of life,” Walker said.

Source: Walker press release

Senator Tammy Baldwin

Sen. Baldwin released the following statement on President-elect Trump’s nomination of hedge fund manager Steven Mnuchin for United States Secretary of the Treasury: “The Republican establishment now owns Washington and this is more proof that Wall Street, big banks, hedge funds and billionaires will be writing the rules to make a rigged system work for them. This is another broken promise from Donald Trump to ‘drain the swamp’ in Washington and not the change hardworking people in Wisconsin voted for. Wisconsin families struggling to get ahead do not want foxes guarding the hen house. They do not want a wealthy Wall Street insider making Washington work for hedge funds and big banksI have never been afraid to stand up to these powerful interests in Washington and I will continue my fight for the people of Wisconsin to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.”

Source: Baldwin press release

Senator Ron Johnson

Sen. Johnson and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) sent a letter to President Obama requesting that his administration consider setting a new precedent for presidential transitions by implementing a hiring freeze on all career civilian servant positions, except those in public health or safety. The senators criticized the longstanding practice by both parties of “burrowing in,” the conversion of political appointees into career civil servant positions. “Not only is ‘burrowing in’ unfair to applicants without an inside connection, it further contributes to the possibility that federal workers may attempt to undermine the policies of the new president,” the senators wrote. “We respectfully encourage you to consider the aforementioned concerns and also consider the implementation of a hiring freeze on all career civil servant positions, except those that involve public health or safety, until the end of your term. Doing so not only will be a gesture of bipartisanship and goodwill, we hope it also will set a precedent for future presidential transitions.”

Source: Johnson press release 

President Barack Obama

In his final national security address, Obama spoke to a room full of service members at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. But his message was squarely delivered to the next commander in chief. Obama advised President-elect Donald Trump, without mentioning him by name, on what he framed as a sustainable counterterrorism strategy for the next administration that maintains American values and keeps America safe. Much of that plan, though, without question ran counter to Trump’s views. He claimed during the campaign that the Islamic State was rooting for Clinton because Trump “will be their worst nightmare.” “Rather than offer false promises that we can eliminate terrorism by dropping more bombs or deploying more and more troops or fencing ourselves off from the rest of the world, we have to take a long view of the terrorist threat, and we have to pursue a smart strategy than can be sustained,” Obama warned. He cast the Islamic State as a group that portrays itself “as the vanguard of a new world order.” “They are not,” he said. “They are thugs and they are murderers and they should be treated that way.”

Source: politico.com

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