Scott Walker has rammed destructive, anti-worker policies through the Republican-controlled legislature. The result has been an economy that trails the nation in growth and is dead last in entrepreneurial activity, declining wages, and massive job loss as businesses close and companies move jobs out of the state.

MADISON - President Donald Trump's nominee to head up Department of Labor, Anthony Puzder, has withdrawn his nomination before tomorrow's confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate. While working families across the nation will rejoice at the news of Puzder's withdrawal, they should fear what may lie ahead: Labor Secretary nominee Scott Walker.

"President Trump nominated a multi-millionaire CEO who opposes raising the minimum wage and built his wealth on the backs of the workers at his restaurant chain," Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesman Brandon Weathersby said on Wednesday. "Gov. Scott Walker's record is even worse as he's built a national profile out of public policy that rewards the wealthy donors who help bankroll his campaigns and punishes the working families across the state."

During his tenure as Governor, Scott Walker has rammed destructive, anti-worker policies through the Republican-controlled legislature. The result has been an economy that trails the nation in growth and is dead last in entrepreneurial activity, declining wages, and massive job loss as businesses close and companies move jobs out of the state.

The facts on Scott Walker's anti-worker policies:

• Scott Walker admitted to Congress that his Act 10 reforms won’t save the state any money. [1]
• Walker’s failed attempts at reform, have had a real, harmful effect on Wisconsin families. [2]
• Thanks to Walker's cap on district revenues, over $1 billion in school district referendums were on the ballot last year. 45 out of 85 referendum questions were simple operational referendums to keep the lights on. [3]
• A Pew Charitable Trust report showed Wisconsin with the largest decline since 2000 in the percentage of families considered “middle class.” [4]
• Wisconsin’s 5.7% decrease in the number of Wisconsin families in the middle class outstripped all other states. [5]
• The median household income in Wisconsin fell 14.7% since 2000, compared to 7.2% nationwide. [6]

BACKGROUND:

[1] “At one point, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) confronted Walker about his crackdown on public employee unions. The congressman referenced a provision Walker signed into law that would require union members to vote every year to continue their membership. Kucinich asked the governor how much money the state would save from the provision. Walker repeatedly dodged the question and eventually admitted that it actually wouldn’t save anything at all.” (Scott Walker Admits Union-Busting Provision ‘Doesn’t Save Any’ Money For The State Of Wisconsin, ThinkProgress, 4/14/11)

[2] Act 10 reduced take-home pay for hundreds of thousands of people employed by schools, communities and the state by an average of nearly $3,000 each. Those cuts take over $700 million-a-year out of the state's economy. (Institute for Wisconsin’s Future, “The Price of Extremism, Wisconsin’s economy under the Walker administration”, December 2011)

[3] "In the first three and a half months of 2016, there were 85 referendum questions on Wisconsin ballots. Those proposed measures totaled nearly $1-billion. 45 of those were for districts to exceed their revenue limit." (Digging Deeper: Funding Our Future, WKOW-TV, 9/8/16)
[4] “If you feel like you’re working harder for less money, it’s not your imagination. Wisconsin ranks worst among the 50 states in terms of a shrinking middle class, with real median household incomes here falling 14.7 percent since 2000, according to a new report. The Pew Charitable Trust report showed Wisconsin with the largest decline in the percentage of families considered ‘middle class,’ or those earning between 67 and 200 percent of their state’s median income.” [Capital Times, 3/24/15]

[5] “In 2000, 54.6 percent of Wisconsin families fell into the middle class category but that has fallen to 48.9 percent in 2013, according to U.S. Census figures compiled by Pew. All other states showed some decline but none as great as Wisconsin’s 5.7 percent figure.” [Capital Times, 3/24/15]

[6] “Also, the median household income in Wisconsin was $60,344 in 2000 but now stands at just $51,467 after adjusting for inflation. That’s a dip of 14.7 percent. Nationally, median household incomes fell from $55,987 to $51,939 over the period, a decline of 7.2 percent.” [Capital Times, 3/24/15]

Evers has raised $142,443 this period to be added to $237,695 cash on hand, most came from hard-working Wisconsinites who donated $50 or $75 at a time.

MADISON - State Superintendent Tony Evers has doubled his cash on hand since his last report heading into the February 21st Spring Primary.

Later today, Evers will report raising $142,443 for the filing period of January 1st through February 6th, as well as cash on hand of $237,695.

The following is a statement from Campaign Manager, Amanda Brink:

"We continue to be pleased with the robust support we have received in 2017. Most of our funds came from hard-working Wisconsinites who donated $50 or $75 at a time. Tony is proud to be supported by parents, educators and community leaders across Wisconsin who share his dedication to kids and commitment to public education.”

Wachs honored to be appointed, looking forward to working in a bipartisan fashion.

MADISON - Representative Dana Wachs (D-Eau Claire) issued the following statement after being appointed to the Wisconsin State Building Commission for the 2017-2018 session:

“I am honored to be appointed to the Building Commission. The work of this Commission to improve and maintain state facilities and oversee new buildings is extremely important. A well planned long-range building program benefits all Wisconsin citizens and provides for a more efficient and effective government.

“It is paramount that those of us in public office are careful stewards of taxpayer money, and the oversight provided by the Building Commission ensures that our state facilities are serving their purpose. I look forward to working in a bipartisan fashion with my colleagues on the Commission.”

GOP to pay two undisclosed law firms an indeterminate amount of tax dollars in an effort to defend the maps ruled unconstitutional.

MADISON, WI - The framers of Wisconsin's legislative districts, which were recently ruled unconstitutional, voted in secret last week to pay two undisclosed law firms an indeterminate amount of tax dollars in an effort to defend the maps. Today we learned that one of the lawyers has charged more than $1,300 per hour for his work. This, after tax payers have already footed more than $2.1 million to pay for lawyers to draw the maps in secret and defend them through two lawsuits!

If, like us, you find this shocking, contact your own representatives and the legislative leadership responsible for this decision. Let them know how you feel about this abuse of power and tax dollars. Also let them know that Wisconsin would save millions of dollars and create more competitive voting districts if it would adopt the Iowa model for redistricting. There, a nonpartisan legislative agency drafts the district maps. There is a current proposal in the Wisconsin legislature that would have our Legislative Reference Bureau, which drafts all legislation, do this.

• Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester), (608) 266-9171, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), (608) 266-5660, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• To find your own legislators, click here and enter your address under Find My Legislators, next to the little green map of Wisconsin.

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League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, 612 W Main Street #200, Madison, WI 53703. Find out more at lwvwi.org

Wasting more money on lawyers to defend legislative districts recently ruled unconstitutional is an affront not just to the taxpayers but to the voters who have been denied fair elections and their true choice of representation in the State Legislature.

MADISON, WI - The Republican framers of Wisconsin's legislative districts, which were recently ruled unconstitutional, voted in secret last week to pay two undisclosed law firms an indeterminate amount of tax dollars in an effort to defend the maps. These are the same Republicans who already paid lawyers $2.1 million to set up and defend the unconstitutional districts through two lawsuits.

“Republican leaders can’t agree on how to fix our roads, find a way to keep and attract good teachers or make good on the Governor’s promise to create 250,000 jobs, but they can agree to give a blank check to high-priced corporate lawyers to defend their rigging of our elections," said Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay). “Instead of wasting more tax dollars GOP leaders should follow the federal court order and draw new, fair maps."

To do any less than the court order requires is an affront not just to the taxpayers but to the voters who have been denied fair elections and their true choice of representation in the State Legislature. Even better would be to pass Senate Bill 13 that would provide real, non-partisan redistricting reform.

“Unfortunately, it is clear from their recent actions that legislative Republicans do not care about safe roads, good public schools, Wisconsin’s workers, fair elections or the taxpayers," concludes Hansen, a champion of fair elections. "All they are concerned with is maintaining the unfair advantage they bought themselves with the public’s tax dollars.”

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Jay Wadd contributed to this story.

Rep. Sean Duffy votes to gut the Cardin-Lugar transparency amendment that required all companies on the New York Stock Exchange to publish payments to foreign governments for natural resource extraction like oil, gas or minerals.

MADISON - We send women and men to Congress to represent our state and our values in Washington. Time and again, Congressman Sean Duffy has failed to represent our state or our values in the nation's capital.

Yesterday, Representative Sean Duffy again voted for Wall Street and big corporations against Wisconsin's Main Streets. In a bold move that flies in the face of hard-working households, Duffy voted to allow oil, gas and other extraction companies to secretly pay foreign governments in which they operate.

House resolution 71, passed yesterday, effectively guts the Cardin-Lugar transparency amendment that required all companies on the New York Stock Exchange to publish payments to foreign governments for natural resource extraction like oil, gas or minerals. This law provided American officials working at home and abroad with the complete inventory of funds to foreign governments coming from American corporations. Furthermore, it helped hold those foreign governments accountable to their citizens.

Sean Duffy's affinity for oil and gas corporations is not surprising as those very same wealthy special interests helped fill his campaign coffers. ExxonMobil PAC has already contributed $13,000 to Sean Duffy's campaigns - an investment that is clearly paying dividends.

"When you look at the big corporations Rep. Sean Duffy has courted it's clear to see that he forgot about the people of Wisconsin long ago. So, it's no surprise that he's put Wall Street corporations ahead of Wisconsin's main street businesses," Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Martha Laning said on Thursday. "Allowing the secret bribing of foreign leaders is not only eyebrow-raising for our foreign policy interests, it's a direct affront to the values of transparency that Wisconsinites demand." ​

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/voter-primaries-s5.jpgWisconsin voters have been voting in gerrymandered districts that were ruled unconstitutional and must be redone by 2018. The League of Women Voters offers possible ways to accomplish that effort fairly.

MADISON - Since the news broke on Friday that new district lines will be drawn by November 1, 2017, our phones here at Wisconsin Progress have been off the hook with supporters asking us to expand our recruiting efforts to new parts of the state. Since we only currently have capacity to recruit in our targeted areas, we decided to create a segregated Redistricting Recruitment Fund to expand our recruiting efforts to new parts of the state.

Wisconsin Progress is going to be busier than ever looking to recruit, train, and elect new state representatives and state senators all across the state. But we can't do it without your help! It's going to take a lot of time and resources to recruit solid candidates in all these newly drawn districts!

Can you chip in to the Wisconsin Progress Redistricting Recruitment Fund?

The new redistricting lines will most likely create more swing districts in Wisconsin and increase the amount of necessary candidates needed to be recruited for 2018. Wisconsin Progress is the only organization in the state dedicated to recruiting, training, and electing candidates to local and legislative office across Wisconsin.

Help expand Wisconsin Progress's recruiting efforts by donating to the Redistricting Recruitment Fund!

Thank you for your help!

Senator Tammy Baldwin won a sweeping victory in 2012 over former Governor Tommy Thompson and will continue to hold Republicans accountable for their actions in Washington as the 2018 election approaches. During her term, Tammy has traveled the state and stayed connected to Wisconsin.

MADISON - In 2012, Tammy Baldwin was elected to the Senate in a sweeping victory, winning counties in all four corners of the state with substantial majorities.  Just as she said during the campaign, Tammy has taken on the powerful interests in Washington and fought for Wisconsin’s working families. She continues to aggressively travel across Wisconsin meeting with constituents to hear their concerns and bring their ideas back to Washington. Meanwhile, Tammy has built a robust war chest, preparing for an election where Wisconsin Republicans will be facing a strong headwind led by the Republican establishment in Washington.

Tammy Baldwin is a proven, strong statewide candidate. Not only did Tammy win 13 counties in 2012 that President Trump carried in 2016, she earned more votes than either Trump or Senator Johnson, despite running against popular former Governor Tommy Thompson. Tammy won 31 counties in 2012; and outperformed President Obama in 9 counties.

In 2012, Tammy was elected to take on the powerful special interests in Washington and fight for Wisconsin. She has never been afraid to stand up and fight to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. When she first joined Congress she stood up to Wall Street lobbyists and she will not let Congress hand everything over to Wall Street to write their own rules again. Tammy has taken on the rigged system and introduced legislation to close the revolving door between Wall Street and Washington.

During her term, Tammy has traveled the state and stayed connected to Wisconsin. She’s visited towns large and small.  She’s held roundtables on student debt and college affordability. She’s visited technical schools to discuss support for workforce readiness. She’s brought people together to deliver funding for the opiate crisis. She’s made the Buy American fight her fight. She’s talked to communities about taking on special interests and holding them accountable by introducing legislation to stop the revolving door between the Administration and Wall Street, requiring hedge fund managers to pay their fair share and defending Wisconsin’s Main Streets against Wall Street interests.

Tammy has always been a strong fundraiser and this cycle is no different. In 2012, she built a strong fundraising infrastructure that allowed her to raise over $15 million.  In 2016, the campaign raised more than $1.8 million, one of the highest totals for any Senator who wasn’t on the ballot, from either party. The campaign will report over $1 million in the bank to start 2017. In 2016 alone she had 23,122 donors who contributed $46.54 on average. Her campaign is in a stronger financial position heading into 2018 than Senator Johnson was in January 2015.  With the foundation laid over the past three years, Tammy will have the resources she needs to execute a winning plan in 2018.

With the inauguration of President Trump, Republicans control everything in Washington. Likely to pass the most pro-corporate agenda ever to come from Republicans and their Wall Street backers, all Republicans must explain their party’s actions to the voters. They could be forced to defend decisions like cutting Social Security, deregulating Wall Street and more. Mid-term elections are historically bad for the party in control in Washington. Six out of the past seven general elections for Governor and Senator in Wisconsin have seen the electorate vote against the party that controls the White House (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016). The only outlier was the 2012 election, when Tammy was elected. With President Trump’s approval ratings already at historic lows for a newly elected President, it is unlikely that we will see this trend change in 2018.

Over the course of the next year, Tammy will continue to be a voice for every Wisconsinite and hold Republicans accountable for their actions in Washington.

Our nation was founded on the principles of equality and fairness. We must work together.

MADISON – Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) released the following statement regarding the inauguration today of Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the United States:

“The peaceful transition of power and inauguration of our president has been a hallmark of our democracy for over two centuries. My hope for President Trump is that he respects the institution he is stepping into and exercises humility, dignity, empathy and grace as the leader of the free world.

“The strength of our country is the rich diversity of people and ideas from sea to shining sea. As President Trump travels this country, I hope he takes to heart the stories of fellow Americans, understands the struggles we’ve all experienced and works to achieve the hopes and dreams of each and every person he meets. Our nation was founded on the principles of equality and fairness. We must work together to lift up our fellow citizens, respect our neighbors and support our communities so that everyone has a chance to achieve their American Dream.”

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Tony Palese contributed to this story.