Welcome to our weekly DC Wrap, where we write about Wisconsin’s congressional delegation. Sign up here to receive the newsletter directly.

Quotes of the week

Trump campaigned on a zero-leniency immigration policy, and I am unfortunately not surprised how many people are in find-out mode. He doesn’t care if it costs billions in taxpayer dollars, wrecks communities, stunts the economy, or destroys the industries. Cruelty is the point.
– U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, in response to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration. 

This is the result of having a president who prioritizes law and order. In just four days, President Trump made more progress on securing the border than Biden did in four years.
– U.S. Tony Wied, R-De Pere on Trump’s immigration policy. 

You should be assured that when you fly, you’re safe.
– U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy responding to the fatal crash yesterday at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, between a regional jet and an Army helicopter. Authorities believe there are no survivors among the 64 passengers and crew aboard the jet and three aboard the helicopter. Duffy, a former Wisconsin congressman, was sworn into the post yesterday.

This week’s news

— Wisconsin Republicans largely supported a Trump administration memo ordering a freeze of federal grant and loan funding this week, amid widespread confusion and concerns about its impact. 

Dems blasted the move as unconstitutional and said pausing the funding would put vulnerable Americans at risk. 

The memo ordered a freeze on all federal grants and loans with exceptions for programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and “payments to individuals.” The memo sent government and other officials scrambling as they tried to gauge its effects. It was originally set to take effect Tuesday evening, but a federal judge temporarily blocked it on Tuesday. Media reports indicated the order had been rescinded, but the Trump administration said only the memo outlining the policy had been rescinded to “alleviate confusion.” President Trump’s executive orders regarding federal funding remain in effect, according to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. 

Gov. Tony Evers sent a letter to Trump warning of “disastrous consequences” if the order wasn’t reversed, and Wisconsin joined 22 other states suing to block its implementation.

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, hailed news reports that the order had been rescinded, praising her party for standing up against the policy. The comments came before the White House said the policy was still in place. 

“While House Republicans rushed to bend to Trump’s will when he pushed an illegal federal funding freeze, Democrats stood up for the American people and the rule of law,” Moore said. “We won’t roll over.” 

U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, in a statement to WisPolitics didn’t say whether he supported the directive.

“I am reviewing the executive action and I’m looking to get additional clarity to ensure important local services are not impacted,” Steil said. 

Other Wisconsin Republicans asked to weigh in said the directive was an important step to reduce spending. They also noted it wouldn’t apply to certain programs that provide direct benefits to Americans. 

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, noted the White House said the memo wouldn’t apply to direct payments to individuals. 

“It makes sense for the Trump administration to want to make sure that federal taxpayer dollars are being used in a way that does not violate the President’s executive orders,” he said. “The Trump administration is going to ensure adequate oversight of federal grants and loan programs and possibly investigate if any grant or loan recipients are not meeting the requirements or expectations of the federal programs.”

U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, said the pause would allow the Trump administration to “ensure federal agencies are being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars” while maintaining support for programs such as Social Security, food stamps, Medicare and Medicaid. 

Democrats argued the directive was unconstitutional, noting Congress had already approved federal funding for the programs. 

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, said she’d heard from constituents who are concerned about funding being cut off for police and fire, childcare, fighting the fentanyl crisis, and providing food to kids, among other things. 

“We are talking about real people’s lives; real people’s ability to eat, stay safe, or live a healthy life is on the line,” Baldwin said. “I want to be clear, Democrats and Republicans passed laws providing this funding for our kids, families, and communities, and ripping it away is an unconstitutional power grab. I will fight it at every step.” 

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, said Trump was “only working to enrich himself and his billionaire buddies.” 

“This reckless move will devastate every community across the country, and Republicans must join with Democrats to make sure Trump does not get away with this unconstitutional theft of American taxpayers’ own money,” he said. 

— Former Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy was confirmed 78-22 by the Senate this week to lead the Department of Transportation. 

U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison and Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, both voted in favor of Duffy’s confirmation, as they had indicated ahead of the vote. 

Also this week, Johnson sought to rally support behind Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services at his first confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate. 

Johnson praised Kennedy, a former Democrat, for joining forces with Trump for something Americans “desperately want; finding out the answers, what has caused autism, what is causing chronic illness?” 

“Can’t we come together as a nation and do this? Aren’t you getting tired of this? I’m getting tired of this,” Johnson said. 

Baldwin has criticized Kennedy’s nomination as dangerous for Wisconsinites, citing his support for conspiracy theories and his anti-vaccine positions. She repeated her concerns at a press conference this week. 

“The head of HHS must believe in science to keep people healthy and believe the experts, not conspiracy theories. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. does not meet that very simple requirement,” she said. “It’s not just that he doesn’t believe in science and trust our experts, he actively undermines them.” 

— Baldwin opposed the nomination of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last week, while Johnson voted in support.

Baldwin said that she hoped to give every nominee a “fair shake” and consider how they might impact Wisconsinites. However, she did not support President Trump’s controversial pick to lead the Department of Defense. 

“Given Pete Hegseth’s history of running even a small organization into the ground, credible allegations of sexual assault, and degrading statements about women in service, he has proven that he is just not fit to lead three million men and women in service and protect our country,” Baldwin said on X. “When it comes to keeping Wisconsin families and servicemembers safe, Pete Hegseth is simply not up to the job.” 

Johnson’s office directed WisPolitics to his past comments on X in December saying why he would be voting for Hegseth’s confirmation. 

“As Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth will focus on readiness and returning lethality to our military forces,” Johnson said. “He promises to root out wokeness and DEI. As a war fighter himself, he will inspire others to join a reinvigorated military to defend America. I intend to support his nomination.” 

In other cabinet nominee confirmation votes, Baldwin voted against Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s nominations, and  voted in favor of her former Senate colleague Marco Rubio’s nomination as secretary of state. Johnson has voted to confirm each of Trump’s appointees.  

— Baldwin also said this week that “anybody who is here illegally and has committed a crime should be tried and deported,” and called for a better system to acquire work visas. 

In response to a question about her position on immigration at a town hall with constituents in western Wisconsin, Baldwin said the system is “certainly broken” and Congress should take up comprehensive immigration reform. 

And while Baldwin supports deporting those who have committed crimes, she added that there should be a “pathway to citizenship” for those who currently live in the United States.

Baldwin said that she’s heard some people are concerned about the executive orders regarding immigration, and some who are showing up to work each day “bolstering the economy” may be subject to raids. 

— U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, encouraged constituents to know their rights if detained and provided information about laws regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

“I want my constituents, especially in immigrant communities, to be empowered with the information they need,” Moore said in a release. “If they are ever in contact with an ICE agent, I encourage them to use the information below as a guide to navigate a variety of situations involving ICE.”

In a post on X, Moore outlined what to do if ICE agents arrive at a constituent’s home: reminding people that agents must have a search warrant to enter a private residence. And if someone is detained, Moore said that they have the right to remain silent and request a lawyer. 

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, on WISN’s “UpFront,” produced in partnership with WisPolitics, said the Trump administration is targeting people who are “a real danger to society, the real criminals.” 

“In those law enforcement actions, if they find people in this country illegally, they’ll also be caught up in the law enforcement actions.”

— The election to lead the national Democratic Party is this weekend, with state party chair Ben Wikler competing for the job.

The Democratic National Committee will vote Saturday on who will be their next chair. Top candidates include current Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler and Minnesota’s Ken Martin. 

The first candidate to win the support of 225 of the DNC voting members will be the next chair. 

Posts of the week

ICYMI

Associated Press: Former Capitol police officer campaigns in Wisconsin against Republican-backed court candidate 

WPR: ‘Unsung’ soldiers who aided US in Laos don’t have veteran status. Wisconsin lawmakers don’t want that to change

WKOW: Federally funded research should continue at UW-Madison despite uncertainty, administrators say 





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