Wisconsin State Capitol (Wisconsin Examiner photo)
Wisconsin lawmakers have requested additional security ahead of this week’s floor session in light of the attacks over the weekend on Minnesota state lawmakers, including the assassination of Democratic–Farmer–Labor House leader Melissa Hortman and her husband and the shooting of Sen. John Hoffman and his wife.
The police have identified 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter as the suspected gunman. Boelter had a list in his car of dozens of people including elected officials and abortion providers, according to police. Boelter was apprehended Monday and faces federal and state murder charges.
All three of Wisconsin’s federal Democratic lawmakers and 11 state lawmakers were identified as being named in documents left behind by Boelter.
According to Politico, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin spokesperson Eli Rosen said Monday she was notified by law enforcement she was included on the alleged shooter’s list of names and “is grateful for law enforcement’s swift action to keep the community safe.”
Rosen also said Baldwin “remains focused on the things that matter most here: honoring the legacy and life of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, praying for the other victims who are fighting for their lives, and condemning this abhorrent, senseless political violence.”
U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore wrote on social media that she was aware her name was on one of the documents recovered from the vehicle of the suspect in Minnesota.
“I thank law enforcement for their swift notification and subsequent response,” Moore said. “My prayers are with all those impacted by these horrific acts.”
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan has said he is “appreciative that law enforcement apprehended the suspect” in the shooting and he had heard that his name was in the Minnesota shooting suspect’s notebooks.
“I will not back down in the face of terror, however, we as elected officials must do better to lower the temperature,” Pocan said. “That said, my schedule remains unchanged.”
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11 Wisconsin state lawmakers were named in lists left behind by Boelter.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) has requested additional security for the Assembly floor session this week, according to Vos’ communications director Luke Wolff. Vos’ office declined to provide additional details about the new security plan Tuesday afternoon.
The Wisconsin State Senate Sergeant at Arms Timothy La Sage announced Monday a series of enhanced security protocols at the State Capitol being taken in coordination with Capitol police, including “increased situational awareness practices, strengthened access control points, and updated emergency response protocols.” Specific security details are not being disclosed publicly, according to the statement.
The steps are meant to provide a secure and responsive environment and maintain public accessibility and civic engagement.
“The safety of those who serve, work, and visit the Capitol is my top priority,” La Sage said. “We remain vigilant and prepared. These enhancements are part of our ongoing commitment to security and public service.”
The week prior to the Minnesota attacks, Wisconsin Democrats on the budget committee spoke about increasing political violence across the country and, specifically, the targeting of judges and justices as they defended a budget request to add specific security for the state Supreme Court. State lawmakers have passed bipartisan laws in the past to help protect judges. Republicans on the committee, however, rejected this proposal, saying that the Capitol police is doing a good job and there isn’t a need for separate security.
At a press conference following the budget committee’s Tuesday meeting, Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) said she thinks increasing security at the Capitol is part of a “broader conversation that state legislatures are having all around the country.”
“I’m hopeful that we’re going to have some of that in Wisconsin,” Roys said. “Obviously, our thoughts are with all of our colleagues in Minnesota.”
Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) told WISN-12 reporter Matt Smith that he wants increased security around the Capitol, including metal detectors and a ban on members of the public (but not lawmakers) carrying guns into the building.
“I have not been through another Capitol that has not had metal detectors,” Kapenga said. “We need to have a higher level of security just because of, unfortunately, ingenuity with how you can hurt people.”
Security at the state Capitol was a point of concern previously in 2023 after a man entered the building twice with a gun in search of Gov. Tony Evers. At the time, Evers said about increasing security that he was “sure they are looking at that” but that it was “not something we talk about [or] something police talk about.”
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Remiker told the convention after he won. “And I want to figure out how we can all work together to best support Democrats in every corner of this state.” (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin met over the weekend at a waterpark resort in the Wisconsin Dells to kickstart its work to compete for crucial seats in government in 2026. Delegates elected Devin Remiker as chair, a senior advisor to the party who was endorsed by outgoing party chair Ben Wikler. In sessions throughout the weekend state Democrats considered what needs to change for the party to succeed and speakers talked about what Democrats would do if they won a trifecta in state government.
Remiker chosen in three-way race
The state party elected Remiker over Joe Zepecki and William Garcia in the race for chair Sunday afternoon. The party used ranked choice voting to choose the winner after delegates watched a video on how the process worked on Saturday evening.Voting took place the next day.
Remiker received 485 votes, including 437 first choice votes and 48 second choice votes, putting him over the other candidates. Zepecki, a communications professional, received 415 votes, including 330 first choice and 85 second choice votes and Garcia, chair of the La Crosse County party, received 139 first choice votes, resulting in his elimination in the first round.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Remiker told the convention after he won. “And I want to figure out how we can all work together to best support Democrats in every corner of this state.”
Remiker, a 32-year-old Two Rivers native, will succeed Chair Ben Wikler, who has led the party since 2019 and decided not to run for another term. He most recently served as a senior advisor for the state party, though he’s been involved with the party in various capacities, including as executive director for a time, since 2018.
Remiker said he was glad that the party was unifying around a vision to build on what works, which will allow the party to “hit the gas” into 2026 when elections for the state Supreme Court, governor, Congress and the state Legislature take place.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin considered what a trifecta in state government would look like during the convention. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)
“There is one thing that we can do, and it is elect Democrats at all levels to send a message to Donald Trump and Republicans in this state that we will not stand for their divide and conquer politics any longer. We will win big,” Remiker said. “We are just 18 months away from a trifecta and 18 months away from history. Let’s hit the gas, and when we win, it won’t be an accident. It will be because we put in the work.”
The chair campaign over the weekend
The candidates for chair spent the weekend working to make their case for the position, including addressing the convention in speeches Saturday evening. During his speech, Remiker said questions about whether Democrats are fighting back and why the party is broken don’t apply in Wisconsin.
“In Wisconsin, the Democratic party works,” Remiker told the convention. “We don’t need to fix what isn’t broken. We need to build on what works and, folks, we know what works. Success isn’t an accident: year-round organizing, showing up everywhere, fighting tooth and nail in every election — spring, fall, special — taking nothing for granted. Now is not the time to reset. Now is the time to double down.”
Remiker had the support of out-going chair Wikler, who spoke on his behalf as well. During his campaign he also garnered the support of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore and the Democratic leaders of the state Senate and Assembly.
“It was Devin who made the plan to fight back when Elon Musk came to town. It was Devin who figured out how to make it backfire,” Wikler told the convention on Saturday evening. “He’s brilliant. He’s an organizer. He’s kind. He gets rural. He gets grassroots, and he knows how to fight in a moment when we need a fighter.”
Remiker told reporters Sunday afternoon that he would have won the election even without Wikler’s support.
“Even prior to that, I had tons of endorsement and public support from around the state from elected officials, party leadership,” Remiker said. “It was just a little added boost as we had it into the final shot.”
Garcia had made his case to the convention that the party would win a trifecta in 2026 and he would help do that by strengthening the county parties and ensuring they have the tools, resources, information, and training they need to succeed.
“County parties need the support to welcome new members and organize new voters to the Democratic side,” Garcia said. “Building local parties means talking to voters everywhere and winning votes everywhere… The path to victory is making our community stronger.”
Garcia also emphasized that he would reach out to young people, a message that resonated with some.
Jasmine Puls, a senior at UW-Green Bay, said Garcia became her top pick because of that. She said he appeared to be meeting with everyone during his Saturday evening event and told her that he would be willing to visit her campus. Each candidate had a “hospitality suite” after the close of business on Saturday where they could speak with delegates.
Puls said Garcia felt “like he’s the more personal choice, especially for youth voters,” Puls said. She also noted that Remiker’s event felt a little “show-outy.”
“There was like prime rib and everything was like extreme, and we were getting free cups, free drinks, free everything,” Puls said. “It was huge, but it felt like a show and it just didn’t seem real and authentic.”
Asked about how much he spent on his campaign and about the food served at his campaign events, which also included escargot, Remiker said he “spent enough to win” and said the food was part of Wisconsin tradition.
“I was delighted to have a Wisconsin supper club theme at my hospitality suite last night. We did have prime rib, but it was a Saturday night, and that’s a Saturday night special here in Wisconsin,” Remiker said. “I had a ton of fun. It was a great campaign. I’m really proud of the campaign.”
Devin Remiker speaking with delegates ahead of the chair vote on Sunday. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)
Zepecki, meanwhile, ran a campaign that focused on helping make changes to the party that could help seal gaps he identified as a problem. As he spoke to the convention, he said Wikler has done a great job strengthening the party, but Trump and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s election victories in Wisconsin are proof the party has work to do.
Brenda Vinall-Mogel, a member of the Burnett County party, told the Examiner that Zepecki showing up in her county helped make him her top choice for chair. Zepecki told the convention on Saturday that he traveled 5,000 miles across Wisconsin to listen to people and to make the case for his candidacy. “We should actually be out in the bars, talking to the people, getting to know them,” Vinall-Mogel said, “asking questions going to the farm days, whatever, and talking to people there and find what their questions are. We need to do a lot of listening.”
Remiker said that he will help the party work to improve its communications as chair. He said the party specifically needs to be clear that it represents the working class and is working to defend people’s rights and freedoms as well as democracy.
“We’re going to repeat it in as many mediums as we can and get more messengers that are able to carry that message. The information age kind of divides people’s attention into different groups, into different buckets and niche interests,” Remiker said, adding that Democrats need to work on “connecting the dots about how politics impacts nearly everything in everyone’s lives.”
Wikler preparing to depart as chair
Wikler received major props for his work from elected officials and other Democrats throughout his last convention as chair. Under his leadership, Wisconsin Democrats have won 13 of the last 16 statewide elections under his leadership, flipped the ideological balance of the state Supreme Court and won back seats in the state Legislature after new, fair maps were implemented in 2024.
“Ben Wikler — what an incredible run!” U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan said. “It is great to be here at the convention of the strongest state political party in the United States of America. Thank you Ben for everything you’ve done.”
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin said Wikler has been an “extraordinary leader of this party” and added that she wouldn’t have secured another term in office without the work of him and the party.
As he opened the convention, Wikler celebrated the “No Kings” protests across the country on Saturday ahead of the convention. Thousands of Wisconsinites and millions of Americans protested against Trump, Wikler noted, adding that they pushed back against a president who thinks “he is above the law, who arrests judges, including in Wisconsin and members of Congress, including U.S, Senators, who sends Marines into U.S cities, who wants to rip health care from millions of people to hand tens of billions or billions of dollars to his royal courtiers, a man who doesn’t see himself as an elected official, but as a king.”
Wikler said the party convention is a time for Democrats to reconnect, choose new leaders and train each other for the work ahead, saying that “activism and courage” and “willingness to stand up for what is right” is how he knows the country will survive Trump’s presidency.
“We will get past these years under a would-be Mad King and tin-pot dictator held in check by Democratic values that President [George] Washington sowed into the fabric of our government,” Wikler said. “The Trump administration will end one day.”
Wikler told the convention during a conversation with Baldwin that he plans to go on vacation with his family after his term ends and is working on developing a pitch for a book that may look at the lessons that can be learned from Wisconsin. He also reassured the room that this won’t be the end of his political involvement.
“I want to stay involved in the fight,” Wikler said. “We’ll see what that will look like.”
In accordance with the state party’s constitution, the outgoing state party chair remains on the governing body for an additional year.
Wikler told reporters that he “absolutely” wants to help support Remiker and the party in its work to win a trifecta. The last time Wisconsin Democrats held a trifecta was from 2009 to 2010.
“There’s an enormous opportunity for a breakthrough in our state over this next 18 months,” Wikler said. “At the same time, I want to take time with my family, and I’m working on a book proposal… then I’ll figure out how I can be useful.”
Party members say they’d support Evers running again
One of Democrats’ goals for 2026 is to maintain control of the governor’s mansion in Wisconsin.
Gov. Tony Evers is still weighing whether he’ll run for a third term in office, but party members appeared supportive of a third run.
When Evers addressed the convention, he highlighted the work that he’s done over the last several years and emphasized that the work towards winning in the future has to start immediately.
“Everyone stopped calling me two-term or three-term Tony, and now they just call me 400-year Tony,” he said, referencing his partial veto of the last state budget in 2023 that extended a school revenue increase for 400 years. The State Supreme Court recently ruled the veto was constitutional to the anger of Republicans.
“Everyone stopped calling me two term or three-term Tony, and now they just call me 400-year Tony,” Evers said at the convention. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)
The crowd broke out into chants of “Tony, Tony, Tony.”
Evers also chastised the Trump administration and Republicans for being “at work to obliterate our constitutional checks and balances,” and noted that Republicans fired thousands of federal employees and are trying to cut Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.
But he said that Democrats are “raising hell too.”
“When the Trump Administration tried to gut billions of dollars of federal funding that Congress approved and Wisconsin was counting on for our schools’ health care infrastructure, we sued,” Evers said. “When they tried to fire tens of thousands of federal workers, leaving them and their families in a lurch, we sued them. When they tried to gut AmeriCorps, which would affect the services and communities [in] more than half of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, we sued.”
Evers’ AmeriCorps lawsuit is part of what makes Puls of UW-Green Bay supportive of a third campaign.
“I really hope that he actually makes some changes, especially because I just lost my job from the AmeriCorps funding cuts,” Puls said. “He promised to help with that and fix things, so I’m really — I’m hoping for the best. I’m hoping that he stays true to his word.”
Margetta Souder of the Eau Claire County Democratic Party also said Evers needs to run again.
“[Evers is] one of the better governors we’ve ever had, and I think he’s effective if he’s allowed to do what he does best,” Souder said, adding that flipping the Legislature would help him get things done. “If I were him, I would be depressed because of how much harder he has to work in order to get anything done,” Souder said. “He needs support.”
Mark Unak, an economist and member of the Milwaukee County Democratic Party, said he also wants Evers to run again, and appreciates that he is a “straight-shooter.”
“His hands are tied with the Legislature, but what he has done has been good,” Unak said. “He comes out of the education department. He knows what the numbers look like. He knows what the demographics look like, so I think he’s a realist.”
When it comes to other names that have been thrown around, Unak said he wasn’t sure there was a candidate who could fill Evers’ shoes.
“No offense to [Lt. Gov.] Sara [Rodriguez] and no offense to [AG] Josh Kaul. I don’t think either of them are strong enough to win as governor,” Unak said.
Sam Laude, a UW-Green Bay student, said some people have been discussing the issue of Evers’ age. He is 73 and would be 75 at the start of a third term if he were to run and win. He said Democrats have had a trend of older candidates and said former President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 campaign too late. However, he said Evers is still extremely popular and would likely win another term.
“As long as he maintains that energy, he can absolutely go for it,” Laude said. Watching Evers at the convention, he said he “definitely still had the energy,” adding that he had hundreds of conversations with people waiting in line to talk to him at an ice cream event Saturday evening. “I think he’s still got it and I hope that continues in the future.”
Laude said that if Evers decided not to run, he would want Wikler to run for governor.
“He deserves a break. Let him hang out with his family this summer, but we do need a presence like Ben Wikler,” Laude said, adding that he has built bridges in the party and thinks his background, including his background as a student at Harvard, would serve him well.
“He’s plenty smart for the position — would be probably more qualified than most Republican governors to be blunt — and does genuinely care about all these big issues that are impacting Wisconsin,” Laude said. “He would support education, health care access, all those things.”
“I’m on Team Tony for a third term,” U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan wrote on social media ahead of the convention. “There is truly no one more quintessentially WI than [Evers]. Bring on the Addam’s Family island of misfit candidates in the GOP. Evers wins because he’s the best for WI.”
Delegate holding a Tony Evers fan during the convention. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)
Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) told the Examiner that she would support Evers’ decision either way, though she said she would love to see him run. She declined to comment on who she would want to run if Evers decides otherwise, but said there are some “really strong people who are kind of waiting in the wings if he doesn’t want to.”
“We haven’t seen a Democrat with this high of ratings in a long time. I think he is beloved when he goes out into my district — everybody is so happy to see him. I would love it if he ran for a third term. I also understand if he’s, like, well, you know, I’ve had quite a few years in public service. It’s time to go on,” Emerson said. “The important thing to me is that we get this trifecta next year.”
During his speech, Evers said Republicans “better start getting used to Democrats being in power in the state,” noting that 2026 will be the first time that every member of the Legislature will have had to run under the fair maps he signed into law in 2024.
“With a Democratic trifecta, Wisconsin could expand Badger Care, pass paid family leave, get contaminants out of our water and get our kids and schools the resources they need, and yes, we could finally legalize marijuana,” Evers said to the cheers and whistles from the convention.
Evers said Democrats need to begin building the foundation to win elections now.
“We have to win… we’re going to fight like hell to make sure we do because the stakes could not be higher or not,” he said.
Lawmakers eye majorities
A Democratic trifecta would also rely on the party holding the line and making gains in the state Assembly, where Democrats are five seats away from a majority, and in the state Senate, where they are two seats from a majority.
Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) appeared confident that Democrats can win the Senate in 2026. Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) did not speak at the convention.
“We will get it done,” Hesselbein said.
Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) appeared confident that Democrats can win the Senate in 2026. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)
Hesselbein said Republicans have been holding the state back from progressing, calling attention to Wisconsin Republicans’ support of enforcing a criminal 1849 law to ban abortion and and their gutting of Evers’ state budget, removing items that would have invested in child care programs, school meals for all and tax exemptions for diapers and over-the-counter medications.
“When we’re in the majority in the state Senate — and it will happen soon — here’s what the budget will look like. We will put our kids first by finally fully funding our K-12 education… We will make historic investments in the UW and the university system, and we will stop meddling in the colleges and universities. We will make sure that the rich pay their fair share taxes,” Hesselbein said. “That’s just the budget.”
Hesselbein said Democrats would also work to ensure women have reproductive rights and pass paid medical and family leave.
Emerson said she thinks the prospect for a majority looks “really, really good for next year.”
“I’m a perpetual optimist when it comes to elections, though I’ve had my heart broken many times, but I really do think it is within our grasp.”
Emerson said Democrats could see a boost with Trump in office.
“I think we are gonna see a lot of people who are either only Trump voters and will not come out for a non-Trump election or they’re people who are seeing what’s happening not only in their community but across the country and across the world because of Trump and are saying, ‘nope, not anymore, we’re not going to put up with it,’” Emerson said.
Emerson said that Democrats are working to actively recruit candidates to run and are focused on holding Republicans accountable and encouraging constituents to do the same. She noted that Democrats have been holding town halls, including in Republican represented areas, as well as working to communicate with people about what is going on in the state Legislature.
Emerson said she has a “whole spreadsheet” of priorities if Democrats win the majorities. She said Democrats are prepared to be in the majority and are using the current session as a “dress rehearsal” even as they play defense against Republicans.
“There’s so many [Assembly Bill] ideas out there. For me, I think it really does need to be codify Roe into law,” Emerson said, adding that while there is a lot of chatter about economic policy, the decision on whether someone has a child is an economic decision. “If you’re not in charge of your own body, you really have no freedom at all.”
Party members respond to attacks on Minnesota lawmakers
The convention took place right after the apparently politically-motivated assasination of Minnesota Democratic House leader Melissa Hortman and her husband by a man impersonating a police officer. Minnesota Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also shot multiple times prior to Hortman.
The party worked to increase the level of security at the convention after the news broke.
As Wikler called the convention into order, he said the party was meeting in a time of “shock and grief.”
“I conveyed our support to leaders in Minnesota for swift justice and for this horror to end now and today, amidst the fear and grief, I want to reaffirm our appreciation, our gratitude for all those who have the courage to serve in public office,” Wikler said.
While talking about the attack, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin mentioned the arrest of her colleague U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California, saying both incidents represent attempts to silence people.
“We will not be silenced,” Baldwin said. “Let’s keep that in our heart, in our minds, in our prayers and let’s carry on in their memories.
State Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Hesselbein, and Neubauer released a joint statement about the attacks on Saturday.
“No one should ever fear for their lives because of their service to their community. Political violence accomplishes nothing, and is never the answer,” the lawmakers stated. “We hope that the assailant is apprehended swiftly.”
During her speech at the convention, Hesselbein said the country and Wisconsin must “resolve political differences with conversation and debate — not at the point of a gun and not with violence.”
Hesselbein said her “heart breaks” for Minnesota colleagues and their families, noting that she is in consistent contact with colleagues all over the county, especially in the Midwest.
“We’re a close-knit community, and we’re trying to keep track and to keep each other safe,” Hesselbein said. “All of us in the Wisconsin Legislature will do what we can to help Minnesota, to help them heal and to prevent this from ever happening again and to continue to seek a safe and respectful world.”
Emerson said the attacks made the convention feel different this year.
“Any time somebody is targeted for the job that they hold, we’ve failed as a society,” Emerson said. “I was really devastated to see that happen, just like it was really devastating to see the assassination attempt on President Trump last summer, too. None of this should happen and it shouldn’t be a partisan thing.”
“How do we work really, really hard for our values, while not ostracizing other people, and I think it’s a fine line to walk, but it’s really important. We can argue vehemently about the policies that separate us and the approaches that separate us,” Emerson said. “But in the end, I really, truly, believe that all 99 Assembly people and all 33 Senators are doing what they do because they think that their approach makes Wisconsin a better place.”
Protesters gather outside of the Federal Building in Milwaukee to denounce the arrest of Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)
A Milwaukee man was charged Monday after writing a letter to the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that threatened to assassinate President Donald Trump. Demetric Scott told investigators that he wrote the letter claiming to be 54-year Ramón Morales Reyes, a Mexican-born Milwaukee resident who does not have permanent legal status. Scott was already incarcerated in the Milwaukee County Jail for armed robbery and aggravated battery and allegedly victimized Morales Reyes when he committed that crime.
WISN 12 reported that Scott told investigators that he wrote the letter framing Morales Reyes because he didn’t want Morales Reyes to testify against him during his trial in July. Scott reportedly told a person during a recorded jailhouse call that if Morales Reyes “gets picked up by ICE, there won’t be a jury trial so they will probably dismiss it that day. That’s my plan.”
The letter Scott authored was written in perfect English, with only a few misspellings. “We are tired of this president messing with us Mexicans,” it stated, adding, “I will self deport myself back to Mexico but not before I use my 30 yard 6 (sic) to shoot your precious president in the head – I’ll see you at one of his big ralleys (sic).” The letter was likely referring to a .30-06 (pronounced 30 ought six) high caliber rifle round, and appeared to be an assassination threat against the president.
The Wisconsin Examiner’s Criminal Justice Reporting Project shines a light on incarceration, law enforcement and criminal justice issues with support from the Public Welfare Foundation.
On Friday, lawyers representing Morales Reyes and local immigration advocates from Voces de la Frontera held a press conference, asserting that Morales Reyes could not have authored the letter. The 54-year-old father, who works as a dishwasher, comes from a rural part of Mexico where he received little formal education. He does not speak English and cannot read or write proficiently even in Spanish.
After Morales Reyes was arrested by ICE, his daughter contacted Voces de la Frontera and shared information about his background. Days after the arrest, Department of Homeland (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem issued a press statement, condemning Morales Reyes as having threatened President Trump’s life. Noem said the letter was part of a series of dangerous threats to the president.
Morales Reyes’ attorneys and Voces de la Frontera called on DHS to retract Noem’s statement and clear his name. It’s unclear why Noem issued the statement, as CNN reported that MPD was investigating the likelihood that the letter was a fake on the day Morales Reyes was arrested. Scott told investigators that he did not receive any help in writing the letters.
Democratic U.S. Reps. Gween Moore and Mark Pocan visited the Dodge County jail, Wisconsin’s only ICE detention facility Monday, on a congressional oversight visit. They were not permitted to talk to anyone incarcerated there and did not receive any response to their questions from ICE.
“In this facility, ICE is still detaining Ramón Morales Reyes despite being wrongfully accused of a crime,” Moore and Pocan said in a joint statement. “ICE is also working without transparency to Congress, which was only magnified by today’s visit when we tried to call the local Milwaukee field office number on its website, but the number was disconnected. It is unacceptable for ICE to be inaccessible to Members of Congress. As members of Congress, we will continue using all tools available to conduct oversight.”
This article has been edited to correct the labeling of the .30-06 (pronounced 30 ought six) rifle cartridge.
Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan at a town hall meeting in Eau Claire, with a chair for Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden who represents the 3rd Congressional District that includes Eau Claire. The chart behind Pocan shows most of the tax cuts passed by House Republicans go to those in the highest income brackets. | Photo by Frank Zufall/Wisconsin Examiner
“Is Derrick here?” asked U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, the Democratic congressman representing Wisconsin’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes Dane County. Pocan was in Eau Claire, the 3rd Congressional District represented by Derrick Van Orden, a Republican, on Saturday, May 31, at a town hall organized by Opportunity Wisconsin, a coalition of grassroots groups, at the Pablo Center at the Confluence, Eau Claire’s performing arts center.
Van Orden was invited to attend the event but declined.
Pocan is one of several congressional Democrats who have begun holding town hall meetings in Republican districts where Republican representatives have been reluctant to meet their constituents who are upset about budget cuts that threaten access to Social Security, Medicaid and federal food assistance.
Pocan focused on what President Dondald Trump (R) has called “the Big Beautiful Bill” that was recently passed by the House of Representatives, and which Pocan called “the worst bill I’ve ever seen introduced by anyone, by any political party.”
He chided Republican supporters for cutting Medicaid benefits for nearly 14 million Americans, raising the premiums for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and cutting food assistance to 11 million mostly low-income children through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The Republican budget reconciliation package also extends tax cuts passed in 2017 for America’s top earners, resulting in a nearly $5 trillion national deficit over 10 years.
A May 20 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of the GOP budget bill projects it would increase the national deficit by $3.8 trillion and decrease Medicaid spending by $698 billion and SNAP spending by $267 billion.
A May 22 CBO projection notes the bill would reduce SNAP participation by “roughly 3.2 million people in an average month over the 2025–2034 period.”
There are different projections on how many people would experience a Medicaid cut, with estimates ranging from 7.5 to 10 million.
Van Orden sent out a release after Pocan’s appearance in Eau Claire:
“What Mr. Pocan is doing is absolutely despicable – continuing to fearmonger our vulnerable populations, including seniors, veterans, hungry children, individuals with disabilities and pregnant women. This bill protects Medicaid and SNAP for those most in need and prevents a 25% tax hike on Wisconsin families. Anyone telling you anything different, including Mr. Pocan, is lying to you.”
Van Orden also disputes the CBO’s analysis, stating that the CBO has been wrong in the past and tends to be overly critical of Republican-sponsored legislation.
“There are not cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, veteran benefits, SNAP and WIC (Women, Infants and Children program) are not being cut,” Van Orden told a local TV station after the House passed the bill.
But Pocan said Van Orden has been corrected even by other Republicans who admit the bill would reduce spending on Medicaid.
“83% of the benefit goes to the top 1% of the people,” Pocan said of the tax cuts, “so they are taking from the pockets of pretty much everyone in this room and putting it into the pockets of Elon Musk and Donald Trumps and others.”
Pocan added that only 5% of the tax cuts in the bill will go to working people, including those who won’t have to pay taxes on tips, seniors and to offset interest payments on car loans. And, he noted, those cuts will sunset, while the much larger tax cuts for top-earners, which account for 83% of the cost of the bill, are permanent.
“The single largest cut to health care in American history is in this bill, 13.7 million people are estimated would lose access to health care because of the cuts to Medicaid,” Pocan said. “But what doesn’t get as much coverage is they also cut some of the premium assistance for the Affordable Care Act. So it’s a $700 billion cut to Medicaid, but also a $300 billion cut to the Affordable Care Act. We don’t even have the estimates of the numbers yet, but millions more will pay increased premiums.”
Pocan said Republicans have said the Medicaid cuts are really about setting work requirements in exchange for benefits and not a straight cut.
“Two-thirds of the people who get Medicaid are working poor,” Pocan said. While they shouldn’t be affected by the new work requirements, the red tape involved in proving their work history will help push people off Medicaid.
“It’s not about trying to have any accountability,” he said. “It’s to just make it harder for people to get health care.” Pocan pointed to a state work requirement for Medicaid recipients in Arkansas, where people who lost coverage were actually eligible for care. The work requirements did not boost employment, researchers found and many of those who lost coverage had trouble accessing the online reporting system.
Pocan also noted that the projected increase in the deficit under the House proposal would trigger a sequestration requirement, resulting in automatic cuts to Medicare of nearly $500 billion.
SNAP cuts would mean a loss of $314 million for Wisconsin.
Pocan also criticized Trump’s “on again, off again” practice of announcing tariffs, which had created a climate of uncertainty for businesses.
“Not only did Donald Trump not reduce costs like he promised in November, but the tariffs are actually a tax on all of us,” he said.
Pocan criticized Van Orden for not coming to town hall meetings to defend his vote for the Republican budget bill.
Van Orden has said he prefers telephone town halls where the meeting isn’t dominated by people he describes as leftwing critics, and he also has said that his family has received death threats and is vulnerable in an in-person setting.
Pocan acknowledged death threats should be taken seriously, but also stated he and many others in Congress have received death threats, and he criticized Van Orden’s telephone town halls for only allowing his supporters to talk.
Pocan also criticized Van Orden for going back on his promise never to cut Medicaid or reduce SNAP. Van Orden has claimed the bill doesn’t reduce Medicaid and that Medicaid and SNAP payments will continue as usual for recipients if they meet the new work requirements.
A registered nurse who attended the town hall in Eau Claire said many of her clients are on Medicaid and Medicare, with several living in nursing homes, and she asked what would happen to them if the House budget bill became law.
State Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick) who came to the town hall with Pocan, said approximately 55% of people in long-term care in Wisconsin are on Medicaid and if Medicaid funding is cut it will also impact the other 45-50% who have private insurance because facilities will close due to lack of funding.
Pocan also responded to questions about cuts to Social Security Administration staff, saying, “When you cut thousands of people who work for Social Security, you make it harder for people to get access to their money.”
Speaking more generally of federal cuts under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, he added, “They fired the people who worked on avian flu, bird flu, which was affecting us greatly recently, and they had to rehire them at the Department of Health and Human Services.”
Pocan said he believed Trump won in November because the cost of living was high and noted that in other countries incumbents also lost because of a backlash caused by global inflation.
“So that was the No. 1 thing going for Donald Trump in November, but today it’s the No. 1 thing that’s taking him down the polls, because he said he would address it. He’s done nothing,” said Pocan.
Asked how Democrats could encourage younger people to vote, Pocan said, “The good news is younger people absolutely agree with more progressive public policy and not conservative policy.” But people “want to fight back, you want something to happen,” he added.
He encouraged Democratic leaders to hold more town hall meetings in Republican districts.
“We should be going into many more Republican districts,” he said.
Pocan also encouraged attendees to meet Van Orden whenever he is in Eau Claire and ask to talk to him directly, and invite the press to be there for the interaction.
He encouraged the crowd of 100-plus to become active.
“You happen to be in this very unique position of having a member that is in a purple district,” Pocan said of Van Orden, who won in 2024 by one of the smallest majorities for a Republican in Congress. He “could lose his seat if he doesn’t listen to you.”
Striking nurses picket outside UnityPoint-Health Meriter hospital Wednesday. (Photo by Erik Gunn/Wisconsin Examiner)
Nurses at Meriter hospital in Madison and the hospital’s management team are returning to the bargaining table Thursday, the third day of a five-day strike over a new labor agreement covering nearly 1,000 union-represented nurses.
The nurses, represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Wisconsin, went on strike Tuesday after their last negotiating session with UnityPoint Health-Meriter on May 19 ended without an agreement.
As nurses rallied and picketed in front of the hospital Wednesday, the issue of staffing requirements was at the forefront of arguments offered by both the nurses and the hospital’s management.
Meriter Nurse Carly Dickmann addresses her coworkers at a picket line rally in front of the hospital Wednesday. Behind her is Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. (Photo by Erik Gunn/Wisconsin Examiner)
“Let me be very clear, it is not unreasonable to want safe staffing guaranteed in our contracts,” said Carly Dickmann, a Meriter obstetrics, labor and delivery nurse.
“It is not unreasonable to want to feel safe at work and to have a voice in the procedures that impact us and our patients,” Dickmann continued. “It is not unreasonable to want fair compensation for our labor. It’s long past time for management to take us seriously. It’s time that Meriter listen to nurses and come to the table ready to make real, tangible changes to improve the hospital we love so dearly.”
A management position paper distributed Wednesday by the hospital’s communications department asserted that the hospital and the union both “agree that staffing levels are a critical component to safe patient care.”
The paper stated that the hospital’s approach to staffing assignments needed “to remain flexible” so it could move personnel in response to “patient needs and census changes.” It said the hospital would review “the staffing matrix” in four units the union identified as having problems, and that nurses and support staff in the affected units would be included in the process.
At the union’s picket line rally on Tuesday, bargaining team member Amber Anderson said the management proposal fell short.
“Meriter management refuses to put staffing solutions in our contract,” Anderson said, calling the management proposal “a vague promise to review staffing with no timelines, no accountability and no enforceable standards. That is not enough.”
The union has also focused on security and on wages. Union proposals have sought increases particularly for nurses with the longest tenure, as well as metal detectors in certain areas.
The management paper said average wages would go up by $4.67 an hour over the life of the agreement under the hospital’s proposal, and that Meriter had plans to install weapons screening equipment in its emergency department this summer.
At Wednesday’s picket line rally, striking nurses heard messages of support from Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Black Earth).
Pocan recalled his visit to Meriter for three clogged arteries seven and a half years ago.
“And I got time to spend in the ICU and other rooms here at Meritor, and I received excellent health care,” Pocan said. “Not because of the comfort of the bed or the colors of the wall, not because of the profitability of the hospital, but because of the staff and the nurses at Meriter.”
Johnson came to Madison because he sees issues in the strike as important “not just for nurses in Madison, but really for nurses all across the state of Wisconsin,” he said in an interview. “When you stand with labor, it’s not just a sometime thing, it’s an all the time thing.”
Strikers also got support from union activists organizing at other area health care employers.
“The people who own the health care industry are running a race to the bottom, where executives try to lower quality of care, increase ratios as much as they possibly can get away with,” said Colin Gillis, who has been active in the effort begun more than five years ago to win union representation for nurses at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in Madison.
“And when they do it here, at the hospital next door, they look at their nurses and they say, ‘Hey, they take six patients at night, so can you,” Gillis said. “Well, you and your nurses are here to say, ‘Heck, No!’”
Dr. Ira Segal, who has been among the employees at Group Health Cooperative in Madison organizing a union, said his coworkers see the Meriter nurses as allies.
“Together, we will persevere and we will shape a future where workers and patients come before profit, and where every voice is heard,” Segal said.
U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden tours Gilbertson's Dairy in Dunn County. (Henry Redman | Wisconsin Examiner)
When he was campaigning for Congress in western Wisconsin, Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden talked about growing up “in abject rural poverty,” raised by a single mom who relied on food stamps. As a result, he has said, he would never go along with cuts to food assistance.
“He sat down in my office when he first got elected and promised me he wouldn’t ever vote against SNAP because he grew up on it, supposedly,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan said in a phone interview as he was on his way home to Wisconsin from Washington this week.
But as Henry Redman reported, Van Orden voted for the Republican budget blueprint, which proposes more than $200 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in order to make room for tax cuts for the very wealthy.
Still, after that vote, Van Orden issued a public statement warning against reckless cuts to SNAP that place “disproportionate burdens on rural states, where food insecurity is often more widespread,” and saying it is unfair to build a budget “on the backs of some of our most vulnerable populations, including hungry children. Period.”
Van Orden sits on the House Agriculture Committee, which was tasked with drawing up a specific plan to cut $230 billion from food assistance to pay for tax cuts. Van Orden reportedly balked at a cost-sharing plan that shifted 25% of the cost of the program to states, saying it was unfair to Wisconsin.
Van Orden took credit for the plan, which ties cuts to state error rates in determining eligibility and benefit amounts for food assistance. According to WisPolitics, he declared at a House Ag Committee markup that “states are going to have to accept the fact that if they are not administering this program efficiently, that they’re going to have to pay a portion of the program that is equitable, and it makes sense and it is scaled.”
But states, including Wisconsin, don’t have money to make up the gap as the federal government, for the first time ever, withdraws hundreds of millions of dollars for nutrition assistance. Instead, they will reduce coverage, kick people off the program and hunger will increase. The ripple effects include a loss of about $30 billion for farmers who supply food for the program, Democrats on the Ag Committee report, and damage to the broader economy, since every $1 in SNAP benefits generates about $1.50 in economic activity. Grocery stores, food manufacturers rural communities will be hit particularly hard.
Wisconsin will start out with a bill for 5% of the costs of the program in Fiscal Year 2028, according to a bill explanation from the Agriculture Committee. But as error rates vary, that number shifts sharply upward — to 15% when the error rate goes from the current 5% to 6%, to 20% if we exceed an 8% error rate, and so on.
And there are other cuts in the bill, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) points out, including stricter eligibility limits, work requirements that cannot be waived in times of economic hardship and high unemployment, and reductions in benefits that come from eliminating deductions for utility costs.
More than 900,000 children, adults, and seniors count on Wisconsin’s SNAP program, known as FoodShare, according to an analysis of state health department data by Kids Forward. The same analysis found that covering the costs of just 10% of SNAP benefits would cost Wisconsin $136 million.
Alaska and Texas have higher error rates than Wisconsin, and so they — and their hungry kids — are stuck with the biggest cuts. Even if you accept that that is somehow just, the people who are going to pay for this bill in all the states, including ours, are, as Van Orden himself put it, “the most vulnerable populations, including hungry children. Period.”
“He says one thing and does another,” Pocan says of Van Orden’s flip-flopping on SNAP. “He’s gone totally Washington.”
That’s too bad for the people left behind in rural Wisconsin, who will take the brunt of these unnecessary cuts.
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