Friday, May 25, 2012

 1:32 PM 

Oversight Committee Dems ask Walker about 2011 testimony

Three Dem members of the House Oversight Committee today asked Gov. Scott Walker if he wished to withdraw his April 2011 testimony before the committee in light of documentary footage showing him discussing labor issues with a prominent GOP donor earlier that year.

The members -- Elijah Cummings of Maryland, Gerry Connolly of Virginia and Chris Murphy of Connecticut -- asked Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., to seek clarification from Walker on Monday.

Today, they wrote Walker directly after the governor said he hadn't seen the letter to Issa during a TV appearance earlier this week. The lawmakers said they wrote to the chairman so he could ask for clarification on the entire committee's behalf.

"Chairman Issa has written several letters to witnesses this Congress when he believed they were not being truthful or when new information came to light suggesting that their testimony was not accurate," the letter reads.

The lawmakers then ask Walker whether he denies meeting with Diane Hendricks and discussing "right-to-work" legislation with the billionaire GOP donor as shown in the documentary "As Goes Janesville."

"In light of your answers to these questions, do you now wish to withdraw your sworn testimony before the Committee in which you asserted that you never 'had a conversation with respect to your actions in Wisconsin and using them to punish members of the opposition party and their donor base'?" the lawmakers write. "In the interview with your local Fox affiliate, you stated that 'the facts are the facts.' We agree, and in this instance, the facts were captured on videotape."

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Monday, May 21, 2012

 1:33 PM 

House Dems seek to clarify Walker's 2011 testimony

Three Dem members of the House Oversight Committee today sought to clarify Gov. Scott Walker's testimony before their committee last spring in light of controversial comments about unions unveiled in a recent documentary.

In a letter to Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa, U.S. Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, Gerry Connolly of Virginia and Chris Murphy of Connecticut request that the California Republican write to Walker inquiring about his previous testimony.

The lawmakers note that Walker testified that his budget repair bill -- which restricted public employee collective bargaining -- did not have political implications, but pointed to footage unveiled earlier this month showing Walker discussing unions with GOP donor Diane Hendricks.

"This new video raises serious questions about the veracity of Governor Walker’s testimony before our Committee, in which he repeatedly described his decision to strip public sector union workers of collective bargaining rights in purely economic terms," the letter states. "Instead, this video suggests that his motivation was to 'divide and conquer' public sector unions in order to turn Wisconsin into a 'completely red state.'"

"We ask that you write to Governor Walker on behalf of the Committee and request an explanation for why his statements captured on this videotape appear to contradict his testimony before the Committee."

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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

 12:28 PM 

Club for Growth rates WI freshmen reps on Tea Party loyalty

Wisconsin's two GOP freshman representatives supported tea party interests through most of their votes, according to a scorecard released today by Club for Growth, though Rep. Reid Ribble scored significantly higher than Rep. Sean Duffy.

The ratings were based on Club for Growth positions on a range of budgetary issues and whether or not the freshman representative followed suit.

Freshman Rep. Reid Ribble supported "economic freedom" 90 percent of the time, while Rep. Sean Duffy voted with them only 58 percent of the time, according to the score cards. Both representatives got marks off for votes to approve the appropriations bill and increase the debt limit. Duffy's score was lower because he did not vote to strike funding from the National Labor Relations Board, didn't vote to cut funding for the Department of the Interior and Agriculture and and didn't vote to roll back most funding levels to 2006.

Posted @ 12:28 PM | Permalink

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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

 3:38 PM 

Kohl, Johnson split on student loan bill

U.S. Sens. Herb Kohl, D-Milwaukee, and Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, split their votes on moving forward on debate for a bill that would have prevented certain Stafford student loan interest rates from doubling to 6.8 percent.

Republicans objected to the funding mechanism for the bill, which they said would raise taxes on business owners.

In a statement, Johnson, who voted against the measure, said the bill did nothing to help young people "suffering badly from the Obama economy" and that it used them as "political pawns."

“I encourage a vigorous debate on the rising cost of a college education, the mismatch between college curriculums and actual work place demands, and the enormous debt burden young adults must sustain to pay for college," Johnson said. "The cost of a college education has multiplied exponentially over the past three decades and much of that additional cost provides little or no value to a student attending college.”

Dawn Schueller, a spokesman for Kohl, who voted for the measure, said his office had no statement on the vote, but may provide one later in the day.

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