Protest the Wisconsin GOP

media release: Today – July 11 – at 4:00pm, Indivisible Dane County WI (IDCW) will be picketing at the WI GOP Headquarters to hold Wisconsin State Legislators and Members of Congress accountable for the horrendous legislation they just approved.

We’ve invited IDCW members and the community to a visibility event today in front of WI GOP Headquarters at 148 E. Johnson St. Note that there’s no sign in front of the building to identify the office. It’s as if they don’t want anyone to know that they’re there.

We’re asking people to bring signs to let Wisconsin Republican state legislators and Members of Congress know what we think of the Budget Reconciliation Bill and the Wisconsin State Budget they just approved. And we want them to know that they can’t hide in an unmarked building to avoid public scrutiny.

Nationally, the GOP just enacted a budget reconciliation bill that takes healthcare away from 17 million people, kicks 11.8 million people off of food stamps, and rips school lunches away from kids -- all so they could shovel $4.5 trillion to the ultra-rich in tax giveaways. And now they've funded an American Gestapo, making ICE the largest federal law enforcement agency in US history.

Wisconsin Republican Members of Congress complied with the president’s demands in lockstep. They broke their campaign promises to leave Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security alone by changing eligibility requirements. This bill does nothing to address the economy; it won’t lower costs for most Americans. Even Ron Johnson, who feigned his disapproval of adding to the nation’s debt, voted for the bill.

They purposely set the effective date for many of these devastating program cuts to occur after the 2026 midterm elections. They know that if their constituents feel the pinch before then, it’s likely to hurt their chances of being reelected. Our goal is to inform the public about what the GOP is really doing before then.

In Wisconsin, the new budget starves public schools with an unprecedented $0 in new state general aid over the next two years. This passes the burden on to local school districts that will be forced to increase property taxes. Republicans also blocked increasing funding for childcare and expanding Medicaid. The GOP targets the most vulnerable populations in the country and the state, taking away benefits that are lifelines for many of them.

These measures are deeply unpopular. They’ve broken their promises to the American people. Republicans must pay for ignoring their constituents. We’re not going to let them hide. The campaign to vote them out of office begins here and now!