Op-Eds and Blogs

As the debate over raising the country’s debt ceiling starts to heat up, Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is calling for new budget cuts in all federal agencies as a way to rein in spending. “I’m happy to start cutting agencies,” Johnson said in a phone interview with The Daily Caller last week. “I think pretty much across the board is how you do it,” the Republican lawmaker said. “I truly believe that any of these agencies could easily withstand a 10 or 20 percent across the board cut and still be able to perform their function.” Johnson said that “an awful lot of these” agencies “probably have a harmful effect on the economy anyways, so I don’t necessarily want to maintain their function.”

Washington, D.C. – Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin (WI) today announced a friendly wager with Senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar (MN) on the outcome of this Saturday’s Packers-Vikings playoff game. “Wisconsin is known for its fine cheeses and other dairy products, but our state produces many great beers as well,” Johnson said. “Senator Baldwin and I are proud to offer a selection of microbrews and traditional labels against the best that Minnesota has to offer.” “This has been an exciting week,” Baldwin commented, ”but it’s only going to get better when the Packers beat the Vikings and put an end to this trash talking from my Minnesota colleagues.”

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson has been named to Senate committees dealing with the budget, foreign relations and small business. Johnson came to Congress in 2010 after running on his credentials as a small-business man. The Republican and fiscal conservative ran a plastics-packaging company in Oshkosh. He'll share two committee assignments with his new Wisconsin colleague, incoming Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Both will be on the Senate Budget Committee and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh says he will not support increasing taxes to avoid heading over the fiscal cliff. President Barack Obama and congressional leaders met Friday to discuss the pending fiscal crisis, and both sides say they’re confident they’ll reach an agreement before the end of the year. Johnson said he supports raising revenue, but only through economic growth. “(I don’t support) punishing success by increasing tax rates,” Johnson said. “It won’t work, it’s counterproductive. It’s not even close to fixing the problem. I do not know that of a tax increase that helps grow the economy or create a job.”