ICYMI: Ron Johnson in Hot Water With Wisconsinites Over Self-Serving Record
MADISON, Wis. – With just 62 days before the November elections, Ron Johnson’s self-serving record is on full display. From his threats to cut Social Security and Medicare funding to taking government funds to help his own bottom line while he stood against investments in Wisconsin, Wisconsinites are seeing just how harmful Ron Johnson is to their livelihoods.
Johnson has continuously threatened Social Security and Medicare funding. On top of that, Johnson, who previously supported raising the retirement age, is advocating for retirees to get back into the workforce.
- HuffPo: Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson has angrily denied that he ever threatened the Social Security program — even though he has. Johnson…last month proposed that funding for Social Security (and Medicare) be decided year by year as part of “discretionary” spending programs. That would subject funding to a potentially fierce partisan political battle annually, jeopardizing a predictable income for some 69 million Americans — most of whom have paid into the program their entire working lives.
- Wisconsin State Journal: As U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson campaigns for a potential third term, he’s proposing a fix for Wisconsin’s labor shortage: Encourage seniors to rejoin the workforce…Discussing the plan in late July with conservative talk show radio host John Catsimandis, Johnson said under the plan, “We’d get more seniors off of the sidelines, those that are capable of working. Encourage them to work.”
Johnson has a history of accepting government funding when it helped his bottom line, but has consistently voted against legislation that would help Wisconsin workers and families.
- WI Examiner: Johnson’s use of the federal programs for the company he led, Pacur, has been previously reported. But that history has drawn new scrutiny in light of his reasons for voting against signature bills addressing COVID-19 relief, infrastructure development and repair, the microchip industry, health care costs and climate change. Johnson criticized all of them for spending too much money.
Johnson has been a strong supporter of outsourcing Wisconsin jobs, and has taken tens of thousands of dollars from companies that have shipped jobs out of state.
- UpNorthNews: Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson has received $77,400 over the years from people and firms engaged in outsourcing work to other states and countries, according to a review of campaign finance records provided to UpNorthNews. Johnson, a two-term senator who said earlier this year he would not ask a hometown manufacturer to locate about 1,000 new jobs in Oshkosh, has a history of comments that suggest he supports outsourcing jobs.
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