Op-Eds and Blogs

In the News: Blog 04/11/2013
Price County Daily: Senator shares concerns about economy
Senator Ron Johnson was in the Northwoods last week, visiting area businesses to talk about what he foresees in the area of economic climate. Johnson made stops at the Phillips Medisize facility and then went on to Flambeau River Papers in Park Falls. Johnson, who has been in office for two years, admitted that things are in chaos in Washington – especially in the area of finances and he noted that the biggest problem is that the lawmakers seem to be in denial. “They aren't calling it that – but I will – our government is functionally bankrupt,” Johnson said. “So, what do we do? We have the printing presses so we just print some more “pretty money.”
In the News: Blog 04/10/2013
WBAY: Sen. Johnson Statement on Oshkosh Corporation Layoffs
"This is disappointing news. My office stands ready to provide any possible assistance to the employees affected by today's announcement and to the Oshkosh Corporation. "With four-plus years in the White House, President Obama has significantly reduced national security spending and committed to a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan. He did not conclude a status of forces agreement that would maintain a military presence in Iraq to protect U.S. interests.
In the News: Blog 04/10/2013
Politico: Ron Johnson: Budget not ‘serious’
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Wednesday criticized President Barack Obama’s lack of leadership on the budget, charging it is not a “serious” document. “Obviously releasing a budget two months late is leading from behind, which is not a real good idea,” the Senate Budget Committee member said. “I mean it is not a serious budget,” Johnson added on Fox News. “It never provides balance. [It] doesn’t put us on a glide path to actually live within our means. What the president is really proposing is increasing spending and increasing the deficit in that first year, then extrapolate that for the next 10 years. That is what his proposal looks like to me - more increased spending, more increased taxes and unfortunately more increased deficits.”
In the News: Blog 04/10/2013
KARE 11 NBC: President Obama to unveil budget plan on Wednesday
MINNEAPOLIS - The third of three federal budgets will be handed in on Wednesday when President Barack Obama releases his federal, fiscal plan. The Republican-controlled House has already passed a budget and the Democratically-controlled Senate did too. That's the good news. There is bad news as well. "We see two different philosophies," U.S. Sen. Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, told KARE 11 last week. "Neither side is going away. Maybe it's time to govern," U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, said late last week in Hudson. Johnson was in Hudson delivering his federal budget power point speech to a packed room of business owners and everyday citizens last week. Franken was in St. Paul talking with college students about the federal budget and the affordability of higher education. Both were quite comfortable in their surroundings; as they've given these presentations dozens of times.
In the News: Blog 04/9/2013
Herald Times Reporter: Sen. Johnson plans videos on government abuse
MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson is planning to launch a series of videos featuring people who he says have been harmed by government intrusion or red tape. The first-term Republican tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (http://bit.ly/ZvctyR ) he was looking for a way to help the public understand the dangers of a growing, abusive government. The lone video posted so far describes an Illinois landowner’s dispute with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Senate staff assembled the video and Johnson narrates it. He says showing people real faces behind the harm government can cause resonates with the public.
In the News: Blog 04/9/2013
The Sun: Senator Johnson paints a “depressing” national picture
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson made several stops in northwestern Wisconsin last week, citing the need to spread pertinent, truthful information regarding the state of the nation. On the evening of April 3, he was at Paradise Landing in Balsam Lake, with close to 70 people attending to hear him speak. Johnson warned the contingent that his presentation leans toward the depressing, and that he frequently “ruins the day” of those he speaks to in the morning. What’s ruining his day is the stalemate between lawmakers.
In the News: Blog 04/9/2013
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Sen. Ron Johnson says he'll back filibuster of any bill that infringes on gun rights
Washington, D.C. -- Senate Republican Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said Tuesday his support of a GOP filibuster of a gun bill will depend on the final shape the legislation takes. But he also re-stated his opposition to expanded background checks, a core aim of the legislation that Senate Democrats are preparing. Johnson is one of 13 GOP senators who has signed a letter vowing to filibuster a gun bill. Johnson said his intention is to filibuster any legislation that “would infringe on our Second Amendment rights. To me, that’s a pretty easy letter to sign.”
In the News: Blog 04/8/2013
The Spooner Advocate: Senator Ron Johnson visits Spooner High School
In the News: Blog 04/8/2013
Wisconsin Radio Network: Johnson’s abuse of government video racks up hits
In the News: Blog 04/8/2013
WQOW: Senator Ron Johnson supports less regulation on businesses
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson says less is more. He's pushing for fewer government regulations concerning small businesses. Senator Johnson says when agencies consider public input as bills are written it leads to fewer regulations and fees to taxpayers. Government agencies do have checks and balances called "Notices of Proposed Rulemaking" to inform the public but Senator Johnson says they're not always followed. "Most of these government programs are very well intentioned, but the fact of the matter is, so often government programs have unintended consequences, negative unintended consequences," says Senator Johnson.