MADISON, Wis.— During a WCLO radio interview Monday, Senator Ron Johnson bragged that he stood “in the way of getting checks to everybody,” referring to earlier this year when he tried to block the $1,400 relief checks sent to Wisconsin families as part of the American Rescue Plan. The American Rescue Plan sent up to $1,400 to Wisconsin adults and dependents who needed it the most, totaling over $7.8 billion for Wisconsin families, helping 4 million adults and 1.5 million children in the state.
“Senator Ron Johnson just told us everything we need to know—he’s proud to have tried to block COVID relief checks that people needed to pay their bills,” said Meghan Roh, Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director. “Senator Johnson’s never found a tax break for rich people that he won’t stand up for, but he’s bragging about trying to block economic relief for Wisconsin families struggling to make ends meet.”
In 2017, Senator Johnson supported a $1.9 trillion tax giveaway to America’s billionaires. In December 2020, he also led the charge to stop the bipartisan effort to provide relief checks to Wisconsinites, with Politico writing that Senator Johnson was “the guy who twice shut down…stimulus checks that would have gone to hundreds of thousands of his constituents.”
In February, Opportunity Wisconsin launched a $1 million statewide TV ad campaign calling on Senator Ron Johnson to stop blocking relief checks for Wisconsin families as part of COVID relief legislation.
About Opportunity Wisconsin
Opportunity Wisconsin is a coalition of Wisconsin residents fighting for an economy that works for working people. Through our stories, we’re elevating the real consequences of the destructive economic policies that put the wealthy few first and leave the rest of us behind. Together, we’re demanding our elected officials focus more on growing the economy for middle class folks and expanding opportunity for all Wisconsinites. To learn more about Opportunity Wisconsin, visit OpportunityWisconsin.org or stay connected on Twitter at @OpportunityWI and on Facebook at Facebook.com/OpportunityWI.
