Senator Chris Larson

Yesterday I was proud to join with a bipartisan group of legislators in support of Ukrainian families that are being torn apart by the Putin Regime in Russia.

If passed, our Joint Resolution would make WI the first state to formally condemn Russia's cruel abduction of Ukrainian children.

A strong labor movement and worker protections in law is absolutely essential to ensure a basic standard of living for everyone - not just those who are blessed to be a part of a small group of wealthy elites.

CEOs at big companies fail all the time. They still make more money in a year than most of us will see in a lifetime. An average person can lose their entire livelihood over an injury, a sick kid, or even a social media post.

The hardest jobs that require the most back-breaking physical and emotional labor are some of the lowest-paying and least secure.

Our economy is built on scarcity. Scarcity of skills and scarcity of opportunities.

One of the most damaging myths about the American economy is that hard work translates to higher pay, and that people who are paid less don't work as hard as those who are paid more.

In reality, it's largely the opposite that's true.

Eventually, they decided to cut off my mic. I guess, as they say, the truth hurts.

I continued my story

My Republican colleagues did not like that.

So I started to give an example of how Kirk's tragic death has been weaponized by some on the right to intimidate and silence political opposition to the current regime.

I think I know why.

Rather conspicuously, the resolution they drafted had nothing to say about political violence.

On Tuesday, Wisconsin Republicans brought to a vote a resolution to honor Charlie Kirk, a far-right activist who was tragically murdered for his political views.

Sadly, Republicans have refused to make the necessary investments in our colleges and universities to keep higher ed. affordable, saddling generations of students with crippling debt, and hindering our state's economy in the process.

Wisconsin is among the worst states in the U.S. for college affordability - ranked 46th out of 50.

I have long championed policies that would reverse this:
-Tuition tax credits for people who stay in WI
-Tuition promise programs for low and mod-income families
-Funding tuition freezes with state $

…well by pretty much everything they’ve said publicly about their motivations to anyone who would listen.

U.S. Judge Susan Illston has issued an order halting the Trump Administration’s plans to lay of 4,100 federal employees during the government shutdown.

The decision to target these workers was clearly politically motivated, as evidenced by…

Today I was proud to join with my Democratic colleagues in introducing legislation that requires all teachers and administrators at private schools participating in a voucher program be subject to the same licensure requirements as public schools.

Every kid deserves to have a qualified teacher.

Did you know that in Wisconsin, if you teach at a private school - even if that school receives most of its money from taxpayers - you don't need to be licensed?

Yeah, it's time to change that.

…and “in-network” is still a thing we have to deal with for no good reason.

The good news: Ascension WI and United Healthcare have come to an agreement, ending their standoff retroactive to October 1st. Care at Ascension facilities is once again “in-network.”

The bad news: we still have a healthcare system that’s too expensive for just about everyone…

It's inefficient at best and downright cruel at worst.

Wisconsin alone will have to come up with at least $43.5 million per year just to keep benefits exactly as they are now.
New eligibility and reporting requirements will raise these costs even further, and will result in many people who still need the help not being able to receive it.

Republicans in Congress want states to pay more while getting less.

Take the SNAP program, for instance. Federal law changes in the Big Ugly Law push more of the burden of administering food assistance from the federal government to the states.

Wishing you all a joyous and reflective Indigenous People’s Day! As the Brewers prepare to take on the Dodgers tonight, don’t forget the contributions this season of Anthony Seigler, a proud member of the Navajo Nation.

The Trump Administration used the shutdown as an excuse to lay off 4,000 federal employees on Friday. The reason these particular workers were targeted could not be more transparent.

“they should be Democrat-oriented,” Trump said.

He’s not a President, he’s a sadist out for revenge.

And yet, only 11% of "compassionate release" petitions have been approved in the past 5 years. Those convicted before 2000 aren't even eligible to apply.

As a result, we spend over $100 million/yr to incarcerate over 2,000 people over 60 who pose little threat to society. It's a broken system.

Wisconsin's prison system is expensive (about $50,000 per occupant per year) and overcrowded. Driving both of these trends is our aging occupant population.

About 10% of people in state prisons are over 60 years old - an age group that is highly unlikely to reoffend if released.

Ok, hear me out - what if we called it “Medicare for Y’all” and just covered everybody? Shutdown solved!

Our secret is out! Milwaukee has been named the 3rd-best big city in the U.S. for the 3rd year in a row by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine. How many of the top 5 have you visited?

1. Chicago, Illinois
2. San Francisco, California
3. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
4. Portland, Oregon
5. New Orleans, Louisiana

Do you honestly think Major League Baseball would send their stars to an active war zone? Of course not. Just about everything the President says is a lie, and this is no exception.