Taxpayers Pay for Ramthun’s Campaign Travels

Since he took office in 2019, Assembly Rep. Tim Ramthun (R-Campbellsport) has been reimbursed for travel to political events, which is against Assembly rules, eight times, according to mileage reports obtained by the Wisconsin Examiner.

Representatives are eligible for reimbursement for travel costs, at $0.51 per mile, when they use a personal vehicle to travel to interviews with news media as well as meetings with other government officials and non-political organizations, according to the Assembly Policy Manual.

Ramthun, who is running for the Republican nomination for governor on a right-wing platform based on conspiracies about the 2020 presidential election, has been reimbursed for travel to events hosted by local chapters of the Republican party, the state Republican convention and candidate forums.

Ramthun’s mileage reimbursements show that he’s been lax with the rules regarding his requests for taxpayers to cover his expenses since he was sworn into office in 2019. In total, his reimbursement for travel to political events has cost $231.54

On May 17, 2019, Ramthun traveled from a speech in New Holstein to the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s annual convention in Oshkosh and requested reimbursement for 91 miles of travel, a cost of $46.41.

A few months later, on June 24, he said he traveled 66 miles to attend a meeting of the Sheboygan County Republican Party, costing taxpayers $33.66.

In October, he said he traveled 50 miles to attend the Fond du Lac County Republican Party’s Reagan Dinner and in December he traveled 36 miles to attend a Washington County Republican Party event.

Three months into 2020, on March 12, Ramthun made that 36 mile drive again to attend another Washington County Republican Party event. That was the only political event he was reimbursed for attending that year.

On March 14, 2021, he said he traveled 35 miles to attend a candidate forum hosted by Common Sense Citizens of Washington County (CSCWC) — a group that helps elect conservatives to government positions in local and statewide office. A week later, on March 21, Ramthun was reimbursed for 74 miles of travel to the Calumet County Republican Party’s caucus meeting.

Ramthun posted about attending the CSCWC meeting on his official Facebook page and the Calumet County Republican Party posted photos of Ramthun attending the March 21 event.

On June 18, 2021, Ramthun was reimbursed for 66 miles of travel to a Pints and Politics event hosted by the Sheboygan County Republican Party.

Progressive watchdogs call the use of taxpayer money to fund political events an ethical violation.

“Ramthun using the taxpayers’ dime to attend multiple political events crosses a very serious line,” says Joanna Beilman-Dulin, research director at A Better Wisconsin Together. “Yet again, Tim Ramthun has been cashing state checks for political purposes while shirking his legislative duties. Earlier this year he even collected per diem payments on a day he skipped out on Assembly votes to soak up the sun at a political event in Florida.”

“Wisconsin taxpayers don’t want to foot the bill for our legislators’ partisan galivants,” Beilman-Dulin adds. “We want our legislators to show up to work.”

Earlier this month, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that Ramthun had wrongly received taxpayer funded stipends. Lawmakers receive stipends to help cover the costs of travel and food on days they’re in Madison for floor sessions.

The Journal-Sentinel reported that Ramthun received payments of $76.50 on two days in February when the Assembly was in session but Ramthun missed votes.

On Feb. 15, Ramthun was in the Capitol while the Assembly was in session, but instead of attending a floor session, he was emceeing a rally to build support for his efforts to decertify Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election results, a legally impossible and unconstitutional maneuver.

He told the Journal-Sentinel that he attended a committee meeting, an afternoon caucus meeting and Gov. Tony Evers’ State of the State address that evening.

A week later, on Feb. 24, Ramthun left the session before it concluded to fly to Florida to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Republican figures and elected officials from across the country spread false allegations of a stolen election at the event in Orlando.

Ramthun told the Journal-Sentinel he attended a morning caucus meeting and was present for 15 of 18 votes on the floor that day and that he considered skipping CPAC but decided to go because the costs had already been paid.

“What’s the difference between me not being there?” he said. “It’s a façade. It’s not really talking about what’s going on when the session is occurring.”

Calls and emails to Ramthun’s Assembly and campaign offices went unanswered, as did a call to the Assembly Chief Clerk.

Rep. Tim Ramthun, bucking Assembly rules, has been reimbursed for travel to political events was originally published by the Wisconsin Examiner.