Wisconsin’s Congressional Members Divided on Trump Use of Military in L.A.
Decision defies wishes of California's governor
U.S. Capitol. Photo by Martin Falbisoner, (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Republicans representing Wisconsin in Congress are defending President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles amid protests there against federal immigration
That’s despite opposition from California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, who have said that the presence of the military is unnecessary and will inflame tensions.
Trump’s decision comes after violence and vandalism occurred during the largely peaceful protests.
Starting last weekend, Trump ordered the deployment of about 2,000 National Guard Troops to Los Angeles,
That marked the first time in 60 years in which a president has sent the National Guard to deal with civil unrest without a governor’s agreement.
His actions have prompted a lawsuit from California’s attorney general, who argues that Trump’s administration is trampling on that state’s authority.
Things escalated further this week, when Trump’s authorized sending 2,000 additional National Guard troops. His administration also announced it was sending 700 Marines. Federal officials have said those troops will be tasked with protecting federal officials and buildings, and a Pentagon official told Congress the deployment is expected to cost $134 million.
In Wisconsin, Republican members of Congress have spoken out in support of Trump’s actions, while Wisconsin’s Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin has accused Trump of “escalating tensions” and ignoring the wishes of L.A.’s police chief.
Here’s what U.S. Senators and representatives from Wisconsin have said so far.
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, Republican
In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson defended Trump’s decision to send National Guard troops, but stopped short of saying he supported deploying Marines in southern California.
Host Dana Bash referred to remarks Johnson made in 2020, in which he said he supported sending the National Guard to riots, but suggested sending active-duty troops would be going to far, saying, “you really don’t want to send in the U.S. military.”
Unlike the National Guard, which is mostly a reserve force, the Marines are active-duty military members. Johnson told Bash on Sunday he didn’t believe sending the Marines would be necessary in California.
“My guess is the National Guard ought to take care of the situation,” Johnson said. “So again, you provide massive manpower to prevent violence, and I would be nice if Democrat politicians wouldn’t keep stirring it up and keep asking people to go out there and protest against lawful law enforcement actions. That’s kind of hard to stomach.”
Johnson’s office did not respond to follow-up questions sent by WPR on Tuesday, after Trump authorized the Marine deployment.
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, Democrat
“Everyone has the right to make their voices heard, but under no circumstances are violence and destruction acceptable or the answer,” Baldwin said in a statement provided to WPR on Tuesday. “But, this President is choosing to treat this like a political game, not working toward real solutions, and he has only escalated tensions by ignoring local police’s wishes and even sending U.S. Marines onto American streets.”
U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, Republican, Wisconsin’s 1st District
U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, a Republican from Janesville backed Trump’s actions during a CNN interview that aired Monday.
“I think what all of us would like to see is the RE establishment of public safety immediately,” Steil told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “The failure of LAPD to be able to get that under control last night, I actually think speaks volumes.”
Steil also pushed back on claims in California’s lawsuit against the federal government, in which that state argued that Trump’s administration has violated federal laws and the U.S. Constitution.
“I think there’s actually pretty clear legal authority for the president to be able to do this in part to make sure that we’re protecting federal buildings as well as assisting federal law enforcement officers,” Steil said.
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, Democrat, Wisconsin’s 2nd District
“This is largely a distraction manufactured by Trump to divert the media’s attention from his bill to cut taxes for the wealthiest while cutting healthcare and food assistance for working people,” U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, a Madison Democrat said. “Violence in any form is not acceptable. However, Trump is escalating the situation in LA by putting U.S. troops on U.S. soil, blatantly violating the Posse Comitatus Act.”
U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, Republican, Wisconsin’s 3rd District
“Governor Newsom refuses to protect federal officers for political purposes – a massive leadership failure,” U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Prairie du Chien said in a statement provided to WPR. “I will never apologize for protecting American citizens, and neither will President Trump.”
On social media, Van Orden has referred to the protests in California as an “insurrection.”
That echoes remarks from President Donald Trump, who called protestors “insurrectionists,” The president has suggested that he may try to implement a harsher crackdown by invoking powers under the federal Insurrection Act.
U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, Democrat, Wisconsin’s 4th District
The office of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, a Milwaukee Democrat, did not respond Tuesday to WPR’s request for comment.
U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, Republican, Wisconsin’s 5th District
The office of U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican from Clyman, did not respond Tuesday to WPR’s request for comment.
U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, Republican, Wisconsin’s 6th District
The office of U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, a Greenbush Republican, did not respond Tuesday to WPR’s request for comment.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, Republican, Wisconsin’s 7th District
U.S. Rep Tom Tiffany, a Micoqua Republican, did not respond to WPR’s request for comment.
U.S. Rep. Tony Wied, Republican, Wisconsin’s 8th District
“The United States is a nation of laws and we cannot allow criminals and illegal aliens to wreak havoc with impunity,” U.S. Rep. Tony Wied, a Republican from De Pere said. “If Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass refuse to protect their citizens from violent extremists, it is up to the federal government to step in and restore law & order. I commend President Trump for taking action to protect the safety of the law-abiding citizens in California.”
Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation reacts as Trump deploys Marines, National Guard to California amid protests was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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